Random Thoughts

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Easy like Sunday Morning.     Life has never been more stressful, but I’m getting hardened about swimming upstream.

Clint and I sat at the bar last night and planned out a 2800 mile ride to calgary on May 23rd.   Ill head out friday morning and ride the 1120 miles into High River, Alberta Canada in a single session, meeting him at the border, and I’ll earn my Iron Butt Certification.     My friends say I can’t do it.   I’ll definately do it.   I’ve done 600 miles in a day, and was fresh as a fucking daisy.    I can do the other 500 miles no problem.     Granted, I didn’t wake up untill noon, but I was spry and energetic as a 16 year old.   I’ll do it.    I actually can’t wait.
Because I’m easy.   Easy like sunday morning.

Times are indeed tight. I sold the fatboy this week to square up a little on some debt and it feels good to have some debt taken care of.

I need to ride. I’ve got the Street Glide back and I need to load up the tent and sleeping bag and find me a place in the desert to ride to and watch the stars. It’s impossible to have a cheaper vacation.

The stock market crashed in 1929. This is what they rode then:

After the crash of 29, they figured it out. in 1934 in the heart of the great depression, they designed bikes that still copied to this day.

We’ll figure it out. We have to. We just will…

From a recent ad campaign by Harley Davidson, which I tend to believe:

“Over the last 105 years in the saddle, we’ve seen wars, conflicts, depression, recession, resistance and revolution. We’ve watched a thousand hand-wringing pundits disappear in our rear-view mirror. But every time this country has come out stronger than before. Chrome and asphalt has always put distance between you and whatever the world can throw at you….. If 105 years have proved one thing, it’s that fear sucks and it doesn’t last long. So screw it, let’s ride.”

Right now I know half a dozen people who have lost their Jobs due to the economy.    All I know is I have a wife who looks to me to keep her and our 3 kids safe, to keep them fed and keep us together.  Come hell or high water I will do that.    What will come of this?  I can only think alot of good.     We’ll rely on each other more.  We’ll save more.   The economy will be more real, not based on someone trading commodities out of fuel.

Stick together.   We’ll work through whatever comes ahead.

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Yeah, Pretty dark.

This weekend, I’ll finally be riding.   My wife is going to run me down to Phoenix to get the street glide.   From there, I’ll be draining my entire winter stress out onto the road and I cannot wait.   It’s all I can think about and it keeps me going.

Ever feel life has you stretched so completely tight that you aren’t yourself?  That your easy decisions in life  — the very basics of who you are are a bit out of wack?   The economy, marriage, business, work, friends and everything else in life I’ve worked to build are weighing on me.   I have no doubt that 1,000 miles on the open road will cure that.   It always cures it.   It feels like the stress of life drains out on the road a drop at a time and is refilled by the best parts of life:   Courage.   Love.   Strength.   Inspiration.    Monday, I have no doubt I’ll be a new person and be back to myself, ready to kick ass and take names.

And its only tuesday.   Damn.

This song seems to make sense today:

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My Street Glide is in Phoenix and it’s driving me nuts.   I need it back.  It’s not  a want, its a need now.   Work has been intense the last few weeks changing over into an entirely new and great direction, but with the weather getting completely rideable and not having my touring bike I gotta admit is really wearing on me.   I need to go for a long and lonely ride into the desert, put my feet up on my touring pegs and drain all my stress out onto the road for 6 hours.   I need to camp out in the desert with a flask of Scotch and sleep under the stars.    I need to wake up in the morning, eat some beef jerky from my saddle bags and drink coffee while I wait for it to warm up and take the 6 hours home.

Once it’s back, I gotta tell you I’m never parking my bike anywhere other than my garage.   It’s like leaving one of my kids down there.   It seemed like a good idea when I did it, but with me not being able to bust out and go for a ride right now is all I can think about.    Nothing sets my head right like my bike and an open road with no stress.   My brother mike calls it going on walkabout.    I need to go on walkabout.

I found this picture on the web and photoshopped it up a bit.   It’s a road I will hit this summer, on route 66 in New Mexico.   Its a gorgeous road.

My daughter Megan and her best friend Carla are just cool.   They get it.   They also make youtube videos every weekend and the last couple weekends they gave me the chance to get in on them.   It’s all their idea, and I’m impressed with their editing skills with the material they make.   Pretty cool.    I guess my stage jame is “Jud”, and I gotta admit I love that they ask me to contribute a little.

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My  job was to give a shout out to their friends Mitch and Cameron.   If they ever show up to the house to pick up my daughter someday, I want them to know the man they’ll be dealing with :).     Thats right Mitch and Cameron, I AM crazy, and I LOVE my daughter.    I’ll be waiting in the garage, cleaning my guns if you ever drop em off late 🙂

I’m sitting here in my small house, while my 5 year old daughter asleep 2 feet away from me.   I’m formating the family computer, and listening to Ray Price on my ipod.   I’ts one of those random moments that make you appreciate life that come out of nowhere.

One of the songs that instantly hits me like a ton of bricks is Danny Boy by Ray Price.    My father loved this song, and sent it to me when I was  on my mission.   My father passed away in 1993, and this song always reminds me of him.   It’s A great song.   Thinking of my father and watching my daughter sleep reminds me how beautiful this life is, and how short it is.

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me. 

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