Musings from “Life Is a Road” author–Daniel Meyer
Archive for June, 2008
Way Cool!
Jun 30th
Lost
Jun 16th
Topping off the gas in the big Valkyrie cruiser, I whistled at the reading on the pump. She took 5.4 gallons. She only carries 5.3 gallons of usable fuel.
“Why don’t you get a GPS? They have great ones now. Full color screens, every road, instant directions…”
I looked at the station owner. Normally closed after two o’clock on Sunday, he was doing me a favor letting me pump gas. It was after 2:30pm and I’d caught him on the way to his car. He’d cheerfully unlocked the door and turned on the pump.
I grinned at the man, “Im terrified of them.”
He tilted his head, “You don’t strike me as the type to be ‘fraid of much. They’re easy to use. Heck, if I can use them, you can.”
I smiled again. “I work in computers. ‘Ease of use’ is not the issue.”
“Well what then?”
I looked back at the small “only sorta paved” road I’d just come off of. It led, just back over the hill, to a dark and shadowy turnoff. I’d spent the last two hours and the final dregs of my fuel finding my way out of that poorly marked maze of odd turns, hills, washes, and trees.
“I’m afraid I’d never get lost again.” I’d just been lost. My entire day had changed because I’d taken an interesting looking turn. I’d met people, ridden dark and shrouded roads that I may have never found, and even had home-made lemonade.
He grinned at me, understanding immediately. Sort of understanding anyway…
“You can always turn it off.”
I handed the man enough cash to cover the gas with a couple bucks left over for his trouble.
“Yes. I know I could…” I fired up the big machine and switched her off reserve. “I’m just not entirely certain that I would.”
I waved and guided the big cruiser back the way I’d come, the dark wood and mysterious roads calling. I was pretty sure there were a couple turns somewhere in there that I hadn’t taken yet.
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
Happy Father’s Day!
Jun 15th
Loud ties and cheap cologne are flowing freely today.
In my family it’s flashlights. He’s gotta have about 50 of ‘em by now.
It’s that time of year again. Happy Father’s Day!
If you’re lucky enough to still have your Dad around, go and see him.
If not, take a quiet moment to remember.
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
One from the mail bag…
Jun 13th
Just so you guys know…I read ALL my (non-spam) email, and do reply if it seems indicated.
Thought I’d share one email that has a common theme with many I get.
I read the stories on your site and I enjoyed them, but I really must ask, why does so much interesting stuff happen to you? I’ve been riding a couple years now and nothing like that ever happens to me.
This is actually an easy one…I’ll take this in two parts…
I read the stories on your site and I enjoyed them…
Cool! Thanks! Now buy the books already! Tell your friends! Tell Oprah! I need exposure! I’d love to write more stories/books and someday hope to earn a living at it, but getting the word out is a real pain and I could use your help!
Why does so much interesting stuff happen to you? I’ve been riding a couple years now and nothing like that ever happens to me.
Simply put…interesting stuff happens to me because I expect it to. Also, exciting stuff doesn’t happen to me every day. I ride a lot…I mean a LOT…ten’s of thousands of miles each year…and I DON’T write down the boring stuff!
I commute a fair distance daily in Dallas traffic. That right there is enough for a book of adventures…many drivers don’t see you, and half the ones that do don’t care that you’re there.
I’ve left home for a two week trip that I didn’t even decide what direction to take until I reached the end of the alley. I’ve ridden a thousand miles in a single run just to say “Hi” to a wildthing I met on the internet and had never talked to or seen in person. That’s not the first time, and wasn’t the last.
Heck, I’ve ridden 500 miles for barbeque. When I tell my wife on the phone that, “I think I’ll stop on the way home for a burger.” she asks me, “In what State?” Keep in mind I live in a state that if I pick the right direction, I can ride a thousand miles in a straight line and not get out of it.
I’ve lost count of the number of “thousand mile in 24 hour” runs I’ve made…and “1500 miles in 24 hours” is not unheard of.
I know exactly how far a full tank of fuel will take my Valkyrie at a sustained 135mph indicated.
