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The problem with writing these blog posts after riding for hours is that I often forget to write about some of the things that come across my mind during the day.

That was true about today’s post. When I first left the hotel, before I hit the incredible Death Valley, I was thinking about the upcoming bike rally in Vegas. I thought about all the bikes I’d see, all the leather vests, black t-shirts, big egos, and bad ass attitudes. And I smiled. For a group of people who claim to be independent and view themselves as outside the “norm”, we really do like to conform to a certain image.

Not that I can point fingers, mind you. With my black t-shirt, jeans, tattoos, long hair, etc., I seem pretty good at fitting in to a certain image.

However, as I was thinking about this, I found myself thinking about Indian Larry. Now, some of you may not be aware of who Indian Larry is (you can check out his website here), or I should say was, since he passed away a few years ago.

Indian Larry was an incredibly creative bike builder. I didn’t know him personally and never had a real conversation with him. All I knew of him was what I read in magazine interviews. But, I liked his bikes.

I decided that Indian Larry was “my kind of biker” when I read an article about him shortly after his death. The reporter was interviewing some of his closest friends and his wife. They were sharing how Indian Larry loved to work on bikes with classical music playing as loud as possible.

Now, I’m not much into classical music (would rather have a fork stuck in my ears that suffer through too much of the stuff), but to read about a hardcore biker, respected by most in the field, who enjoys classical music … well, not what you would expect. And that’s when I truly became a fan of Indian Larry.

I like people – bikers or non-bikers – who don’t care what the “norm” is within their culture. Most bikers would make fun of their friends if they caught them listening to classical music. “What real biker would listen to that crap?” Well, Indian Larry for one.

I met another biker tonight who doesn’t fit the norm. I became a fan of Mike when I was introduced to his blog. In my opinion, he has the most interesting and well written motorcycle related blog on the planet.

The fact that Mike can actually write sentences makes him a little unique within the biker world (I kid, I kid).

Sitting with Mike (I should ask him if he prefers Mike or Michael) was as interesting as reading one of his blogs. Five minutes after we sat down, he pointed out to me exactly how many people were sitting in the bar, the number of men to women, and that two of the women had identical purses. He would turn to someone near us, and with a simple comment, have them completely engaged in a conversation with him. In fact, I discovered the secret to the incredible stories he tells in his blog: he reads people very accurately.

Mike is an incredibly intelligent individual. He has a recorded I.Q. of 180. He consults in very “heady” scientific stuff. At one point, while explaining to the waitress how well the ventilation system works at the MGM (I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you … or something like that), he slipped into using words with more than three syllables. The waitress stared blankly at him. I think he was just playing with her.

The point? Mike doesn’t fit into the typical biker stereotype. It is just as easy for him to sit with a simple biker like me, as it is for him to engage in a conversation with a University Dean.

I like that he doesn’t hide the fact that God blessed him with smarts. Instead, he simply lives out the purpose that he has to the best of his ability. And for that reason, I really dig Mike.

Most of the people I meet this week will just seem boring to me. They will be your typical baker, banker, accountant, etc., trying to play a role that really isn’t them. The ones I will find fascinating are the ones that are difficult to define right off the bat. Five minutes into a conversation with them, I’ll know there is something worth discovering about them.

Indian Larry, bike builder and classical music lover.

Mike, biker, writer, and smarter than your average bear.

My kind of bikers.

Vegas, Baby!

Okay, had to say that … you know, cause that’s what people say.

I really haven’t had a chance to look around yet. I checked into my hotel and am relaxing for a bit. Not in a rush to tour the hotel or the city.

To be honest, I’m still taking in today’s ride.

Do you ever have those rides that don’t go as expected? You head out on the road, perhaps a typical ride, and before you know it, you are caught up in the ride. You’re mesmerized by how incredible it is.

Today was that kind of ride. When I left my hotel this morning, my plan was to get to Vegas as quick as I could. I’m meeting someone for supper, and I wanted to get here, unpack, settle a little, and then hook up with Mike.

I left last night’s hotel around 7:30 this morning. The sun was coming up and the view was quite beautiful. It was chilly, but not a big deal. The ride was nice, but I actually found myself thinking, “Well, once you’ve seen the mountains and cliffs that I’ve seen on this journey, this is no big deal.” I even laughed when I thought it, because before this trip had begun, today’s morning view would have been incredible. Again, you Westerners have no idea how spoiled you are.

It wasn’t until I turned onto the 190 (I think) and headed into Death Valley. Five minutes up the highway, and I realized just how alone I was. In fact, I pulled over and took a couple of pictures. One showing the view behind me, and the other showing the view in front of me:

It truly was incredible. In fact, I rode for about twenty minutes before I saw another vehicle. Soon after I took those pictures, I saw a sign warning me to slow down and to be prepared for a lot of curves over the next ten or twenty miles. Some of the curves had you slowing down to 15 mph (25 kmh). The first few curves, I found myself swerving into the other lane, or hitting the brakes hard.

