Ride to Live... Live to Ride...

 Have you ever really thought about those words?

Folks... Riders... Speak 'em all the time. I'm of the mind that many say the words without really giving them much time. Like in a lot of things, people parrot what ever'body else is sayin'. My advice is to really THINK about those words, and what they mean.

Me? Some might call it arrogant, but I say I took the words at face value and pursued 'em with a passion.

I'm happiest, when I'm in the wind on my bike. Pure and simple. So, to make the best of that I set about arranging my life to make that happen. I Set about... Living to Ride.

I got rid of the damn house that owned me. I got rid of the Boss that thought he owned me... I've been riding the rough edge, near to poverty... sweating each broken part and ruined tire. My back account... well... if I had one, it would be thin! :)

The point is... I live in a fifth wheel... and ride when and how I want... sort of.

That's the part that can be a little displeasing to me. I thought I'd be riding a lot more than I do. But the simple reality is... though I don't work for Bosses any more... except for occasional short term jobs... like our week long stint at a NASCAR race coming up this afternoon... I still have to work.

Living Free and Easy... ain't necessarily easy! :) Between taking care of three websites, three blogs and writing the Western Novels I've started publishing to earn a living; it seems like working still gets in the way of riding...

Compound that with the hard times the bozos in D.C. and all the other capitals of the world have inflicted on everyone... and you end up with a pretty good dose of reality.

Oh Boo Freakin' Hoo!

A fella could start feeling sorry for himself... until he thumps himself on the head with a boot and asks himself; "Are you Blind boy? What are you whining about ya damn little runt?"

So, yeah... what am I grousin' about...

In the last two years I've rolled my Raider in a lot of Gorgeous country. She took me to the Yukon and up past Denali in Alaska. We've split the wind in British Columbia, Glacier National park (Twice) and over Lost trail and Lolo passes in Montana. The Bike has carried me through the Cascades and We've rolled through Yellowstone National Park. The Pacific Coast Highway in Oregon has seen my Raider and so has the Shasta Lake country of California as well as those twisty roads around Yosemite and Sequoia.

It's been a damn fine two years!

We've floated on the ferry to San Juan Island in Puget Sound. Spent part of a winter in the Tonto Basin in Arizona and had a beer at London Bridge in Lake Havasu. She's carried me over the Million Dollar Skyway of Hwy 550 in Colorado and through the Black Hills of Dakota country... and the ride ain't over yet... so No Whining! There's plenty more to come.

Is life easy? Nope. Has it ever been? Nope... Will it ever be? Not Likely...

It's easy to fall back into old habits and get caught back up in the failed philosophy of chasing dollars. It's a thing to keep on guard against, but that's it.

Living like I am, having a house on wheels that let's me stay where the riding is good, no matter what the season IS Living to Ride. So I'll just keep on making it work... However much work that takes.

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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