A Tribute to Paul

Our nephew Paul finished his earth bound journey today.  Son, nephew, husband, father...all these and more.  Paul was a brother rider, a lover of the freedom of the open road.  An accident several years ago had left him in a suspended physical state.  No...not on a motorcycle, just a simple act of walking across a street and being hit by a car.  Life is short.  It can end it in a split second.  Too often it can be taken for granted.  Paul never did.  He embraced every moment.  I remember how he and his wife arrived for a family "get together" in Boston one time.  "Thought we would just ride the bike," Paul said.  "You know, it is just a short ride up from Florida."  That was Paul, embracing the moment.

Paul is free now.  It is easy to see him riding with the wind on his back, big smile on his face, embracing the moment.  Roll on the throttle brother, know you are enjoying the ride.  We will all miss you.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

When the weather changes for bikers:

Winter is closing in here in New Mexico.  My close neighbor is a biker too.  This morning we shared some text.   D = my neighbor...C = or course is me. It went like this:

D - In spite of the impact to motorcycle riding, watching this incoming storm is pretty cool.

C - Have to agree.

D - I noticed this morning that you parked your Jeeps in front of your garage, and that further they'd gotten icy overnight.  So now you'll have to scrape the windows before you can move them in order to get your motorcycle out, and I couldn't help wondering..."What is up with that?" 

C - Excellent observation...but look closely...perfect spacing between the Jeeps to ride out...always plan ahead in New Mexico.

D - Good point...I stand corrected.  So are you saying I'll be hearing the rumble of the Harley here shortly?

C - Checking out studded snow tires right now.

D - Awesome.

C - Shall I order you a set too?

D - I think I'll stick with the tire chains for now.  I am eager to see if you get better performance with the studs that I do with the chains.

C - Looks like the studded tires are pricey.  Headed to Home Depot later to pick up a big box of nails.  Should work to take the tires off and drive the nails through from the inside.  Will let you know how it works.  Will have plenty of extra nails.  I can bring some over later.

D - Sounds like a good plan.  Will you be bringing the extra nails over on your bike?

C - Only if my air compress can keep up.

D - Well this turned out to be one of those days where I actually rode as far as I was tempted to....

C - Just how far was that?  Were you in the zen moment...at that point just sitting in the garage on the bike will carry you along...

D - Yeah...just came in from taking out the recycling, which tempered my motivation considerably.

C Well...special on heated gear this weekend at SF Harley.  Just how heated can it be???

D - You gonna check it out?

C - Yea...got batteries?

D - It's not solar....I'm shocked!!

C - It's not easy being green. 

be strong, be safe, Carlan

Power of a Photograph:

Working in Farmington, NM this week.  Training Navajo Nation community members to use their cameras as tools to create a visual voice for issues surrounding their lives.  South on HWY 550 near Counselor, NM graphics on a deserted building caught my eye.  Made a u-turn.

Power of a photograph pasted on a crumbling building.  "Protect my future...Protect our water."  Power of the visual voice.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

And now the rest of the story...

On the road two weeks ago heading into the Texas Panhandle.  A week crisscrossing the Panhandle, wi-fi less, limited cell phone connection, rain, dust storms, small towns fading into history, meeting the real individuals of the Panhandle.  This is the rest of the story.

Cotton is king in the Panhandle.  Peanuts and wild pigs run a close second.

Shorty grows peas, beans, okra, cantaloupe, watermelon, tomatoes, and sweet corn.  "Anyone who needs food can come to my garden, pick anything they need, it's all a dollar a pound."

 Gas station For Sale.  Make an offer.

Once thriving communities playing host to stories of the past. 

Deserted schools and scoreboards.

Chairs along a main street echoing laughter once heard.

The rumble of my Harley brought Dennis into the street.  "Been ridin' Harleys for over 40 years.  Come on in and sit a while.  Know anything about fixing a stuck clutch?"

Mid Way Drive Inn.  Mid way between Quitaque and Turkey, TX or New York and Los Angeles.

 Girls at the Dixie Dog Drive Inn.  Best corn dog special ever.

Gas stop at Bob's Oil Well full service.

Kickstand down at the Hotel Turkey.  Built in 1927.  Good food, good bed, good stories with the ranchers.  All the ingredients of a great American road trip.

That's the rest of the story.

be strong, be safe, Carlan