mrzip66

Just got back from a ride. I’d meant to sit down and blog about it —- I had great determination about 100 miles ago, but right now I just wanna hang out with the family. I’ll post about it later.

How about a little Levon Helm? The man was a badass. I’ll post that instead. Eat a bag of hell if you don’t like it.

Well, my hall pass cleared and gonna go do some exploring on the bike today and tomorrow. Heading down to Apache Country, See the border, a little new Mexico and some of the last major roads in AZ that I haven’t ridden.

I’m fired up about it. The bike is loaded up, just waiting for mah coffee to finish brewing then I’m heading out. Nothing huge — maybe 350 miles today and 350 miles tomorrow, and I’ll figure out where I’m going to crash tonight.

Not entirely sure about food; most places are closed so I’m taking a can opener and a spoon just in case. I’m pretty sure I’ll eat.

haha, life is good!

I wouldn’t say I’m a planner. I’d like to think I’m a think-fast, shoot-from-the-hip type guy. My old man used to say “take half the clothes and twice the money”. When you’re going on a trip, and I think I like that plan. Do I pre-plan? Not really. There’s some shit on a long ride that I just know I’m going to need. Here’s my short list:

• The Bike. This one is obvious.
• A wallet. You actually can go on a ride, get 100 miles away and forget you didn’t bring it. No, I don’t want to talk about it. I Like mine with a chain on it, so I can reach down and feel it 20 miles in to remember I have it.
• A sleeping bag. I have several; a zero degree, tiny little stuffer I bought 30 years ago that has never failed me, and takes up half a saddle bag. If I’m going for comfort, I’ll strap something bigger to the backrest.
• A tent. I’m not opposed to sleeping out under the stars, but sometimes it’s nice to have something around you to keep the heat in, and the cold out.
• A gun. It can make a weird situation out on the road make you feel better. Also: America.
• A leather Jacket. I’ve had a couple summer rides out in the desert where I haven’t packed one, and I wished I would have. In the desert, you can be below sea level, and then ride up to 10,000 feet with snow. Ya never know where the muse will take you. At the very least, they make a good pillow.
• Sunblock – there’s always some in my bike stash, or the wife has some in her drawer. It’s kind of a must.
• Old underwear – The best place to chuck old underwear, is in a KOA, out on the road somewhere. You’ll make room for a T-shirt you just have to have, in the text town.
• Socks. The last thing you want, is a disease called Gungus Coyote. I have no idea what this disease is, because I bring extra socks.
• A phone. Music, nav, a camera, a phone….. There maybe should be a chain for this too.
• A Map. A phone is nice, but it’s hard to get perspective on where you want to ride on a phone. A phone map is meant to get you from point A to point B. Sometimes, you need to spread out a map and see if you want to go to point C, D, E and F. Phones suck at that.
• Another T-shirt. (or two).
• Some sort of Bandana: They’re just handy.
• Sunglasses.

If you have room at this point, there are some extras you can pack, that just make for a nicer ride:

• An Extra pair of Levis. An extra pair of Levis is the difference between a 3 day trip, and a 5 day trip. Coin-op laundromats are a pain in the ass, and there is only so much of your own stench you can take.
• A swimming suit – It’s nice to find a motel with a pool that has a laundromat. Then you can jump in the pool while your 2 pairs of levis, extra shirt, old underwear and that t-shirt you bought are all getting washed. Plus, a swimming suit doesn’t take up all that much room.
• A towel.

The rest, you can figger out. Or buy on the road. It’s the beauty of a long ride.

The rest, is cake: you go see a place you’ve never seen, explore the world, watch a sunset (or sunrise) in a town you barely learned the name of. Twist a throttle, and go see a thing. You’ve got a saddle bag full of shit at this point to make life all the better.

Anything I missed?

Since I’m stuck at home, I’ve pretty much watched every single motorcycle show I can find on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and DVD I can find.

Then I got this email from Harley Today:

They’ve started a Harley TV Channel online.

