Its been said that only a motorcycle rider understands why a dog hangs its head out the window of a moving vehicle. If you've never done a road trip on a bike you probably won't understand how true this is or its meaning.
I've had the privilege of a life on the road. Away from home for days on end, eating in a restaurant you hope will be good, sleeping in strange new areas.
To some that seems like a horrible existence whereas I cannot understand how people can drive the same clogged roads every day, week after week, to be stuck in the same office, warehouse or other pay-cheque prison only to go home to the exact same locale at the end of each day.
As a former long haul transport driver and now a traveling entertainer I have seen a lot of pavement. I have witnessed sunsets and sunrises in places I normally would've never visited. I've been the recipient of great late night shows by aurora borealis on remote roads that have stirred my soul.
Now that I am dedicated to seeing the planet on 2 wheels I get to revisit some of these same roads...only, they are different when viewed from the open cockpit of a touring motorcycle.
Familiar roads become new again, and often just days apart from your last visit.
Why?
Unlike a car, where you just sit in a moving, climate-controlled room so removed from the environment, on a bike you live what is happening every second you are out there.
Please note: I said "live" over "experience". When I am on a motorcycle trip I feel more alive than any other waking moment. Even when the moment is not pleasant. It beats an office or car prison.
Car drivers will never know the warm embrace of the sun when it pokes its head out of a chilly, cloudy day. How it can smell so vivid! While you may detect some of the odors and fragrances in a car, it is usually after you have passed the source, thus missing the connection to the area you were just part of.
That grove of cedar trees you may or may not have seen as you droned along in a car just treated my nose to a treat that you will never know in the same way.
See that mountain stream in the shaded gully? It just gave me a quick shot of nature's air conditioning. Instantly! I know that the temperature in that corner is different. Those in a car will only experience the same climate inside their cage.
The same string of corners that may make a car passenger nauseous is a thrill on a bike as you lean into them. Feeling the rhythm of the road and, not to sound cheesy, you become one with it. You learn its personality.
Instant gratification. That is what motorcycle travel is all about. As a stand-up comic that is a drug. It is why I get on stage to hear your laughs. Instant gratification. It only makes sense to me to combine the two.
I can already hear car drivers thinking I've lost it or smoked something funny.
No, I've taken life by the handle bars and am riding it all the way! Every cool view, every roadside attraction that strikes my fancy and every wonderful curve sweeping through the countryside. I want to see it all but will settle for as many as I can get in during this life's ride.
Riding helps me escape the negative news, the injustices in society and enjoy the wonderful, if not simple, pleasures of LIFE.
I can only encourage you to do the same. Find what makes you feel alive and try to put it into as much of your life as you can. Try and see as much of this wonderful planet....before the world goes crazy!
I've had the privilege of a life on the road. Away from home for days on end, eating in a restaurant you hope will be good, sleeping in strange new areas.
To some that seems like a horrible existence whereas I cannot understand how people can drive the same clogged roads every day, week after week, to be stuck in the same office, warehouse or other pay-cheque prison only to go home to the exact same locale at the end of each day.
As a former long haul transport driver and now a traveling entertainer I have seen a lot of pavement. I have witnessed sunsets and sunrises in places I normally would've never visited. I've been the recipient of great late night shows by aurora borealis on remote roads that have stirred my soul.
Now that I am dedicated to seeing the planet on 2 wheels I get to revisit some of these same roads...only, they are different when viewed from the open cockpit of a touring motorcycle.
Familiar roads become new again, and often just days apart from your last visit.
Why?
Unlike a car, where you just sit in a moving, climate-controlled room so removed from the environment, on a bike you live what is happening every second you are out there.
Please note: I said "live" over "experience". When I am on a motorcycle trip I feel more alive than any other waking moment. Even when the moment is not pleasant. It beats an office or car prison.
Car drivers will never know the warm embrace of the sun when it pokes its head out of a chilly, cloudy day. How it can smell so vivid! While you may detect some of the odors and fragrances in a car, it is usually after you have passed the source, thus missing the connection to the area you were just part of.
That grove of cedar trees you may or may not have seen as you droned along in a car just treated my nose to a treat that you will never know in the same way.
See that mountain stream in the shaded gully? It just gave me a quick shot of nature's air conditioning. Instantly! I know that the temperature in that corner is different. Those in a car will only experience the same climate inside their cage.
The same string of corners that may make a car passenger nauseous is a thrill on a bike as you lean into them. Feeling the rhythm of the road and, not to sound cheesy, you become one with it. You learn its personality.
Instant gratification. That is what motorcycle travel is all about. As a stand-up comic that is a drug. It is why I get on stage to hear your laughs. Instant gratification. It only makes sense to me to combine the two.
I can already hear car drivers thinking I've lost it or smoked something funny.
No, I've taken life by the handle bars and am riding it all the way! Every cool view, every roadside attraction that strikes my fancy and every wonderful curve sweeping through the countryside. I want to see it all but will settle for as many as I can get in during this life's ride.
Riding helps me escape the negative news, the injustices in society and enjoy the wonderful, if not simple, pleasures of LIFE.
I can only encourage you to do the same. Find what makes you feel alive and try to put it into as much of your life as you can. Try and see as much of this wonderful planet....before the world goes crazy!
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