Random Thoughts

A couple of weekends ago, I pointed the bike toward a dot on the map in New Mexico, just to get out and ride. Lordsburg was the plan.

I just needed a ride. Work has been stressful and I’ve been pushing myself, and a good overnight ride can clear out a lot of bullshit. I’m not gonna lie; I just needed to see a new thing and get a new perspective. I was in a bit of a knot.

The Phoenix valley has been unusually cool this year, but its starting to warm up and the weather has been really nice. I headed out around noon on Saturday, and headed east toward Globe AZ.

I took a picture of the sign and tried to look around for a sign of a dangerous motorcycle, and someone came out. I was ready to give my fuck-you’s and education about public domain and private property, but I was wrong. The guy was completely cool, and opened the gate and gave me the invite in;. He unlocked the gate. The guy was completely gracious and friendly.

He rolled open the door to his shop, and showed me his bikes, which he’d been building from the ground up for years; Blown small and big block chevy V8’s. Original Harley parts and custom frames he’d built on his own Jig. Huge drag slicks in back. He’d built dozens of these.

This man was the real deal.

I wanted to know more, but I had to head out. I had to get to New Mexico, but somehow i’d felt that an hour in, this was gonna be the best part of my trip.

It seems to me, that if you get a little curious and get out there, you’ll never know what you’ll find.

I hit Globe and headed east toward New Mexico. It had gotten a bit chilly, but the ride was beautiful. My bike was stretching her legs, and so was I; up on a freeway peg and enjoying the wind.

I stayed the night in New Mexico, and rode back the way I came.

There’s a few pics on my instagram I didn’t include here.

Really nice ride. They always are.

2 days, 2 states, 500 miles.

I think the whole world labors under the delusion that everyone has got it figured out, 100% of the time. They don’t.

We’re humans. We live and fail, and we succeed. We push things forward; and we push things back, in our own little worlds.

My father told me this quote: I love it. right now, I think it sums things up for me:

“I am not dead, sir Andrew Cried; I’m hurt but I’m not slain. I”ll just lie here and bleed a while, then I’ll rise and fight again…”

I’ve been through a whole lotta shit. Victories and losses; There is always the next opportunity.

You just gotta rise, and fight again. I’m bummed out now, but I”ll rise and fight again. There is no other way.

I think it’s why I love riding. You go to the next town, see another thing. See what’s over the next rise.

Rock the hell on.

I had some plans this morning — I need to finish this book and edit some of the stories that have been sent to me for this Easy Rider thing. I also needed to change the oil in my bike, which has been delayed way too long.

I got the news that my 107 year old Grandma had passed away.

107 is a helluva shift. She’s seen more things that I can comprehend. She was born in 1911; the wright brothers had just barely flown, women would soon get the right to vote; World war one. World War Two. Man flew on the moon.

The funny thing about Ethel Tregeagle, is she never talked about these things. I’d ask her about them, and she’d barely have a recollection of the times.

Yet, she could tell you a story about things she experienced in those times. Those memories were sharp. Even to the end.

She was the strongest woman I’ve ever seen. Ethel just did her thing, always. I don’t think she had an ounce of introspection. Things just were what they were.

She’d own the moment, and didn’t care if you tried to take it over. Grandma Tregeagle was doing her thing. Man, she was one of a kind. I’ll miss her.

I can see her in some of my kids; and it scares the hell out of me, yet it also makes me proud. I think a combination of what she was has been passed down, and I’m glad my family got some of it.

Yeah, strength… Ethel Tregeagle had that in droves.

Hell, 107. The anchor of my family, maybe more than she gets credit for.

It’s breaking me up more than I care to admit right now, but some of that my inner Ethel Tregeagle gene will kick in soon enough, and I’ll power it out.

I’m going to feel this. RIP Grandma Tregeagle. And Thank you.

I’m also going to go finish draining my oil.

It seems to me, the whole world is looking for something that is right in front of them. Find the right thing, and hell… just do it.

Put yourself out there; every time I’ve done it, something good has happened. That is, if you want something good.

Rock the hell on!

yeah, I’m sick as hell of it.

I’m not explaining it any further, or defining it, or whatever.

Just be a good person. it’s as simple as that.

This whole thing is dumb.

I took a couple days off next month, and I’m fairly fired up about it. I haven’t had a good long ride in a while and I want one. Fuck that, I kinda need one.

