10 posts tagged “adventure”
Unfortunately we do not have any pictures to show you because our laptop failed and we are using the famous Top Dog internet cafe.
Actually as we speak the wrench wench is working on the camera phone situation do we may get a few pix out.
Dang had some great riding this morning. Early, dark, well marked twisties with nary another sould to impede my progress.
Thanks for the props Steve on what I consider to be a difficult position. During the last couple of days some leg work paid off and we had some of the green to travel by moto for a modest two day respite from what has been an unrelentingly stressful situation.
I still think much of it could be handled differently, that is to say with less direct flow of cash
There are a ton of bugs to be worked out in my theories but I think the fundamental seed of it is sound.
Well my time is almost up on this computer so I will report back with pix and all tomorow.
Take Care.
Cameron
I was talking to my rather young female assistant a few days ago. She is thinking of buying her husband a Harley for Christmas. She told me how she just loved to spend time at the new Harley Davidson super complex on the the edge of town.
I was impressed thinking that I had misjudged her for a girly girl when he was really an aficionado of the V Twin engine and all that goes with it.
That lasted one brief moment, then she said, “They just have the most adorable boots and the cutest tops there.”
I swear I could hear Sonny Barger turning over in his grave. But I just nodded and went on about the business of the day as any discussion of the true meaning of The Motor Company would have been lost on her anyway.
Thank God for the Charlie Brechtel’s of the world. When talking to the "Thunder Press" about his album "Made in the USA, Brechtel said, "Made in the USA" is a bit like a course in American Biker History 101...Yes, class as hard as it is to believe, there once was a time when we had only four gears, no shocks and had to carry three quarts of reclaimed 50 weight just to get down to the local pool hall,"
Now 50 years old and living in Angels Camp California he continues to carry the message of American Motorcyclisms through his albums, his concerts and his internet TV show.
As many of you already know, on May 14 of this year I succumbed the cumulative effects of several days in the high-desert and drove my BMW1100RT off the road with horrific results. That is old news to anyone who knows me or follows this blog.
What is less known is the amazing experiences I had on that ride prior to the crash. I haven't written a lot about my experience of that journey, instead I went back to my old art form of music and made an effort to express those experiences through that medium.
This podcast features full-length tracks from the entire album with explanatory material during the intros and outros. Nevertheless, I would like to take this opportunity to add some more information about each composition.
Lines in the Sand
1) Sunrise in the Mirror. That particular phrase is one of my favorite pieces of imagery from Neil Peart's book Ghost Rider. For me there is nothing like heading west into the desert at dawn with the day rising up to meet you from behind. I would like to thank my long-time friend and ace musician Michael Ferenci for contributing the guitar and bass tracks to this tune.
2) The Red Road. I was firmly on my way east on I-15 marveling at how far out the hype for Las Vegas begins. The slab outlines the northern edge of the Mojave National Preserve for many miles, and I desperately wanted to visit, but I was commited to making Durango, CO before nightfall. I thought I had made it safely past the preserve when at the last moment I spotted "The Red Road." The road was literallly bright red from the local materials mixed in the ashphalt.
I simply could not pass that up. Once on the road I saw glimmering at the top of a small desert hill the dot of a town. "I will go only that far," I told myself. It was as far as I needed to go. I had discovered the delightful little town of Nipton, Ca. and I was hooked.
3) Under Stars. If you have ever spent the night in the desert you will understand this tune.
4) Among Giants. The next day, after a late breakfast, I pointed the Beeemer even deeper into the desert to explore the Mojave National Preserve. It is high-desert, almost alien terrain created by both volcanic and tectonic forces. The remnants of ash-cones and the upthrustings of rock are truly remarkable and huge. One feels as if one has entered the land of the giants.
5) No Mans Land. After exploring the desert sancurary I headed east along one of the more barren stretches of Route 66. It is truly a "No Mans Land."
6) The Ravening Sun. This is a very different and strange tune. My attempt at musically creating the detrimental and hallucinatory effects of extended desert exposure. For me this signals the beginning of the end.
7) Off The Edge. Due to an egregious navigational error I ended up that night in Page, AZ rather than Durango, CO. The next morning I succumbed to the heat and at 100 MPH drove the big BMW off the road into a rocky field.
