Ever feel like you're juggling too many tasks? We've all been there, and in our recent road trip out West, we discovered that multitasking is not the same as doing several things at once. Join us as we share our discoveries from this adventure, the camaraderie, leadership challenges, and of course, the unexpected “Steve Tours”. We also discuss the difference between group travel and solo ventures, recounting personal anecdotes that highlight the importance of recognizing individual strengths and weaknesses within a group.
Marvel with us as we dodge challenges on our 1000-mile motorcycle trip from Zanesville, Ohio, to Dodge City, Kansas. We share stories of how our patch family came to our aid in the most unexpected circumstances, reminding us to embrace the journey even when it doesn't end as anticipated. We also shed light on our friend's encounter with altitude sickness at Pikes Peak, Colorado, and how this affected our plans to summit Mount Evans. We further dive into our time in Colorado Springs, the spicy Cajun food and exclusive whiskey that left a mark.
Finally, hold on tight as we navigate through stormy Oklahoma City traffic, bike breakdowns, and other road trip challenges. We stress the importance of understanding our bike set up, making necessary adjustments on the fly, and the patience needed to deal with unpredictable situations on the road. We also voice our outrage towards people who breed dogs solely for profit and share the touching story of how we came to rescue our six-dog. Tune in, as we wrap up our 12-day, 11-state, 3500-mile journey, reflecting on the delights and difficulties encountered, and the invaluable lessons learned along the way.
Ever feel like you're juggling too many tasks? We've all been there, and in our recent road trip out West, we discovered that multitasking is not the same as doing several things at once. Join us as we share our discoveries from this adventure, the camaraderie, leadership challenges, and of course, the unexpected “Steve Tours”. We also discuss the difference between group travel and solo ventures, recounting personal anecdotes that highlight the importance of recognizing individual strengths and weaknesses within a group.
Marvel with us as we dodge challenges on our 1000-mile motorcycle trip from Zanesville, Ohio, to Dodge City, Kansas. We share stories of how our patch family came to our aid in the most unexpected circumstances, reminding us to embrace the journey even when it doesn't end as anticipated. We also shed light on our friend's encounter with altitude sickness at Pikes Peak, Colorado, and how this affected our plans to summit Mount Evans. We further dive into our time in Colorado Springs, the spicy Cajun food and exclusive whiskey that left a mark.
Finally, hold on tight as we navigate through stormy Oklahoma City traffic, bike breakdowns, and other road trip challenges. We stress the importance of understanding our bike set up, making necessary adjustments on the fly, and the patience needed to deal with unpredictable situations on the road. We also voice our outrage towards people who breed dogs solely for profit and share the touching story of how we came to rescue our six-dog. Tune in, as we wrap up our 12-day, 11-state, 3500-mile journey, reflecting on the delights and difficulties encountered, and the invaluable lessons learned along the way.
So today's episode is going to be a recap of our epic trip out West and back, um, and we're going to start things off with. Steve's got some words of wisdom today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i came across a quote and the quote is you grow through what you go through, so make it worth it. So we start this recap off with that quote you go through, you grow through what you go through And, uh, that is true, through everything we talk about on here, um, everything that we have gone through good, bad and ugly we have grown through. Uh, and we're at this point in our lives lives because we've grown Um and uh, you know, like I was saying on the previous episode, is you know, you can't keep blaming Those people around you for holding you back. If you're aware that those people around you are holding you back, then do something about it. So you're either you know it's, it's and, and depending on the company you can blame Uh, you know, like I said, these hundred people are holding me back, and then you know, in other company, you're like, well, i want to do, you know all this stuff, so do it. Yep, right, so you know we've we've gone through things.
Speaker 1:We've grown from them. Yep, we're going through things, we're trying to grow from them.
Speaker 2:It's a never ending cycle, Yes, And it keeps um perpetuating itself.
Speaker 1:But every time we go through something we're growing from it, so that we're a little bit better on the other side.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and where we try to be. That's the goal And, um, you know, and, and like I said the last time, you have those instances where you think you're good until until you know, situations prove that you're not.
Speaker 1:So my bike proved that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Right. So, and now you're a little more cognizant of. okay, this is still in my, this is still in my repertoire. I'm still capable of, uh, making little women cry.
Speaker 1:Um, but now we're laughing because it's. It's not that you know, it's not a um misogynistic?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not a misogynistic laugh, it's, you know, um dark, dark humor Yeah.
Speaker 1:It was, it was uh, it was uh. It was an incident that didn't need to be an incident but turned into an incident, and then it was an incident.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right. So yeah, i mean it's. it's one of those things where, throughout, you know, throughout my time in the military, um, i always said that I took things from leadership good, bad or ugly, like you know. um, one of my, one of my quotes was uh, i don't know what I'm going to do as a first sergeant, but I know what I ain't going to do it because I seen many instances of this is what I'm not going to do And uh, but I had some great um. with that being said, i had some great first sergeants, um, especially later in my uh career, um, when I was uh, uh, their platoon's arm and uh, we had some uh, really good relationships with those people.
Speaker 1:but early on in my career, um, someone else first sergeants- Well, you know, when we had Andy on, one of the things we talked about was the qualities that we appreciate in you as a commander, and this trip out to Colorado really highlighted that. You got us all out there safely. You got us all home safely, minus a mechanical issue or two. Um, and I know you had some challenges. There were some some parts in the trip out and back that you were pretty frustrated about, but you did it. You kept us all together And you know and not every chapter that went out there could say that all their people made it there and back safely.
Speaker 1:Some of them lost them, but you know we did. You know it got a little hairy at times and you know we pushed ourselves to the limits. But I mean that's a testament to a leader is getting everybody out there and getting everybody back safely. You know no different. You know you. You say you never lost a guy to combat when you were in Iraq. So I mean it's not combat, but it's the same theory. You got us out there safe, you got us back safe. You were always at the front of the pack leading away.
Speaker 2:So only only one Steve tour, on the way out of a phrase that we coined It's not a detour, It's a Steve tour because it's not planned but it's an adventure and it's not posted.
Speaker 1:But we zig when we should have zagged.
Speaker 2:But uh, yeah, and which is funny because I talked to uh, my therapist, this morning about Steve Tours and, um, she was intrigued, she, um and uh and she's like try to explain. You know, i'm trying to explain the multitasking. And then she quickly said you're not multitasking, You're doing several things at once. And I'm like isn't that multitasking?
Speaker 2:Are the. So I try to break it down. I'm like the things, right, cause that's you know several things at once. I'm like so the things you say things, i say tasks, okay, you say several multiple, right, i mean um, maybe I don't understand the word multitasking.
Speaker 1:Right Webster's dictionary defines, and her defense.
Speaker 2:She broke it down to me. She's like you know some of them things you're using muscle memory. Oh, okay, i get what she said, so it ain't it ain't cognizant, uh thinking, you know she's like um, if you're reading a book and retaining what you're reading and also writing an email on a different subject multitasking if you're talking on the phone while walking around the kitchen stirring, you know um, ingredients in a pot, you're doing two things at once, but you're not multitasking.
Speaker 1:I know I got you Right, like I get it, but if you're writing and you're trying to follow your GPS, to me that's multitasking.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, what I, what I explained to her, is I'm like, um, my GP and I don't have this trouble in my truck because I'm not. I'm not worried about anybody behind me in my truck, i'm not worried. My each one of my extremities are not doing something independently in my truck. Um, the the truck says turn right in a half mile. I turn right in a half, you know. So what happens on the bike is now that I'm I'm hyper conscious aware hyper aware of this.
Speaker 2:You know when, um, you know it'll say you're going to exit right in two miles, right, so you go ahead and put the two fingers up when we're on an interstate. And, uh, i put one finger up when we're on, you know, um, state routes. You know I mean on an interstate. I want to give the bikes the maximum amount of time to get over in that sort of thing. So I push it out two miles. Or sometimes, you know, uh, the rear, the rear gunner, will get over when they see me running up on a semi and uh, you know, i'll stick three fingers out that just to let them know, hey, in three miles you know, um, that's why I'm in this lane.
Speaker 2:I don't need over or whatever. Um, again, that's what I don't know.
Speaker 1:if they're picking that up way back there, well, so and that leads to a different subject, though is that you know, when we're talking about this, we're talking about group riding, so this is more than just one or two bikes, right? Typically, when we're group riding, it's four or five, six, seven, eight bikes.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And for the most part the our group. When we ride, everybody kind of understands the dynamics of group riding. Some individuals in the group whether it's lack of experience or lack of time riding with everybody don't know those. You know things that those of us that have rode a lot in this group kind of know you know. You see, sandy, are all out and they jump out in the left lane to the tailgunter and you throw them three fingers out, they pop right back in cause, cause they know they've, they've got that, um, uh, that, that, that that familiarity with it. You know, um. But then we have other individuals that when you're running up on a truck, they'll just in the middle of the pack, they'll just jump out to the left, but they don't take into consideration the cars that are blocking, the ones in the back, right And and. So that's where I think that you know you and I have talked that maybe we should kind of come up with like a, an SOP on how to do this, because we have some individuals that know exactly what you're doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:As funny as that sounds Right. And we have other individuals that will just follow regardless. And then we have other individuals that for the most part do good in the pack, but they do little things that cause grief for other individuals in the pack.
Speaker 2:And I think, well, it's that and it's also, you know, people bring You breathe, you bring things in with you. You rode with other groups, other clubs, other, you know, and they have them. Other clubs have a, you know, and Every group has its own idiosyncrasies. Right And their own SOPs and, and and rich you know, he said, you know a lot of things, a lot that could be alleviate, alleviated with you know. a little patrol, brief before we, before we head out especially because the groups aren't always the same people every time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, mostly the same people, but not completely all the same people.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, i mean um, yes, i can do a better job at uh articulating Um but again where we grow through, we go through, So you know, this trip to Colorado highlighted some deficiencies in our way of doing things.
Speaker 2:Well, it's because it's funny, you know, i I like to think that I grow each time I get on the bike, i grow. Each trip I grow. And you know, when I was first the commander, uh, my first long ride was to, uh, the upper peninsula of Michigan. There was two bikes, excuse me, three bikes. You see what I'm saying? Yeah, we went to Colorado. There was nine bikes.
Speaker 1:Um, well, one was a sidecar, two were trikes. One of the trikes was pulling a trailer Right. Unless we had what Three chase vehicles Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I mean there was, yeah, yeah, a whole, a whole lot of moving parts there, um. So, yeah, i mean it's it's one of those things where I have to adjust. You know, um, what we were doing in 2000 going to Michigan and what we're doing in 2023 going to Colorado different Yeah, um, and yeah, a good road captain would, um highlight all those things that we talked about Um but I I also think that, um, we can't get better as a group riding If we don't articulate the things that each group member sees.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that this trip to Colorado, we had some individuals in the group that were like Hey, this is what I'm seeing. You know, if you're up there, you may not be seeing it because I'm back here or I'm in the middle, you know, and I think that that willingness for the group to say Hey hands up. We noticed an issue on this trip.
Speaker 2:And and also highlight also the willingness of the person in charge not to take it personal and to say fuck it, we're doing it. You know like no, you got to grow. You got to say, all right, yep, um, that's a pretty good critique, that's a pretty good. You know, you do an after action review and say, okay, yeah, yeah, you're right.