I take roads because they fade out on my map. I’ve made turns because “that way” seemed more interesting. My plan for at least one trip was “point ‘er west and twist the throttle.” A plan for another was “turn around and head for home when you get half way through the money in your wallet.”
The next trip the turnaround was decided when I’d gone through half the tread depth on my front tire.
I’ve change my oil in the Wallmart parking lot. I’ve cleaned crappy gas out of my tank beside the next gas station. I’ve changed a tire on my machines with a couple screwdrivers and a two by four in an empty parking lot.
I’ve laughed when things were going my way…and I’ve sworn and thrown things when it seemed I just couldn’t catch a break.
I’ve been known to travel several hundred miles to make the 20 mile commute home. The short way was broken ya see…
I rode to Alaska because I felt like it. I went down some roads because I wanted to, and didn’t go down others that I’d planned to because I had a “feeling.”
I’ve bought ice-cream for an old lady that thought I was a gypsy. I’ve changed tires for pretty women. I’ve lent money to stranded motorists. I’ve bought happy meals for poor kids, and tacos for blue-eyed blondes. On the back of my motorcycle, I took a frail old man that was lost…back home. We stopped in a half-dozen places he remembered from his childhood. Seems he wasn’t quite as lost as everybody thought. His past was just more real than his present.
I talk to people at gas stops…and I make a LOT of gas stops. I get away from the chain businesses whenever I can…favoring the mom & pop operations. I talk to the people there too. I’ve got plenty of the mundane…my job is full of it…why would I look for it on the road?
I keep my eyes open…pay attention to my surroundings, and see things others are so sure “couldn’t” be that they wouldn’t know it if those things hit them over the head.
me: (pointing) “Look at the size of that wolf!”
him: (barely glancing in that direction) “Can’t be. We don’t have wolves around here. If there’s anything out there it’s probably a dog…or maybe a coyote.”
me: “Dude, it’s right there!”
him: “Sure.”
me: (watching the wolf wink, toss his head, and trot out of sight) “Oookay then.”
I’ve ridden many thousands of miles alone…perhaps several hundred thousand…and many thousands in the deep night. The scary things in the deep night…aren’t on the outside.
I ask people that look like they’re in trouble…if they’re in trouble. The answers often surprise even me. Sometimes the solutions do too. Sometimes I simply cannot help, and come away a little more subdued.
The world often delivers what you expect out of it…you find what you’re looking for…even if you don’t know just what that is.
Some folks won’t ride when there’s a prediction of rain. Sheesh…I basically ignore the forcasts…I ride in storms, heat, cold, wind, fog, whatever. I’ve chased storms…and caught them. Sometimes it’s the other way around. I’ve occasionally regretted it. Mostly not though.
On my last run out west, I stopped for a couple on a Yamaha Virago that had run out of gas (we had KILLER headwinds). At the next station, as I was buying a gas can and strapping it on my back seat to carry back to them, FOUR other riders commented that they’d spotted them but didn’t think to stop. Those four riders got where they were headed faster than I did…but who had the better or more interesting day?
I view the universe, every day, with wide-eyed wonder. No, I’m not naive…I’ve met my share of the dark…perhaps more than my share…but that’s part of the adventure too.
I’ve raced the moon through the city-scape…the most incredible moon I’d ever seen…only to find other people that didn’t even notice the thing.
I’ve tried to pack a lot of living in my life…sometimes my reach exceeds my grasp…I’ve fallen…but that’s part of the adventure too.
Passion as principle. It’s an interesting thing. It does…occasionally…bite back. It’s a risk I’m willing to take. How about you?
Are you looking for adventures?
They’re out here. Come and see.
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
Ride your own ride…
Jun 8th
I tend to avoid group rides. When I ride with others, typically I prefer to keep the groups small and know the others and their abilities. I’ll ride to hell and back (have, actually) with my good friends, but larger groups are another matter.
One of the reasons I prefer not to ride in groups is that riders that would otherwise be perfectly safe, will do stupid things to stay with the group. They’ll run lights, buzz through stop signs, ride out of their comfort zone or ability and so forth.