8) Beemer Babe. Many of you will recognize this as the them music to Road Show. It was originally composed for my lovely wife, "The Wrench Wench," and is dedicated to her for sticking by me through a long recovery
The Picture Book
As an experiment I put the photography and story of this journey in a picture book/comic book format available for free viewing at.
http://www.highslab.com/lines1.html
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Thank and ride safe.
Beemarman and crew
This is really cool. It is just like iTunes...you can listen to a 30 second sample for free and then if you decide to buy you just click on the button. Neat.
I think I have said this before, but this music is the companion to the illustrated travel story Lines in the Sand.
The first 18 pages are available free at www.highslab.com
Just go to the site then navigate to Lines in the Sand.
BTW...I would very much appreciate any feedback you might have....Thanks
BMWeerman
Greetings friends..
Sorry once again for my lengthy absence.
As I sat here typing just now I was tempted to pontificated on the meaning of art, life the universe and everything, reason however has prevailed and I will merely say that, finally, my new album is done.
As most of you know it is a musical journey through my summer motorcycle trip, horrific accident and subsequent recovery. I have attached a clip that covers all eight tunes on the album.
After much consideration I have decided to do the manufacturing in-house because all of the proceeds will be donated to Christmas charities and the overhead will be so much less. The downside is the packaging will be of slightly lesser quality but the music will not suffer in any way.
The album is called Lines in the Sand and is for sale on my website.
www.highslab.com/our_music.html
If you have any problems comments or questions please feel free to contact me.
Thanks
BMWeerman
Well I thought I was almdone with my comic book style story of the last 6 months and the music that went with it.
Then today I realized it was the wrong music. I have put up a sample of the comic book pages that are complete. Look for the rest along with the music soon...
BMWeerman
I finally got around to putting the materials together from my last ride and here they are.
I am a little downhearted today because the guys in the Beemer club are giving me a hard time about this rebuild.
Usually it doesn't bother me but today it does. Anyway, here is the video.
David Robertson is the owner and propieter of the website:
In his own words:
"Welcome to BestBikingRoads.com, the motorcycle routes knowledge base for Motorcycle Travel. Using this site you can search for the best sport touring and Motorcycle touring roads in your area and for motorcycle holidays, then enter your favourite roads to see how they compare with others."
Send your articles and suggestions for the Road Show Magazine to: editor@roadshowmagazine.com
BMWeerman's Ghetto Garage
This week I polled a who's who of the world riding community for their list of the top 20 things you need to know to ride around the world. Below is an abbreviated compilation of their answers.
Learn the local language: The leading advice of everyone I spoke too. Whether or not you get it right or wrong a few sincere attempts at speaking the native tongue will take you further than anything else. Know bike Maintenance: A close second was knowing your bike and how to maintain it at least to some degree Plan well but be ready to improvise: The longer and further away you are from home the more likely your are going to need to be flexible. Emergency Evac Insurance Pack--then take half out Get trained Know how to navigate Buy medivac insurance Have paperwork in order Be Healthy Smile Research where you want to go Be security conscious Bend the Rules Self Care Know Political Situation Use Dummy Documents-Keep the real ones locked away Carry your patience Let others know where you are Just do it.
Road Music
Last summer while interviewing Tim Mayhew of www.pashnit.com he made the comment that, to him, each road has a theme and that is how he would structure his writing. It occured to me at that time that maybe roads could have songs too, so since that time I have been working on an album called Road Music. A few samples of which you can hear here.
On May 14, 2007 a combination of heat exhaustion and dehydration caused me to make a very bad decision. I blew a simple turn and went careeneing off the edge of a lonely deolate New Mexico highway. Fortunately for me a Navajo family was out on he road and saw me go over the edge. The details are a little on the sketchy side from that point.
I must have been knocked unconscious because I have a vague memory of waking up with several dark skinned people standing over me. They were holding out their cell phone and kept saying, '911 Helicopter, 911 Helicopter."
Sweet words too because I was very alarmed that I could not breath due to a punctured lung. My right foot was twisted at a most alarming angle as well.
I relay this information as cautionary tale to those who would ride he high desert. I had spent 4 days at elevations ranging from 4500 to 8500 feet. And, given the extra exposure factor of being on a bike makes the standard public desert survival tips basically worthless.
To put it bluntly:
Make sure you are peeing every 4 hours...if your not you're in trouble.
Take Care
BMWeerman
