BOTH ENDS OF THE ROAD

BOTH ENDS OF THE ROAD is my goal. The Pan American Highway stretches some 18,000 miles from Prudehoe Bay, Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. I am planning on leaving for Prudehoe Bay in 12 months and a friend of mine and I will head south. This blog will be a chronicle of the preparation for this Journey. I have asked myself many times, Why.? My answer is this. I look forward to the challenge. Its a Big goal but with proper planning and preperation I am confident that I can accomplish this journey.  I am planning on the trip taking from 30 to 45 days and it will be filmed for television.

In the next twelve months I have a huge amount of work to do. I need to learn to speak and understand Spanish which is the predominant language south of the USA border. Today I can count to ten in spanish and I know about ten other words. I've got a long way to go. Research will probably be the most important preparation I will need to do. Maps, fuel stops, mechanical service locations and Border crossing protocol are just a few of the things that I need to figure out. I have already done a lot of studying but I know  I've just scratched the surface.

To prepare for this trip I will need to get into better physical shape. My lower back is a concern of mine. I have set my mind to loosing 40 more pounds and increasing my physical endurance.. I'm not gonna go back to boot camp but I have some life changes to make to accomplish my goals.

I'm gonna build a bike specifically for this trip... The bike I have in mind will be an "American made" swing arm type bike. From the wires to the tires. This bike will be Made In The U.S.A. This is gonna be harder than you might think. I could go to the store and buy a BMW or Harley for this journey but I want to put the spotlight on AMERICAN MADE products. Because of the differences in terrain and altitude, this is gonna be a special bike to say the least.

Well there you have it. two guys on two motorSickles riding the Pan America highway from top to bottom. The TV show that is produced from this journey will be of the unscripted type and thats about all I can tell you about the show.

Thanks to all who have helped turn this dream into a project. I will keep you all updated on the progress that we make.
Until next time,
PEACE&GREASE

JUST ANOTHER SHITTY DAY IN PARADISE

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You've heard the ole saying. "Any day on a MotorSickle is a good day". I say, BULLSHIT. Life on the couch is much easier. The couch doesn't add to the richness of your life but on the couch you seldom have to be concerned with weather or break-downs or encountering the foreskin that wants to convince you of how cool he is...
My travels have brought me into contact with some of the greatest people on Planet Earth and I cherish meeting these true souls.  These same travels have also brought me into contact with some of the most judgmental egomaniacs who have ever pushed a start button or lined up a kicker pedal. I AM guilty. I've done it myself. Let me explain... several years back, a small group of us were in Sturgis before the rally got "Officially" started. We knew that before the Rally would be our only good time to ride without all the traffic and we decided to go for a short ride. As luck would have it, Tom's gas petcock wouldn't let him go on reserve and I ran to Bel Fouche to get him some gas. As I pulled up to the gas station wearing my Chucks, a pair of shorts and a tank top I saw 50 completely Leathered motorcycle enthusiasts. from chaps to gusset gloves. This group was milling about the fuel island hydrating and bitching about the heat.. I got "the look" and I gave it but I held my tongue and rolled after getting some gas for my stranded friend. On the ride back to the group I was thinking about what I had encountered. "Posers". "Dressed for the Show". hell, they probably all had matching Dealership T-shirts.. While filling Tom's bike I shared with them what I had witnessed and suggested that we go another route. Now that all sounds innocent enough, right.?
I have often thought how I judged that group just by looking at the "cover of the book". What they were wearing, and why, had no bearing on what I was doing. I judged them and changed my route because of it.

What someone else wears or rides or how they act out or what they do for a living or how butt ugly his ole Lady is has no bearing on me. It doesn't effect me. Who am I to judge.? I shouldn't but yet I still do. I guess it's part of what makes us human. We are all flawed individuals. I'm the last guy who should try to figure out why people do some of the things that they do.. Hell, I still question some of my own past decisions. I will probably never understand why a guy would want a nitrous fed, 502 chevy v-8 powered motorcycle or build a gas tank to look like a horses head but how many times do we say, "what a douche". "I think it needs more lights on it".or a million other SNARKEY comments. I don't spend a lot of time scratching my head about such things. What does make me scratch my head is how judgmental we can All be..

as a side note.... I fully expect that  some bald dude who is envious of my full head of hair will be offended by my "head scratching" comment. such is life.

Until we meet again,
PEACE&GREASE

BIO, well, kind of.

