Some days I'd like to take a very light motorcycle, perhaps even a scooter or a
motor bike, tie on a very light sleeping bag and climber's tent.....and then
just go out and see how far around the world I could get! But then... then.... I
take another look at my lovely wife, and say to myself: "What's the matter,
fool? Are you nuts? Already you are more fortunate than 99% of the world's
population! Just lay back chilly and enjoy, you old fool, ....lay back and
enjoy!"
In the western world, boredom is the greatest threat to an old
man's happiness, and usually it's self-inflicted.....
But not always,
sometimes it's spawned by advancing age. At seventy years plus and still
suffering from the non-healed wounds he received during the Civil War, Joshua
Lawrence Chamberlain, the Hero of Little Roundtop, tried to get back into the
Army for the Spanish American War, and was heartily pissed off when refused....
Why? Maybe bored, or maybe haunted by the approach of his mortality.... The more intense your life, the harder it is
to see it ebbing away....
Friday, August 8, 2014
Most men can live in one place, but some cannot..... I'm one who cannot, but I
do..... because I love one who can. But she loves to fly away with me, over the
nap of the earth, on our Great White Wing. We go out for me, and we come back
for her. It's called compromise; it' called a true Glasserian Conflict (see
below); it's called love.
Speed is my narcotic, my balm, my warm scented oil...... with the throttle pegged, and the front wheel spinning, flying, carrying me faster and further than I am designed to go, I escape, for a moment, the consciousness of my weakness and fragility, my vulnerability, my temporariness...... For a shining, speeding moment, I forget my death. I forget my mortality. I forget my insignificance. By confronting death with my absurd helmet, my gloves, my throttle -- I vanquish it. But only for a shining, speeding moment.... Only for a shining, speeding moment.... And that's what our lives amount to, really, in the Grand Scheme...... a shining, speeding moment.
(Glasserian True Conflict: loving, valuing, wanting two things at once that conflict, in this case.... freedom and Red)
Speed is my narcotic, my balm, my warm scented oil...... with the throttle pegged, and the front wheel spinning, flying, carrying me faster and further than I am designed to go, I escape, for a moment, the consciousness of my weakness and fragility, my vulnerability, my temporariness...... For a shining, speeding moment, I forget my death. I forget my mortality. I forget my insignificance. By confronting death with my absurd helmet, my gloves, my throttle -- I vanquish it. But only for a shining, speeding moment.... Only for a shining, speeding moment.... And that's what our lives amount to, really, in the Grand Scheme...... a shining, speeding moment.
(Glasserian True Conflict: loving, valuing, wanting two things at once that conflict, in this case.... freedom and Red)
Saturday, May 10, 2014
How to see the world with nothing....
Some folks might strongly disagree, but... I'm gonna say it anyway. The best motorcycling on earth is in the European Alps. Riding there is simply unbelievable. The roads, the scenery, the people, and just the whole bike-friendly atmosphere is unsurpassed, anywhere, on any continent.... and it's cheaper and more available to the American motorcyclist than you might think.... here's an example of what we did in 2012.
First, forget the organized tour and the guides.... you don't need it, or them.
What you need is this guide book, John Hermann, Motorcycle Journeys in the Alps and Corsica (get it at Amazon.Com) and yeah, it's expensive so buy it used. Keep it and cherish it; it's the ticket to the best riding of your life.
Second, take camping gear. The campgrounds in Europe are unbelievably luxurious and well-cared for....there is simply no justification for spending $200-$300 a night for even a three star hotel when you can stay nearly two weeks in a campground for the same amount. The nature of Alpine riding is such that it lends itself to a "basecamp" approach -- set yourself up in a comfortable campground, and make day tours from it. Keep it simple: a $150 tent (with a fly) and a $100 sleeping bag (45* rated), a sleeping pad, and maybe a backpack stove, and you're good to go! Europeans themselves stay in campgrounds, and they love Americans that do, too..... trust us!
Take your own riding gear and jacket and helmet. Put it in a big rucksack, and your camping gear will probably fit in another. Go very easy on clothes: we took mesh riding gear, a fleece, one pair of convertible pants, two pairs of synthetic underwear that we could wash out, and Frogg Togg raingear. And that's it......
Okay, here we go. Buy a roundtrip ticket to Munich (Munchen!). We got ours in high season for about $1800 apiece..... stay the night in Munich to get de-lagged (3 Star Hotel, $165). The next morning, go to the old Munich Train station and buy a ticket to Balzano, Italy via Innsbruck and Brenner Pass. Go second class; we were always able to "upgrade" our seats on the train once aboard.... we paid $125 for our tickets. Take the small digital camera out.... the train ride is spectacular!
