Random Thoughts

After summing up the bank account between the move and Christmas, it was pretty clear I was to stay home last weekend.   No exploring here.   I changed the oil in the bike and ended up getting sucked into a Breaking Bad marathon, and just relaxed.   It was fairly awesome.     Overall, not a bad holiday weekend as holiday weekends go.

I thought I’d make a blog post, either way.

I keep thinking about the differences between Utah and Arizona, and maybe a few other states I’ve been to.  Since I’m a road hound, the biggest comparison is how people drive in different states.    I figgered I’d throw em out on the blog, for your perusal and insightful comments.

Some random thoughts:

• The first thing I noticed here is that Arizona drivers are WAY nicer than Utah drivers.     There’s just no comparison.   I was almost shocked when I would signal, and people would back off and let me over.   Coming from Utah, this is a revolutionary thing, at least to me.   Here, its just being polite.    I figured it out after a couple of days;  its made me a better driver.  After all, we’re all in this thing together.
• Arizona Drivers get up to speed before they take over a lane, or wait for a big gap in traffic to merge.   Again, not the Utah way.   Its fucking beautiful.   You may have no idea how much this effects your commute and traffic flow.
• In my one month here, I’ve yet to see a guy in a jacked up F-250 truck with a pair of aluminum gonads hanging from his trailer hitch that darted in and out of traffic looking for that one single edge that was going to get him to his destination 4 minutes early (Ok, i’ve seen one… but I gotta think he was legitimately late for something).     I could ramble on, but I’d challenge anyone to say that  Utah drivers are more polite than Arizona Drivers.
• Texas has the most polite drivers of any state I’ve been in.    In Texas, if someone is passing faster than you, that driver will get over for you.   It’s southern hospitality, or the way you were raised or something, I swear.   Maybe Texas is so big, no one is in a hurry and just enjoys the moment.    Either way, Texas has the best drivers in the union.
• The states with the 2 highest speed limits in the US are Texas and Utah.    One just drives more politely so traffic runs much more smoothly.      Utah could learn a thing from Texas and Arizona.
• New Mexico and Kansas have the worst speed limits on the planet.    New mexico I swear has 15 signs for a curve that drops you 5 MPH in speed.    Kansas is like central Utah, only with no mountains .   Thank God they have twisters, because that at least makes things interesting.
• I avoid southern California as much as I can, so I dare should say if I like their drivers and speed limits.   I suppose they’re good drivers, but they’re high on weed/art/Nancy Pelosi… something…

 

Where you live — How do they drive?    I’d seriously love to know.

Happy New years!   I’m not doing anything major this weekend.   Hanging out with the family, and getting ready for 2017.  I can’t wait.   It’s gonna be a fucking epic year methinks.

RIP George Michael.    You torqued out some great songs sir.

What a year.     I’m still trying to sum it all up, but what I do know is how good I have it.      Life is good;  my family is all here, I have a great job and there’s people about my life who love me and I love them.   I’m not sure what else a person could ask for.

My Christmas:

My bike got an oil change:

I don’t want or need for much, so I asked for Oil for my bike.    Oil drains better in a hot engine, so it was excuse to go for a ride on Christmas Day;  I was just glad it was 55 degrees when most of the people I know were shoveling snow off their porches.

I’m a king I tell ya.

There’s a lot of Arizona still to see.    It’s always better when you know your bike is in order.     Mine is now.

We had a great Christmas here at the Zip home.   This is my favorite time of the year.

 

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

 

So the plan is, to go riding for a couple of days after Christmas.     Like, go get lost somewhere in southern Arizona riding.    Pack a tent, take a bag, point the bike and see what happens kind of riding.   It’s been too damn long.     So much has happened the last 2 months that It’ll be nice to take a break and go explore some.   I’m really right where I want to be, and I want to come out swinging for 2017.

Last weekend I was sick and didn’t get a chance to explore much,  other than take US 60 East and found and old bypassed section of roads and tunnels I couldn’t get to in a car because of being blocked off.   I measured the barriers, and I’m pretty sure my bike will fit between them.    Maybe Ill get the balls and go explore those.   I more than likely will.   Curiosity killed this cat.

I think I’ll head east toward Globe AZ and down toward the old copper mining town of Bisbee and maybe over to Tombstone AZ.    Really, I don’t care.    Everything is a new road now, and I’ll eventually see those places.   I just want to ride, take a deep breath and enjoy Arizona a little bit.

I hope all you biker pricks are having a Merry Christmas so far!

 

 

Last week at this time we were driving 2 moving vans, 3 cars, 1 motorcycle, 2 dogs, and 6 people two states away into a suburb town we’d never lived in, to and a house we’d checked out for 20 minutes.      I like it.  