December 28, 1967. Jeff Davis County, Georgia. Dr. Elrod welcomed me to planet Earth with a slap on my ass. Hows that for a beginning.??? I've been asked to write a short bio of myself for an upcoming project so I decided to share this with you all.
I am a Son of The South. My youth was spent like so many other children of our generation. Football, girls, music and rebellion were the things I spent my time with. I think I was a little above average at the things I wanted to do and that included the trouble and mischief that I got into. I was first labeled a "Free Spirit" by a visiting Preacher when I was 7yrs old. As I watched my parents roll their eyes and agree with that Preacher, I felt a high level of satisfaction and I have been seeking my own path ever sense.

 The paths that I had found had lead me into more than a few run ins with the law and at the tender age of sixteen Judge Case and I agreed that Military service would be the best thing for me. I had dropped out of school my junior year, got my GED and on 05 Feb. 1985 I shipped out to basic training at Ft. Benning, Ga.
I had been in the Army for 16 months when I got an invitation to my high school graduation. Class of 86.

After three yrs as a "Straight Leg" Infantry soldier I was Honorably discharged with a service related disability. I am proud to have served my country and I consider it an Honor to have served.

Music and motorcycles have always been part of my life. I got my first guitar at age 8 and it was a guitar that I used to travel the country after my military days were over. I have been blessed to play guitar in some amazing places. From the Grizzly Rose and Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver to Gilly's Pub 44 in Florida. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in Nashville turned into a 3yr gig for me in the early 90's. It was a guitar that took me to Daytona Bikeweek in the 90's where I stayed for 4 yrs playing everywhere that would have me. This is where I met my loving and patient wife, Shelly.
The common thread that has run threw my life has been travel. From my Army days up till today I have been on the move. There was a time I drove a semi delivering freight and in 9 months I had been in all 48states. I got off the road to help raise my family and start a business and I feel that I have been successful in those endeavors. During that time the call of the road was still there but my responsibilities kept me grounded to building my businesses.
In 2008, when the economy turned south, I could no longer ignore the call of the road. My loving wife was pushing me to do something that I "Wanted" to do. She had seen me totally consumed by my business desires and she knew that I was on the path to self destruction. My motorcycle became my therapy and I guess I needed a lot of therapy. In the last three yrs I've logged around 150,000 miles on motorcycles. Most of them on a Honda VTX1800R. I started going to rally's, big and small. I started getting involved with what other people were doing whether that was a fundraiser or a birthday party. I get a kick out of learning what is important to other people and then sharing those stories with others. Sometimes those stories are captured in pictures. Sometimes they are shared threw printed word but if I had a choice, I would rather tell you the story as the two of us stand next to a bonfire as the morning sun comes up.

The future is looking bright and I am excited about all the possibilities. Filming for the 2nd season of Moonshiners will start in May and will be broadcast the winter of 2012. I am also working on several other film projects that are to young to talk about details. One of them is about the Pan America Highway trip I am planning for May of 2013.  I am still making the Gypsy Biker Bedrolls and I have recently finished the design work on a new product that will be released in the next month or so.. The future is looking good and I am really enjoying all that I am able to do. I have been blessed in that I have met some of the greatest people on Planet Earth and have developed lasting friendships with more than a few of them.

Until we meet again,
PEACE&GREASE

Moonshiners

You would not believe the amount of questions that I have been asked lately.. I guess this is as good a place to put down some answers..

This past summer I got a call from a friend in North Carolina. He told me of a producer from New York that was gonna do a show about Moonshine for the Discovery Channel. Contact info was exchanged and it wasn't but a short time I was talking to the Executive Producer in New York City. Schedules were compared and we decided to do the filming in conjunction with The Twineball Run.. but let me back up just a bit....
I like Moonshine. I have spent the time to learn as much about it as I can. I guess the thing I dig about Moonshine and the people who deal with it is that these people are self sufficient. They can do whatever they put their minds to. They can make an engine run or build a house. They can figure out how to take a few gathered materials and turn it into a huge chemistry set. Also known as a still.. These are the kind of people I call Do'ers.
"I don't believe any of that show is real".... I've heard this many times. My answer is this... but yet you will believe the evening news???. It was meant to be entertaining.. I can't speak for any part of it that I wasn't involved with but I can tell ya that my moonshine got some fine people likkered up in Oklahoma and Kansas.
"How can you break the law on national television and not get in trouble with the law"?? Think about it... you see crimes on TV every day... Now if a lawman had come up and seized a quart of shine, then they would have had evidence of a crime. "How can I get a quart from you"??? A lot of people who don't know me have asked this one... my reply is simply this.. "Fuck off, Copper"... Because of the show I have a target on me so I am "out of business.. for a while... I got a call today on my cell phone from a guy who wanted to know what kind of fairing I have on my VTX.. but now, lets get back to the show...
The film crew met me in Ponca City, Okla. and followed me to the property of a friend of mine.. This was a pre party and rally point for The Twineball Run. The camera crew left early that night but the party lasted till around 4am.. At first I thought that the film crew had missed some wonderful footage but then I realized that the general population would have us committed if they had seen the fun we had that night. The morning found me looking threw blurry eyes at the film crew and wondering why I was wearing one sandal and one boot... We filmed the mixing of the shine that morning and at around 11am we (about 20 of us) headed out for Osborne, Kansas. The film crew missed a turn and we didn't see them for the next 150 miles.. I said that it took us 12 hrs to go 287 miles.. That was because one guy lost his clutch then broke his chain and a wild man from Arkansas lost his ignition system and then we found that his frame was cracked from too many wheelies.. He rode on the back of my bike to the next town. When I got to Osborn, Kansas and started setting up camp, I handed a jug of shine to Kruse and asked him to pass it around. Before I had set up camp I had sold 24quarts.. The party was ON. There was a whole lot of footage that didn't make it past the editors. Do you think the world is ready to see a man wearing nothing but football shoulder pads jumping a bonfire on a motorSickle.. I don't think they are ready for that level of free dumb in there lives.