One way to mitigate this is to have a pre-ride meeting…where ALL participants get a map to where they’re headed so they know they can get there, group or no. Proper organization of a group will result in each person watching the rider behind them…if that rider gets caught at a light/etc, you continue on with the group until they turn…then the last bike stops and waits at the turn for the rest of the bikes to catch up. The new “rear” bike should do the same at the next corner etc…
So much for groups.
Individual riders sometimes do stupid things when they encounter another bike as well.
Yesterday as I was headed to work I got to see this in action. I hit the highway, zoomed up the ramp, and merged with traffic. Several cars behind me was another bike, running in the inside right lane in what looked like a safe manner.
I changed lanes, accelerated, and changed lanes again until I was running with the fast traffic in the left lane.
I commute here daily. I have a very powerful and stable machine to do so on. I know the traffic and patterns and ride them to the edge of my ability…every single day. I’ve been doing this for years. It results in some skills.
In my mirrors I see this rider doing his best to keep up. He’s doing stupid things.
Why? He’d been riding his own ride when I got on the highway, why change just because there was another bike? His machine wasn’t ideal for this. It was obvious his skills weren’t either. He was not riding with me. He doesn’t even know me. He’s got nothing to prove to me…or even if he thinks he does, I’ve not been impressed by stupid bike tricks since I was … oh I don’t know…three years old or something. Why try to keep up?
What point?
I tweaked the throttle and rapidly outdistanced him, hoping he’d slow back down to his own ride.
Ride your own ride. We’re out here because we’re independent, yes?
Ride your own ride. We’ll all be safer that way.
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
Mail Order Air (’cause, ya know…there might be a shortage)
Jun 6th
Our dishwasher was recently recalled. And by recalled, I mean they sent a repair guy out to replace the inner door panel and a bunch of wiring. This had to be done because, apparently, if we ran it just right…it would clean the dishes so thoroughly that it would burn the house down.
I don’t really need my dishes that clean.
And yes, I’m getting to the mail order air thing…give me a moment… More >
Institutional Incompetence
Jun 3rd
This story is a tragedy…pure debacle.
The summary:
1) Dallas Police put out a “bait” car…a car to attract car thieves and trap them by remotely disabling the car and locking its doors (with the thief inside) when it is stolen.
2) Car thief steals the bait car.
3) Dallas Police fail to disable the bait car. They said on the news today that it “drove away too fast”.
4) Car thief runs a stop sign, broadsides an uninvolved car and KILLS driver Annie Reyes.
The Police tailing the stolen bait car when it killed Mrs. Reyes say, “We followed all the correct procedures.”
Giving the police the benefit of the doubt…I’m sure none of them WANT this sort of outcome…but am I the only one that wonders what a complete and total lack of intelligence is being applied to this program? And “followed procedures”? When are they going to insert “Don’t kill bystanders” into the “correct procedures”?
Why was the bait car not disabled? “It got away too fast?” WTF? How about a “failsafe”…as in…when it gets OUT OF YOUR CONTROL IT SHUTS DOWN! Any kid playing with remote contol toys would have thought of that.
How did these things get on the street without some sort of comprehensive testing and review of how they work? What idiot reviewed the way they work and didn’t point this out? (or, are you lying to us…again). Who thought it was a good idea that the thief could win himself a free car if he just got away fast enough?
Who’s operating the program? A 4-year old? Trained monkeys? Untrained monkeys? Sheesh!
Once again, procedure, the wierd ideology of organizations now that expects ANYBODY to do a job and that there are NO specialists, and a lack of responsibility result in institutional incompetence out of an organization that is staffed with supposedly competent people. THIS is why I resist “procedure” and “step-by-step” methods of getting most jobs done…they simply don’t allow for questions, responding to changing conditons, questioning the “status quo”, and improvement of how things work.
Had the procedure even been remotely competent…or we had intelligent people looking at the way things work and questioning it…this death would have been avoided and another car thief would be behind bars.
In the end, the car thief is responsibe for the death…but the police handed him the weapon and forgot to take the bullets out first…and that’s “correct procedure.”
I expect better than that.
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer