DENVER!!!

I wake up.  There's lots of fog, the air is COLD to say the least.  I love the freezing refreshing air. Reminds me of a hard spring or late fall.  I love the cold air in the mountains, it's perfect.  I get it.  I take off early, around 0700 but I notice I'm dehydrated or the altitude is affecting me.  I feel slightly dizzy like my head is swimming in syrup.  I ride for about an hour and stop off at this little country diner. I'm starving so hard my gut hurts.  That or I've got worms.  Which wouldn't be so bad, I'd have a 6 pack if I had worms! haha, ok so the diner is small, there's a town meeting in the one room and the waitress looks like she's had enough and she could really go for a long vacation.  I try to be as pleasant as possible and tip her big thanks to the strong coffee and amazing steak with eggs.  Still I feel funny, probably dehydration.  The temperature is around 34 degrees in the sun. I take a few pictures and get off.  Slowly I'm descending into Denver. The temp rapidly climbs and I'm able to shed the jacket and layers and sweat is glistening on my arms.  Just a few hours before I was dying in cold!  Anyhow, the decent is winding and precarious.  Lots of 'Caution' signs dot the sides of the road.  I take a quick break to pull over and do my business in the brush.  A few semi's honk and a squad car rolls by with lights and sirens.  I hop on and take off.  A few miles further on a car has taken a descending curve too fast and counter steered too hard.....right off the mountain.  I slow down to rubberneck and see the car is hung up in trees and all kind of emergency vehicles are around.  Crazy!  1.5 hrs to go.

The outskirts of Denver remind me of Chicago.  Run down, dark, dirty.  The closer to the center of the city I get the nicer things look and the more friendly people seem.  I get into the city and people drive pretty well, not as selfishly as in Chicago, so my nerves are much more calm.  I get to a nice sandwich shop and have some lunch.  After I finish up, I head to Matt's house. His crazy cute daughter just had a birthday, so I stop at Target to buy something for her.  I have a long conversation about what to get, clothes or noisemakers?  Noisemakers it is.  I'm about 3 miles from the house and strap the gift down to the bike.  It starts to slip through.   Every turn I make, every stop it's getting out of its little holder.  The last thing I want to give the kid is some beat up crushed heap of plastic, so I try to adjust it mid ride....oops, copper!  I shift down and pin the throttle, Google Maps better not fail me now!  I duck into a neighborhood which happens to be the right one and pull over to adjust the straps.  We're good!  I head over to the house. I'm so happy to see them and everything I pass the house.  I turn around and there's momma Kate and lil Ivy just waiting for me, waving and smiling!  Ugh soooo cute!! I park the bike and laugh and hug and smile, life is good.  The parents are at work, but Kate shows me around. Obviously a doting loving crazy fun grandma that can't get enough of her granddaughter.  She needs more babies to play with if you ask me.  Anyhow, she gives me the great tour and I see how awesome Matt's got it here!  They did some work to the house and it's so open and in such a great neighborhood.  This guy is super jealous.  Plus they have this super cute lil girl, Ivy. oh.my.god.  She's the ultimate cutie!  Momma Kate is obviously obsessed.  How could you not bet? They have been inseparable since I arrived and it's absolutely cute.

It turns out the gift makes it....and did I mention it makes a bunch of noise?! Oh yeah, it's awesome like that.  Matt gets home first and we make small chat as he makes dinner. He's become quite the grillmaster he tells me.  I have no reason to not believe he's not, he's a married man after all!  I have this memory as a child of looking up to Matt, thinking he was so cool.  He was! And it was his birthday or barmitzvah or something and I kept making cards and running down to the house and giving them to him. I just remember my mom finally stopping me hahah i just remember grabbing a bunch a paper and busting out the package of Crayola happiness, and gettin to business.   How annoyed would you be? You can't let a little kid know they suck, so you put on a smile and say thanks.  That's what he did and that's probably the most prevailing memory I have of him.  Well, that and he somehow memorized the men in black theme song after hearing it once.  haha, anyhow, we drank amazingly great beer, and watched a storm roll through.  The one thing he truly misses about the Chicago.  Sitting in the garage and watching storms roll through, how awesome is that?  He grills up the chicken after Rachel gets home, and she looks awesome!! She's definitely lost any baby weight she might've had, and is so nice and such a great host.  She recants the business trip she was on and I can't help but think to myself one day I want to be so good at what I do that I have to travel to spread the word etc.  The rain starts in a drizzle that quickly escalates into a full blow downpour.  Oh sweet. I don't offer to help the chef and here's why: Never Grill on Another Mans Grill.  Unless you are asked to help, it should never be conveyed that the grillmaster needs help or you have an opinion about how they grill.  And this is a great time to follow that to a T.  Dinner gets served and we watch some shows and make awesome conversation.  Of course Marijuana comes up in the dialogue.  I'm super interested in it and how it's regulated from people whom fall under the jurisdiction of such laws.  Amazing.  They tell me its no big deal.  Remember, alcohol was a banned substance in the past allowing for the rise of horrible violent criminals whom are often time romanticized in great movies and novels.   Not dissimilar, our neighbor countries to the south see this opportunity and the criminals grow networks larger and more violent than anything Al Capone dremt of becoming.  They also don't have syphilis, or at least take care of it before it makes them insane!  These cartels ram weed into the country via our pour southern border and recruit merciless Latino immigrants and illegals to do their dirty work. Make it legal, tax the crap out of it, and manage it with growers here in this country, suddenly you take a chunk out of the cartel's take.  Politics aside, you can consume weed in many different forms, edible at least. You can smoke it too, but you have to be inside or out on the back porch.  When you eat it you get this body high, where you become super relaxed and calmed.  Not like prescription drugs that will incapacitate you, you are still alert and oriented you just feel relaxed. They had some gummies laying out and I snagged a few, and what a feeling! There are kids suffering with debilitating diseases, in constant pain and we dope them up with opiates which are far more harmful to the human body than this herb, yet marijuana has been demonized and hated on by governments and big pharma.  Because you can't patent life.  Anyhow, I digress, it was wonderful and I had the most restful night of my life after that.  But yeah, I don't crave it like i crave coffee or tea, so look out!  Anyhow, I felt rejuvenated and completely rested.  I hadn't felt like this since I was in San Francisco.  We watched the most horrible cop movie ever called "RoboCop" the one that came out this year.  We all groaned through it and got some kicks out of it for sure. It was a great time sitting, having amazing beer and conversation with awesome people.  One I won't soon forget. While Denver is not on my top 5 of places to settle, it's amazing to visit and if you know cool people....you'll be in great hands!

