Random Thoughts

The last few weeks I’ve really been thinking about diving into a hobby. I’d love to learn something new; something I know absolutely nothing about, like woodworking, maybe building an airplane model from just a plan and see if I can get it to fly. I dove into my website again and am in the process of giving it a face lift. Basically, something to keep my mind occupied instead of sitting around the house.

I didn’t do any of that today, I spent some time with my first love; exploring. It’s in my nature to scout the perimeter. I don’t know why.

I grabbed a set of leather gloves for using when I get gas (so I don’t touch someone’s covid) made myself a sammitch, A jug of water, grabbed my 9mm and some practice ammo and headed toward a road I haven’t ridden yet. Sometimes, they end up dirt out here. Arizona is full of those roads; some are paved when you get there, some are not. It’s all part of the adventure.

This week, has been stressful. Mostly because I’m not in control of how all this virus shit works out, and can even plan on whats gonna happen. I figured a good ride would give me some perspective. It always does. Kicked on a little AC/DC and headed out of the homestead, toward the farm fields and open desert of the East Valley.

It’s funny; it takes me a while to get into some rides. Not this one; it felt great to be back on the bike and getting the hell out of dodge. I was eating it up. The roads were perfect. This is actually a great time to ride, with so many people staying at home. Not a lot of Saturday traffic. I rode through Coolidge, Mirana and out into new territory.

I think I’ll ride this stretch a ton. It’s a shortcut to Rocky Point Mexico, and his hellaciously scenic. Wen’t through a couple border checkpoints along the way, but they always wave the Bikers through.

I did meet a couple of locals at Three Points — I picked their brains about the area and good side roads, and even a border spot I want to check out. Nice guys, and got some good info.

My loose destination was kitt peak observatory, just southwest of Tucson. Because of the virus, the road was closed. I’ll go back.

A great ride today. It’s funny that the more I go back, the more I find roads I want to go explore. More fuel for the fire, I guess.

1 State, 1 Day, 383 Miles

Always wanted a personalized license plate. They call em vanity plates, and turns out, I’m Vain. I’m fairly geeked about it, and they look good on my bike.

With the route 66 plate, ya only get 4 letters. I tried to get “EASY” or “RIDR”, but they were both taken. I couldn’t just get “ZIP”, so I settled with just MZIP. It’s inconspicuous, but it makes me smile. Plus, when I check into hotel rooms on future road trips I’ll be able to remember my license plate without having to go outside.

I think this weekend the wife and I are gonna ride down to Casa Grande and just scope out the place. Get out of the house. She’s not up for very long rides, If I can get 100 miles from Mrs Zip thats a helluva feat, so Casa Grande might work.

Stay safe out there, ya biker pricks. 🙂

I had some great plans this year. To hit the lower part of the state of Arizona and New Mexico and check some roads off my list. I’d taken 2 weeks off in May to go explore New Mexico. Alamogordo, white sands, Roswell. Check out some Easy Rider shit in Taos; go hit some side roads I’ve been checking out on google maps. See some new things; get fired up about them. Man…. fuel for the fire.

Then this pig of a virus hit.

This whole virus thing needs to be taken into perspective. At least, I think so. Everyone is looking for someone to blame, or what someone is doing wrong, or what’s wrong with society, or your particular brand of opposing politician. I see guys that I’ve looked up to, looking for the conspiracy.

But the truth of the matter is, sometimes bad shit just happens. It happened with the Bubonic Plague in the 1300’s, it happened with SARs, it happened with the Spanish flu, that infected a quarter of the worlds population. Sometimes, a virus just spreads that kills people. I’m not gonna get caught up in it any more than that. Viruses, are one of lifes realities.

But good shit happens too.

I’m gonna list the basics (at least mine):

• I’ve got someone to share a thing with. My wife, my kids. This will be a memory we’ll talk about, in the not too distant future. I’m grateful I’m not alone.
• I’ve got a job. I’m grateful for that. From a solid employer.
• I’m free. Maybe, the top of the list. Free to choose a wife, a job, to have kids. Free to be responsible. Maybe, that can’t be underestimated.
• Technology has afforded me the ability to talk to my daughter and Grand daughter, 4 states away. My 1 year old Granddaughter has me on speed dial, and she video calls me 4 states away; haha, its the best part of my day.
• I have roof over my head, and in the foreseeable future I’ll keep it. It’s not guaranteed, but I think we’ve planned well enough that if the shit comes down, we will. If not, see #1.

I’ve also got 2 bikes in the garage. And a ton of roads around to go enjoy.

The plan is, when this shit is all over I’m gonna head out and lean into a few curves, listen to Led Zeppelin and sing to the top of my lungs. Hopefully 800 miles away, trying to figure out how I’ll get home. Kick a leg up on a freeway peg, and enjoy a ride.

I may not wait for the end of the coronavirus.

This shit isn’t going to be around forever.