But then I felt it. Some of you know what I’m going to talk about. The adrenaline rush. The excitement of hitting these curves at the highest level you can. I started rushing into the corners, taking up both lanes. Leaning hard. Now, that’s not a big deal if you’re riding an R1, but try doing it on a WideGlide that it loaded down with the gear I have on my bike! It was intense. It was exciting. A few times, I held my breath as I leaned over in the corner. About half way into the curves, I realized that many of them were covered in sand, and that slowed me down a bit.

I was going so fast that I caught up to three other bikers, riding deckers (baggers). I considered staying behind them and enjoying the company of a few other riders, but they were too nervous in the corners. I got bored too quickly, and so I passed them the first chance I got.

At the top of one hill, I pulled over and took this picture. I couldn’t believe how high up I was, and how close to the edge the road was. You can see the highway that I had just come up, and you might be able to pick out one or two of the dips in the road, but it’s not easy to see without something in the picture to give you the right perspective. All I can tell you is that black spot near the top left corner of the picture is a huge bolder. It was simply breath-taking.

After I was done with this riding, I entered into Nevada’s small portion of Death Valley. It is much more flat, and very windy. In fact, for about half an hour, I was riding while in a hard lean just to keep the bike straight. Twice I thought I felt my front tire lift a little from the wind, although I’m sure it was just my imagination. It was pretty intense though.

So, after a day of that kind of riding, Vegas is just a bunch of buildings and lights. Sure, it will be fun once my Twitter pals show up and we enjoy some biker festivities together, but no amount of “Sin City” can compare to the splendour of the open road and my ride.

Having said that, I probably wont blog too much over the next four or five days, since I’ll be simply staying put in Vegas. I’ll try to do an update once the show has started either Thursday or Friday.

It felt good to get back on the bike again today. The past three or four days, I’ve kept the mileage down to a few hundred miles a day. I got back into the groove a little today with just under 300 miles (475 kms). I left Navato, CA and headed to Stockton to visit with a twitter friend who is doing some very creative things to connect with people in Sacramento. Dave and I have chatted many times online, and it was great to meet him face to face.

From there, I headed south east to Yosemite National Park. I’m amazed that I was going to bypass the park before being convinced that I needed to take the time to ride through it. Like the Grand Canyon, I was in awe as I came around each corner. It was absolutely beautiful to see. I really am jealous of you western bikers. You have so much you can enjoy on your bikes. The scenery is beyond words.

I’ve been thinking about something for a few days now. It hit me around day five of the ride, and from time to time, my thoughts go back to it. I think it’s time to share it with the rest of you.

I have a Harley picture frame at home. Along with a place for you to put a picture, it has the saying, “It’s the journey, not the destination.” It’s a saying I’ve seen on a few bike related things.

I know what they’re trying to get at with the saying. Too many people never take the time to enjoy the journey they are on. Rather than stop and check out the scenery, they push ahead, running this race called life, without ever taking the time to enjoy the moments in life. I get it, and certainly don’t disagree with the thought.

However, I’m not sure life is supposed to be an “either/or” attitude when it comes to the journey vs. the destination. I’ve met people who focus exclusively on the journey without ever thinking about the destination, and it’s not much better than those who never enjoy the journey. These people rush from one thing to the next, living life aimlessly. Never having a focus – a purpose.

I think life should be about both the journey and the destination. Set goals, determine where you want to be in life, but then also take time to enjoy the journey of getting to that place.

Do you set goals for your life? Where you want to be in a year, five years, even ten years? Having a goal can help us from simply living aimlessly. Going from day to day without any hope of change.

But don’t get so preoccupied with the goal that you don’t have time for the journey.

Now, how does all this relate to my road trip? I’m glad you asked. Today is a perfect example. My goal right now is to reach Las Vegas by Tuesday evening. I’m meeting a guy for supper and so that is my destination. Originally, I was going to travel the quickest path to Vegas. I was going to push through today and tomorrow, and not focus on the journey at all. Had I done that, I would have missed a glorious part of the journey – Yosemite Park.

However, if I hadn’t determined my destination – Vegas – I may have enjoyed part of the journey today, but as I sit here at the end of the evening, I wouldn’t know where I was in the grander scheme of the trip. Did I go East? West?

So, don’t make life about the journey vs. the destination. Make it about both. Take one part of your life and set a goal – a destination. Plot out the path you will take to achieve that goal. Now, enjoy the journey as you work to achieve your goal.