In Balzano, if you get there late, cross the street and stay in the Balzano Youth Hostel, http://bozen.jugendherberge.it/cs.asp?st=1&sp=en, for about $20 a night, and that includes breakfast. There are four bunks to a room, and you might have to share the place with some laughing young women who don't speak your language (and the downside of that is.....?).
The next morning, take the Drusso street bus to this campground, and set your tent up.....http://www.moosbauer.com/en/t/prices.html.... this is a lovely place, and Red and I spent about $125 for a week for clean, luxurious restrooms, a well-stocked store, a pool, a restaurant, friendly staff, and good, good company with the other guests....a truly remarkable campground.
In the morning, take the Drusso bus to this place, http://www.rent-a-bike.it/47/english.html, and rent yourself a bike..... do not go too big! You don't need a Roadking or a Goldwing for the roads you're gonna be on, stay at 750ccs or smaller, even two-up, and a super-scoot is just fine.... then ride back to the campground, get your copy of Hermann's book, and go on and ride the great Dolomite roads! This will keep you busy for days and days, and will be one of the best times of your life!
We are often asked, "why don't you use organized tour companies?" Please note I have nothing against organized touring. There is however a really, really good reason, I believe, for going it alone and cobbling up your own experience: the constant exposure to Europeans.
On our trips to Europe, the train rides and campgrounds almost forced us to "rub against" Europeans in a positive way..... While I've never experienced one, a canned tour would seem to me to "encapsulate" you within the group, to limit your exposure to local people and customs -- and I realize I may be very wrong about that.
Some of our best experiences came from off the bike: the lovely Austrian girl named Kristine we met on the Munich/Balzano train, who shared her first class compartment with us and educated us on the landscapes of Brenner Pass, and who suggested we stay our first night in the Balzano Youth Hostel..... the wonderfully eccentric Brit couple in the campground in Interlaken, Switzerland, who gave us free tickets to the Niederhorn Funicular Railway (about $150 worth!)..... the laughing, wonderfully funny three young motorcycle mechanics from Amsterdam, who spoke perfect, entertaining English to us in a Balzano campground, while drinking amazing quantities of beer in the gaz lantern light.... the soft-spoken, long-haired young German student who suggested that we take the Chunnel train from Munich to London, and who ran with us carrying one of our heavy packs as we desperately tried to catch the last departure (which we did successfully by the way.....). Wherever we went, whatever we tried to do, ordinary Europeans seemed to come from everywhere to help us, to enrich our experience over there, to make sure we were "all right" and doing what we wanted to do -- and after the initial "culture shock," we always felt completely comfortable, completely at ease. This kind of travel is addictive, and immediately whets your desire for more.
Like all U.S citizens, I see things from an isolated perspective. We seem to evaluate everything against American standards, which is not accurate and not fair. But it's not completely our fault; there have always been two big oceans between us and the rest of the world, and it's hard to overcome those limiting factors and remain objective that way. But our "ground-level" travels to the old countries have opened our eyes; have gently brought us around to the idea that we have more commonalities than differences with the other peoples of the world, and that we should do our best to illuminate that fact whenever we can. After all, a motorcyclist is a motorcyclist, no matter what language her or she speaks, and no matter what roads they're on.....and the same rain falls on tents all over the world! And please, please, by whatever means you choose -- budget touring, canned touring, whatever -- get out there soon! And see for yourself what old Louis Armstrong used to sing about..... "What a wonderful world!"
(The Dolomites: northern Italy)
(On the descent of Stelvio Pass)
(Dolomites...)
(My wife in front of our tent, at the Camping Moosbaur campground, Balzano, Italy......)
Sitting on the top of Stelvio Pass.....and I'm holding the t-shirt!
First, forget the organized tour and the guides.... you don't need it, or them.
What you need is this guide book, John Hermann, Motorcycle Journeys in the Alps and Corsica (get it at Amazon.Com) and yeah, it's expensive so buy it used. Keep it and cherish it; it's the ticket to the best riding of your life.
