Control your mind, control your mind.......

To ride a motorcycle on the great American prairie at the height of summer, one must control the mind. The gently undulating, unending landscape, the constant wind -- which has been blowing for millions of years -- the waving grasses, and the unmatched blue vault of sky plays many tricks on your mental state. Chief among these is simply falling asleep, which is death itself... if the fall off the bike at 70 plus mph doesn't kill you, the multi-hour wait for any sort of medical care will. You will surely bleed out or go into irreversible shock, and...will simply die. As beautiful as the prairie is, one must not be lulled to sleep upon it.. One weapon I use against sleep is to not eat until safely in camp. Nothing. Food in the stomach shunts blood to the stomach, and away from the brain. Many bikers have gone to their just rewards after a fulfilling meal of a double bacon cheeseburger with fries...many. Don't eat! You won't die of hunger, but you might from a cheeseburger! Another weapon is a constant fluid intake. I always wear a camelback filled with water and ice, and I'm constantly toking on it. The dry prairie air, at 70 mph, will shrivel you like a prune, and in less time than you can believe.....but stay away from sugary drinks! The sugar crash will nod you off, in blissful sleep, which is ...death. Iced tea at hourly breaks will help greatly.