Speaker 1:Like the like. When we went out to the trip out to Dodge City, we were pushing kind of hard and um, we got out into Kansas, especially them rolling hills, My bike was struggling, struggling, that 103 with all that extra weight in the sidecar, It just it. It couldn't keep up on the interstate at 75, 80 miles an hour. And you had a lot of concerns to how the rest of the trip was going to go with the way the bike was. And you voiced those concerns. You're like how the hell are you going to keep up? And I'm like it's just the interstate. Once we get out to Colorado Springs and we're not flying down the interstate at 75, 80, the bike will be okay And, to its credit, even with its overheating issues, it was a champ Right On the way back.
Speaker 1:It was good in New Mexico. Well, no, sorry, When we went from Colorado into New Mexico with the rolling hills it was still struggling a little bit. Then, once we got out on the flat ground into Oklahoma and Texas, it did pretty good Right, Um, struggled a little bit in the rain in Oklahoma, you know, just because of the chaos of Oklahoma and the rain. But you know as, as a leader, you're like Hey, on this, so far, in this trip with these four bikes, you're a weak link. Well, you right, You're like you're, you're, I'm concerned about you and your bike. What can we do to make it better? Right, So you didn't just take off and leave, Right, You know, you didn't just say Hey, fuck you. You know we're trying to accomplish a task and you're holding us back. You know, Hey, boat anchor, go do something else. And and I tried to tell you guys to go on, Right, And you're like no, but we're a group, We stay together, We stick together.
Speaker 2:You know, we go as one goes, And so, um, now and to that, to that point, there are many leaders out there that everybody has a different way of dealing with that. Right, one, one guy don't kill the squad. Right, you know, like, we have a mission. Um, if you, you, you have that slow person in the squad, then you know, you, you cut his Achilles in in time to a tree and say, well, we may be back to get you Right Or we may not know.
Speaker 2:I tell you, my frustration with your motorcycle was the fact that I knew the blood, sweat and tears you put into that thing, the amount of work you put into getting that um, sidecar um right, and the why. You know what I mean. The why is important. That's why it's our first episode. You know, um, the amount of fun that Jay had in Colorado was worse. Everything, all the frustration, everything.
Speaker 2:And I also know, i also know that, um, that motorcycle is a direct correlation to your mental health Good, bad or ugly, right, so when the bike's riding good, you're feeling good. When, when you know, uh, when there's things to tinker, tinker, you know you're, you're all about tinkering, um, and that's why I said, like, throughout the week, i'm like, Hey, the goal for the day is to bring that thing back in this garage and not touch it. You know um, because even though that is your um, your comfortable spot, you know where, when we come home, we want to eat, we want to. You know, crack open a bottle and play cards or whatever your thing is turn and wrenching.
Speaker 1:So I mean that's but. but I didn't want to be turning the wrench. I didn't want. I didn't want. I like to turn the wrench to turn the wrench, but I didn't want to to kill myself, to be able to ride the next day Right, and I wanted to enjoy everyone's company as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, and that was my. that was my focus on the way out. My frustration was the bike is not responding to um the way it should be. right, like um and you having to Kentucky win right, you know, i'm gonna be in third year going up hills and then I'm, you know that that sort of thing. I'm like we're going to kill this bike And the worst thing, the worst thing that could happen, is having to put that thing on a trailer and get it back to ultimately, that's what we did, but we got back to Ohio.
Speaker 2:But I mean, like if we had to put that thing in a trailer in Colorado, that would that would have been catastrophic. Yes, um, i would have. mentally, i think that would have been catastrophic.
Speaker 1:But until that bike's credit. I beat the fuck out of that thing. Right Water pump went out on Sunday and I and you know it's an air-cooled Harley with water cooled heads, so the water pump's not Absolutely important. But I rode that bitch to the summit of Pike's Peak with it overheating and it it didn't let me down. Right, it was hot, but it didn't let me down.
Speaker 2:And yeah, it was hot even at 14,155 feet when it wasn't wasn't so hot. Um yeah And uh, air-cooled and there was very little air up to 14,000 feet.
Speaker 1:So um, but what I tell you there? are you sure you want to take this? I'm riding this bitch to the summit. We're either going to get to the summit or I'm going to blow it the fuck up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, most certainly. And uh, but yeah, i mean that that was the frustration. That was. It was you know, i knew you were doing everything. If you were falling back, it was the bike, not you. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Like, I did. Your frustration wasn't with me. Your frustration was with you, knew the negative impact the bike was having on me.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, i get it.
Speaker 1:That was my frustration And I understood that. I did Like I knew you weren't. you weren't like this motherfucker and this piece of shit. He should have stayed home. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 2:Like I knew that And that's. And I told your dad, i'm like, hey, we, we got to talk to him, we got to talk him off the ledge here And you know, um, maybe, maybe we have to take the sidecar off and and maybe, maybe, like you know, if that fucking engine shits the bed, then what You know what I mean, like, then what, what's, what's, what's the next step there? You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:And uh, yeah, but and thankfully it didn't, and and I was 153 miles from the house in the tire let go, yeah, and that was probably the most frustrated I was for the entire trip, cause I had 153 miles to go Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, the end was near the, the and she gave up the ghost on me. The finish line was in sight and.
Speaker 1:but you're what you said to me when you pulled up, when you turned around and came back to me and, rich on the side of the road, made it all worth it When you said you're a man of your word, you're going to ride the bitch till she blows up.
Speaker 2:Man of your fucking word. Um yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean it's it's um, but.
Speaker 2:But going back to uh, many, many leaders, they have um, you know they would. you don't sacrifice the many for the one. Yep, you know what I mean. I I'd never lived by that Um. I never lived by that um creed or or way of thinking. Um, to me it's, you know the. the strength is in numbers, even if one of the one of the numbers is not at full strength. Um and uh, i. I can't leave people out on the road, i can't leave Um but you can.
Speaker 1:when the tire blew, I tried to tell you guys to go on Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right.
Speaker 1:And rich is like I'm not leaving and you're like well, we're not leaving rich and we're definitely not leaving you, so we'll be at the next step. You've got the whole group up to the next exit. So not everybody was Everybody was on the side of the interstate.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that was you know. Yeah, you, um, yeah, you do that. And then I think what was? I think we're getting ahead of ourselves, but what was good with that is, immediately when we stopped, everyone started um thinking of ways to you know um get you off the road. And, uh, that was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cause my first phone call was the dad, cause he had came 70 across, so he was already home, right, and I said, hey, you know, grab the trailer. I need you to come get me. What's? three hours from our house to where the bike broke down, down by Cincinnati. So it was going to be a while, right, and I called, uh, the insurance company to try to get a tow And of course nobody around Cincinnati was available to tow and or tow the bike, or blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Basically, they told me to go fuck myself. So, um, that didn't work out. So, uh, we had. We had one guy posted on a group.
Speaker 2:Well, we, we, we look for U-Haul spots. Um, you know, go get a U-Haul trailer. Um, one of our trail vehicles had a tow hitch, so we can go get a. Go get a U-Haul trailer. And then it was like, well, fuck, can we even put that bike, what a side car on a trailer? You know that those questions come up and and, um, and you can, and we did it. Yep, um, and, but thankfully, you know when, when you wear a patch, that's national, um, like we do, and even though we're in our home state, there's nine chapters in this state Uh, just so happened to be one in Cincinnati. Um, and uh, you know, two guys on their way back home from work, um, you know, stopped and and and rendered help. So that's always good, um, but yeah, i mean it's. It's One of those things where you know it don't, you don't finish the way you want to, but it's not the worst thing possible. Well, and that's like we talked about with our careers.
Speaker 1:We didn't finish the way we wanted to and it took a long time for us to accept it. You know that was okay And even now we still don't fully accept it. I didn't get to do the last 153 miles on my bike and it bothers me. You know that I wasn't able to complete it Right, but that that not hitting that 153 doesn't detract from the other 3500 that I did do.
Speaker 2:Right, most certainly, and You know um to go back um. You know our first leg was 1000 miles From Zanesville, ohio, to Dodge city, kansas. Um, we did it just under 20 hours, yeah, um and uh, you know to qualify for the iron, but you need to do it in 24 hours. Um and uh, we were not. Uh, we were very liberal with our day. Um, we wasn't, um, we weren't doing 100 try to make it.
Speaker 1:We wasn't doing 100 and trying to make it.
Speaker 2:We wasn't doing, uh, 240 miles at a pop, yep, um, cause I mean that that helps, that helps with the time too. I mean, if you're, if you're doing, you know, five stops at 200 miles, you know, um, we couldn't do that. No, couldn't do that, you know.
Speaker 1:Bobby's bike couldn't do that with the trite Mine, definitely couldn't. yours.
Speaker 2:Yours can do 553.2 or something, cause we did five, we did five, uh, we did, oh yeah, 100, excuse me, 153 or 152. And you put uh um five point nine's five in a six gallon tank.
Speaker 1:And six gallon tank. but that was the one fuel stop I was worried about because it was the longest one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, And um yeah.
Speaker 2:So we did a hundred, a hundred, 150 mile, 152 miles was the longest leg of an eight leg day. Um, and you know we, we didn't, um, we didn't just throw gas in it, take a piss and get back on the bike. You know, we didn't throw gas in it, take a piss and get back on the bike. You know, we stretched a little bit through a uh snicker bar down your throat. Um, yeah, i mean, it wasn't. we made good time. Um, yeah, people do it faster. you know, whatever, um, we did it. Yeah, we did it. We met the requirements. We exceeded the requirements?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we were 23 hours and 45 minutes. We were just under 20 hours. We had four hours to spare.
Speaker 2:Um and uh, yeah, so And uh, yeah, so, And we did over a thousand miles, yep. Now the the the odometer is very the odometer is very um, but it was well over a thousand Um four bikes and we averaged anywhere between a thousand and 50 and a thousand and 98 miles. Right. So wherever them 40 miles are, who knows?
Speaker 1:So I like my odometer and had more miles.
Speaker 2:Right, So did a thousand miles in a day. uh, stopped in Dodge city. Um, the reason why we went to Dodge city is go to a distillery. Um, didn't end up going to the distillery that night because we missed the closing of the distillery by 30 minutes. Yeah, um, i got it was close and uh, and We had some weather come in on us Um bad weather, but it was cool watching it come in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's had some weather come in on us, so it's it's one of those um it's better to be safe. Um we'd left 430 in the morning. um got out to Kansas around 1130 at night.
Speaker 1:Um, and that's 430 Ohio time, 1130 Kansas time.
Speaker 2:Right Um, which is um central or, excuse me, mountain Yep Times on. Two hour difference and uh, so yeah.
Speaker 1:Um, got up, So that was Saturday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was Saturday. uh got up and uh trolled around um Dodge city.
Speaker 1:Um, got to see a cool gunfight reenactment.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And and when I say cool, i'm, i'm actually being serious.
Speaker 2:I didn't expect a lot and they put on a pretty damn good show Yeah And uh, down in Dodge city they they did a uh, um reenactment of a gunfight at um, a saloon outside of a saloon, um, and it's a working saloon, so that that was pretty cool too.
