Looking Back Part 1

 I pulled out the old memory cards that have the 5000 or so photos of the motorcycle trip I  took back in 2010. My motorcycle took me to some amazing places. I was free ! Now I'm missing that freedom. It seems I had so much more when I was young. Didn't have a care in the world when I set out on this three month motorcycle ride . All I knew was I was heading west and going north into western Canada before heading south along the west coast to Northern California. There were only two places that I had really made plans to visit, Bob's place in Montana and Robin in Bend Oregon. Other than these I was just out there going where ever the road took me. People would tell me about places and I'd go . I went old school using road maps. Still using them today. GPS just doesn't cut it for me. I love getting lost and finding my way back. I found some amazing places this way. Well, now I'm an old man and I still have this drive to explore. Money is tight, family pressure is always an issue, and this damn leg injury makes me wonder if I can actually still do it on the road.  All this garbage goes away when I start going through the photos and my brain tells me I really need to get out on the road again. So, I have been slowly fixing up the Moto Guzzi. Got her running real well now and the next phase of that project is the suspension .I'm going to ignore the leg thing and the other crap that is making me think I can't do what I know I can do. Fuck it , I'm going to start to focus and finally make this happen. I gave up on finding a riding partner to travel with. It could be a good thing but on the other hand it could stifle my freedom out on the road. So going it alone is what it's going to be. The big question is when ? I'm 75 years old and if it kills me so fucking what ! Here are some cool photos from the 2010 ride  

You miss this turn you go off the cliff ! These next two photos are what riding is all about

So here we are in November of 2024.These photos were taken 14 years ago .I've traveled plenty since then . In 2014 I rode up to Eastern Canada, you know, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Been up in the Adirondacks plenty of times riding as well as some other places. So I know I can do it it's more about getting the confidence I need to do it. This will come as I get the bike in order and do a couple test trips loaded and out on the road. I need one more real road trip before I leave the asylum. This is really where I need to be !

I need to see the sunset in the Pacific at this beach one last time.I found true inner peace while I was here .   I was able to have a clear picture of where I wanted my life to go while here. Although that plan didn't materialize it still set me on a better path forward. There were so many plans in my head like opening an art gallery in Ft Bragg California  using my vintage motorcycles as displays to attract other bikers to the place. I had such great plans when I was out on the road. The road frees the mind !

Life Has Been Crazy Lately

 

 

It all started with a phone call at 7:30 AM when my wife called telling me her car died.I went to where she was and determined that the fuel pump quit.Now this was an educated guess at this point. So we had the car towed home where I could work on it.Ordered a new pump and pulled out the spark plugs.They were worn so I got new ones. Tested for spark in all 4 cylinders and had it so I put all that back together and jacked up the car to remove the gas tank which is where the fuel pump resides in this car.While under I see major rust out in the rear portion of the frame.Stopped working and thought about it for a day then decided to junk the car.So,now we start looking for a replacement car on Craigslist. First one looked good,a 2000 Toyota with just under 120000 miles on it for 2500 bucks.Test drove it and it all felt good so we tell the guy we'll take it. We go to the bank to get the money and call him when he tells me he sold it. What a dirt bag ! Then we look at another one.Looks real nice in the ad but when we show up it is a different car than what was pictured in the ad.A total piece of shit that was a basket case.Then we see this  2009 Hyndai Sonata . We go and it's nice.The guy is a private guy who flips cars for his living.He wants 2600 for it.It runs good. He has all his dealer papers and the car had a Maine title.We bought it put 4 new tires on it ,had it aligned,I did a 4 wheel brake job, replaced the whole exhaust system, did an oil + filter change, replaced the engine air filter and cabin air filter,  then changed the transmission fluid and now we have a decent car for around 4000 bucks. It was a lot of work for me and I had to ferry my wife to work for a week or so 80 miles a day but I'm past it now and she's in a good car. While I waited for parts to be delivered I did manage to go riding on my motorcycles. Got three of them inspected last week so now I only have three more to go and they are set for another year. It hasn't rained in a month here in Long Island other than a scattered sprinkle in some places other than my neighborhood. There are small and not so small wild fires happening all over the place. The Earth is fighting  back and the human race will lose that battle for sure. Nature always wins in the end. So, here we are at the end of 2024 It's November and I've been riding a motorcycle in a T shirt ! This is crazy, usually I'm all decked out in my leathers and it's 50 degrees F out not 75. Well, the year I was born there were 2.5 billion people on planet Earth and now in my short 75 years of life there are over 8 billion. The problem that our idiotic so called leaders refuse to even recognize is starting to take us out. I'm glad I'm old !Well, I did my bit. I didn't reproduce.  But this didn't change anything because when we were all going on about zero population growth in the 1960's and 70's the forces of greed took over and shut down those who opposed their agenda. How are they supposed to make money hand over fist with a limited supply of customers and slaves.  Yup, debt slaves keep the machine going so the parasites at the top can live the good life. Soon the constant wars over oil will be replaced with wars over water rights and food will be something that many will start going without. I feel bad for the kids. We are leaving them a world that is so messed up that we can't fix it. Well, nature will fix it just like she fixed it when the other extinctions took place in the past. I wonder what she will replace us with.

The Earth is alive. it's a living being and we are just a small part of it's body. From where I'm standing it looks like humanity is like an infectious virus that is making Earth sick. But, Earth has a good immune system that will fight us off in the end and we will be eradicated like any other common virus that attacks the body. Earth has been here 4 or 5 billion years , us about 250000 or so years . A blink of an eye in geological time . Look how we have managed to destroy the paradise we were brought into in what amounts to a fraction of a second since we became " industrialized " and pushed the American Dream on the rest of the world  coning them into thinking we are making their lives better when in reality all we are doing is allowing a handful of super rich dirt bags to suck us and our planet dry for their own personal greed motivated  gain . Oh but wait, we have the answer, go buy an electric car and this will solve the whole problem . Yeah right

Now It's November

 It's hard to believe but summer is a memory now and we are almost in winter. The circus we here in the US call an election is finally over.The winners and losers are always the very rich and the dirt poor. For the rest of us nothing really changes but the price of gas . The whole system is rigged. Both of the political parties are owned by the same billionairs and their corrupt corporations. They lock out third unowned parties so the only choice the dumbed down public gets is corporate plan A or corporate plan B which happen to be the same crap in a different box. So,I don't bother to take part. Went to the last car show of the season this past Sunday.It was a beautiful day but then every day for the past 6 or 7 weeks has been a beautiful day pretty much.The drought is getting bad .Climate change is starting to really change the way we live.All these crazy storms and wild fires.I'm glad I'm old. Starting to make a plan to build a new bridge over the brook on my property upstate.Another casualty of climate change. I'm also hoping that I can finally get to my wagon and start selling off some of my motorcycles. Age is making me come to terms with the weight of having all this stuff but for now I still go to car shows and the beach, ride my motorcycles and drive my old cars.Life has been pretty good to me so here are some photos of the car show and the beach

Yesterday I went to the beach. It was an incredible day.I was able to go riding in a T shirt in November ! This is crazy and I know it's not a good thing but at my age I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Today is another beautiful day.Gonna rake some leaves this morning before I head out riding on one of my old bikes.Maybe today I'll ride a 2 stroke or my old reliable Moto Guzzi 850-T.