The hardest part of every morning is packing.  Making sure everything packed tight, tied down and in it's proper place.  Matt got his mom and the baby ready to take them to the airport, and I said my goodbyes to Rachel and we all went our ways.  I left and brought up the Google maps.  14hrs 45 minutes to home.  Shit.  That's a lot.  1000 miles.  Ok, I can stop in Omaha or something right? There's probably stuff to do there.  No. Time for ET to phone home.  

Almost to Denver.....Damn Deer

So it turns out that Denver is only around 720 miles away if I ride it right.  Google has offered a few different options but I dislike them and opt to take a more scenic route.  I set off heading towards the 4 corners and am just so impressed with the desert.  I love that it's all different, unless at a quick glance, there are so many shades of red, so many terrain features, and tons of "american indians".

It's about 1130 and the sun is freakin HOT.  There are a few things to keep in mind when desert riding.  Temp, engine temp, tire temp, skin temp, water.  You need to drink 1L of water every hour, unless you are sweating it all out, and no matter how many times you stop, it's almost as if you can't keep your bike from wanting a break. On a long trip like this I've come to look at my bike as almost human.  There are so many things I have to care about and dread the smallest thing happening.  I pull over for gas, I get regular even though the manual says premium.....Won't burn quite as hot, maybe.  Carefully fueling up is tricky when the gas station has no towels to keep excess gas from dripping on the tank.  I replace the nozzle and out of nowhere I sneeze my head off.  A nice mist sprays on the tire.  And cue the steam.  HOLY SHIT!! The tires are so hot that it's burning off water.  I feel them with the back of my hand, HOT.  I throw a cautionary spittle on the front, I figure my body temp is around 98 so the saliva is like warm enough that it won't cause damage.  Well, no sizzle, but steam comes off it...So I pour a bunch of water over them and wait 15 min for the tires to cool off.  I don't know if this is smart, dumb or neither. Either way, i go over in my head how to handle a blowout on a bike at 80mph.  The only thing I can think of is, Jump away from the road.  