Life is a tricky thing, it seems. Being a father, a husband, performing at work; all these things must be, yet you are torn to do what you wanna do. I don’t believe in Utopia; thats just a fools dream. The trick is, handling the shit you gotta do, and mixing in the things you wanna do. Balance… That’s just how life works, and I’m good with that. It seems to work.

Me? I wanna ride somewhere. It fills the tank. It’s fuel for the fire.

I’ve ridden almost every major road in Arizona, but highway 191 that hugs the edge of New Mexico, I haven’t. I’ve heard its the best bike road in Arizona. I can’t wait.

Just ride a place, and see a thing. After this, I gotta explore New Mexico and Texas 🙂

Turns out, I record shit on my DVR, and I’m pretty particular. A lot of documentaries, history Channel stuff, Shark Tank, American Pickers….. I do like the Business stuff, because I’m a capitalist at heart. Really, anything that I find interesting, or I can learn a thing from.

There’s this series on AXS TV Called “The big interview with Dan Rather”. He interviews guys like Merle Haggard, Robert Plant, Neil Young and a bunch of other classic celebrities and in a Dan Rather sort of way, tells their story.

The man just gives a good interview. He’s a throwback to when News was News, not Pop culture shit that gets a reaction from people, but respectful interviews whether Dan Rather Agrees with them or not. If he doesn’t, you’d never know.

He had Bryan Adams on his show, which I remember from the 80s and when I was a kid from the MTV years, but I never really paid attention to his music to be honest. I downloaded his latest album, and this is what I found.

Hell yes, good stuff. An ode to the Classics. I’ve been listening to it all this week on the way to work.

Nicely Done, Bryan Adams.

This song came on the Radio Tonight. It took me back…

Billy Gibbons is the man. He’s come through Phoenix on on tour and I’ve never seen him, but I’ve always wished I would have.

I’ve ridden through La Grange Texas, and I have a good memory of it.

The thing I like about Texas, is the pride. Texans are proud to be Texans. The place is a republic, and they do their own thing.

I actually have a lot of good memories of Texas, but my favorite is from the 2nd Easy Rider tour — we’d broke a tie down strap on the captain america bike that we had from our chase vehicle. We pulled over a little west of LaGrange, and tried to figure out the problem.

At least 2 Texans in trucks pulled over to help us. One, pulled a tie down strap out of the back of his truck to fix the problem. We got the bike upright, and tied down properly so we could go on our way.

I offered the man $20 for his efforts and the tie down strap; he’d stopped and given of his time and helped us out. He Refused. He simply said “that’s just how we do things here”.

I Immediately liked this part of Texas.

Rock on. I still owe that man a favor. It’s how it should be.

So a lot has happened the last few months.

Most of you know I’m a huge Easy Rider Fan. I’ve made a hobby of sorts the last 20 years riding to movie locations and researching the movie. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve compiled a lot of info, and now and again I get film makers or even tour groups hitting me up for info on the film. Some of them have been pure bullshit, some have not.

An established author hit me up a couple of weeks ago who wants to do a book on the 50th anniversary of Easy Rider to be published later this year. He asked for my Easy Rider story; Initially I told him no, but after looking at his books I somewhat trusted this guy. We talked on the phone last weekend, and he seems legit. He’s written some books on the history of old Hollywood. We’ve talked on the phone, and I like this guy. We’re co-authoring the book.

I first saw Easy Rider 20 years after it was released in theaters. I’d never seen a movie like that before, and after I first saw it, I was a bit in shock. I bought my first Street Bike the next day. I’ve been riding a bike since I was 11 years old, but I gotta say it did have an impact on me. Seeing them cross the country on bikes made me realize that I want to do the same thing. I’ve been trying to ride as much ground as I can ever since then; Look for adventure, and whatever comes my way…

So I have a question: what is your Easy Rider Story? I’d like to know. I’d like to put them in the book. Did you see it in the theaters when it came out? Whats your thoughts on the movie? Gimme a quote, or a paragraph, or 5 pages. Let’s talk,

I’d love to hear them. If you’ve got a good story, let me know. Email me: mrzip66@gmail.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ioyEvdggk

It’s just a spring clean for the may-queen.

Meaning: if there’s something not right, clean it out. Get yourself right.

A great song.

You can over complicate it if you want, but IMO it’s just that simple.