Speaker 1:If you've ever been to Dodge, if you haven't been to Dodge city, they have a museum there. When you go into the museum, right behind the museum they have a recreation of the old Dodge city town, the original Dodge city. Dodge county jail is there. You can look at that. They've got a cemetery and stuff there. They've recreated it. But yeah, they, they recreated that, that gunfight between the marshals and uh and the outlaws and it was like when they said they're going to do it, i didn't expect a lot. And then when that big dude come out and speared that skinny dude and drove him into the ground like it looked like some straight up Bill Goldberg type shit.
Speaker 1:I'm like Oh these motherfuckers getting after it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in the rain. Yeah, i mean they. He speared them into a puddle, so I mean it was um yeah, that was they fake.
Speaker 1:beat the car out of each other, Yeah.
Speaker 2:That was pretty good. Um, and then we got to walk around. It's a actual museum. uh, a lot of history there, so that was pretty cool. Yep, um, train. you know they had a train sitting outside, which was pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Jay got to be promoted to a deputy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Jay, Jay got a set of speeding tickets. He had the ability to get a set of speeding tickets if need to. Um, but yeah, so that that was cool. And then, um, uh, then we just rode north to Wackini.
Speaker 1:And that's when the water pump went out.
Speaker 2:That's when the water pump. Yep, that's when we spit, we spit some. Uh, you know it's 90 miles from Dodge city to Wackini, kansas, uh, north Um, and uh, we were on a little two lane road, um and let, and you know I see you pull over and you know it's. It's one of those things where, um, and you know everybody had something on her bike that helped.
Speaker 1:Yep, right Like a zip tie tool uh whatever Everybody, so it it. it was imperative that everyone stopped, and everyone you know um and I and I was looking for a safe place to pull over because there wasn't on that little two lane road. So I rode for a couple of miles with that thing throwing that overheat light, saying Hey, stupid, I'm hot. Yeah, Because I didn't know at the time what it was.
Speaker 2:So yeah, Yeah, so, um, so we were ended up. It was a? um kind of a hidden blessing because we missed a huge storm. Yeah, we did Um and Wakini, uh, the time we spent on the side of the road was enough to get that thing to wash, wash through Wakini. We um linked up with the rest of our element Um, you know, we kind of went out um to Kansas in two charts One, one early Saturday morning, one late, uh. You know, one left at 430. And then one left at 738 o'clock or something Um, and they stopped at 500 miles and then, you know, uh, wakini being the other 500 miles of a thousand miles. Um, so we linked up in Wakini, stayed there tonight, um had a good time, um and uh, and then rode into um Colorado Springs Monday, um, about 300, three a little over 300 miles, yeah, something like that.
Speaker 2:Um that we rode in um and uh got to our Airbnb that we stayed in Was that big. Oh, i mean, yeah, that thing was awesome. I don't know who the fuck found that, but that's that son of a bitch was uh. I mean I don't know who the fuck found that. That son of a bitch was uh. It, I mean it. It had, uh, i don't know, five bed, five bedrooms.
Speaker 1:One, two, three, four, six, six, seven, seven bedrooms.
Speaker 2:Okay, and then, uh, you chanted the twin bedroom. Okay. So, yeah, i mean there was really six of them. Yeah, we used six of them. Uh, you know, sarge was unable to go. Uh, he had a little motorcycle accident prior to, uh, uh, national, so he was unable to go Um, yeah.
Speaker 2:So, man, uh, and then you put five couples in a house, Um, and you, you know, you hope for the best, Yep, And, and you hope, you know, man, every time these five, five couples get together it's a great fucking time, But at the end of the night we go our separate ways. We, you know, we live differently. We, you know, and uh, but for the most part, no real um, no real um drama, No real housewives Shit, No um, everything kind of worked out well Yeah. No, mtv real world.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a couple of minor hiccups, but I mean it was more logistical issues than personality issues.
Speaker 2:Right, um, yeah, and uh, you know, um, so we did that. Uh, that to the house. House was great, um, you know, very secluded on the side of a mountain, um, so, Had turkeys and deer in the yard almost every day. Yeah, Um and and a and a dog with some banks.
Speaker 1:He looked like he was wearing a toupee, so I named him toupee.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean yeah.
Speaker 1:Uh, he just rolled up. Walk in the garage, say what's up, go to the front door. You know just hey, hey, fuckers, you're the welcoming party, right? He?
Speaker 2:looked. He looked like the big white dog on, like Bugs Bunny.
Speaker 1:That has the part You know you know the dog has the part and it falls down over his eyes. Yeah, That that dog.
Speaker 2:This one was gray, so it's a older dog apparently, um, but this one was gray. But yeah, it reminded me of that dog that looked like he had a bad hair piece Um he did have a bad hair piece.
Speaker 1:Um, i don't know if his hair grew naturally into a bad hair piece or his owners cut it into a bad hair piece, and if they did, they should be ashamed of themselves.
Speaker 2:They should be most certainly. Um. So, yeah, it got in, got into the Airbnb. Everything was good. Um, you know, we we were fortunate enough to have um trail vehicles, um people drove out there, so that made joining grocery shopping and things of that nature um a little easier. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Duchess flew out So she had a rental car there at the house. Yep, bootleggar had her car at the house. Um, you know, all out in Sandy, they had all out drove his truck and his trailer out. Yeah, um, pup had his bike on his trailer, rich's daughter, and they drove their car out. Um, brenda and Dwayne drove out, and then Dwayne rode back. Um, who am I missing? Oh, amanda had a rental car, didn't she?
Speaker 2:Uh, i don't think so. Oh, okay, no, because someone, someone had to. I don't. I don't think she did. Oh, all right.
Speaker 1:I think that's all the cars then.
Speaker 2:Um, but yeah, but we had plenty.
Speaker 1:We had plenty of vehicles to um, we had plenty of reasons not to ride in rain but it was nice to have the cars to go get groceries and things like that, You know so um that that um, so that was. Monday. We just kind of vetched out Monday night because you know kind of let the road come off of us for a little bit Right And uh. And we got up Tuesday and where we go Tuesday. Tuesday was bucket list item for me, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:We rode, we rode to the summit of Pike's Peak.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Yeah, and, and that was. it's one of those things where I think you know when, like NFL teams or sports teams baseball, basketball, you know hockey, they altitude. When you play in Colorado, altitude is an issue. Yeah, right, when I was on the army wrestling team, we wrestled out in Colorado. Um, we, we went a week ahead of time and we trained at altitude And let me tell you, a week is not enough, it's not um a day is definitely not.
Speaker 2:It's not. I mean definitely not. So altitude is a thing, it's a real live thing that affects you And you don't know it until you're already in it And uh, you know um my dad didn't go because he only has a half along on his left side and he knew, he knew that that's not, you know, he struggle.
Speaker 1:He was struggle breathing at the house. Yes, so he knew that, that you know, the summit wasn't going to be something he could do, which, by not doing that, he was able to go to the Harley shop, pick up my water pump. So we could make things better. But you know right.
Speaker 1:Right, and you know, we gave him shit for not going um, because that's what the fuck we do, yeah, and he didn't take it personal Right, it was just giving him shit because, well, any reason you can find to give him my dad's shit, it's worth it.
Speaker 2:Well, and that's how we do. Everybody You know what I mean. Like no one is immune to getting And. But I will tell you to a man soon as I saw him that day.
Speaker 1:I'm like it's fucking good, but you can't joke like yeah like even even some of the ones that are in our group that are in really good shape, struggled Oh it was yeah. J's 24 and his lips were blue.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i mean it's um. you don't know until you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, i mean, i mean, i beat my ass.
Speaker 2:And um, I mean even at, And while I mean the highest elevation, we went um just short, just short of 10,000. We rode no issues Um, no issues, Um, and we get up here and we stopped it. I want to say 11, 16 or no.
Speaker 1:No, sorry, Yeah The first time we stopped. Yeah, tennis 11, somewhere around there, yep, and.
Speaker 2:I felt it Uh-huh, That first, that first little pull off. I felt it And I was like Oh man, Yeah.
Speaker 1:The bike was already letting me know. Hey motherfucker, yeah What you doing to me Um yeah, i was.
Speaker 2:I was feeling it there and I'm like, well, it's time to get back. I didn't feel it on the bike, um, and I'm like, yeah, it's, it's time, uh to uh, time to get back on the bike, and we left out, uh, stopped it 16. Yep.
Speaker 1:So it's 19 months. For those that don't know, it's 19 miles from the, from the bottom where you go through the gate to the to the summit, and then at mile marker 16 is kind of like their big pull off, and that's where the majority of people that don't go to the summit stop, or they have buses that shuttle you the last three miles, or what is it? Just over a thousand feet, like it was 13,000 feet there, my marker 16.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so Um, yeah. And then people you know people made business decisions when we got to 16. They made grown folk decisions. You know, um, and my, my, my wife uh tore uh half of my, um, my lats off, um, and and her defense, you know, i recorded from 16 to 19. I recorded She was recording most of the way up And then when we got above the trees, reality hit her. You know what I mean. And now she's like we're above fucking trees and there's no guardrails And I'm not in an airplane and a fucking guy in front of me.
Speaker 2:He can't keep his eyes on the fucking road because he's sightseeing Right.
Speaker 1:And right because you couldn't help it Right, like it was so amazing, like yeah.
Speaker 2:But I recorded. I kept my phone in my my phone holder and you know I kind of turned it so you can't see my windshield and just. But you can see the white line And I'm like, oh fuck, look, you know, fuck, look at this. And you know my tire would go over the white line. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:And here come back And you know that's 13 plus thousand feet to the bottom Right, and so I show her that she's like.
Speaker 2:That's why that right there is, why, like you, you're over here fucking pointing.
Speaker 1:Look at this Like you know, the they had Um sheer face, um ice walls where they cut through with that fucking monster snowblower Yeah.
Speaker 2:Uh, just sheer face. You know nine foot, six foot walls, they taper off on turns or whatever you know. People came and wrote in, fucking you know whatever little class was here at this point. Um, and I'm over here touching it. I'm, you know, i'm touching it with my, my hand, as we're riding by, as I come on. Uh, that's what, that's what gave my wife a panic attack. She's like I'm a fucking die, i'm a fucking die on this mountain And uh, so you know we stop. People made business decisions.
Speaker 1:They're like Hey, i'm not, i'm not riding my bike, cool, I, everybody, has to make their own decision on where they ride, how they ride, most certainly, and and and they probably made better decisions than we did.
Speaker 2:Hey, you know, cause we got at the top and we had to ride around them, motherfucker, twice to find a parking spot and and, uh, you know, fucking the, the, uh, the Gauguin gargantuan snow remover deal is still removing snow up there and you're like, maybe this wasn't the greatest, the fucking ideas, but we were up there. Um, the longer we stayed up there, the better I felt.
Speaker 1:Um, I was a complete opposite.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the the longer we stayed, the better I felt I. Initially, when we first got off the bike I was like fuck. However, the the lasting effects stayed with me longer.