Second, take camping gear. The campgrounds in Europe are unbelievably luxurious and well-cared for....there is simply no justification for spending $200-$300 a night for even a three star hotel when you can stay nearly two weeks in a campground for the same amount. The nature of Alpine riding is such that it lends itself to a "basecamp" approach -- set yourself up in a comfortable campground, and make day tours from it. Keep it simple: a $150 tent (with a fly) and a $100 sleeping bag (45* rated), a sleeping pad, and maybe a backpack stove, and you're good to go! Europeans themselves stay in campgrounds, and they love Americans that do, too..... trust us!
Take your own riding gear and jacket and helmet. Put it in a big rucksack, and your camping gear will probably fit in another. Go very easy on clothes: we took mesh riding gear, a fleece, one pair of convertible pants, two pairs of synthetic underwear that we could wash out, and Frogg Togg raingear. And that's it......
Okay, here we go. Buy a roundtrip ticket to Munich (Munchen!). We got ours in high season for about $1800 apiece..... stay the night in Munich to get de-lagged (3 Star Hotel, $165). The next morning, go to the old Munich Train station and buy a ticket to Balzano, Italy via Innsbruck and Brenner Pass. Go second class; we were always able to "upgrade" our seats on the train once aboard.... we paid $125 for our tickets. Take the small digital camera out.... the train ride is spectacular!
In Balzano, if you get there late, cross the street and stay in the Balzano Youth Hostel, http://bozen.jugendherberge.it/cs.asp?st=1&sp=en, for about $20 a night, and that includes breakfast. There are four bunks to a room, and you might have to share the place with some laughing young women who don't speak your language (and the downside of that is.....?).
The next morning, take the Drusso street bus to this campground, and set your tent up.....http://www.moosbauer.com/en/t/prices.html.... this is a lovely place, and Red and I spent about $125 for a week for clean, luxurious restrooms, a well-stocked store, a pool, a restaurant, friendly staff, and good, good company with the other guests....a truly remarkable campground.
In the morning, take the Drusso bus to this place, http://www.rent-a-bike.it/47/english.html, and rent yourself a bike..... do not go too big! You don't need a Roadking or a Goldwing for the roads you're gonna be on, stay at 750ccs or smaller, even two-up, and a super-scoot is just fine.... then ride back to the campground, get your copy of Hermann's book, and go on and ride the great Dolomite roads! This will keep you busy for days and days, and will be one of the best times of your life!
We are often asked, "why don't you use organized tour companies?" Please note I have nothing against organized touring. There is however a really, really good reason, I believe, for going it alone and cobbling up your own experience: the constant exposure to Europeans.
On our trips to Europe, the train rides and campgrounds almost forced us to "rub against" Europeans in a positive way..... While I've never experienced one, a canned tour would seem to me to "encapsulate" you within the group, to limit your exposure to local people and customs -- and I realize I may be very wrong about that.
Some of our best experiences came from off the bike: the lovely Austrian girl named Kristine we met on the Munich/Balzano train, who shared her first class compartment with us and educated us on the landscapes of Brenner Pass, and who suggested we stay our first night in the Balzano Youth Hostel..... the wonderfully eccentric Brit couple in the campground in Interlaken, Switzerland, who gave us free tickets to the Niederhorn Funicular Railway (about $150 worth!)..... the laughing, wonderfully funny three young motorcycle mechanics from Amsterdam, who spoke perfect, entertaining English to us in a Balzano campground, while drinking amazing quantities of beer in the gaz lantern light.... the soft-spoken, long-haired young German student who suggested that we take the Chunnel train from Munich to London, and who ran with us carrying one of our heavy packs as we desperately tried to catch the last departure (which we did successfully by the way.....). Wherever we went, whatever we tried to do, ordinary Europeans seemed to come from everywhere to help us, to enrich our experience over there, to make sure we were "all right" and doing what we wanted to do -- and after the initial "culture shock," we always felt completely comfortable, completely at ease. This kind of travel is addictive, and immediately whets your desire for more.
Like all U.S citizens, I see things from an isolated perspective. We seem to evaluate everything against American standards, which is not accurate and not fair. But it's not completely our fault; there have always been two big oceans between us and the rest of the world, and it's hard to overcome those limiting factors and remain objective that way. But our "ground-level" travels to the old countries have opened our eyes; have gently brought us around to the idea that we have more commonalities than differences with the other peoples of the world, and that we should do our best to illuminate that fact whenever we can. After all, a motorcyclist is a motorcyclist, no matter what language her or she speaks, and no matter what roads they're on.....and the same rain falls on tents all over the world! And please, please, by whatever means you choose -- budget touring, canned touring, whatever -- get out there soon! And see for yourself what old Louis Armstrong used to sing about..... "What a wonderful world!"