#JustRide

I can’t hardly watch the news anymore, or get on social media. I just see people losing their minds with speculation and fear. It sorta drives me nuts. We’re not all going to die, this isn’t the end of the world. Holy! It makes me want to punch a man. People need to calm the hell down.

I’m convinced human beings shouldn’t have too much idle time on their hands.

On a brighter note, gas is pretty damn cheap. I’ve seen it as low as $1.60. Being a professional social distancer and infinitely and endlessly curious about whats over the next rise, I’m waking up early to go ride tomorrow. I’m thinking Mount Lemmon above Tucson. I’ve never been there, and curiosity killed this cat. I may end up at a KOA, or find me a campground and pack a sammitch or two.

Don’t worry, I won’t shake hands with anyone.

Stir-crazy. Beginning as a slang term in 19th-century London, the stir in stir-crazy means “prison.” According to the Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology, stir may have originated as a variation on Start, a nickname criminals gave to Newgate, a notorious prison throughout London’s history.

I’m a pretty steady person. I’d like to think I’m the guy who keeps a cool head when shit around him is going crazy.

But man, this being home all the time is going to drive me crazy.

Went for a ride Sunday, when I couldn’t take it anymore.

1 State: 200 Miles

This pandemic has taught me the same thing that riding has taught me. Hell, what life has taught me.

If you fear a thing, you’ll you’ll probably not make the right decision. I’ve been scared of a lot of things over the years, and I’ve always had to overcome that fear if I wanted to make something good out of it. It’ll do what it’s going to do, and I’m going to do what I’m going to do.

Working from home has been kind of killer. My Dad used used to say “there’s a pony in this pile of shit!”. My wife has the office, my kids have the house and I have my favorite place, surrounded by all the inspiration I need.

It’s going to be 75 degrees Saturday. I’m going riding; The 200 mile ride up Highway 188 up by Roosevelt dam is looking good. It’s my way of social distancing.

Be safe out there!

(Note: I started writing this a week ago – I just never finished it)

I’m sitting in a KOA about 50 miles from my house. Normally, you don’t ever stay at a campground 50 miles from your house, but yet here I am. Been riding since Friday afternoon, and have enjoyed the living hell out of this one. I just didn’t feel like going home yet.

Rode down to the Border. Arizona has 5 major ones, with border crossing roads. Quite frankly, I just wanted to see the wall for myself and see what everyone gets all uptight about.

I rode down last weekend as well, to a different border crossing. I just haven’t blogged that one yet. I will. I’m gonna do part 2 first. Kinda like that Seinfeld episode where they played the end first, and worked up to the beginning.

I had the bright idea Thursday night for a ride, so I loaded the bike up and headed out after work. Slowly worked my way through the 30 miles of freeway quitting time traffic, and headed south toward some new roads.

Once I got out of the traffic, the riding got good. I got off the interstate west of Phoenix and headed south. It was Nascar weekend here, and I headed down toward the raceway. It wasn’t all that busy; everyone had settled in for the race, and I just rolled by and enjoyed the ride.

headed south toward Gila bend. Crossed my favorite bridge, over old highway 80, and down towards the KOA I’d booked for the night.

Woke up the next morning and twisted the throttle down toward the border. It was a little warmer of a morning than usual, and I knew the riding would be good. Any morning on a new road, is always good.

Headed down toward Ajo, and Why. I missed a lot of things in Ajo — some of my local Arizona friends described Ajo as an old shithole mining town, but I didn’t see that at all. I saw a small town with a killer old history, some great Spanish architecture and quite a lot of activity going on. I need to go back to Ajo — I think there’s some stories to tell there.

Heading due south, I rode through Organ Pipe National Monument. I’d came this way in the mid part of 2000. A fishing buddy of mine and a friend went down through here to Puerto Penasco on a week long adventure to go fly fish the Gulf of California. That was 20 years ago, and I’d forgotten how beautiful this part of Arizona was.

Then Lukeville, and the wall.

I doubled back toward Why.

Headed east toward Tucson. 120 miles of good music, feet up on the freeway pegs and 80 mile mph t-shirt weather. I enjoyed the hell out of that stretch. Listened to a little Alice Cooper and the Who, picked up the local radio stations when I could, and just enjoyed the ride. Noticed a lot of side roads I need to go back and explore another day. That, is a beautiful thing.

Headed into old Tucson studios and then found my KOA.

Life it seems, is pretty fucking good.

It’s just…. a virus. I don’t see anything bigger than any other big virus than we’ve had before.

This might last 2 weeks, it might last 6 months….But yet there’s going to be an aftermath.

It reminds me of 9/11. You see shit happening, but you’re not sure what it means. All you know is things aren’t going to be the same tomorrow.

Maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe, just maybe there is a pony in this pile of shit.

Maybe it will bring all of us back to center. Maybe we needed this, and it was the only way. Maybe a global pandemic is just the thing that stops the divisiveness. Man, I’m not saying this was a good thing, please understand me. Maybe…. there’s some positives here, that we’ll all build on.

And we will build on them. That’s just what we do.