As I go though the desert I catch the tail end of a motorcycle club riding about 75 mi south of the 4 corners on route 160.  I follow and catch up to the van and pass it and ask the rear guard if I can join for a minute.  I tell them i'm going to denver and they let me in!  But i have to be in the middle and when I get there, the dude is less than pleased.  They ride staggered like everyone, but on occasion form pairs for whatever reason.  I just do as everyone else does.  I notice the 4 corners is coming up (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico) and want to stop....but I'm too chicken shit to break off from ZZ Top riding next to me, fearing the revolver not so hidden in his shoulder holster.  So I pass up a great land mark and Breaking Bad nostalgia. About 20-30 miles later they are off to their bar, but I am behind  schedule and tear off, waving and honking.  I wanted pictures, I wanted hugs, I wanted beer, but I ain't got no time for that!!  I stop for chow and notice I'm in Navajo Nation, I'm rushing.  I pull the earbud out of my ear as I pull up to the pump and lose the rubber tip.  SHIT. I run around looking for decent earbuds and settle for 15 bucks.  I get going. The sun is rapidly leaving me behind and I'm terrible at night driving.  As I pull past the sign welcoming me to Colorado, I regret not taking a picture, but I have a destination in mind.  I'm hauling ass as I hit the mountains.  The temp drops rapidly and soon I'm forced to pull over and add a hoodie.  I keep going. I stop for gas in a big town, maybe I should stay the night? No.  Push.  The sun is going down leaving me in darkness as I navigate the winding steep roads of the mountains.  Not the experience I thought, but what a rush!! At this pace I'll hit denver in 3-4 hours.  Pitch. Black.  Oncoming lights are blinding me, and the fear of colliding with a deer increase everytime I dodge roadkill.  I'm going 65 and Semi's behind me are lining up, so I push to 75, adrenaline pumping hard, every fiber in my being is screaming at me to pull the fuck over and find a hotel.  I see vision of my mom staring at me with that knowing face, telling me to get off the road.  I'm a stubborn mule.  Further on I push in the pitch black cold that are the roads of colorado.  I've now got on a short sleeve shirt, the only long sleeve shirt, an underarmor hoodie, and my winter jacket, my neck warmer, gloves over gloves and I'm shaking with the coldness.  I briefly glance down at the temp on my cell and it's hovering above 36.  A deer pops up in my headlights and i lock up the rear tire and skid at 75 mph, almost instantly I realize the grave error as my focus shifts from the balsy deer to keeping the bike up.  I rip my foot away from the pedal, let off the gas all the way, pull in the clutch and counter lean with all I have. The bike is at about 45-50 degrees getting closer to 90 and total destruction, before I can think, I suppress the urge to jerk the bike and keep riding it out into the normal orientation.  The deer is gone and I slide through the spot where it once stood.  Total time elapsed? MAYBE 5 seconds. That's a hard maybe, more than likely I'm at 3, although the slide felt like it lasted 3 seconds, which at 75 mph is freaking scary.  I smile with pleasure at the adrenaline that I can feel  in my veins, causing momentary warmth and a slight shake through my body.  THAT'S how you live.  Exactly what this whole trip is about, you can't have that kind of experience in a bed, or moping around, or in a job forcing you to work 14 hours for less than minimum wage!  Ok.  But for real, back to 75 and giddy.

I approach Pagosa Springs and another deer hops out.  I'm able to suppress the instinct to slam the brakes and the deer bounds away before anything bad happens.  I can't really handle the cold any longer. So i find a place to grab a burger and wolf down 2 and 2 orders of fries and 2L of water.  I pass out.  Disappointed I didn't make it to Denver, but my body is drained and a long hot shower helps rejuvenate.  

Sedona-Old People and Douchebags....fml

So I briefly mentioned something about not being able to find anything open past 8pm (retirement community) and the guy yelling at me in the parking lot (super Arab douche) oh wait! I didn't!  So I'm going up this giant hill that also doubles as a parking lot for this restaurant.  I keep thinking to myself that Momma Kate kept saying to me in regards to the money i was given "spend it!  Enjoy yourself, it's all for you" haha, as if i needed to justify my defense budget spending even further (premium gas is expensive no matter where you go it turns out).  Thanks to healthy eating etc my expenses go up further than I ever wanted.  But I want as much to go to the kids as I can so I try to be frugal when it comes to hotels.  I digress, I'm struggling up this hill looking for the restaurant, a parking spot and to keep the bike going.  The clutch hates me, my eyes are tired and wind blasted, and the sun is quickly disappearing.  This guy sees me and literally jumps in front of my bike, so I swerve behind him and focus on keeping the bike from mating with the planet.  When I regain control I stop at the stop sign 5 feet behind me...oops. I look around for a spot to park, but all i notice is the idiot that jumped in front of me with his arms wide in a Jersey hug fusion yelling "what bro?! what! you wanna go?!".  With all the light glinting off of his greasy hair and his staggering walking, this guy needed a pal to prop him up to walk. C'mon.  So I ignore dumbdumb and park my bike, you know on the sidewalk. Only because there were like 10 other bikes there!  I'm walking towards the restaurant which is back where grease face was getting all sorts of tough, of course I'm thinking how to avoid a conflict, because I'm THAT hungry.  I want food, not fight.  No shit, there he is, arms wide like a drunk vulture "Oh you back bro?! You ready for this?! You wanna go?!" I'm standing there looking at this guy, there's people outside of the restaurant watching, so I guess full on murder is out of the question....hmmm, I walk towards this guy.  I just wanted food, a glass of red, and some freaking peace but this guy interrupted that.  So I wish to have words with him, and  maybe convince him a cab is a good choice.  I never got the chance, 3 or 4 steps into it he says "yeah, that's what i thought" and gets in his car.  I would've ran after his car urging him to get in a cab, but it's not Hollywood and I'm over it.  The host apologizes for that character, apparently hes a regular and loves booze.  Great, these people definitely deserve my money haha.  The time for relaxing and a nice meal is on!  Nope. Wrong again.  I sit at the bar and order an iced tea.  Yeah, the bar, iced tea, I know.  So after I do some old guy in a plaid shirt asks me if i'm one of "those homosexxxuals", you know carrying the x sound for wayyy too long.  I really just want food, why is there so much work involved?! So I calmly reply "no why? Are you gonna try to teach me something new?".  His buddy thought it was a riot and yappy shut up for the time being.  His friend was actually great, he asked where I was from and we entered into a friendly convo about life in general. The basics, shared some stories and such.  The bartender recommends a $70 glass of wine, so he actually serves me like 5 tastes of different wines. I told him I didn't want anything more than $7-$10, and he recommends a $70 GLASS.  Yeah, no pal.  So after the pre-game, I order a draft miller light.  I ordered an 8oz filet black and blue, with a kona crust, which came out perfectly.  The miller light was cold and refreshing.  The night ended well with a shot of coffee.  After I got back to my room I was lights out!