My oldest Daughter and son in law followed us down, which is a huge bonus for us.   It wouldn’t be the same without them here.   Pretty cool.  

This place feels like home.   Any place you can ride around all day in a t-shirt in December has my vote.  

I still have another weekend to tie up loose ends, but after that I’m chomping at the bit to go explore.    I’ve been wanting to get down here for 5 years now.  

To me, there has always been something I’ve loved about the Desert.     I don’t know why.    The roads, the open skylines,  the heat… all of it.    The desert gets in your blood somehow, and only people who’ve lived there for a while could understand I think.  It’s rugged and unforgivable in a lot of ways.  It’s extremely beautiful and full of color.

Northern Utah is OK.   It snows up here, there’s some cool places, but none of it if I were honest ever really held any passion or interest to me.    I’ve ridden a lot less up here, and to be honest there’s not that much that I really want to see.   It’s not home.

I started this blog in the desert, met my soul mate in it, and rode the hell out of all the roads I could find there and found some of my most favorite places on the planet.      Arizona, in particular.   My favorite route 66 places are all there, and the best Easy Rider locations are there.    Places like Jerome, Seligman, Cave Creek, Peach Springs, Kingman, Show Low, Tucson, Oatman…   I have great and multiple memories of.    When I lived in Southern Utah, I’d ride all night to get to those places.     It was pretty damn cool once I got there.

The Zip family is moving to Phoenix next month.    Man, I can’t wait.   Fuel for the fire…

 

General Chuck Yeager.   The man had great big giant balls.    If you don’t know who he is, look him up.

 

 

 

sometimes you find that song out of nowere, that hits home on a thing.     This song has been in my head all week.    The Lyrics are better than the song.

All from punk rock.   Who Knew?

 

I listen to you for hours, I’ll listen all day
Just keep hitting me the right way
Sing your song in the shower
Cause you got a way
To say what I can never say right – right on
When I feel weak you make me feel strong
Make me feel strong

I won’t say your name
But you know who you are
I’ll never be the same again now – no way
I just want to say
Thank you for playing the way you play

You don’t get played on the radio
That’s not the game you play
Well I don’t care anyway
I glued your tape in the stereo
So I know every word, every note
And every chord is right – right on
When I feel weak you make me feel strong
Make me feel strong feel like nothing’s wrong

I won’t say your name
You know who you are
I’ll never be the same again now – no way
I just want to say thank you for playing the
Way you play

Did you know you’re why I go
And waste my time
At a rock and roll show
You let me know I’m not alone
You make me feel strong, make me feel strong,
Feel like nothing’s wrong

I won’t say your name, you know who you are
I’ll never be the same again now – no way
I just want to say
Thank you for playing the way you play
Thank you for playing the way you play
Thank you for playing the way you play

I still get all geeked up about flying.   It means going to another place, maybe seeing something I haven’t seen and learning a thing.

Nashville was awesome.    We landed in early in the afternoon, and had a chance to walk down Broadway to see a thing or two.   This place has a lot of history, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.

 

 

I’m not into country music for the most part.   But I was in the birthplace of it all, and you have to  appreciate that.  The Ryman was the home of the Grand Ole Opry, where Elvis played to an under-enthusiastic crowd, and Johnny Cash first met June Carter here.    Even the story of Tom Ryman and how that whole place came to be is pretty cool.

My favorite spot I think, was this:

 

Worth every penny of the 18 bucks and T-shirt.   I was surprised how many really cool things they had.    If you’re a Johnny Cash fan, this place is a must.

 

 

 

Fairly awesome.    Lots of Johnny and June’s things, hand written letters and history of the man in black.

Just around the corner is the Earnest Tubb Record store.   It brought back a flood of Memories.    My father loved Earnest Tubb.   When I was a kid, the definition of torture was being stuck in the truck on a road trip while my father played Earnest Tubb.   He’d sing out loud and everything.    I had to check it out….

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

I’d heard he had his old tour bus in his record store and I wanted to see it, but it wasn’t around anymore.   It sounds like they consolidated a little bit — I gotta think with the fact that no one knows who Earnest Tubb is anymore (or buys records), and the price of real estate the record store holds, this place might not be around too much longer.    I’m glad I got to see it.

The next day, we grabbed an Uber and went over to see Antique Archaeology, from one of my go-to shows American Pickers:

 

The best thing in the store was the one of a kind custom bike built my the famous pin striper Von Dutch:

Nashville was awesome.   I’d love to bring the wife here and dig a lot deeper.