(The Dolomites: northern Italy)
(South Tyrolean scene on the way to Stelvio....)
Friday, May 9, 2014
72, and holding.......
It was my seventy-second birthday yesterday. My lovely wife gave me a new bicycle saddle, a new bicycling jersey, and a new bicycling helmet for my birthday presents, and then went with me on a leisurely Goldwing ride up to Lake Cle Elum and Salmon la Sac in central Washington State for my birthday dinner..... We stopped at the Past Time restaurant/lounge/tavern on the way home for two delicious rib eye steaks..... a rustic, 100 year old building, good service, friendly people, good food, all for $23 total, including an alcohol-free beer! Can't beat that, no matter where you are! Sometimes, half-charred, fatty meat is the only thing that will do; I felt like Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapas after a successful buffalo hunt....
And have I told you lately that the Honda Goldwing GL1800 is the best motorcycle ever devised? That it's the greatest motorcycle ever built? Well, consider yourself told... any ride, from 100 to a 1000 miles, is fast and smooth and effortless..... and with it's streamed lines, and a three dollar can of Pledge furniture polish, I can clean and polish the thing from front to back in under 10 minutes.......
Harleys are nice, and I love them, but...... When I was a boy, Harley had nothing for me, nothing I could afford, but Honda had a 50cc Super Cub -- which I could afford, and did; when I came home from Vietnam, Harley had nothing for me, nothing I could afford, but Honda had a high pipe 305 CL scrambler -- which I could afford, and did; when I re-entered the motorcycle world in midlife, I looked for a used Harley Sporster, which I couldn't afford -- but I could afford the 750 GS Suzuki inline four, and I did; and when I decided to tour the world a piece at a time with my darling wife on the back, Harley had nothing I could afford on my teacher's salary that could do that job, but Honda did, a used 1981 GL1100 Goldwing ($2349), which had 73,000 miles on it when we bought it -- and we put on 160,000 miles more; And now. after three Goldwings, one CB750 Nighthawk, one Honda Magna 700cc, and one Honda ST1300.....and after give or take 350,000 touring miles, Harley still has nothing I can afford, especially now that I'm retired, but Honda does, and seemingly always will.....
And when I get old, someday years and years from now, and feel like I'm in danger of dropping it, will I sell this beautiful, Angel-White bike? Oh, heck, no..... I'll put on an Angel-White sidecar, get an ugly black dog to ride in it, and go up into upper Kittitas county on my birthdays where Red and I and ol' Jowl Face will order three, half-charred, fatty steaks at the Past Time Tavern...... the hell with thoughts of mortality.... I plan to live forever; and so far, so good!
And have I told you lately that the Honda Goldwing GL1800 is the best motorcycle ever devised? That it's the greatest motorcycle ever built? Well, consider yourself told... any ride, from 100 to a 1000 miles, is fast and smooth and effortless..... and with it's streamed lines, and a three dollar can of Pledge furniture polish, I can clean and polish the thing from front to back in under 10 minutes.......
Harleys are nice, and I love them, but...... When I was a boy, Harley had nothing for me, nothing I could afford, but Honda had a 50cc Super Cub -- which I could afford, and did; when I came home from Vietnam, Harley had nothing for me, nothing I could afford, but Honda had a high pipe 305 CL scrambler -- which I could afford, and did; when I re-entered the motorcycle world in midlife, I looked for a used Harley Sporster, which I couldn't afford -- but I could afford the 750 GS Suzuki inline four, and I did; and when I decided to tour the world a piece at a time with my darling wife on the back, Harley had nothing I could afford on my teacher's salary that could do that job, but Honda did, a used 1981 GL1100 Goldwing ($2349), which had 73,000 miles on it when we bought it -- and we put on 160,000 miles more; And now. after three Goldwings, one CB750 Nighthawk, one Honda Magna 700cc, and one Honda ST1300.....and after give or take 350,000 touring miles, Harley still has nothing I can afford, especially now that I'm retired, but Honda does, and seemingly always will.....
And when I get old, someday years and years from now, and feel like I'm in danger of dropping it, will I sell this beautiful, Angel-White bike? Oh, heck, no..... I'll put on an Angel-White sidecar, get an ugly black dog to ride in it, and go up into upper Kittitas county on my birthdays where Red and I and ol' Jowl Face will order three, half-charred, fatty steaks at the Past Time Tavern...... the hell with thoughts of mortality.... I plan to live forever; and so far, so good!
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