I woke up and opened my patio door and walked into cool air and fresh smells.  Like refreshing, and calming and just what you want when you wake up.  Not diesel exhaust, truck noise and or sirens.  The complex was split into 3 sections shaped like an L.  Each point of the L represents a section and the in-between is more or less paved. I walk from the bottom left of the L to the bottom right to breakfast.  The group most noticeable of course is the eastern European couple.  I love people watching so as I ready my eggs and bacon I watch out of the corner of my eye.  The guy is trying to get stuff for this obvious hot mess of a gf/fiance/wifey of his.  He first puts a plate of eggs in front of her.  Women complaining/whining is universal and you don't need a translator to tell you that this chick is a whiner.  Here's how I imagine this scenario translated......
Girl: Noooooo, the eggs are too runny and the bacon is too crispy. Don't they have any better?
Guy:  Let me check babe. You are so cute in the morning!
(Guy returns with plate of waffles and fruit)
Girl: NOOOOooooo the fruit juices are running with the waffles and then they'll get all syrupy and theres no eggs and where's my juice?! Babe! I can't eat like this.....
Guy: Ok babe, tell me what you'd like?
Girl: ughhh.....you should know....
Guy: Ok. How about eggs, on one plate, peaches in a bowl and chewy bacon on another plate?
Girl: don't forget my juice!
Guy: Ok!  (as he turns away he rolls his eyes and mutters something like 'holy f***, I shoulda left her in Beirut)
(Guy look absolutely miserable at this point, worn and ragged, like he's been to the Western front and back)

Of course by this point milk has practically come out of my nose as I snicker at the exchange, and try to look on as inconspicuously as possible.  Then I think to myself, "what the hell lets stir it up".  I'm about 3 bites from being done and catch the girls eye and send her a big ole wink.  She blushes and turns away.  Maybe it was the half chewed up food in my mouth that she saw? Or the boogies running down my face from all of the hot sauce I doused my eggs in? I think she thought I'd get her food right, so basically I look like a fast food employee from a 3rd world country.  hahaha this is how it concludes, translated by me....

Guy delivers armful of separate plates with variety of carefully separated and managed food groups with juice and milk balanced precariously in one hand.
Girl: (whispering like) SIT DOWN, that weird 'Merican over there that's eaten 3 plates of food just WINKED at me! DO SOMETHING! Hissssssss!
Guy: lolz, eat your food and be happy for a change.
Girl and Guy whisper feud ends up getting into what looks like an altercation and buddy ends up wearing the eggs.  I politely excuse myself from the table of myself and I.

I laugh and get my stuff ready.  It's kind of a process I've got nailed down hard.  When I get off of my bike at night I Take my backpack, camel back and tote bag filled with shoes/sandles/electronics into the room with my jacket, gloves, helmet, hat, and Oakleys.  The other saddle bag is filled with cleaning products, tools, rain gear and the cover.  After getting settled in my room, i go back out and cover the bike.  The process takes about 30 min if I'm messing around.  When I get up in the morning, I get food first always, then I pack the backpack with folded laundry, zip.  Camelbak I refill with bottled water provided by the front desk....3 Liters of it (litres if you are from down under i'm told lol).  I lay out my jacket, pack my gloves in my helmet along with my glasses. The totes are filled and everything gets lined up at the door in order of packing. Totes first, Big back, camelbak, jacket and helmet.  I make it in 1 trip every time.  The cover comes off and gets haphazardly folded once, then unfolded and carefully rolled as tight as possible.  Uncle Sam taught me a few things really well, good grease on your boots keep your feet dry, and tightly rolled clothes and stuff make that backpack smaller.  So in order to save space I roll that thing up like a tight....roll?  Done. Bag goes on the back seat with the back pad facing me to provide me with something to lean against. I put the camelbak on top with the shoulder straps unhooked and draped over the backpack.  I use the cargo net to bring the bag tight against the backrest for the "passenger".  This also holds the camelbak against the bag well and adds a layer of protection.  Then a second cargo net goes over the camelbak and squishes it against the top of the backpack, with the drinking hose unsecured for easy access.  Since I'm sweating my ass off already and it's 0845 I put 2 bungees together and thread them through the arms of the jacket and secure it against the bag.  Lost of padding to lean against.  I make sure the sunscreen is easily accessible in the camelbak pouch and be sure to lather it on heavy.  Chemo makes your skin hyper-pigmented i hear.  This completes packing. Then I use the $6 bottle of windscreen cleaner i buy from Harley and clean off the windshield and get as much of the bug grime off of the bike as possible.  Finally I start the bike, as long as that chrome is clean and glinty, I find myself satisfied with the aesthetics.  Thanks to the idiots at the bike shop who put 20W-50 in a Japanese bike, my clutch is on fire within 20 minutes and practically doesn't disengage.