Speaker 2:Um, i felt residual effects from altitude days after that, days after that, um, cause, you know, i there were several, I mean I, probably 10 times after coming off that mountain when we would stop at red lights or stop signs, that I didn't downshift at all at all And I try, i would try to take off in six gear or you know, whatever gear I was in the bikes, like nah, you know, i'm like oh shit, and I'm like what the fuck is wrong with me. You know, like there was the, the mental lapses was more prevalent, you know, the day after or two days after. So, um, yeah, pike speak phenomenal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was. It's a bucket list item for me. Jay rode in a car cause, you know, jay found him a girl that he was going to follow to the end of the earth while we were out there. If she walked off the side of that fucking mountain he was probably going after. And the funny part is is that it's it's Rich's son's girlfriend and Jay gave two dicks that she had a girlfriend, like it didn't matter, she was his and that's all that mattered, like he, nobody else mattered, and he would find a reason to get into that car And I would tell him no. And when he's like, oh, no, he can get in there. Like when we stopped coming back from the Royal Gorge and he's like, mom, it's going to rain, i have to ride in the car, like you get. So he didn't ride with us up.
Speaker 1:So Brandy rode in the sidecar, cause somebody has to be in the sidecar to balance the weight out. And she told me when we got up to the top, like she was, she was like cheering me on going up, because going up on a bike is a challenge. Going up, having to ride the way you do on a sidecar, it is a. It is not just a mental taxing, it is a very physical taxing one. And, um, she was nervous that I could do it and I did it and and she told me we got to the top. She goes. I'm so proud of you, she goes. You did a phenomenal, she goes. Your ability to handle that going up was great.
Speaker 1:Now on the way down, i was doing great too, until mile marker 10. And mile marker 10, my rear brake said nah, fam, we ain't going to work no more. So I did the last 10 miles with no rear brakes. Now I have ABS on the bike, so when you squeeze the front brake handle, it activates the back brakes as well, and the back brakes were going making some weird ass fucking noise. So she was white knuckling it, cause once I lost the rear brake, she could tell something changed in my demeanor and she's like what happened? Well, i didn't want to tell her, but she was just going to keep asking because you could tell the concern on my face was different. I said we lost the rear brakes And then it was basically the last 10 miles with white knuckle. Now, once we got down and the bike cooled off and stuff, everything was off. Everything worked again. It's just you know, motorcycle brakes weren't designed to have all that extra weight on them. Right, and you know it is what it is.
Speaker 2:But yeah, and we were lucky in the fact that you know, um our our brother chapters, um, you know guys from 12, three and 12, four. they were coming up the hill as we were going down.
Speaker 1:They couldn't get past 16, you know or or it was at your own risk. Yeah, Cause the storm rolled in.
Speaker 2:And you know one of those things where the guy that works at the top of the mountain when he says, yeah, you can go at your own risk, you're like well, fuck man, right, like what. Us. He was like you guys going up. We're like yeah, he's like, well, then, park right here on the side of the road. And we're like okay, and uh, he's like all right, go. And and uh, with them. They're like, hey, go at your own risk. You're like what the fuck?
Speaker 1:Well, and he did tell us too. As we went past him he said Hey, don't dally, because it looks like there might be a storm coming in. And if they come in, they get nasty real quick.
Speaker 2:And uh, so, yeah, so we were lucky, A lot of there was. There was people that didn't make it to the top, yep, um, but you know, uh, 13,000 feet is is a pretty good feat. Fuck yeah, it is Um in itself. And uh, so we did that, came back and uh.
Speaker 1:Wednesday we were supposed to do Mount Evans, Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean Mount Evans, is it's? the one is 50, 50 feet more or less 50 feet more, right, um, but it was also, um, a hundred miles away, you know, uh, the 117 miles from our front door to there, and uh, so that gave us a ride, um and uh, which, seeing the reaction of my wife, the reaction of you know others yeah, the ill effects of altitude on our group. Yeah.
Speaker 1:It wasn't like one person made it through unscathed. Probably Dakota was the one that was leaf bothered, but he's also a young guy. Yeah, he's a pup, right, um, um. But yeah, the rest of us, like all of us, it either either, like you know, you said Chrissy was like nah, fuck this, i'm above trees, or you know just the sheer altitude whip in our ass.
Speaker 2:And um. So you know, i made the command decision like eight. You know, yes, we spent money, um, but no one gave me. It ain't like someone was like, oh man, you know what I mean like I said fuck like cause I would have done it.
Speaker 1:Like if you said I'm still doing Mount Evans, i'd have done it. Oh yeah, i'd have probably died.
Speaker 2:Well, here's the other thing that I've quickly picked up on right. Like you, duke Sarge, you know there's, there's guys out there. When I say I'm gonna do something, you're not the voice of reason. You're like yep, yep, and so I got to. You know, like at some point you have to be like all right, if I do this, they're going to do this.
Speaker 1:So my wife would have made sure I didn't, but I would have.
Speaker 2:You see, i'm saying like you know, chrissy would have rode. You know what I mean. I tell her all the time. She is my voice of reason and she stays mute. I have to fucking time. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:And uh but, but we ain't got no sense together, right.
Speaker 2:And, uh, i was like fuck man, uh, but yeah, so I, you know, it's one of those things where I'm like, yeah, i wanted to go. Mount Evans is like the one thing, Cause no one talked about Mount Evans, you know what I mean. Like all the posts on uh Facebook from the our state site, the national site. this is pipes pikes, you know. granted, it's in Colorado Springs, so I got that, and. but you know, the Mount Evans thing, um, it's, it's one of those things. Nobody was talking about it.
Speaker 1:That's why I wanted to do Yeah, and, and, and Sarge. You know Sarge was stationed out there So he gave us a lot of and you know he's like Mount Evans. It's one of those rides that you know it's a slept on secret. That's.
Speaker 2:It's pretty bad ass, and it's, it's one. I wanted to do So, but you had to make that call and and say because, soon as we would have left out, um Wednesday, half the people would have been stayed.
Speaker 1:You know, yeah, um, because they didn't want to go or couldn't go, or you know like, like my dad, you know he wouldn't have been able to do Mount Evans either.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Now he probably would have rode there, but he wouldn't have been able to do the the ride up Right.
Speaker 2:So, and you know, and I had that I had that day planned. We're hitting a distillery here We're going to go up here There's a brewery would have you know, hit that. It Mount Evans. You know all that, so I I had that but no plan survives, first contact. Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Um, and and do your credit. You tried to keep you say all the time when we do things like deployment and stuff like that, Everybody's got equal say in it, because everybody's there.
Speaker 1:Most certainly, and so you try really hard not to do things that are going to exclude a portion of the group. Yeah, you know, now, if we have something planned, you know, like my dad, hey, everybody's going to Pike's Peak. That's not something I can do And I'm okay with that. You know what I mean. Like he didn't feel left out because that was something he knew about himself. That that's just not just not going to work, right, right.
Speaker 2:And uh, yeah, cause, everyone, everyone has skin in the game. Um, so, if, if, if you're going to ride a thousand miles, if you're going to ride, you know. Um, we left the day early because of, Hey, there's a distillery down in Dodge City. You know, it's closed on Mondays, or closed. You know what I mean? Like we can't hit that.
Speaker 1:We have to hit it Saturday.
Speaker 2:We have to hit it Saturday, right. And then you're like, ooh, like we're. you know we're pushing like everything has to go right today for us to get there by 11 o'clock. Oh yeah we can do it.
Speaker 1:We almost could have Yep.
Speaker 2:I mean, and we hit some construction, Yep And again you know we were at a gas stop and you know everybody's like Hey, um, it's 160 miles or whatever, um, and we had another stop, plan, um, and you guys were like, hey, you can make it.
Speaker 1:I'm like I don't drink whiskey, So, and that's why right.
Speaker 2:But and then you know Bobby, you know Bobby and Becky was the same way. They're like Hey, you can make it. I'm like that ain't the point.
Speaker 1:You're the ones that wanted us to go to this distillery, right Yeah?
Speaker 2:I'm like that ain't the fucking point. Um, so yeah, but we were um. the thing was, you know that that um, that Sunday we were able to, um, or, excuse me, that Saturday we made it that night. That Sunday we were able to go take pictures at boot hill distillery in um Dodd City And there was a local liquor store open and we got bottles from boot hill distillery.
Speaker 1:So we hit that little brewery place um, which was really cool. Their logo was awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I was at Dodd Dodd city. Yeah, Dodd city brewing.
Speaker 2:And uh. I think you got signed right there somewhere The, but the stickers right down there Yeah, dodd city brewing and super lining After doing that thousand miles.
Speaker 1:we needed that data recoup. Holy shit. Like if we would have done that Sunday and then had to ride into Colorado on Monday. I think we'd have been at least me, i know me and I know dad. dad struggled there towards the end. Um that, that, that Sunday of just kind of lolly gagging and doing that 90 miles, that was much needed. Yeah, god, that was much needed, yeah.
Speaker 2:And um, yeah, so doing that, um and uh, so Wednesday, instead of going to Mount Evans, we ended up going down to um garden of the gods garden of the gods.
Speaker 2:Really cool, yeah. And then, well, prior to that, what, what, what kind of started that day out is? we were going to ride up at the base. we were, um, the Airbnb was at the base of the mountain and at 8,000 feet above us was the Roy Rogers Will Rogers um shrine of the sun. Yep, uh kind of a temple church bell tower definitely a bell tower. It told uh a lot while we were there, but man, it was just perched um perfectly Yeah it, it was.
Speaker 1:They did a good job. Yeah and it it's been ringing bells over Colorado Springs for like 80 some years, Yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, right, so it. it was amazing.
Speaker 1:So we were a ride up there, um and um in your head when you look straight up and you see it, you're like Oh well, this road here is going to take us there.
Speaker 2:Yes, and the day before, um, the day before I was out riding um and I was going to ride up that way and um, and I'm like, and it said road closed, and uh, so I just turned around and came back and I'm like, hey, the road's closed to get up there, and uh, you know, uh link was like no it's open, i'm like, well, maybe that ain't the road, or maybe there's times or whatever, and uh, so the next day we rode up there and no, that's something different.
Speaker 1:That was like a was like an access road to a ranch or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, That was something different And uh, i'm like all right you know readings fundamental, and I, you know I didn't read the whole fucking side.
Speaker 1:So then we tried to go a different way. It took us to the zoo.
Speaker 2:Now, yes, now that was the right way. And you had to buy tickets to the zoo to get up to the tower? Yeah, and the tickets to the zoo was, um, very expensive. If we're not going to go to the zoo, yeah It was like it's like what?
Speaker 1:35, 40 bucks or something like that, yeah, but we're not going to the zoo, right? You know, just for my bike alone, it was a hundred and twenty dollars.
Speaker 2:Right, so that don't make sense.
Speaker 1:So just to ride up to the shrine that we can see from our house.
Speaker 2:Right, so that's where you know. um, every night everybody was like what are we doing tomorrow? And and, uh, in my defense, if you asked, at dinner I could give you a coherent answer. Probably, um, after dinner I'm already half a bottle in. Uh, so I'm I'm unable to uh give coherent answers. And you know that first night you sent out a text message, text message given the you know the low down for the next day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cause I got. I got all of you guys before you started becoming inebriated, right, since I don't drink, right, i gathered intel and put out a message so that, at any time, somebody could be like, oh all right, that's what we're fucking doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So because I've learned.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, i've grown.
Speaker 1:I've grown through what I've gone through.
Speaker 2:Most certainly. And uh, so that you know, uh, garden of the gods wasn't really planned. You know what I mean. Like it, it's something we talked about doing.
Speaker 1:On our way to something else.
Speaker 2:Yes, Cause it's not a you know, it's You just ride through it. Yeah, or I mean you can. you can hike through it.
