40 Years in the Desert

After baptism, Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and nights. During this time, Satan appeared to Jesus and tried to tempt him. Jesus refused each temptation and returned to Galilee.

Sunday our family returned to church and the story of Jesus' 40 days and nights in the Judean Desert featured prominently. I really liked how the priest connected the story with his homily and talked about traveling in the desert wilderness; though the desert has many treasures, the earth is stripped bare and only the hardiest of life can survive. Being out there is also a great way to pull away from the distractions of day-to-day life.

When you're in the desert wilderness, there is often no cellphone coverage, no cable TV, and no wi-fi. There is only you, the elements and the need to survive. Better find shade. Have your water. Bundle up at night. Check your boots in the morning for critters.

Spending time in the desert can be a great way to obtain clear your mind. Just thinking about being in the desert during church had me mentally tabulating all the ways I could simplify my life by just getting rid of stuff.

The clear thinking that comes with the desert also is a big reason for the Puget-2-Potomac. I'm going to be on the road for about 3 weeks with intermittent periods of civilization; staying in hotels and visiting with folks. In-between, I'll have plenty of time to consider my place in the cosmos. And that's pretty much the sub-context for the trip.

Celebrity Ride

Yesterday I decided to up my game and transformed the ride into a celebrity ride.

I invited the following celebrities to join me on the Puget2Potomac ride: Foo Fighters, Steve Martin, Chris Pratt and Zooey Deschanel.

I'm still waiting on their responses.

Irrational Thoughts

Did I ever tell you about the victory chair?

Brown distressed leather. Sits just off-centered from the white-noise buzzing TV (that's another story). Very cozy. When you sit, you sink just enough. The arms are nicely padded so you never feel the wood frame underneath and it's perfect for balancing a plate of food or a couple of the remotes. But don't ever put your drink on it--it's leather for crying out loud.

But why am I telling you this? The victory chair is my Throne of the Home. You've got one, right?

The victory chair is also the central source of power for The Ohio State University's national championship. It also served the same purpose for the Seattle Seahawks. And for the past four months, I have willed every victory for both teams--every conceivable 'how did they do that' play. When my Buckeyes lost to those woeful Hokies from Virginia Tech this season, I had not been butt-in-seat at the start of the game. For the remaining games, the victory chair was in play, and the game played uninterrupted on the TV. Dallas beat the Seahawks this year because during halftime, Robby and I played a little Halo. My fault.

It's more than just the chair though. In order for the victory chair to be completely in sync with the universe, I need to be sitting in it for the kick-off sans team gear--especially the championship gear. The day before the Super Bowl, I tempted fate by wearing my commemorative shirt and hat from last year's Seahawks Super Bowl win. That clearly was a mistake for which I take full blame on behalf of the entire Pacific Northwest. I should never have done that and I apologize.

Also no parties--parties disrupt the Source of Power. It's critical that my family be with me for the game, and. No. One. Else. Yesterday, a friend of one of the kids pierced the Source of Power by visiting us during the Game, so we lost. I blame her.

There was also a direct correlation between the ability of Seahawks to make plays the second half of the season and the intensity of the blaze in the fireplace. That's right, each time they faltered, I placed another log on the fire.

It all comes down to my irrational thoughts and behaviors, right?

When planning for a coast-to-coast ride, little irrational thinking also comes into play. A big part of my planning is not so much about style or comfort, but asking the "what if" questions.

• What if the bike gets a flat tire? Use the patch kit.
• What if the bike breaks down? Call AAA.
• What if I need to stop for the night and sleep? Pack the tent and sleeping bag.

I've been asking a lot of "what if" questions the past 6 months as I plan this trip. A little irrational thinking never hurts.

Memories of Glacier

Back in '13, I rode out to Glacier National Park for the weekend. Yeah, I know, should have taken longer. Here are photos from the ride.

Looking out over the Columbia River gorge.

Heading up to the pass.

On top of the world.

Out west, one is expected to survive, not sue.

If you don't want to drive up to the top, the National Park Service offers bus service.

One of Kalispell, MT's fine dining establishments.

Early morning and passing through Libby, MT.

Worth every mile of the trip.

Daydreaming...

While the Northeast is buried in snow, Seattle has had wonderfully warm weather and sunny skies. And though I sit in a hermetically sealed building, I can always have a Calgon moment by thinking of those past great rides.

A Road Less Traveled

A view of Lake Diablo.

Route 20 in Washington is the state's best motorcycle road.

It's a well-maintained, two-lane treat of twistie that pays off with the Lake Diablo overlook.

You don't often get this sort of view by sticking to the main highways, so when I recently re-reviewed the P2P route map the other day, I got to thinking that other than a detour at Devil's Tower/Crazy Horse/Mount Rushmore, my ride is a pretty straight shot. No wonder I'm worried about getting bored on the road.