There’s 4 channels: Main, Racing, Factory and Garage.

Well played, and well timed from the MoCo!

A buddy of mine from the UK just sent me this video. It pretty much nails how I feel when I ride.

I kinda needed it. Riding it seems, always brings you back to center.

From an anonymous UPS delivery driver…
5 types of customers since the “rona”:

1) Steve:
He has been waiting for this moment his whole life. He has been drinking boilermakers since 10:00 am in his recliner and his AR is within arms reach. He has 6 months provisions in the basement and a bug out bag due west buried in the woods. Steve demands a handshake as I give him his package. He’s sizing me up as I deliver his ammo.

Steve will survive this, and he will kill you if he needs to.

2) Brad:
He is standing at his window wearing skinny jeans and a Patagonia t-shirt. He is mad because there were no organic tomatoes at Whole Foods today. He points at the ground where he has taped a 6 ft no go zone line from his porch. I leave his case of Fuji water, organic granola bites, and his new “Bernie Bro” hat at the tape.

Brad will not survive.
Steve will probably eat him.

3) Nancy:
She has sprayed everything with Thieves oil. Bought all the Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, meat, and bread from the local grocery chain. She has quarantined her kids and sprays them with a mixture of thieves, lavender, & mint essential oils daily. She has posted every link known to man about “The Rona” on her social media. She will spray you if you break the 6 ft rule. I will leave her yet another case of toilet paper.

She will last longer than Brad, but not Steve.

4) Karen:
She has called everybody and read them the latest news on “The Rona”. She asked for the manager at Food Lion, Walmart, Publix, McDonalds, Chi-Fil-A, and Vons all before noon demanding more toilet paper. Karen’s kids are currently faking “The Rona” to avoid her. I’m delivering “Hello kitchen” to her.

Karen will not survive longer than Brad.

5) Mary:
Is sitting in the swing watching her kids have a water balloon fight in the front yard as she is on her fourth glass of wine. She went to the store and bought 2 cases of pop tarts, 6 boxes of cereal, 8 bags of pizza rolls, And a 6 roll pack of toilet paper. There is a playlist of Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, and Post Malone playing in the background. I’m bringing her second shipment of 15 bottles of wine in 3 days.

Mary will survive and marry Steve.
Together they will repopulate the earth.
May God have mercy on us all.”

This song has been in my head all day. A great song, methinks. Originally, a German poem dating back to the 1920s, but if found it’s way into the doors repertoire, via Ray Manzarek.

It’s kinda jammin, on the right day.

Charlie Daniels first met Bob Dylan back in the 60s, and between 1969 to 1970 Charlie played on 3 of his albums. He had a huge influence on him. Dylan singled him out as a young session guitarist back then. CD made a tribute album for him in 2014, citing the impressions the young songwriter had on the young guitar player had on him at the time.

Ya Gotta Love Charlie Daniels.

Sick of the sheep all telling everyone they have to stay home, sick of the coronavirus and it’s 98% save rate. Everyone has gotten way too comfortable with this whole quarrantine/stay at home thing.

Yeah, I’m fucking sick of it.

Yes, there’s a virus. Yes, it’s highly contagious. Yes, It’s killed thousands of people.

But there are millions of people in the world. I’m not a math guy, but I can do the numbers.

Seems to me, I have a higher chance of riding my motorcycle and dying, than I do for the coronavirus. I’ll take my chances.

No, I won’t get within 6 feet of someone else. No, I won’t make human contact, and no I’m not going to hug anyone. It’s the same as always: Live your life; pay attention and don’t be an idiot.

This whole thing is dumb as fuck. If you’re even slightly afraid of this whole virus thing, stop it. Just don’t be an idiot.

And yes, I’m sick of it.

I got a hall pass to go riding next weekend, and I’m taking it. I can’t decide between Chiricahua National Monument, White sand national monument, or Death Valley. I’m going riding somewhere.

Fuck this noise.