Speaker 1:That's a bad four letter word Fat Right.
Speaker 2:But you know, it's one of those things where, um, uh, Dutchess took a little jaunt through the garden of the guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, She's one of those physically fit people that does stuff like that, right? She's crazy Yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, yeah, so, um, she took a little jaunt through um and uh and she's turned into quite the trooper as well. Most certainly.
Speaker 1:Um, she's rode through some shit weather with us now.
Speaker 2:Most certainly. So, yeah, rode through the garden of the gods. Um, you know, i left out um Sandy and all out that day. Um, and it was kind of a on the fly. We were sitting in a parking lot of the zoo when, when you know somebody's like well, let's go to the garden of God, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:It was one of those things where it wasn't an intentional left out, it was a um in your defense. You have a brain injury and nobody else in the group said, hey, let's get ahold of those individuals. You know what I mean. Like we all had a part in that being overlooked.
Speaker 2:Well, yes, and, and it initially was just our house going up to that bell tower, yep, yep wrote in on us as we were, we were getting ready to ride out Yep, and they're like Hey, what are we doing?
Speaker 1:And you know, that's kind of how that went, and uh, because our group was split between two uh Airbnb's and a hotel Right And and so logistically at the beginning of the week we kind of fucked up, not making sure everybody was, and I know that. I say that we all had a hand in that, but I also know you, i'm the commander, i'm ultimately responsible to make sure my whole chapter knows what's going on.
Speaker 2:And and on the way to garden of the gods, i, you know, i told Chrissy I'm like, hey, we need to get a hold of uh, sandy and Jerry, and uh, and in her defense, sandy's like what are we doing tomorrow, you know? and I'm like I don't, i don't fucking know, um, and uh, i'm like, when I know, you'll know. And so when we got to the garden of the gods, i texted her and said Hey, we're, we're at the garden of the and uh, and then when I saw him later, i had to apologize. Um, and I'm like, well, my thought process was You, you're at a hotel on the other side of town, uh, the garden of the gods is between Us, right, where we stay, where you stay, um, I thought it'd be easier for you to come down to us and not come to us at our house and then ride down here.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean, um. So you know, that was my thought process And you know, um, you know. And they were like, yeah, we got. Nope, you know, and uh, because again, i don't like to leave people out. You don't want, you know, you know you're not going to be able to get a job, you know, you don't want people to think and we've had in the past in our chapter have people think that there's clubs and clicks and and and.
Speaker 1:There's a there's a recurring joke about the cool kids club. Because it was. It was the only and then we joke also the only requirement for the cool kids clubs to show up. But you know, some people don't don't get that. I wanted to make sure that that wasn't. We didn't want them to feel like they weren't part of the cool kids club for lack of a better term.
Speaker 2:Right. So, um, so that that was a hiccup that got you know um, I'm sure. I'm sure they felt a certain a certain way Initially initially and uh, but you know me apologizing um for my responsibility in in the fact that they wasn't notified um went a long way with you know.
Speaker 1:And Tuesday night when we got back from Pike's Peak, um, i did a water pump on my bike. Yeah, um it, we turned. What turned should have been like a two hour job turned into like an eight hour job because of one of my lower fairings decided to be an asshole, um, but we got it all done. We thought we were good. And Wednesday we went to the garden of the gods and a bitch overheated again and I was pretty upset. Um, so we went from the garden of the gods to Pike's Peak, harley Davidson, so I could talk to the service department.
Speaker 2:Yes, And so I mean you had that, you, you know you had, and you know um fucking. You know alcohol is not an excuse, but I had a lot of alcohol, i had some, uh. I had a little Mary, your mom mama, and uh, mary, your mama, uh Mary Joanna, uh, uh, yeah, i had some um, some get right, some get right, and uh, yeah, i mean, you know um, we were there, We were in Colorado Springs um six.
Speaker 1:Monday to Sunday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um so six nights. And uh like I told someone uh Saturday at the meeting Um, he was talking about how many beers he drank and I'm like I only drank one. And uh, he's like the hell you been doing. I'm like, well, i drank one beer, but six bottles. I've had six bottles of whiskey since I've been in Colorado. Um, yeah And uh yeah.
Speaker 1:So so we went to Pike's Peak, Harley, which was kind of cool.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, um yeah, um, you know we can. we've kind of skirted the weather that day. Um, you know, went into BJs and eight. Oh, so good.
Speaker 1:Um, uh, our, our, our waitress one was fucking awesome, yeah. But ladies, you need to step up your game when it comes to hair, because her hair game was on point, like think of the lady from a fifties diner, yeah, back in the fifties with that beehive, like fucking you know flow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, it's my grits.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like that kind of shit. And she was. She was the waitress at BJs brew house we had. Now she was fucking awesome on her point. Good, great personality, joked with us the whole nine yards, but but that hair game was on point. I told the ladies that was with us at the chapter. I'm like you bitches in these, step up your game. Right, right, pony tails and headbands, just ain't going to cut it when fucking you know flows dropping that kind of shit. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then uh left. there we were able to hit two distilleries veteran owned distilleries right after that, um and uh which was cool.
Speaker 1:We peeled off Yeah. Um and went back to the house.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um. We were able to hit a couple of distilleries in town. Um, that was veteran owned, um and uh, i mean it was. It was good Um and then um. So that was Wednesday, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then we had dinner at the, at the lanes, with the lanes in them.
Speaker 2:They, they cooked out on the grill. Yeah, that was, that was good. Oh, yeah, it was.
Speaker 1:Wendy, wendy, you can fucking make some shit. Yeah, oh my God, like everything that that woman touched and fed us was amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agreed And uh, we played some fat guy.
Speaker 1:Wendy is fat guy approved.
Speaker 2:We played some uh cards against the humanity.
Speaker 1:Jesus Christ Holy smokes Um we got some seriously fucked up people, yeah. And then we got Jason downstairs at the bottom of the steps flexing for Brie, you know, showing off his muscles, yeah, and I'm like, dude, you're ridiculous. And his response to me was am I?
Speaker 2:and he did a pretty good rendition of uh Dingster's previous night.
Speaker 1:So dad got a little tow up Tuesday night. Yeah, like he drank the majority of a bottle of Jack Daniels Right.
Speaker 2:After the. So he brings, he brings that out after me and Bobby already drank a bottle and he's like you guys have to help me drink this bottle And we're like, okay, and then um, halfway through that bottle, that's when the um incident, not an incident. That's when the uh and Steve made my wife cry. Yeah, not it Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was a big misunderstanding fiasco. It wasn't like you know. It is what it is. She cried not because she cried, because she was like conflict And uh, it got the better of her and she got emotional And then she walked away because she didn't want to cry in front of everybody. And then she got her shit together and came back and she was like fuck this. But by then, you know, but it was all good. You guys hugged it out. I tell everybody all the time, you know you argue like brother and sister, right? I don't know how many places we've gone where you know waitresses and staff have been like. Are those two brother and sister?
Speaker 2:Right, um, yeah, so that night.
Speaker 1:And then he stayed up to like 230, which is way past my dad's bedtime Right.
Speaker 2:Drinking the remnants of the bottle.
Speaker 1:Now my dad has been cleaning sober for 35 years. He's had a couple of drinks, but nothing too crazy. Um, he remembered Wednesday why he doesn't drink the way he did Tuesday night Cause he got sick as fuck And he was sharing a room with Jay and he had he had gotten up, went and puked and laid in the bathroom for a little while, came back, gotten bed, thought he was good, started to dry. He woke Jay up as he's dry, heaving across the room heading back to the bathroom. So the next day Jay tells us this epic story of my dad, dad, dad Papo. He got up and he had to puke and he was in the bedroom and he was going across the floor and he was like who is he?
Speaker 1:He's hidden to the bathroom. He said no, he got to the bathroom. He was like bleh, i cannot do the way Jay tells that story justice. Yeah, it's amazing. Yeah, it was epic. So he did that rendition for everybody Wednesday night at the barbecue as well, and anytime we met new people, uh, he shared that that amazing story with him, much to my dad's credit. He took it in stride, but it was fucking awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then he was. he was fucking ruined for most of the rest of the trip.
Speaker 1:He was fucking really he had a combination of the altitude shits and the whiskey shits and he was a fucking mess Yeah he was really there's a reason he got nicknamed sheets for the rest of the week Damn.
Speaker 2:Hey, dinkster man, we love you, we know you, we know you, listen man, We love you.
Speaker 1:Look, if we had to take your shit, you got to take ours. We know you're out on the road somewhere We love you man.
Speaker 2:Speaking of which, uh, you know, he got me a uh shot glass, yeah, from Texas. That, uh, we omitted, i omitted. So I appreciate it. We stopped in a couple of places I don't think they had, they didn't have, and dad said he hit the loves in Brownsville and they didn't have him.
Speaker 1:He had to hit some little rinky dink old school one down by Texas or Houston, But yeah, so, um, we had to get him to the top of the list.
Speaker 2:Um, but yeah. So, um, yeah. So Thursday we went out to the gorge Yep, The Royal Gorge, and uh, yeah, bro. Yeah, that's awesome That was. It was a nice ride out. Yep, um the the gorge is, i mean it it it.
Speaker 1:We took the trolley across. Yeah, I was going to take the trolley back, but everybody else decided to walk on And you guys were doing with the we did the, we did the.
Speaker 2:uh, the rope swing Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah And uh, so I decided to walk and I did not want to, but I did it all the fucking way back. My dad did it. There were multiple people that stopped, random people, bro you okay, like the ranger was like dude, you need me to haul you back the other side. Like he did it though Like he was, his ass was sucking buttermilk, but he did it. I mean, i was proud of him. He did a great job. I get whooped his ass, but he did it, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I mean beautiful, beautiful spot, oh my God, the train tracks at the bottom train track at the bottom of the gorge, that, that, um, that, uh, god damn um, parallel to Colorado river. Yeah And um, yeah it was, i mean ran with the river.
Speaker 1:The world of Gorge was was fucking really awesome. I was thoroughly impressed with how great that was. The bridge was really cool.
Speaker 2:Yep And uh, you know, got some cool pics there. Um and then, uh, on the way back we hit skyline drive which was fucking so we.
Speaker 1:It's like a goddamn goat path.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's. It reminded me of what you know. Some roads in Afghanistan would look like. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Um, it's just barely wide enough for car.
Speaker 2:You're like, why the hell did they bring a goddamn paving truck up here to put the asphalt down? Um and um. so skyline drive is amazing, um, and you know, we had some, we had some people that um were, um, you know, scared of heights, i guess would be the the the term. but you know, when we did, when you, when you did the things that we already did, i don't, you know, i don't think it's scared of heights anymore. I think it's like highly cautioned of heights, like you know, um, we were on the Royal Gorge bridge coming across.
Speaker 1:Andy's daughter called him and he said something about you know being scared of the heights and stuff or I think we were fucking with him or something. And she's like dad, all the crazy shit you did in Afghanistan and you're a fucking afraid of heights, come on, get with it. That. I fucking laughed like for a hot minute because that shit like we had already been giving him shit about it. And then she just fucking kicked him when he was down his own flesh and blood Right.
Speaker 2:So, um, yeah, skyline drive was amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Um so cool, just a little, just a little John right One way. road barely wide enough for a car Yeah.