I roll through town and started something new on my trip to Vegas.  I grab a liter of water from a gas station and slam it as though my life depends on it.  It might.  I also buy a gatorade and some sugary snacks, I don't fully understand the side effects of the drugs I force into my body but I know I'm not like normal, and the last thing I want is to black out because of low blood sugar or something haha, but like i said, I don't know anything.

I start rolling and get a text from Matt. Danny's older skinnier, more lady friendly brother.  Oh yeah, they both crack my shit up, Matt's more like me in more ways than I realized in Sedona, and find out later which makes me turn into a teary eyed wimp later on....AGAIN.  Damnit, I told you this chemo is doing something to me! Or maybe it's my reaction to the love and support I get daily from so many?  Nope, gotta suppress that feeling, no room to feel only drive.  My route takes me through Denver, where Matt has his beautiful family, or I can avoid the mountains and take the somewhat more conservative route and back through Oklahoma and Missouri.....well, if you claim to know me, why the hell do I want boring?  I don't.  Lets go.

Cali Wind down

Wow. It's been a grand total of 10 days since I left Chicago and I've seen and went through so much.  I've been through 60 mph wind gusts, sand 'storms', freezing rain, sleet, and the euphoric accomplishment of digging my toes in the west coast sands of Newport Beach.  Going up to Ventura with 0 energy and running on nothing but fiery determination and a little bit of that chip on my shoulder gnawing into me. Waking up and getting ready to go hit the road again from Ventura was a mixed bag of crazy, from jumping out of the bed getting light headed and questioning myself to being too stoked for my own good and nearly sideswiping a Semi while lane splitting a few minutes later.  Getting up to Fremont, and watching the little blue line getting shorter and shorter signaling the imminent arrival at my destination, now that was perhaps the most exciting things I've gone through on this trip.  

Danny and I in left field During the Cubs Giants memorial Day game

You can drive your boat right up to the ballpark!

watching life happen!

So surreal when you're there!

Ambiguously Gay Duo

SF people are just always so happy!

nom nom nom after game snacking

Seeing Danny, well I've known him for all my life as we were born a month apart in homes 3 doors from each other.  If you ask him, he may tell you we're brothers.  He's got a blood brother that lives in Denver with his smokin hot wife and beautiful baby girl. And of course, he's like my brother as well.  Having a weird extended family is really amazing.  There's this thing about love, I think in America that's got such a shitty stigma attached to it.  I mean, I love a lot of people in my life, guys and girls.  I express it, but not as emotionally as some people I know. I'm guilty of being uncomfortable with the L word, just like some people I know.  My dad has this great big heart and is so sweet to everyone, he has no qualms about hugging or touchy feely gestures to help get across his genuine feeling of love for people in his life.  It makes me cringe sometimes and giggle, almost uncontrollably laugh hysterically as he always comes in for these hugs whenever we depart. Haha, i'm smiling and chuckling now just thinking about it! Ugh, dad. haha. Most of the time, I expect a hand shake which if you present to him he'll just use it to pull you off your feet into him for an embrace.  It's one of those things that I never see anywhere.  Well, not often at least.  

I have a female friend from Poland, and when her mother comes to visit they hold hands when they walk down the street. Oh, didn't mention they do that in Boystown in Chicago did I?  But people sometimes catcall or look at them oddly.  Now, I know they're mother daughter, but some might think they're a lesbian couple, before the thought of mother-daughter comes to mind.  I think it's a little crazy.  And some people, most people are afraid of being labeled as homosexual and so refuse to show love in public even for family.  We're about to start on religion and politics here, some real dangerous shit. So I'll simply close this part by saying, I am 100% for equal rights, and hope one day people can show love for each other, no matter what kind of love it is, right out in the open without fear.  One day we'll slay the ignorance, but for now, SHOTS! 

Today will be a day of planning, and getting my emotions locked down.  I miss my family, my beautiful and amazing gf, my kid sister, and Chicago.  But Danny's my family too and leaving here is going to be one of the toughest things I'll have to do as of late.  Little things he's done for me, and big things, and at the end of the day we can be reduced to 2 teenage kids gigling about immature jokes, and childrens art.  There is always that core of friends that you will do anything for, go broke for, and take a bullet for, and he's one of a handful.  I fear the day I get married, seeing as I'll end up choosing him for my best man......he just knows too much about me.  hahaha, well, I'll ride out this emo-rollercoaster for the next few days and basically try to show him I appreciate him before our contact is back to Gchat and phonecalls.  

I'm working on a northern route, as long as the weather holds, and head up through Wyoming and South Dakota to try and take in the views up north.  The south is amazing, but I'm over the desert.  South Dakota might repeat a little, but the ability to see the beauty of the northern states will be absolutely amazing. 

I'm thinking of writing a book and have enlisted some peeps for assistance, because I'm sure if you read this blog you can tell......I'm refined.  Seriously, I need a filter.  If you want to be included, or have a cool story about us, let me know at my email, stories have already started coming in without me asking, but if you want feel free.  Or even if you have a cool story about something in your life that helped you power through something or whatever, let me know. I love just hearing about others overcoming great odds to victory!

Sign up on the right and don't forget to Check out my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GuardianofHope or follow me on Twitter @GuardianOfHopes !!  I'm reworking the Twitter since it was my old profile and need to get that a little cleaned up as I have feed from too many people coming in haha! Ok, until next time ladies and gents!  

Southern California, Beach Boys and Ventura!

When people listen to the Beach Boys, or Red Hot Chili Peppers and tell you they're amazing. This is a fact. Those are 2 great musical groups, that have touched millions in many ways.  But to listen again to some of those songs crusing up and down the Pacific Coast Highway going around 70 mph with the coast off to your left, the smells of the sea and bikini clad women everywhere......something is more real about those songs.  It can't be explained in words I don't think, but think about it like this.  Take your favorite dessert, mine is cheesecake. Try to explain the taste and texture to someone who hasn't had it.  The taste is nothing like you can imagine! Point made I think haha!

I set out from some crappy town on old 66 called Barstow. There are more people living in those hotels than I've ever seen in my entire life.  Cool.  The guy I spoke to yesterday seemed to have an issue with brushing his teeth and smelled like his shower must have been broken, or he's allergic to soap.  But most of these people have some kind of mental health issue that hasn't been addressed and are reduced to living in a shoddy motel in a shoddy town with 0 opportunity to improve.  Well, after 4 restless hours or maybe 6 hrs, i woke up and got out.  The next stop was this place called Glen Helen, which is a dirt track where a huge moto series was going to start up.  It's called the Red Bull Glen Helen MX National.  I stopped hoping to catch some glimpses of the pros, but to no avail.  When I hopped a fence to get a closer look, I got a real friendly ride back to my bike from the overweight 'security' in a golf cart.  I could have crawled faster than they could sprint, but why push it, I haven't made it to San Fran yet, and to be honest, after that things will get interesting ;).  Oh yeah, I just e-winked at you.  

The drive to Newport Beach was awesome.  It was like a huge windy decent, a lot of brake lights came on, but mine never did!  Two things I've learned in my short 28 years on this rock:
 1) Trust your equipment, AFTER you know it. 
          -You read the manual, know where everything is and have a good idea about how it works. Then you push it to its limits and know about how far it can go before it fails.  Other people will get scared by your antics after, thinking "you're going too fast" or "you're leaning too deep". Doesn't matter, because you know the limit.  
2) Don't trust other drivers.
                -Besides the stereotypical bad drivers, every car on the road is considered a hazard to a bike.  Be careful, in some cases you push that rule, but as long as you stay alert you'll stay alive.  

Thus endith thy lesson.

So as I'm zooming along like a bat outta hell, I frequently check my surroundings and then it hits me like a million bricks.  BAM!  That smell of sea. Holy cat turds! THAT smell!  Sooooo fresh, so clean, so paradise like.  (not referring to cat shit, fyi) And if you can help smiling you don't even know. I'm grinning like a fool, trying out this 'splitting traffic' all of these people in California keep raving about.  So essentially in Illinois, people hate bikers that weave through traffic and split traffic and do everything cars cannot do.  Jealous people.  I'm also a jealous person, I don't let spandex toting fools think stop signs don't apply to them, but that's another story.  Guys and Gals on crotch rockets are much more likely to eat it if you cut them off, so I watch as best as I can.  Out here, people will actually move to allow you to split traffic!  I have these saddlebags that prevent me from having too much fun with this maneuver, but I'm still able to do it effectively haha.  OMG!  I'm smiling again as I split traffic and avoid the worst of the traffic.  In and out of traffic, easily 20 mph faster than everyone else, and the fun happens.  Some 30 yr old doucher in a hot Ferrari moves to cut me off, so I move around him and let him know he's number 1 in my book, complete with a wink.  Oh buddy is so mad, just glaring behind his oversized oakleys, I mean, even all that chest hair popping out of his super deep V-Neck looked angry.  Well, I made it to my Newport Beach in one piece and met up with an old childhood friend. 

So I get there and there are bikes everywhere, with a ton of happy fit people on them.  One thing I've noticed, everyone is wicked fit and happy down here.  So anyhow, I kind of cruise around and eventually stop for gas.  I shoot her a text letting her know I'm in town and ask if she still wants to meet up.  One thing about this trip is that everyone has been super generous, so I try my best to not overstay or if someone has a change of heart, I'm not going to get upset hell, I'm having a blast just cruising around!  She seems genuinely happy to catch up and grab some chow, so great!  I finally get to her place, which is ON the freakin beach!  WHAAAA?! The gf and I have a nice expensive place by the beach in Chicago, but it's not exactly sunny and beautiful nor populated by models.  Wow, truely paradise!  So I haven't seen her in like 10 years or so?  Maybe more?  Anyhow, I have no idea what to expect but heaved a sigh of relief when I saw her.  She looked like a slightly more mature version of the childhood memory I retained.  She showed me her place where her roomate was home, and was super nice. Conversation was natural and nothing seemed strained or stressful, but I guess I was so taken by the beaches, the view, and the sun that I wouldn't have noticed if there was!  We went to this nice little Italian joint and ended up with a server that might have just come from the south side for all I could tell.  We went easy with waters and light fare, but the waiter was doing a lot of new guy things like constantly checking on us and making little side remarks about everything in any given situation.  It was goofy and fun, but we caught up and she extended an offer to stay as she had some time off work and could show me around.  But, I had made arrangements with a friend up in Ventura so I didn't need to stay there.  Although, now I kind of want to go back on my way home haha. Anyhow, it's nice to see that socal hasn't changed her much and she remains sweet and down to earth.  After the short tour she gave me, I have to figure a way to get the sugar sweet GF to socal now haha, it's easily the most beautiful place I've ever laid eyes on!

I took off heading for Ventura, but not before I hit up Huntington Beach, home of the surfer or whatever.  There was a street fest going on, so of course I had to!  I parked and went to the little parking kiosk, not unlike Chicago's rip off parking, I expected the worst.  But this dude starts yelling and runs up to me and hands me this slip of paper. "Hey man, we have this until 8:30 tonight but we're leaving now, take it man.". I can't believe this level of awesome.  I can't imagine this situation happening in Chicago, not that there aren't nice people, but theres nothing set up so that kind of situation could happen either.  I hit up the fest and buy a QuickSilver hoodie. This is super cool by the way. There isn't much in the way of T-shirts that I could see myself getting into, but everything fits a bit more loosely, and it's way more laid back out here.  So, on to Ventura, and I hop on and ride.  I have a conversation with my dad where he tells me he can't wait to do that kind of ride once he's retired.  So with that in the back of my mind, I take off, and it's beautiful everywhere.  Suns out, wind is down and it's just so great.  I keep thinking how I wish pop was there to take it all in and what not, but of course I doubt he'd find himself splitting traffic like i was! So I ended up in Ventura and grabbed some food with Gordy and his gf of 3 years. They are awesome friendly friends that I was much too tired to express my gratitude enough.  So I was quickly in and out, but they kept asking me to stay if I wanted and their door is always open.  So generous. 

On the way to SF so far, I have a leaky tire, and need a new front and rear tire, which will cost me, but better to be safe than dead.  I've got about 3.5 hrs left so hopefully I get there before the Hawks game starts, unfortunately I left my Keith jersey at home so I'll have to figure out another way to heckle LA Kings fans.  Shit.  Heckling is too much fun haha, ok well I'm off, Stay frosty friends!

Day 2 - Springfield, MO - OKC

Woke up relatively rested from a decent 8 hours of sleep! For whatever reason I tend to wake up at freaking 6 am every damn day! Well, got up and the P's made it around quicker than I thought, so we started packing and getting things together.  We kind of worked as a team and double checked eachother to make sure we had all of our stuff.  The absolute last thing you want is to be caught 150 miles out and you left ur wallet at the hotel!  We got our stuff down to the bikes, and while Mom checked out I saw the filth that covered my bike. Oh yea, we got to park them under the awning, most hotels will allow this, especially if it's raining! Before I put much away, I started wiping off the dirt and grime and giving it a little polish with Maguire's.  People leaving the hotel were very nice, and just about everyone said hello and asked about the trip.  I was happy to talk to them!  Everyone south of Chicago seems to be extremely kind and generous.  Like on a whole different level.  It really is that "southern hospitality"  sense down here.

Anyhow, there was a few clouds in the sky, but more sun than anything else.  We were fortunate enough to be able to pack away the rain suits and most of the bulky gear.  I shed the boot covers and heavy winter gloves as well, and opted to wear my Cochren's and jeans.  It was so beautiful.  We hit up the expressway and enjoyed it as long as possible.  Then our friend Mr. MF Rain came a callin.  Dad figured it out, and just kinda went wide open and we were flying!  It was pretty awesome.  We cruised at around 90+ for a good 20 min, the rain finally hit us which forced us to slow to a brisk waltz at 65. It quickly cleared and we zoomed into the next sprinkle.  It went on like this for a few more segments until we broke through about 25 mi out of OKC.  I finally noticed my fuel light was on.  Oops. Did I mention I have a finneky fuel sending unit?  Yeah, I really never know how much gas I have until the light comes on.  Oh, and we just passed the last fuel stop.  Well, 25 miles wouldn't be too bad, if I could remember how many miles we had gone, or if I could figure out when that light actually came on.  Boy, this sucked.  We made it to the gas station, after a series of crazy turns and bumps in the turn that sent my ass out of the seat more than a few times.  We loaded up on fuel and rode to our posh hotel....where we got upgraded for $10. I'm really gonna miss my parents and their sweet rewards!  Well, tomorrow we split, they go back towards Chicago and I figure out how to make it to a potential free and cozy bed at a friends in NM.  Hopefully the next blog has a boat load of pics, vids and more, all the good stuff that I promised haha.  Riding with mom and dad has been a blast, seeing them so in love makes me cringe cause it's gross but to be honest, when I'm that age I hope I love whatever woman I marry as much as my Dad clearly loves my mom!  It could be that he can't function without her and just straight up needs her to survive, but I don't know haha.  Anyhow, I can't wait for all of the adventure ahead of me, but cannot forget the past 2 days as they have been some of the best of my life.

Friends + Family + Giving = Awesome

Wow. One word, that's all that I need right?  Yeah, and I don't even need spellcheck for it!  People have been pouring out the love for this thing I started up.  I thought to myself, "I'm being a little selfish here. I get to cross off a HUGE bucket list item with the potential to cross off several others, which kicks ass." Then as usual, I'm listening to jams and Dropkick came on with 'Fairmount Hill' and I had to stop. Of course to snap chat my beautiful girlfriend, but also I stopped dead in my tracks when I listened to the lyrics. 

"I went to see old friends there, to see what they might say

The old ones were all dead and gone, the young ones turning gray..."

So that's depressing right? Totally. Sometimes I can't hold some depressing crap from getting through and assualting my brain like a runaway train. At some point that train is gonna get stopped sure, but before it does it's gonna mess some shit up!  So anyhow, I hear this and I'm like, "If I'm dead, will I leave anything for anyone to carry on? Something to help others or something????"   The answer was simple and cut deep. No.  Ok, realize that video games don't count and nobody will give 2 rusty nails about Facebook.  I hadn't started anything that helps others, or something that other people could benefit from. 

Enter Sarah Embreezy.  This girl is a rock when she needs to be, but so caring and giving and thoughtful, it's really astounding.  I remember people like her from my childhood, they were the kind lady's of the bell choir and at church. People like my mom, my grandmas, pop, and assorted neighbors.  I have a few friends like that now, but it's not an overwhelming character trait most people have anymore. It seems like everyone is looking out for themselves. I know of plenty of companies that care less and less about employees, which can sometimes filter down.....I digress

Sarah said I should look to get donations, and then help people.  I didn't think twice about it.  But here I am one crappy cloudy, rainy Monday and I thought "F*** it" and found the website for donations.  I looked around at the other causes and saw a ton of crazy awesome ideas.  At the end of the day my mind floated back to the last time I had this. I had just received the bone marrow treatment, after 3 or 4 days of high intensity radiation in a row, and then a massive dose of chemo that brought me to my knees. Figuratively of course, I was laying on my back like a walrus, unable to move or think without my body whining.  Once I got home later that night I had my attache case of love hooked into my veins (think of an intravenous CamelBak, that pumped fluid into your body)  and there I was laying on the couch.  I had to get up for something and literally took a knee.  I was so out of breath and achy that I got lightheaded and instead of passing out I took a second.  Well that turned into minutes. I couldn't get my damn breath back.  By this time my mom had noticed and was on the phone with the nurse hotline.  They wanted me to talk to them, so through labored gasps i answered their questions.  Now, the most comforting place in the world is your own bed, and the most comforting people are your parents. I didn't want to leave this environment.  But I had to....you know to survive.  Turns out I had a pulmonary emboylism (blood clot in my lungs) and their big worry at the hospital was that it would move to by brain and explode.  So they admitted me to the hospital.  For the next week I sat there flirting with every nurse that came into my room, unsuccessfully soliciting the opportunity to give me a sponge bath.  I was NEAR death, not dead yet ;) . This always got some laughs, and they seemed to be more liberal with the morphine/advil/painkillers.  That was nice, I couldn't eat for like that whole week and lost about 15 lbs easy.  I was talking to one of the nurses about the kids, she said they get clowns and magicians sometimes, and the kids love that crap.  I said, what kind of gifts do they get? She kind of looked at me and was like "Gifts? Uhhh, I mean, somtimes people donate at like Christmas...." .  I'm no better than the rest when it comes to donating, sometimes I'm so strapped for cash it's a miracle I can afford to eat.  Other times I was so laden with cash, I'd buy all night at the various pubs and bars.  But donating quickly fell from my mind.  That's where I need to fix a few things.

Having something that will outlast me is a kind gesture, but being the driving force behind it is where the impacts are made. I started "Guardians of Hope" with one thing in mind. Kids.  Some kids get cancer and are almost immediately terminal.  How the shit is that fair? Some of these little dudes don't get to experience 10 springs.....think about that.  The ratio of smiles to frowns with these kids is like 100/1.  They are just bad ass.  You ever pass through a boneyard to visit fallen friends, grandparents etc? Theres always that section of tiny headstones, that seem to be closer together. The first time you realize it's kids in the ground there, or in urns, evokes such an emotional response some are just completely overwhelmed and break down.  So that's why I'm doing this.  These little heroes deserve more than I can ever give, but I can gather cool gifts and watch them smile.  Knowing you are behind like a dozen smiles a second is more rewarding than anything I can think of.  I knew I couldn't do it alone, so instead of taking a motorcycle trip all about me, I've decided to take money and give it to the kids.  I plan on getting to the southeast and along the way for that trip I'll run into hospitals where I can help. Why not right? Those kids might look up and say "oh this guy, he's crazy! Getting chemo for like 5 months and riding his motorcycle all over?! I can totally beat this and do that too!".  

Thanks to everyone that's donated so far, and in the future!  This has become my mission, the only place to go is up even higher.  Feel free to leave suggestions in the comment section.  I'll need help with this when I get my bone marrow transplant whenever they find a donor, so the more people we can get behind this now, the better it'll be in the future!