Nomadic Spirit

May 24 - June 1, 2003

The idea:  Ride until reality either starts making sense or no longer matters.

As I have grown older I find myself more and more nomadic than I was in my younger days.  Attachments to family and friends have grown almost summarily colder with the exception of the regular players you see listed in these stories.  Sometimes this makes me a little sad, but most of the time I enjoy the freedom.  It is nice to go where you want, when you want and not worry about the meddling, gossip, or opinions of people who have known you for so long that they only remember who you were, and can't recognize who you are.  Sometimes an embrace can smother, and a hug is just holding you down.  I also think that life is short and it is a waste to live it in a very small area without experiencing other parts of the world.  Particularly Americans, who grow up in one city, occaisionally visit Guetamabmazabme (or Parislondonromesterdam) a week out of the year and feel that this qualifies them as 'knowing' the world.  I firmly believe that an American should travel America - by road and off the highways where possible - to see this truly Amazing country and meet a very diverse group of people. 

The foundation of this trip is actually built out of frustration.  For May 2003 the original plan was for Tonya and I to take a ride together to North Carolina, but that didn't work out because jof her college schedule and we really want to get her education moving along.  Then the plan was for Garrett to come to Florida, but budget issues and some logistic grief kept him in Texas.

Angry and frustrated I stamped around for a few weeks and even pondered canceling my vacation time.  Just when I thought all hope was lost, an idea occurred to me, "wouldn't it be cool to die on the highway?"  Well, that wasn't really the idea - the idea was "wouldn't it be fun to ride from Tampa to Texas, and then do a Texas bike trip?"  This trip was a solo journey that  pushed me harder and farther than I had been before.

Here was the agenda:

I first called Garrett to see if he was interested.  Luckily, since I was footing the bill - he was.  I will tell you something, but you have to keep it a secret - the best part of having family is being able to bum stuff off of them and not feel bad about it.  So, Garrett was in and we were making our plans for departure.

A very good friend of mine (I was just about to discover HOW good a friend) lives in Austin as well.  Bill Maloney and I have known each other since I started puberty (for the record I am STILL in puberty).  Bill joined us in Las Vegas for the 2001 ride and we talk about that a little in a previous story.  I called Bill up to see if he wanted to have dinner with me while I was in town and before we left for Big Bend.  Bill took one look at my itinerary and said "uh, let me get back to you . . . "

I had always hoped Bill would join us, he is an easy fit for Garrett and I (something that is at least as hard as it sounds).  Bill  has a quick wit and a smart mouth - both of which go a long way with the two of us.  Also, Bill seems to balance Garrett and I out a bit - and it is always good to have one voice of sanity in the group.  The thing is Bill has a wife and daughter and might not have been able to make the time.  Luckily he was able to fix his schedule to join us.

Bill and I kicked around several ideas for this trip.  Initially we considered trailering our bikes from Austin to Big Bend, but when we learned that the trailer we would need would cost $1300 we decided against it.  Bill's biggest concern was that I not die either on the way to, or from, Austin.  My trip had scheduled stops at 12 hours - so I felt pretty good about my odds to make it in one piece.  Worst case, I would rest longer - particularly on  the way home.  So, Bill was in - that is the important part of that little rant.

So, the ride was on, the people were lined up the hotels booked.  All that remained was an 18 hour motorcycle ride each way.

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