Speaker 2:Um couple of miles, yep. I mean, it wasn't you know? followed the highway but it got you over top of the highway. Oh yeah, it was fucking awesome Looking down on everything. Um, yeah, it was amazing, yep.
Speaker 1:Um, when we decided we were trying to figure out a place to eat, we had passed passed a place in a little strip mall that I was like, let's try this. And everybody's like, sure, what the fuck, why not? And it was such a good decision. Oh yeah, called the lost Cajun. Yeah, if you, if, if, if getting Cajun food in Colorado sounds uh goofy to you. Uh, these motherfuckers do it, right, right, and I got a lot of friends that are Cajun from down that neck of the woods. You would be. I mean, it ain't, it ain't the same as what you make in your backyard, but you would be proud of what's being labeled as Cajun food out there in Colorado. It's this place called the lost Cajun, yeah.
Speaker 1:It was, uh, pretty special. Yeah, they were so good. Oh my God, i ate so much shit. My wife's like why are you getting all that? I'm like fuck you, this is good shit, i can't get this in Ohio. And when we we came down the road where we like nine bikes we 10 bikes deep, something like that, right, yeah, all the staff was in their 20s. Yeah, outside chilling All break fucking smoking.
Speaker 2:uh, smoking the legal weed. I don't know they smoke with it. It's fucking Colorado, They're smoking weed, but anyways, regardless, they put their foot in that goddamn Cajun food um which was service was awesome.
Speaker 1:Yep Food was amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Nana, the little old lady that was working a counter Right. She was awesome. I told her. I said this this is some of the bet. Your, your place isn't. You know. It's quaint and nice, your staff was great and your food was fucking amazing.
Speaker 2:Um yeah, and then uh. After that we went to a liquor store That was, i mean, pretty, pretty big. It was a fucking big ass liquor store.
Speaker 1:It was nice too, it was like a bougie liquor store Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I, i fucking dropped my bike in the park a lot because my fucking, my hip, uh, the hip said that, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:It was fucking slow motion too. Yeah, and it was the second time that day that I jumped off my bike and Brandy had to jump over my rest and grab my front break because the bike was still rolling when I jumped off of it to go help somebody. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but you know, um, mama took a little knock on the shoulder.
Speaker 1:The hip is, the hip is what it is, um you did miss an opportunity, though, as you were going down, to yell, tuck and roll, uh, right, uh, because it was just like it was like time stood still as you. Just well, i tried to hold that, mother fucker I tried to hold that motherfucker up as um.
Speaker 2:You know, there's been times every now and then, every now and then I will, you know, when I don't think about Hey, my front wheels turned, you know, don't hit the front break, you know. And then I do and I'm like, oh shit, and I can put my feet down and and hold the bike up, even with Chrissy on it.
Speaker 1:And it was when you were also. it was a little bit of an incline to the right Right.
Speaker 2:So I mean, uh, yeah, because we've all done it. Yeah, I've, i. We had a the perfect storm, you know, and my I couldn't stand up with the bike Cause my hip just said no, yeah, um we got it stood up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we got it turned around.
Speaker 2:And uh, you know, I felt like, i felt like a dog shit. Uh, you know cause?
Speaker 1:I hurt my wife.
Speaker 2:That's the only thing. You know what I mean. The only thing I cared about is, you know, she has a bad shoulder anyways and it was feeling pretty good And now I re injured it and and uh, you know um, and hurt my pride, you know um anyway Did minimal damage to the bike, So that's good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i did minimal damage, i didn't give a fuck about that anyways. But um, yeah, but we we ended up going into um the liquor store and um had a lot of, had a lot of great stuff in there. Um, the guys out there were, the guys out there were great. Can you grab that? uh, bottle, black, tall one, and yep, grab that one. Um, yeah, um, it's spirit hound distillery straight malt whiskey distilled in lions, colorado. So they gave us, um, this was exclusively distilled and bottled for Jewett liquors and they gave us a bottle. Um, so, uh, we appreciate them out in, out in uh, colorado.
Speaker 1:Um hopefully it'll bring a couple bucks to help one of our charities.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Yeah And uh, they gave us a bottle. We told them what we, you know what we do, and, um, this is cast strength, um and uh, yeah, um, you know it's one of a kind You can't get it. You can't get it anywhere. You can't, you know, uh, get it sent to you anywhere. So this will probably end up on my shelf.
Speaker 1:If I know you, there's going to be money. That's been to make sure this hits a shelf in the brick corner Tavern. Yeah, most certainly.
Speaker 2:Um so, um so.
Speaker 1:We think the guys out at Jewett liquor um and uh, you know on that note too, all out was wheeling and dealing on the way out getting us some donations from various places. He was um outlaw outlaw Harley Davidson outlaw Harley Davidson in Kansas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so he, he was, he's doing what out all out does, And uh, so we appreciate the hell out of him.
Speaker 1:And and I'm, i'm not, i'm not going to make any accusatory remarks, but when he was sending us pictures of the T shirts that he got, the uh, the, the, the fine, fine, upstanding young lady that worked at that Harley dealership that was modeling them for her. She had some assets that were, um, quite exquisite for the modeling of said T shirt.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I had so much.
Speaker 2:So I have no idea where the fuck outlaw Harley Davidson is. It says it right on the back She was modeling.
Speaker 1:So I'm pretty sure that my dad fell in love and would probably go to outlaw Harley Davidson right now if he could meet that girl.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Most certainly Yeah, Um, so, yeah, So, um, we leave Jewett liquor store, um and uh, head, head back towards Colorado Springs and uh is that where we went down to Pueblo? That's, that's. Yeah, that's the day we went to the Pueblo, pueblo, pueblo, yeah, yeah, Um, anyways, on the way up, uh, what is that? 25, 25, 25 from Pueblo. Right, i fucked that up. You did Hey people out in Colorado.
Speaker 1:I apologize Um so anyways that's why you're working with a speech. Therapist.
Speaker 2:That is Okay. Um, so, on the way up from there, um, something, um, uh, astonishing happened on the way home. Uh, you know, my, my meteorologist that rides on the back of the bike with me, she was like I think we can make it Okay, And then you know a little, and then you know she's, it's fluid, it's weather, Yeah Right.
Speaker 1:She tries, she, we give her shit, but she, she does a good job.
Speaker 2:Right, and you know meteor meteorologists go to school to be fucking. You know. 20% right. You know what I mean, Or whatever the fucking you know they're like Hey, there's 20% chance of rain today.
Speaker 1:While it's raining outside, while it's fucking rain.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a hundred percent chance that there's 20% chance of fucking rain today. Fucking jackoff Anyway. So I mean it's fluid. So you know, when she sees she sees what I see, of course, and she'll see, you know, the clouds getting angry and she'll, you know, tap me, Hey, i think we need to stop, or you know, uh, so we pull over and we stop and we suit up and uh well, most people did Most people.
Speaker 1:I'm at that point now where I'm just like fuck it, i don't give a shit.
Speaker 2:Um, we get back on it, we. So I put my uh, usually I ride and I put my phone in a phone carrier on my handlebars, um, but when it rains, uh, i have found that when my lightning cord gets wet it makes my radio do crazy things, and, um, so I put it into the storage compartment on the the fairing. Well, little did I know that, um, on my iPhone, that I have a feature that, um, if I'm ever kidnapped or someone, someone tries to take me, if I hit the, the power button five times, it calls 911. So, you know, i put it in this little pocket and, apparently, hitting the vibration or hitting whatever it it called, so in my helmet, you know rain's coming in, so we put our full face helmets on and now I have the communication system, so the music and everything's going through my helmet. So, you know, i'm just rolling and all of a sudden, 911, what's your emergency? I'm like, uh, i didn't call you. Um, yes, sir, you did. Uh, no, i didn't.
Speaker 1:This is a scam. You're a telemarketer, right?
Speaker 2:And I'm like, uh, you know, uh, can you tell me where you're located? I'm like, yeah, I'm going 80 miles an hour on 25, going north, the Colorado Springs, and uh, i'm like I'm on my motorcycle, i didn't you know. She's like, so there's no emergency. I'm like, no, like what's your name? I tell her, okay, so there's no emergency. I'm like, no, like we're good. And uh, so she hangs up. And so that's a funny, you know funny, part, the. The amazing part was when we got into Colorado Springs on the outskirts, we were about nine miles from our Airbnb And we were able to witness the, the, and I think it's probably the first time in my life where you see the rain wall, yeah, The sheer face of rain. You know, everything to the left is it just rain and everything to the right is not, and.
Speaker 1:But you see, you see the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the the, the, the rain line, and then you see the dark to the right, like it was the fucking wildest thing I've ever seen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, And then you know, and then you're like oh, you know we're going to get into this And we did, and it was pretty it wasn't just rain Yeah. It was. It was a little bit of everything.
Speaker 1:We got a lot of hail that week.
Speaker 2:We did a lot We? we most certainly did. And there was hail there. And then just just the sunset behind the mountains in that angry sky. you know you're you're in hail, but that sunset I mean it was nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2:It was nice And you're like, but just the sheer fact that you can see that line of weather is amazing to me. Um so made it home that night.
Speaker 1:Um ordered in Um yeah, cause we, we were supposed to do spaghetti dinner. Brandy was going to make spaghetti dinner, but we had had the lost Cajun so late in the day that it wasn't going to be. It didn't make logical sense to come home and make a big old spaghetti dinner.
Speaker 2:So that's when we, we, everybody, kind of later in the evening or everybody was still feeling, yeah, still feeling the Cajun food, the fog, it was so good And uh, so, yeah, so, ordered in, um so Friday, friday, uh, i had meetings. Um, that's the one thing about you know, uh, national trips. You know you have a good vacation that gets interrupted with with work, with meetings. Um so I had, uh, me and Dwayne had meetings, um that you know it's their meetings.
Speaker 2:Yes, but every, you know, every time I go to a meeting, the one thing that's constant that I take away from every meeting that I have is the question of either these motherfuckers care too much or I don't care enough, because some of the things that they're bringing up I'm like that didn't even enter my brain cavity group things I give a fuck about. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Like Uh and the ladies had their uh meet and greet, their auxiliary meet and greet.
Speaker 2:They had their auxiliary meet and greet which, um you know, they had uh little matchy outfits and shoes. They went above and beyond um to get ride. For that Um, we had some lunch at the host hotel, we did some shopping um from the vendors at the host hotel and then came back to the crib.
Speaker 1:Um, Friday was just kind of a lazy day.
Speaker 2:It was, it was, and then, uh, Saturday had the national meeting. Um, you know, i think there was like 4,000 full members at our meeting. Um, full, excuse me, 4,000. And then that's full members and support members at our meeting. And then auxiliary had, uh, a thousand or so, um, you know, full meet, the um full member meeting, or the national meeting. I guess, you know, it's one of those things where this is my third one that I've been to. It's pretty on par with all the other ones. You're going to have issues when you have that many people there.
Speaker 1:You know, um, i didn't, i didn't particularly had an issue with anything, you know we're we're given a voice or we're given a chance to voice, Um, what we think of how the organization's going by elections.
Speaker 2:Right And uh yeah. And then, um, you know some of it, you know some. Some things that can be averted next year is, have you know parking, um yeah, there was.
