I’m Home! 4 years in planning. 5600 miles. 16 states visited. My quest to cross the United States on a motorcycle is complete! I’m exhausted. I’m going to go through my photos and journal and write a complete blog series on the trip, but for now, I’m just going to have a beer and unwind.
Thanks to my good friend and brother in Christ, Robert Clark for taking on this adventure with me. It’s been one heck of a ride!
Ok, so the Epic Ride of 2010 is almost here and I’ve been running through everything in my head and preparing myself for two weeks on the road. Motorcycling is much more than just hopping on the bike and riding off into the sunset. It really is a physical and mental challenge. Not like a long distance runner or anything like that, but it does take a certain amount of focus and endurance.
Last time Robert and I rode we were gone 5 days and our daily distance covered was not that demanding. This time we’re riding for 13 days and are going to average 450 miles a day. On top of that, it’s going to be HOT as we cross the desert southwest, and hot & humid as we enter the south. And then there’s the fact that I’m spending 16 days, 24 hours a day, with another dude. That alone is enough to make any trip miserable.
This is really all part of the adventure though. My riding partner is a good dude so if he can put up with me, I know we’ll be just fine. The only real things that are worrying me at this point are my health and the health of the bike.
It’s important to eat right while on the road. The wind rushing past you on a bike in 100 degree weather will dry you out in a heartbeat so drinking lots of water is a must. But also it’s important to eat right. Last trip I had chicken fried steak every single day for breakfast. Oh, it was SO GOOD. But I gained 10 pounds and felt like falling asleep every day by lunch. This time my plan is to stick with healthy foods as much as possible. I do plan on enjoying some of the local cuisine. There’s no way in hell I’m going to sit in a Texas steak house and order a tofu burger with sprouts and avocados. But, I’m not also going to do chicken fried steak every day.
I’m also going to try and cut back on the beer. Robert and I have a sort of tradition of having a beer and cigar at the end of each riding day, but I’ll have to limit the brew a bit this trip. It might not be easy. To me, beer is one of the greatest things ever given to us by God. But overdoing it can dehydrate you and cause restless sleep not to mention make you fat as heck. And I do NOT want to be sleepy and facing 400 miles of riding. I kinda don’t want to be fat either.
The health of the bike; well, that I’m just going to have to put in God’s hands. I’ve done all I can do to get the girl ready and now I just have to trust that she’ll take me where I want to go with no troubles. We’re really catching a break with the weather. Looks like the entire way across the desert should see temps below 100°. That’s a huge relief since we’re both riding air cooled bikes.
So that’s about it. I’m going to have trouble sleeping as the ride gets closer. These are exciting times!
I ran across a post this morning by the Fresno Bee’s Donald Munroe and so I thought I’d post my thoughts on Sambo’s as well.
I was born in So-Cal and lived there for my grade school years. That was back in the mid 70′s. What I remember most of all from that time, oddly enough, was the architecture. The buildings were all so “modern” for the times with odd shapes and weird spires and vaults. I remember thinking that we were right on the edge of living in “the future” and any day my dad would buy a hover car and we’d start wearing silver jumpsuits. As you can tell I had a big imagination, fueled by frequent trips to Disneyland no doubt, which was nearly right in our back yard.
Fast forward 35 or so years and well, we’re still not living in “the future” yet. I still don’t have my hover car or my silver jumpsuit. And the futuristic architecture of the 70′s are now dilapidated buildings mostly housing chinese take out joints. But every time I see one of these old buildings it takes me back to those hot So-Cal days and the family dining together at Sambo’s.
Here’s a website that actually has interior and exterior photos of all the old Sambo’s. Enjoy!
I just finished getting the bike ready for the big trip. Oil is changed, cables are lubed, everything is cleaned. As I’m sitting here in my garage in 103 degree heat, smoking an end-of-day cigar and enjoying a home brew, I’m imagining what the trip is going to be like.
Who will we meet? Where will they be from? What stories will they share with us? What will we see along the way? What trials will we face along the way? How will we overcome them? What stories will we come home with?
And in some ways, it goes even deeper. My parents, who we will be visiting, are getting old. Will this be the last time I see one of them? I certainly hope not, but I can’t deny that the thought weighs heavy on my shoulders.
At church today we heard Kimberly talk about how people connect with God. Some connect with our Creator via study, some via worship, some via servanthood. For me, motorcycling is one of those ways. I know at probably sounds lame, but when I’m out there on the road, all alone, engine roaring beneath me, wind rushing past, the vibrant sights fillIng my eyes, the rich smells of nature flooding my nostrils, It’s then that I feel alive. It’s then that it’s just God and me, sharing a private experience, out there in the road.
For me this trip is about everything that is good in life. Family, friends, God, and His magnificent creation.
Alright so some time ago I went into the studio and cranked out the drums on 11 tracks in one day for a band called The Avenue. Today Paul released a preview of the first single from the album and I’m proud to share it with you now. News on the full album release is coming soon.
Check out the single and comment below!
