Sunday, September 30, 2007

What the hell was I thinking?

After my motorcycle crash this summer a lot of people thought I would give up riding. . .God only knows where they got that idea.

So when I found this article I thought it was something I had to post. Unfortunately I don't know the source but it does have the author's name.

STU

What the Hell Am I Doing?
by J.D. Tuccille
There's nothing like the feeling of a motorcycle sliding out from beneath you on a busy thoroughfare to focus the mind beautifully on the value of life. As your ass bounces from the cushioned seat toward the hard tarmac with the screech of unseen cars slamming on their brakes to your rear, you have one glorious moment in which to ask yourself: "What the hell am I doing?"
You see, that's the precise question that flashed through my mind as my accelerating rear wheel spun helplessly on an oil slick and 400lbs of Japanese machinery cushioned its fall with 170lbs of J.D. Tuccille.
My left elbow slammed against the asphalt before I had time to consider the answer.
But to a large extent, it's the question itself that matters the most: "What the hell am I doing?" Sooner or later most of us ask that same question. We ask it when we're doing something foolish, or brave, or unfamiliar, and we especially ask it when the situation goes sour -- when we find ourselves airborne in late-morning traffic. And if we don't ask it of ourselves, somebody else is sure to do us the favor: "What the hell are you doing?"
The question means that we're taking risks, trying something new, or just pushing the boundaries of our usual behavior. It means that we're living, not just existing; to pass through life without facing that question would imply a tightly constrained existence lacking risk and adventure.
Not every situation that provokes the question is to our credit, of course. Sometimes we've made a mistake, sometimes we've embarrassed ourselves, and sometimes we've made a complete balls-up of a situation and we find ourselves staring up from the ground into the face of an Emergency Medical Technician. And whether we decide that our latest venture was a moment of glory or shame, it's a sure bet that somebody else views our decision with disdain; we all have our own lives, and our own very different standards by which to judge them.
But it's important to remember that while everybody has the right to ask the question of himself and others, only the person on the spot, the person living that moment has the right to offer a binding answer. And that is what gives life so much of its value. We have the right to try, to risk dignity and even death as we take the basic fact of existence and mold it into a life worthy of the name through a personal choice of experiences, occupations, and adventures.
So when others try to answer the question for us, to prevent us from taking the risk because they don't approve, they don't just do us a disservice -- they rob us of the freedom that gives life its value. Through laws and taxes and regulations they try to consign us to an existence instead of a life; and this is not because the decisions they would make for us are necessarily bad decisions, but because they are not our own.
Some people -- not enough -- do understand this. After the accident, when the EMTs had assured themselves that my limbs were all in place and that I remembered my name, one turned to me and said: "And now for the important question: How's the bike?" As an EMT he had certainly seen his share of nasty motorcycle accidents -- incidents that ended with consequences more serious than my broken arm. But he understood, or at least respected, my decision to ride and to take risks that others find unacceptable.
We have the right to demand that attitude of everybody: disagree with us, call us fools, live your own lives differently, but don't try to tell us what decisions we may make in the conduct of our lives. Because the value of life is determined not by the mere drawing of one breath after another, but by the freedom to make our own decisions; to mold our lives as best we can into a shape that pleases us, and to enjoy the benefits or suffer the consequences.
What the hell was I doing? I was living my life. Now hand me my helmet or get out of the way.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Weekend Riding

So last weekend Lindsey and I decided that we were going to hop on the motorbike and go hit the mountains for some camping. Funny how things don't necessarily work out quite the way you plan them.

Thursday and Friday were a bit of a panic for me in that I had a whole boatload of work to do to get the bike ready for the trip. Friday night also was a bit of a panic because it included packing for the trip. Now saddlebags can't carry everything you want them to but they can carry everything you need them too, especially if you help them out by loading stuff on the luggage rack. We each took a saddlebag for our clothing (and of course Lindsey took a little of mine for her stuff as well) and we put the tent and sleeping bags (cunningly placed in a dry bag from MEC) on the luggage rack. I also have a little bag behind my windshield to carry some misc. tools and other items.

Saturday morning was a little overcast but we put on the leathers, hopped on the bike and off we went. About half an hour outside of Edmonton it was looking pretty rough so we stopped and put the rain gear on, it's always better to put your rain gear on and not need it than it is to try and discover how quickly you can get it on while being rained on.

Sure enough, moments after we got the rain gear on the rain started. . . and that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

The rain was cold. Really freakin' cold so despite our plan to try and make it to Penticton we decided that it was a better idea to fend of hypothermia, a cup of coffee (for Lindsey) and hot chocolate (For me) at the Tim Hortons in Edson was enough to do this for us and we continued on to Jasper.

We were expecting to see some of the wonderful wildlife that the road into Jasper is known for, they however were far too intelligent to be out in such heinous weather.

Jasper was a nice stop for lunch and some more hot coffee/hot chocolate and then we were back on the bike again and heading into BC.

The one thing you can say for this trip is that we had some wonderfully consistant weather. . . as a result Blue River seemed like a good place to spend the night. While we had been hoping for Penticton the combination of slow travel in the rain and the cold that was soaking into us convinced us to call a halt to our travels in wonderful Blue River.

I will say that if ever you're looking for a place to stay in Blue River the Blue River motel is tiny, clean, and well priced. It's a little tucked back into the town but if you ask at the Esso they can point you and it's definitely some place i would stay again.

So 570km later day one came to an end.