Speaker 1:There was a major confusion there. Yeah, yeah, but you know, uh, we parked in some places that were, you know not we weren't told, we couldn't right until you got thousands of motherfuckers in a room And then they're like, oh hey, by the way, you can't park here Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then, then, you have to wait for them to go out and do what they have to do and come back. And yeah, i mean some signage would alleviate all that, so that I mean that's a easy space was plenty big enough, so that was good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean they, they did a lot of things right. They did. I mean I I ain't going to begrudge them for one minor snafu, yeah.
Speaker 2:And um, and so I mean it's one of those things where you know um, every time you have to do something like when you're on vacation, right, and you have to do something that is now dictated And I mean to you to do it's never as fun as the shit you get to do on your own, um you got to have a nice little reunion after the meeting I did.
Speaker 2:Chuck landing guy I served with um. He was in my baton um back in 0506. Um he served in the assault, but tune in uh echo company 269 down at Fort Benning with me. Uh, he was a young, young private Um and then he moved out Um. He got stationed out in Colorado And then moved out to um North uh, south Dakota Uh, so it was um really nice to link up with him. Uh, I thought it wasn't going to happen because at some point, you know, we were texting back and forth through uh um text message. That's how you text back and forth. So um and uh, you know they made us uh, they made us uh, they made us. Uh, you know they made us put our phone on airplane mode because of some of the um radio waves for the voting machine or something I don't know.
Speaker 1:It's all technical jargon. I don't get it.
Speaker 2:Right. So I thought you know we were missing opportunity. Um and uh, so you guys head out without me and I stood around to make sure that. You know I linked up with him and uh, so that was good. Um, just to catch up.
Speaker 1:We went over and picked up the ladies and Chris. He got to ride in the side car.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And we got fucking the shit kicked out of us and fucking hail in those few miles between the host hotel and the house, Like they. they started out little and they just kept progressively getting bigger. And I had one hit me in the lip for like an hour or two. My lip was fucking numb from where that thing hit.
Speaker 2:And uh, yeah, it was, but in in true, you know, again, in true fashion. I recorded that and I'm like all hell's breaking loose. Holy, get the hell out of here As I'm as I'm commenting on my recording. Um, cause I have no fucking sense. Um, yeah, cause you know I, i'm by myself, i'm like, ooh this, you know I'm, i'm within you know six miles of the house. I'm like you know, fuck it, it's six miles.
Speaker 1:Yeah, i'd said the same thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I said the same thing Fuck it, we're only a couple of miles, we can do it. And and I really regretted- when?
Speaker 2:yeah, when I pulled into the driveway and there was a a pile of hail in my lap that accumulated.
Speaker 1:I'm like God, but but your troops did you a solid. Most certainly we had cause. When I got there, uh, my dad and the sergeant major just had their bikes in the middle of the fucking garage and we couldn't come in. So we're still getting the shit kicked out of us. I'm like really you two. So, but you know, to their defense, they got everything moved. We got everybody packed in there so that when you got in you could just roll right into the garage, you know. So you know.
Speaker 2:I appreciate y'all Everybody was thinking about you. So, um, yeah, So that was Saturday. Um, we had a spaghetti dinner, yep, saturday. I love my wife's cooking.
Speaker 1:Um, she doesn't do it as often as I would like, but my waistline will tell you that she's a good cook, right.
Speaker 2:Um and uh. So You know, it's kind of one of those things where it was the end of the week, Yep, The national meeting already happened. We're leaving in the morning. Uh, you know, I think people just had enough of people, People.
Speaker 1:Because we were supposed to do a special podcast episode out there and you know we were going to do it after the spaghetti dinner. So when Thursday the spaghetti didn't happen, we were like all right, well, we'll move it so that everybody can be there. And then Saturday happened and logistics and happened to get the gear packed up and it was, it was disheartening, it definitely kind of weighed on us a little bit. But you know, shit happens, it does And and again grow through what you can do. Grow through what you go through.
Speaker 2:That's right. And you know, um, it's one of those things where when you say It's cool, it has to be. You know what I mean. Like, ultimately it has to be cool and, um, we expect Sometimes I think we expect from others what we would expect from ourselves, and that's what gets us in trouble Sometimes it's.
Speaker 1:It's not fair to put our standard of us on other people. We need to put their, we need to, we need to expect of them what, what they're capable of, or or I don't even know how to fucking say that but basically, their standard is their standard and our standard is our standard. Most certainly, most certainly There is a standard, but some people are above, different, lateral, below, all around for their individual standards.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I mean, i think some of that was um, a, a, a general of. Yeah, well, you know, it was like Hey, when we go to, when we go to, uh, colorado, we're gonna have a, we're gonna do a podcast, and uh, we want everybody to be on it, And everybody's like, yeah, thumbs up. You know what I mean, and it was one of those.
Speaker 1:Well, by then they'll forget, by then they'll forget about it, or by then you know well, and and and you said it earlier when we were talking about it um, before we started recording that some people aren't as comfortable as we are at bearing how fucked up we are.
Speaker 2:You know and and I get that from the feedback that we get, you know, when um George, you know, says Hey man, you guys are saying exactly what I'm thinking. I just couldn't articulate it that way. Yep, that's, that's I mean.
Speaker 1:You know, and some people don't like the ugly, Some people don't like, you know, they, they acknowledge the ugly, but you know it's one of those, you know and we've said before, there's so many different people or everybody's on their own journey with what goes on in between their ears, and so some people might have a hold on it. They're not really dealing with it, but they're not letting it overtake their life and they're afraid if they pop the top it's going to overtake their life. Yeah and hey, and that's it. When we say all the time you have to be comfortable with who you are.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:And if you're not comfortable doing this, we understand that. we just, i guess We, like we were talking about with the trip and group writing um, some individuals didn't articulate to us what they, um, how they truly felt about doing the podcast, whether they thought it was going to hurt our feelings or disappoint us or whatever, and so, you know, we went off. what they said was, yeah, motherfucker, thumbs up, yeah, let's do this. And then, when it came time to it and they weren't comfortable doing it or it wasn't something they felt they could do, they just kind of me.
Speaker 1:and then and you know and I think, if, if I think we and that's and that's again um.
Speaker 2:The reason I didn't approach anybody is because of the understanding that I have.
Speaker 2:Uh, the understanding that this ain't for everybody. Yeah, the understanding. That's why I didn't approach anybody. Um, you know, when you, when you throw a blanket statement out like, hey, we're going to do a podcast, everybody's invited to be on, you know we, you know, this is how we're going to do it, this is how it's going to run, and then we put out a post that, hey, you know. Uh, brandy puts out a post. Hey, you know, the boys are doing this on Saturday after the spaghetti dinner. Uh, we'd like all your questions, you know, because we're going to do a, a panel type thing, and no one responded. You know those things, you know. Um, that's, that's the part that gets me, Not the part. You know, at any time somebody's just like, hey, this ain't for me, cool, hey, you know. Whatever, i'm not, i'm not threatening anybody to sit in this chair, i'm not. You know. That ain't what this is.
Speaker 1:No, we, i think. I think it's, um, like you say, you don't want to disappoint anybody. I think they didn't want to disappoint, but they, they weren't comfortable just telling us no, because they know how important it is to us, right, right. So I think they thought if they just said it out loud, it would be like them not supporting us, and and I think I would hope that they would know that being honest and up front with us is way more important than hurting our feelings or not showing up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Yes or not showing up, or you know um not being present.
Speaker 1:You know a simple text message of Hey, not really feeling it, or Hey, you know, last night we've got something else we want to do, or just whatever.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But we were sitting there thinking this is what's going to happen, and I think that was the part to hurt worse than anything is them not having them, not just saying, hey, you know, this is what's going on. Letting us sit there being cause we were excited, yeah, we had a lot of excitement about this and then, sitting there, and then stewing in our excitement, that turned to disappointment And then, you know, to his credit, all out, hold everything out and hold everything back. But he had to pack his trailer And so we had to get the stuff loaded up so we couldn't wait all night. So, you know, and it, i mean, it was what it was and we missed an opportunity of something we thought would be special. But you know, fuck it. You know it is what it is. This, too, shall pass.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this too shall pass. I mean that again. it it didn't. It didn't rise to the level of me having to say something to someone. right, i was able to compartmentalize everything you were talking about. you know, to me I was like, because I have so much candor, like if I have no problem being like, nah, that's fucked up, i'm not doing that bullshit.
Speaker 1:And I mean I have no problem, you know a lot of people aren't like that, though, right, and I think it also helped that it wasn't just you or it wasn't just me. It was the both of us kind of feeling the same way, and we were able to articulate those feelings to each other, right. And then, all by the way, we have an avenue to group therapy. That shit Man, fuck those guys. No, you guys are not this episode to fuck that guy. Okay, i'm just throwing that out there, but no, and so we don't, we don't begrudge everybody. No, we understood in the time. We just had a case. You know the hurt feelings, but you know, fuck feelings, you get over those.
Speaker 2:Right, and that's again. It didn't rise for me It didn't. It never rose to the level of I happen to have a conversation with people be like Hey man, i thought we were better friends than this That has nothing to do with it. You see, what I'm saying. Yep, i was quickly able to be like. that has nothing to do with it. Yeah, you know, if I need to be a better friend, i'm gonna be like better friend and understand his comfort level or her comfort level, or.
Speaker 1:It wasn't such a scenario that would ruin friendships. It just gave us a case of the butt hurts on Saturday night And by Sunday morning we were gravy, Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So we're not, we're not mad at anybody or anything like that.
Speaker 1:It at the time we were just a little diss. you know that thing with your dad. you know I'm not mad at you, i'm disappointed. Yeah, you're a little disappointed, but you know, in the grand scheme of things it was what it was.
Speaker 2:And yeah, and I would tell you it, i didn't drink beer the whole week until that last night because Andy had like 17. He had to get rid of and fucking.
Speaker 1:Sergeant Major fucking Miller lights.
Speaker 2:The Miller lights went down pretty good after you know people not wanting to do the podcast, but then Sunday morning we got him left. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Linked up with brothers and sisters from New Mexico that we rode with last year in Kentucky.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Um yeah, double, uh, double. T was a member of our chapter. He got a, he got a job out in New Mexico, So he's, he's out there and um, it's always good to see our brothers and sisters from New Mexico, always great to ride with.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's, it's, it's like it's amazing that you know two different communities can come together and ride and um man, it's nice. So we were able to link up with them, ride down 25 again in the New Mexico. Um, once we got our, once we got to our stop in New Mexico where we were going to break off, um lots of hugs and love.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Double T was like Hey, uh, right down the road here is a volcano.
Speaker 1:You're like ain't no more fucking volcano in New Mexico. It ain't Hawaii, right.
Speaker 2:I fucking volcano. He's like, yeah, you can't miss it. It's on the left side as you go down the road. I'm like all right, right. So I look at everybody like you guys want to go to a volcano. They're like yeah we want to go to a fucking volcano.
Speaker 1:Only one motherfucker in our group knew there was a volcano in New Mexico, And of course it was the science teacher. Well, I mean, she, we're all like what? And she's like, uh yeah, are you fucking stupid, Did you not pay attention?
Speaker 2:Like she is pretty smart, Um, but yeah, I mean. so we go to the. What is it? The Kapu, Kapu.
Speaker 1:Lynn. God damn it. We spent all this time and I forgot it. Kapu Lynn, kapu Lynn, kapu Lynn, it's all fuck. Anyways, it's the name of the town and the volcanoes named after it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's south of.