And as if the Motorcycle Gods heard my plea, they delivered unto me two articles identifying the best riding roads in North America; Top 10 Places To Ride In North America and Top 10 Best Motorcycling Touring Roads. I quickly consumed the stories and figured out what could be added to the P2P ride.

Top 10 Places To Ride In North America
This is a slideshow article with summaries of each route along with a photo of each. It offers the standard disclaimer that North America offers a lot of great rides, but this is the author's take on the most well-known rides.

Nicely enough, a few of them might find their way into the ride...

Beartooth Highway
This ride could add at least three hours to my route, which is a pretty small investment in a ride this size. By exiting I-90 at Livingston, MT, taking the Beartooth to Billings, I'll have the chance to climb up 11,000 feet and take in spectacular scenery. This is now a "thing" to add to the ride.

Unless it's snowing up there.

Blue Ridge Parkway
I've put more miles and time on the Blue Ridge than I could ever count, but never on a motorcycle. Starting at the north entrance where it is known as Skyline Drive, I'll definitely include the BRP in the trip. Even at 45-miles an hour, this is a must ride.

The Dragon/Tail Of The Dragon
Listed as the most challenging of the rides, The Dragon is famous for its twisties--318 curves in 11 miles. It also has a reputation for drawing squids and reckless drivers. This is the least likely of the detours, but I'll keep it on the list as a possibility.

Top 10 Best Motorcycling Touring Roads
This article offers snapshot summaries of great byways in the US. It reads like a brochure you pick up in the lobby of a Cracker Barrel or a family-friendly two-star motel. None of the rides will fit into my route, but it's a nice read.

The articles could have included many more rides, and two in the Pacific Northwest that come to mind are Hwy 99 in British Columbia--the Sea to Sky Highway--and Route 20 from I-5 to Winslow. This is the nicest motorcycle road in Washington and should be on anyone's "must ride" list.

Smile at the Rain

Beth Hogan's "Smile at the Rain"

When we first moved to Seattle, a friend gave us a copy of Beth's Hogan's wonderful "Smile at the Rain" framed print. The suggestion behind the gift was, "get used to it."

Six years later, that friend up and left us for the North Carolina climate, but we're still here. And we've gotten pretty well used to the rain.

When it comes to getting on the Tiger and going for a ride though, I admit to being choosy about the weather; I'd rather ride in sunshine than rain, in daylight rather than night. Weekends are primetime. But with the Puget-to-Potomac Ride coming closer, it suddenly dawned on me that I'll be riding through whatever Mother Nature throws my way. Choosing riding conditions will be a luxury I won't be able to afford.

With this in mind, I suited up and headed out for a quick 100-mile ride through the Cascade Foothills. What follows is a mile-marker recap of my observations and an equipment evaluation.

Mile 0-10

• Classic Seattle drizzle. Temperatures in the mid-40s.
• Wearing the new Alpinestars boots and noticed a lack of sensitivity on shifters. I also had to be more exaggerated with my foot positioning for shifting. I'll probably invest in footpeg extenders to help out and reduce fatigue.
• Forgot to wear a balaclava, so my chin got a little chilly, but warm and dry everywhere else.
• Also forgot to put in the NoNoise earplugs.

Mile 10-20

• The rain stops and the road suddenly dries out.
• Elevation increase becomes noticeable.

Mile 26

• Stop after the highway exit ramp--as far over as I can park--and insert earplugs and put on the tiger balaclava.
• Turned on the action cam and started shooting footage. The remote battery was worn down so I had to fumble with the camera start/stop button.

Mile 34

• Time to turn on the heated handlebars.

Mile 44

• Map check at Black Diamond.

I was pretty satisfied with the equipment across the board. Here's an evaluation of each:

• Shoei RF-1100 helmet: Still comfortable on long rides, The tip of my nose sometimes catches the front.
• Firstgear Kilimanjaro jacket: Very comfortable. Though I did started getting a chill in the last 5 miles of the ride. Probably had more to do with the poor layers underneath and lack of food.
• Alpinestars Scout boots: Very secure, though stiff (it will take time to break them in). my toes felt a little chilled at times. No water penetration.
• Airhawk 2 Inflatable Seat Pad: Makes the ride more comfortable. Needed to be re-inflated at mile 44. Quick accelerations forced my body backwards, and the air displacement in the pad felt like I was sitting on a Jell-o pillow. Very squishy. 
• Olympia gloves: Nicely broken in, though they are showing a little wear and tear. I may need to invest in new gloves before the big ride.
• Drift HD Ghost: I still feel like I'm getting to know this camera. I definitely need a couple more mounts for better angles. 

At this point, I think I could pack up and ride east without any more major investments. It's a good place to be. I'll definitely have to put more miles on the road to rebuild my riding endurance.

By the way, you can buy Beth Hogan's print on Etsy. Just click the image at the top to link to her online store.