the man

Just to clear up any confusion, the ranger "bumped it down" to 58 in a 45 and let us go with a written warning saying "this is your lucky day, and happy birthday".. So it was a pretty alright early birthday present after all! For a minute there I was dreading the fine and the increase in insurance payments! Not this time! Thanks Mr. Park Ranger.

brilliance.

OK, sorry, but there's no room for modesty here.. this, is my piece de resistance. A pure work of brilliance!

Thanks to Pavel, though, for his contributions during the conceptualization process.


All joking aside, here's film from our ride this weekend.. And don't even bother watching if you can't turn up the audio!! Sound is absolutely mandatory for the viewing of this film!

Last chance

It's become pretty clear that this weekend will most likely prove to be the last nice weekend of the year. Morning fog but low sixties and sunny. Pavel and I decided to make the most of it, so we took off on a 300+ mile street ride yesterday around Mt. Rainier.
I wish I would've stopped to take some photos or video of the morning fog as we rode through it.. it was cold, and visibility was poor, but the mood of it all was fantastic.
They finally opened 123 connecting the loop around the mountain, and it made for a beautiful ride, although that little section of road had a surprise in store for us! I'll let you wait to watch the (coming soon) video to find out for yourself, but let's just say I was given an early birthday present.

Though we did see 38 on the thermometer at elevation, it warmed up quickly throughout the day, then came across this off road playground!

This place is crazy! Apparently it's a lake with a swimming beach and boat docks for half the summer, then they drain it off via the damn to get ready for the winter's snow pack. Then it turns into the winter-wonderland play area and the cross country skiers and snowmobilers flock. But in that narrow stretch of time between the drain and the snow, it turns into this.. several square miles of dry lake bed with dirtbikes buzzing in herds! As we rode by the first time, we noticed that the lake bed went on for several miles, and we confirmed with a local campground owner that we can just drop in and ride till we can't ride anymore! cant wait!


For today, though, we're headed back to an area that I had previously begun exploring to do some more off road stuff. Stay tuned for the videos from today and tomorrow!

The Wild

If you have not yet read Into the Wild, it's about time that you do. This book came into my life about 7 years ago and impacted it immensely and immediately. I've personally purchased at least half a dozen copies of the book, but have never failed to give it to someone who I thought should read it.
You'd better hurry up though, because after you've read it, you should see the film, by Sean Penn, which is definitely worthy of a trip to the big screen.

It's a compelling story, and one which is surrounded with plenty of controversy and criticism. Was it a noble journey of self discovery or a foolish misconception of what freedom is? There's no secret that this is a tragic tale, and even a bit more tragic than the movie depicts. Nevertheless, it'll change the way you think about your life, your goals, the world around you, and the people you love.

Recently I've been faced with many challenges. In fact, I've been challenged in one way or another consistently since riding away from the Kickstand Lodge almost 6 months ago. It's been a fascinating, albeit rather difficult time. Plans have been made, and plans have changed.. motivation comes and it goes.. and dreams have been realized, crushed, and developed.
At this particular moment in time, I've been confronted with a potential opportunity that has the power to completely enable or completely destroy the plans I've been cooking up in recent months. There's a lot at stake and the gamble is real. But I'm stickin' to my guns and holding on tight. And in the spirit of that, I'd like take advantage of the situation to draw a little attention to perhaps the most vital aspect of the human race. Dreams.
I'd like to conduct a worldwide (limited to the readers of motopsychosis) exercise in dreaming. You don't always have to slow down to smell the roses, but you do have to stop to remember your dreams once in a while.. and while you're at it, don't just remember them, grab on..submerge yourself in them.. let you mind wander as far down the path of dreams as you can possibly stand.. and when you've gotten to the middle of nowhere on that path, however irrational, figure out at least two different ways you can realize that dream.. it's not only possible, it's easy.

(If you're in touch enough with your television to realize that I 'borrowed' this song from a current Honda commercial, you should really watch less television..)

So let's give it a shot.. sit back, close your eyes, and dream.




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I've had this affinity for the tank graphics on some of the older 1150 adventures.. They seem to sort of embody the spirit of the GSs, and I'm still not quite sure which models came with them from the factory. Luckily for me, I ran across this bloke from the UK that makes them with fancy 3m reflective vinyl, and I ordered some up!


They add a bit of a rallye flair, don't you think?


They were rather expensive with the crappy exchange rate of the dollar, but they're reflective!