We interrupt this program ...

Even with the best of planning, sometimes things just work out in a way that is different than expected. I originally planned to leave Greensboro on Friday morning, camp in Virginia about 45 minutes from DC, and then ride in Rolling Thunder. Plan B had me leaving around 7am Sunday to ride directly to DC for the big event. On Saturday I tried to convince my bike that it would look much cooler if it would let me install some blue neon lights under it. But the bike wasn't cooperating, so after obsessing far too long I decided I was a good stopping point, and would resume the installation either on the road or when I got back home from the DC-Niagara Falls leg of Victory Lap. The time spent on the lights put me behind schedule for packing. And because I am a last-minute packer anyway, now I was really behind. So I packed and packed until the wee hours of the morning, and finally got about 30 minutes sleep around 6 am. It was then that I realized that I would not be able to ride in Rolling Thunder. I was ok with that because, as we all know, part of making plans is being flexible and willing to adapt to changing situations. Sometimes, stuff just happens.

After 30 minutes of restful bliss, I proceeded to strap my saddle bags on the bike. I recently bought soft saddle bags to replace the leather saddle bags that came with my bike. Note to self: do not use canvas saddle bags. A few weeks ago when I strapped them on and fit them in place on the bike, they fit nicely. But fully loaded, they weren't rigid enough to stay in position, and the right bag leaned into the bike and rested against the rear disc brake rotor. So after much tugging and trimming and a using few other straps to pull the bags outward and upward they do not rub anything. It sure comes in handy being a handyman-fix-it-kinda-guy. The Beverly Hillbillies ain't the only ones who know how to strap all their belongings on top of their vehicle. Everything was on the bike, and ready to roll.
But since I had only 30 minutes sleep, the night before I didn't want to hop on and ride because my eyelids would be struggling to stay open, and my hands trying to stay in between the lines. So I decided to sleep a few hours, and then start the trip. But this didn't happen because I started thinking about those darn cool-looking blue neon lights on the bottom of my bike just waiting to be powered up. I'm a pretty good backyard mechanic, but I'm not electrician, so I called a mechanic friend, Carson. He's the guy who sold me the head and crankshaft for my Jeep Cherokee that I will be rebuilding after I finish the Victory Lap. It's in a million pieces right now just pouting because it can't out and play. Anyway, Carson helped me make the right connections and now I have cool, blue neon light glowing from under the bike. It really does look cool. But I still had a problem: I was all loaded up and ready to roll, but I hadn't added to my 30 minutes sleep. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I hit the road. My sunscreen was packed so I rode to buy more. Then I was going to be on the road for sure. But I noticed two things when I was about to apply sunscreen outside the in the CVS parking lot. One, a front button was missing on my light blue SPF 50 long sleeve shirt. Not a problem. I was 5 minutes from home, so I would ride back, sew on another button, then Get. On. The. Road, and stay on the road. Well, the other issue was that those really cool heavy black canvas pants with the Carhartt tag on them are really nice to wear when you are doing something like outdoor rugged activities. But riding on a motorcycle on a hot day - no. So I rode back home, sewed on a button, changed into jeans and hit the road. Note to self: Do not wear heavy black canvas pants because you want to look cool in back. Better option, be much cooler in jeans. FINALLY, ON THE ROAD.

So I left Greensboro about 5pm. The loaded bike handled well, but didn't have the usual pep that I like to feel now and then. The power to pull the load is very adequate, but there will be no quick riding on this trip. The vibration and feel of the road on my hands as they wrapped around the handgrips was stronger than the tendency of my eyes wanting to rest. As I road and waved at other bikers, I was glad to acknowledge other kindred spirits on the road, whether a 5 minute jaunt to the store or a round-the-country-victory-lap, bikers acknowledge others. Sure there are a few rare bikers that only wave if you happen to be sitting on the bike with their preapproved manufacture's emblem, or the right style of bike, or the right size of bike. But anyone sitting on a bike is a biker. From a 50cc scooter, to the biggest, baddest and fastest - we all are riding with the wind in our hair. Well, some of us. But the waving reminded me that we don't wave at other drivers as often as I remember when I was a boy. Complete strangers would wave at each other. Now, we don't seem to have time to say hi.

I rode by and waved in a biker-friendly-kinda-way at a large group of bikers with some kind of Hell's Angels stuff all over their jackets. They just looked at me like, dude, you are dead. Oh, wait, I just made that up. But it was really funny inside my head.

So as I was just about to cross the Virginia line I saw a Sand Hill crane fly overhead - but not nearly as close as the buzzard from the the other day. Right then, I knew this trip was blessed. Cranes have always had a magical appeal to me, and whenever I see one flying it is a very good omen. Good things happen if you believe they will. And they keep happening if you believe they will keep happening. Then another crane flew overhead and I knew that this much-delayed celebratory ride to acknowledge the much-delayed completion of my bachelor's degree would be much more than riding from place to place. It would be a ride around the country colored with all of the wonderful hues that come with those experiences that we a have when we paint our masterpiece on the canvas of our lives. Those experiences that cause us to grow and go deeper into ourselves so that we become more of who we really are. Those are the experiences that make us stronger and more appreciative of the gifts in this beautiful life. Yes, this ride is much more than cruising around and seeing nice things. This is my way of saying, I love you Gabriel. I love who you are and I love who you are becoming. I love that you did not give up on your goal of finishing your degree. I love that you did not give up on your life. I love that you did not remain wonded from those painful things that happened a long time ago. They happened. And after many years of being lost and living a wounded life and being so afraid of myself and the world that I cowered and hid from the world that semed like all it wanted to do was strip away any selse of self-worth and dignity that I may have. But sometimes life is painful. And we have to embrace those painfully difficult times with just as much passion as we do those times that are smooth and easy and fun. When I remember that everything I experience shapes me into more of who I really am. Even when something so painfully heartbreaking comes into my life and I think it will kill me. When I embrace those dark times with the same passion that I embrace the cheery times, then all of my experiences will move me forward into more of my life and only make me more alive as I embrace them and move through them honestly and allow them to become part of who I am in a good way. The life that so many times has been colored with the throes of depression and hopelessness and despair has blossomed into a life full of beauty. Every day I try to remind myself that the yucky times are just as significant as the yummy times.
Sometimes we are the bug and sometimes we are the windshield.

This ride is inward expansion. This life is inward expansion.

So I was almost to Richmond, Virginia when it was dark and it started to rain. I got a little wet before I could pull over under an overpass (what?) and put on my rainsuit. After a little more of this, my weary eyes were ready to rest. Finding an available campground at night in the rain on Memorial Day weekend would not be an easy thing, so I decided to get a room. A nice treat so early on a trip where I will be staying primarily in state park campgrounds. And a very good day with only 30 minutes sleep. I did notice that the right saddle bag is hanging low and touched the tail pipe. I will restrapp and rehoist that bag up and clear of the pipes, But I will keep riding. I may look for hard bags at a bike shop along the way, or just deal with it for this portion of the trip and buy new hard saddle bags when I get home. Regardless of the kind of saddle bags I am using, New England, here I come.

Oh, another slight technical difficulty - only one of my 2 solar phone chargers is working, so my GPS phone died yesterday and I could not be tracked. So I recharged the phone in the room and will connect it to the working solar charger as I ride. GPS is now currently operational. After some breakfast, and a quick trip to the local Walmart to buy a motorcycle cover and extra straps, I will load up and hit the road.

Today is a beautiful day to ride. I wish all of you a beautiful day filled with those things that you hold dearly within your heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxKJy1RBslI