  "$50 a quart seems kind of high." I've always charged 20 or 25.. I don't know where they got $50 for a quart.... I can tell you this... the twineball run is an event that you don't need a camera for.. You will never forget those memories.. Two guys laying on a tire that is tied behind my bike is a site to see.. ya.. we won that race.. Later on we found a feed trough and decided to give rides behind my bike... I did get a little concerned when I saw an Itasca camper full of drunks doing a power slide into the second turn of the dirt oval track we were at... In the morning most folks went for a ride to the biggest twineball in the world.. Ya, thats true... some of us decided that the only bar in town was the place to be. We were not wrong.. After a few hours we headed back to the dirt track and the fun started all over again..

Will there be a second season? I've been told yes.. We will wait and see. Moonshiners was the highest ranked show in Discovery Channel history with 2.83million viewers for the first episode.. That tells me people like what we do..
I want to again thank each of yall that helped us with this project.. Lets do it again..
Until next time...

PEACE&GREASE

Things I am Thankful for.

On the eve of this Thanksgiving I sit here writing to you because I am feeling truly blessed. Today I spent the day looking at the world threw the eyes of my six yr old daughter, Maggie. She always reminds me what is really important. We stopped for a snack at the General Store and at 48degrees outside Maggie wanted a Popsicle because that is what she had back in the heat of summer.. No need for logic. We had Popsicles. This afternoon my oldest daughter came up from Huntsville and her Husband and their college friend soon followed. Great dinner and time to just talk was part of the joy in my heart. Tomorrow there will be 20 of my wifes family will be at my table. Some that I only talk to just twice a year but they are family just the same.

I thank the Military for their commitment and I think of my Brothers In Arms who will spend their Thanksgiving Day on the front lines and in harms way for a cause that we question. I wish for them a peace of mind and the understanding that we as Americans support them.

From my house to yours. I hope your Cornucopia is overflowing and you have more blessings than you can list in a day.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING 

A PLACE IN THE SUN

As Autumn settled in upon us I took the opportunity to go for a long ride. My plan was to go to Galveston for the Lonestar Rally and then out to So. California to see some friends and check out the scene. More about The Lonestar Rally later. I'll not bore you with the story of the road because there is not much to see between Galveston and L.A. Let me put it this way, I could not find any place where two tree's were close enough together that I could put up my hammock.

