The true Long Road.

It has been almost a year sense I sat out on the longest journey of my life. That journey started in my driveway a few days befor new years eve. 2009 as I set out on my motorcycle to head to Memphis to be with friends and celebrate the new year with them. I had no Idea what the year had in store for me.  After 36 states and 6 trips across the Continental divide, I think I have a story to tell.
   The morning of Jan. 01, 2010 was cold. I had invested in a heated suit and my 2002 Honda VTX 1800 was ready to ride. We set out for a day of just tooling around but our trip was put on hold because my buddies wife couldn't deal with the cold. By the time we returned to their house, my friend was so pissed that he asked if I wanted to ride over to Oklahoma to see a service buddy of his. This would be the norm for my year of riding. No real plan, just a throttle and a map. Most of my trips would last between a week and two weeks. Always finding my way home to the center of my universe. My loving wife Shelly and our wonderful 5 yr old Maggie. I have always had a sense of wanderlust in me and Shelly understands this need in me. A greater blessing has no man known than the understanding of a woman.
       I went to school in the mid west and because of that I know alot of people up that way. Through the use of social networks I have been able to reconnect with alot of people from my past. I found my best friend from school days up in Omaha. 850 miles on a screaming frozen motorcycle and I was trying to explain to his wife why Chris is the way he is. Dinner, drinks and a few hours on a couch catching up on the last 20 plus years. Never one to overstay a welcome, a quick look at the weather and I learn I can't go back the same way because St. Louis is in a blizzard. I head south to Eureka Springs, Ark. A wonderful little craft village built into the hills of the Ozarks.
     These long trips give me time to think and sometimes that is more than my twisted mind can handle. I would liken the bad times to solitary confinement. There are times that the beast within can take over a mind and you find out what your meddle is. I can tell you this, sometimes time to think is not a good thing. During these times of internal struggle my main defense is an mp-3 player full of all kinds of music.
      Back at home base. I get a call. Come to Memphis, lets go for a ride. I'm gone. We meet up in Memphis and I'm informed that we are going to St. Louis to meet up with his family for a party and then we will ride with his brother. Good party with good people, young and old. We look at the weather map in the morning and find there is no place we can go and not meet bad weather. Our choice is this, titty bars in east St. Louis or bad weather riding.. we ride. Sometimes 10 miles sometimes 80. We spent 3 days riding all over Missouri and Arkansas in some of the worst weather I would experience all year. At one point I went to put my feet on the floorboards when I noticed that I had over an inch of ice on the soles of my boots. Then the bike problems started. Water cooled engines have a radiator. mine has no protection from road spray. My radiator froze over and I blew a head gasket. Outside of St. Louis I put my bike into a U-haul for the first time in my life. Straight home and into the motor. complete rebuild and bored it out to 1980cc's.
   It took almost a year to live this story so I doubt that you want to read it all in one setting. I will add more very soon.
PEACE & GREASE