Been a while since I posted.... Sorry about that for both folks that have been reading.... A lot has been going on here and my mind has not been into posting of late.....
Veterans Day has came and went. Veterans Day is in many ways I think my favorite holiday. No, there aren't gifts like Christmas. There's not a big feast like Thanksgiving. In a lot of ways it isn't a holiday as very rarely do most folks even get the day off. Generally it's to cold to have a cook out.... There are not those traditional things that make a holiday tops on most folks lists. Hell, most kids in schools today probably don't have a clue that it even is a holiday....
I get frustrated to by the way folks get Veterans Day confused with Memorial Day. Lots of people, including most dip-stick politicians think that Veteran's Day is about remembering those who have died...... It isn't, Veteran's Day is for those that lived through it; Memorial day is the day to remember those that died in service and those who have passed on...... I know in the grand scheme of things it's minor but it annoys me just the same and probably always will.... I think a lot about Veteran's Day and what it means and many friends made over the years through military service........... Ah, yes, this is a travel blog, I know.......
There's been a lot going on. to relieve stress, one has to find things to escape. Planing a trip with the family is one means of escape that I'd like to think is positive and productive(well at least more so than playing solitaire on the computer.... maybe).
One of the things that is common to most everyone here is that there is always a dream. Maybe it is the dream of asking that girl back home to marry you when you get back. Maybe it is that trip to Vegas with your battle buddies where you are going to paint the town red and hit it big on the slots...... Maybe it is to go back to school and get that degree. Maybe it's to sail around the world on a yacht. Some are big, some are small, but they are held by all. The point is, everyone here has a dream that they hold on to and cherish and nurturer while they are here..... Sometimes, maybe those dreams are unrealistic but they help a person hold it together in the most insane of places and circumstances....
I have been dreaming a lot about a motorcycle. I had one before I came over here but, Illianna sold it. That's OK, I agreed to it and it's not like it was doing me a whole lot of good..... But, when I get back, I want another. I know the type I want. I am not sure of exactly the version I want but I know the type.... I have been looking at them on e-bay and Craig's list. I have been reading about them and trying to learn about them, the peculiarities and issues...... Somehow, someway shortly after I get back I WILL have one.
Dreams are funny things because in many ways they are kinda' like a mirage in the dessert, they shimmer and change shape as you get closer to them, sometimes.... they just up and disappear. This dream started out as a Goldwing trike. Illianna and I have agree that between my busted leg and my back getting broken, I really don't need to be hossin' a heavy bike around....... But as I have been reading and researching, I have found that I REALLY don't want a Goldwing. Illianna says she doesn't want to travel long distances on a motorcycle so we don't need that type of bike, and she's right. Most of the travel would be short hops around the lake or a poker run, maybe a long weekend to St Louis but extended trips would be rare.... So, we are looking at Cruisers..... I looked at a Honda VTX and it was nice and is a distinct possibility. I want something that is light enough to manage around town and a trip to grocery BUT, it also needs to be big enough that when the planets align and Sturgis calls it will be up for the task.... I can't see a Harley in my future, just to expensive and the maintenance and the cost of living that lifestyle is just to trendy and not for me....... WHat I really like the looks of is the old Honda Valkyries.... I have made up my mind that when I get home there is going to be a Valkyrie in the garage (Yeah, the fact I don't have a garage built yet is a minor problem but what come first the chicken or the egg). Some how some way.....
Part of the dream of a Valkyrie is where to ride it (see I told you travel was going to come into play here) there are a lot of rides that would be great for a bike. The Ohio River Scenic Byway is one that would be super of a bike trip.... The Natches trace would be another..... Somehow, someway..... It's going to happen so, I ain't getting any younger. IF I can find a Valkyrie, it should last me for a good 20 years, they are mechanically reliable almost ot the point of being indestructible. I want to find the right one and go from there.....
I think part of the mystic and desire for a bike over here is the freedom that it offers. Here where you are stuck in a very small place for months at a time and a vehicle hitting 35 miles and hour is considered reckless driving, the thought of hitting the open road on a bike is a very alluring dream....
I had a friend once who loved motorcycles and had a dream of riding across Europe. He planned and saved and for his 50th birthday he gave himself the present of traveling to Europe to take that ride. He never made it back. Somewhere in the Italian Alps, he put the bike over the side of a mountain. They think he had a heart attack and was dead before he crashed. He left a lot of friends here who miss him for a lot of reasons. Me, I miss him though we weren't THAT close and I am also happy for him. He went out the way he'd wanted to on a bike living his dream of traveling Europe.....
Me, I don't want to die on the road (there are much worse ways to go I am sure) but I also don't want to die having never been on the road either...... I want to have memories of trips and adventures to relive when I am old and confined to a nursing home in a rocking chair.........
We all need to have dreams and we need to work towards them and see that they are fulfilled. Take that road less traveled.
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