I would rather share with you about this Place In The Sun. I pulled into Orange County, California during rush hour on Thursday afternoon. I had forgotten how many people they had crammed into this geographical area. The last time I had been here was in the late 80's while I was in the Army and it was crowded then. I found my way to the home of my dear friend, Russ Niedwick and after a short catch up with him and The Man known as "Pothole", we proceeded to a local watering hole. Sailor Jerry and his friend Jack Daniels joined us for a celebration and in the morning the question was asked many times. "What Happened".
A cup of coffee and a dip in the hot tub started off my Veterans Day. The day had no plan and that's the way I like it. The only thing on my agenda was spending time with a friend and checking out his machine shop. Russ Niedwick is the third generation owner of Niedwick Machine, a full service precision metal shop with costumers from dishwasher manufactures to the military. If it is made of metal, these guys have what it takes, including motorcycle parts. Grandpa Neidwick started this business in 1956 working on airplane parts in Long Beach. Now they have diversified into all kinds of different industries. I found pleasure in seeing Russ, his father and his grandfather talking about a set of brass handlebar risers they are soon to put into production. Those of you who watch Orange County Choppers on TV have seen some of the pieces they have made. The DNA wheels and The Gears of War Trike Wheels among many other pieces and parts. It was truly my pleasure to spend time with these people. Craftsmen each and every one of them.
One of the things that I loved about the area was the closeness of all the different trades and Craftsmen. Because of the population density there is enough work to have a machine shop, auto paint shop, powdercoating shop, metal plating, parts houses and metal suppliers and all the other connected trades. All of this in a 5 mile radius. For a guy like me, living in the hills of Tennessee, the availability of those services is damn near mind blowing. The amount of knowledge in the area was also mind blowing. We were in the area where the So. Cal. speed movement started back in the day. I was thinking about how it must have been back then. I have heard lots of stories of the glory all these people were trying to achieve. These were the people who were defining "West Coast Cool". These were the guys that punched horsepower and speed to a whole new level. And Then I met Wink Eller. Russ knew that I would appreciate meeting and talking with this Legend of Speed. Wink Eller's body of work is greater than I could address at this time but I can say this. He has set 67 official land speed records and that doesn't include the 13 records they took from him. Keep your eyes open. This man has some huge plans in the works including a live cam for your viewing pleasure.
Saturday morning found me rolling my throttle up the Pacific Coast Highway. Destination Beverly Hills for The Cycle Source Mag. West Coast Bike Show. Morning rain kept some of the people away but all in all it was a great show. It is always a pleasure to run into good people like Mr. Johnson, The Mailman and talented Sara Liberte. They seemed just a bit surprised to see me on the west coast.

Take some time. Invest in yourself. Go see a new friend and enrich your life with new things. Get on your bike and ride. Find you a place in the Sun.

PEACE&GREASE
I AM DON WOOD 

To Galveston and the Lonestar Rally.

My goal for the day was to stay off the Interstate. I don't mind the interstate if I have to make a lot of miles but today I only have 330miles to go. After looking at a map, I decide that I will take the gulf coast road. Highway 82. A lot of the road is surrounded by grass marsh but every once in a while there would be views of sugar fine sand. Luckily the wind was not blowing hard and I had a beautiful ride. Clear blue sky's and mid 70's for the temperature. The route I had chosen took me past many Wildlife management area's and I knew that I would have to take two Ferry rides to get to Galveston. The first of the two was so short that the entrance gate was still closing as the exit gate was opening. Maybe a 90 second ride.

If you decide to take this road, be sure to gas up when you can. I was a bit concerned but good fortune was on my side and I didn't run out of gas. The attitude of the gas station attendant told me that his gas station was the only one in town. I told him after I paid that if he didn't say thank you for my business that I would never be back. His look told me that he couldn't care less. I asked a local for his recommendation for good local food. He gave me directions to what looked to me to be a closed in metal car port. I ordered a crab burger and I was surprised with how tasty it was. I went to use the bathroom and I was surprised to find the toilet in a 10 foot enclosed cargo trailer. This all made perfect sense to me after talking with the waitress. Her explanation was that everything had to be mobile so that when the surf gets up they can move the whole operation to higher ground. I was about 75 feet from the gulf of Mexico. After another hour and a half, I found myself in line for my last ferry ride for the day. I was waiting with all types of vehicles from cars and pick ups to delivery trucks and around 40 motorcycles. We sat waiting as we looked out over the Galveston skyline.

I truly enjoyed the Lonestar Rally.  It was well organized and it being the 10th anniversary, Most of the logistic bugs had been worked out. Unlike some of the other rally's, Galveston was not a huge rally. Everything was within an 8 square block area and within walking distance. This was nice because I could park and walk to see everything I wanted to unlike Daytona Bike week that covers 50 miles of the Atlantic coast. Great concerts and outstanding food. I want to give Rick "Dakota" Kempf a shout out for putting on such a killer bike show. I'm not sure of a total count but there was well over 100 bikes entered in the show. He had it all well organized and it all went down as smooth as any show that I have been too. Some expected him to fail but he pulled it off without a hitch. All the people that I had reason to work with did a great job. It's amazing how much goes on behind the scene's to pull off an event of this size. Jay Allen and Sasha did a wonderful job, again. I look forward to working with them again.
I pulled out of Galveston on Sunday morning before the Rally was over. I wanted to get some of my 1400 miles behind me and I'm glad I did. Rain in central Texas shut me down around dark. A shower and a bed was very welcome last night and as I type this morning I'm thinking about the 1000miles ahead of me today.
My next destination is central Arizona.
Until next time... PEACE&GREASE.