Speaker 1:Peplum C A P U L I N for you. Moe burgers need to look it up, because I I'd fuck I looked it up too, so I can make sure I pronounced it correctly, Right? So it's Spanish, right.
Speaker 2:That's why, right, so Right, anyways. Uh, in my defense, if you didn't know a fucking, if there's sign it didn't say the volcanoes right here, you'd fucking ride by that modifier because it's now granted. In New Mexico There ain't mountain ranges, i mean there's there's. Just you know, every now and then there'll be a fucking, you know gang of rocks.
Speaker 1:Cause we were in. We were in Eastern New Mexico getting ready to go into Texas, right Oklahoma, which is flat, Right.
Speaker 2:So I'm like if this motherfucking sign didn't say turn left, I don't think I would have turned left. But anyway, I digress. Three miles up the road, stop Nice sign, Uh, take pictures in front of, and then they're like Hey, you want to ride to the top? We're like, I mean, fuck it, We're here Right. So yeah, we rode to the top. It was so cool, yeah, so cool. The the the uh. lava rocks down at the bottom of it. Um, just the the. the scenery from top cheese Christ.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you see, for fucking ever. Uh, i think we saw far. In my brain It seemed like we saw farther from there than we did from Pike's peak, just because there's so much flat around this thing, i get sticks up like Yeah, It was, it was, it was amazing. So and we got to ride to the top of a fucking volcano.
Speaker 2:Right, Yeah, Which was cool. Um then, uh, left out from there, rode through Texas. Uh, hot and flat, hot and flat, you know, and you know that was the start of this heat wave that's hit Texas, Yeah, Um that was also the section of the road where we ran into last week's fuck that guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and uh, still fuck that guy. Yeah, um, forever, Um. So yeah, ran into, you know, ran in um, you know, you know, you know you, our brothers, our brothers from Oklahoma down um two different gas stops, we, we, they just happened to time their arrivals with our arrivals And we got to. You know again pictures and hugs and love And yeah, it's, it's amazing how you know this organization does that. And uh, yeah, i mean it was pretty. The road back was pretty uneventful.
Speaker 1:We had, um, we had that storm when we rolled out from Oklahoma in the morning.
Speaker 2:Yeah, uh, that I mean that was Monday morning. That was Monday morning. That was uh hit, uh hit a deer carcass. Um, you know, we got kind of got split up.
Speaker 1:I think it was best because of the weather and the traffic I mean with the initial oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we we the initial push. We left. You know, we got into Oklahoma city right at rush hour on Monday morning traffic with a, with a fucking storm storm coming down, um hit hit a fucking deer carcass.
Speaker 1:Um, and we, well, we got separated, and then you hit the deer carcass and you pulled over. We weren't prepared for you to pull over because we were farther back. So now we're trying to dive across. Right, we had no idea that you had hit a deer carcass, because we didn't see it, because we weren't. You know, it was different. So there was a lot of confusion and chaos there. You were, you know, trying to figure out what the fuck happened and yeah, cause I couldn't see.
Speaker 2:I couldn't see y'all behind me and uh visibility sucked. Yeah, Yeah. So, um, we stopped, um and, uh, you know, um, we decided to put the three wheels in a group and put the two wheels in a group and split the chase vehicles and and we we broke out one leg, one leg of the ride um 100, 140 miles, whatever it was one leg of the ride that we rode separately, but it it worked out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, i mean we rode separately but we were, we were in, we could see like it was. It was like maybe a couple of miles in between us, but it just it and like I explained to you, you know, cause I was kind of in the first bike, in the, in the second group. It enabled you, you weren't, you didn't have to feel responsible for a group that you couldn't see because of the weather. Right, you know you were still going to be responsible for us, but you didn't have the immediate stress of where they at what's going on It was. You know you could look at it as a separate chalk behind you And and I'm the type of person that's like you I'm paying attention to everybody behind me. Even when I'm not in the front of the pack, i'm still paying attention to everybody behind me because you know that's dad and I had a conversation yesterday.
Speaker 1:I didn't grow up in a club life, right, but my dad is a very old school biker. He has a very, a lot of old school qualities and viewpoints about things And that's one of the things he taught me was you know those type of idiosyncrasies And he apologized for it. I'm like, don't fucking apologize. I'm like, are you kidding me? You know that that type of quality makes me happy, you know when I ride in a group. But, um, yeah, i think ultimately it was for the best for our group trying to navigate and then for the you know, the two wheels group trying to navigate, because it's a completely different experience for us to navigate through shit, traffic and weather. Versus you guys, you have a little bit more flexibility and when you can wiggle in and out, you know, with us and the trailer and all that, it was just a lot, it was a lot different, but it worked.
Speaker 2:It worked out well. It did And I took it. I took it personal, you did, i did.
Speaker 1:I tried really hard to tell you it wasn't personal, but in the moment you weren't having it because you were already amped up about hitting the deer, carcass and everything else.
Speaker 2:I was yeah.
Speaker 1:But 140 miles later I think it was you kind of realized it. It was best for the group It was. And and um, i did So, uh, yeah, i mean it it wasn't splitting up, wasn't wasn't me trying to tell you that you failed. It was me trying to do the best that I thought for the back half and then also for your sanity. I mean, ultimately it was. You know, that was a huge part of it.
Speaker 2:Well, because what another thing, another point that we, we, uh, i kept reminding myself of is you know, every, every gas station we stop at, every place we stop to eat every. You know, when you wear this patch, it says combat veteran, everybody thanks you for your service. Everybody, and, uh, we're so appreciative, you know. Uh, we're not those. You know, fuck you. You know I'm I'm always appreciative when someone thinks me for my service.
Speaker 1:There was hundreds of people on the road out and back that were so polite and appreciative and honored And it was, it was so, it was so it's. It feels uncomfortable at the time because of the type of people that we are. Um, because we don't you know, we don't need. When people say stuff like that, it kind of makes me feel like I just I didn't do anything special. You know what I mean. Like, like for me, i think that reverence should be held for people that you know ultimate sacrifice, major accomplishment, you know guys with the, the, the fucking highest honor, you know Medal of Honor and stuff like that. So I don't know, it just makes me feel uncomfortable, but I don't, i don't let that uncomfortable pass on to the person who's thanking me because they don't know different Right And um, yeah, a lot of people think those for our service.
Speaker 2:but then you get on the road and let me tell you they don't give a fuck.
Speaker 1:That same swing, and dink at the swing and dig at the last gas station, they don't give a fuck.
Speaker 2:They don't give a fuck, they don't care. I mean it's. it's one of those things where you're like, yeah, these motherfuckers. Now, you know, i've been on the bike several times and people has honked as they ride by and and gave me one of those fucking. you know, shaka, bras and I'm in and and you know cool, but for the most part we ride in the left lane because with nine bikes it only makes sense. Yeah, the, the ride in the right lane and to deal with oncoming traffic from all these um ramps. you know it just it's dangerous.
Speaker 2:You'll always have a break in contact if you're always letting cars in between you.
Speaker 1:So you know it's not common knowledge which it should be but it's not to not squeeze into a group of bikes, right? It's not safe for you and it's not safe for the bikes.
Speaker 2:Right. So what I do is we hang out in the left lane, yep, we hang out in the left lane and we usually going about five to 10 over.
Speaker 2:Yes, i stay around eight, eight, eight's, my sweet spot but we're we're five to 10 miles over the speed limit in the passing lane And when them cars come up on the right side, i'm never uh, i'm always waving them in right, cause I know, you know, we're deterrent right now, you know what I mean And I'm always waving them in and I'll even um, crack off the uh throttle so you can get in Right.
Speaker 1:So I'm always accommodating and unless you're an asshole, Yeah Well, and because a lot of times what you don't want is it to turn into a road rage incident, right.
Speaker 2:But again, I know that being in the left lane is an inconvenience to those people wanting to go faster than 10 miles an hour, And sometimes it's a mental thing. When you roll up, you know you come off an exit or whatever and you just see a group of cars in front of you. They can be going 90 and you want to go 92. Yeah, It's just a mental, you know what I mean. Like, I want to go now and these people are, you know. So um.
Speaker 1:People in general are just impatient as fuck. Most certainly especially on the road.
Speaker 2:So you know, um. so yeah, another thing that's evident is they love you for your service. when they're standing next to you, when they're in the car next to you, they don't give a fuck. Yeah, don't give a fuck.
Speaker 1:Um so yeah. So then we went through Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Speaker 2:Arkansas.
Speaker 1:Stayed the night. No, no, we went up in past Memphis to what Jackson right, jackson, tennessee, uh-huh, stayed the night.
Speaker 2:We dabbled with the thoughts of dipping our toe into Mississippi Yeah, the sip, as just because.
Speaker 1:I. It's not a state that we'd wrote in. We wanted to put her. You know the goal. You know, ultimately, the goal is to ride in all 50 states, maybe a couple of countries while we're at it. But, you know. So you can't. You can't claim your road in a state if you don't at least go into the state.
Speaker 2:And buy a shot glass. Yeah, so um, but we didn't do that Um.
Speaker 1:Pixar didn't happen.
Speaker 2:That's right And uh, yeah, i mean you know the the the ride home was pretty uninventful until we hit Cincinnati.
Speaker 1:Yep And I was having some issues. You know, i knew. You know sidecar tire wasn't wearing correctly. I was trying to make some adjustments on the fly. They weren't working out, they were making the bike harder to control And, um, you know, I anticipated a a problem with the bike tire on the left side of the rear tire. We're coming up to 75. After we crossed the river, coming up that incline around that curve, and I felt I heard the pop and the whole ass end of the bike just got squirrely on me. I knew the back tire let loose. I expected the left side of the back tire to be the one that let loose. Nope, it was the right side of the back tire. It was a my cousin's a tire guy. He's a manager at a tire place. He helped get me on my two tires. He looked at it and he said on that on that right side of the tire you could see where the tire was getting so hot It was melting and it created like the rubber started to separate from the Like a cupping.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, not like a cupping, like the rubber started to separate from the inside of the tire, where the fucking Radio is, yeah, like the weaving of. And when the rubber started to separate because of the heat, it just started tearing off. And when that one piece tore off and it left that like it looks like a weaving of threads that it just fucking let loose on me. So there was really. I mean, i thought I had the sidecar dialed in because it handled pretty good, but you can't test 3,475 miles, 11 states in 12 days. Can't test it. Gotta do it. And you know, i wish I could have made some adjustments on the fly, but with the way the sidecar set up it's not an easy adjustment on the fly kind of thing. So got new I'm dark-side-knit put a car tire on the back, got a new tire on the sidecar. I've got to reconnect everything and I've got a better understanding of how to make my adjustments so that it doesn't happen again, hopefully. But with the car tire on the back I think that's gonna leave you with a lot of my problems as well. But yeah, i mean that really my bike was the only breakdown issue with the water pump and then the back tire. For the most part everything else was kind of uneventful mechanically. But again, you know I had.
Speaker 1:You know the sidecar hadn't been on long, it only had maybe 1,000 miles at that point, maybe 1,500, and it was, you know, local stuff, nothing too crazy, you know. And like I said, i beat the shit out of that bitch. You know 109 miles across Kansas, six gear, 75 miles an hour, 80 miles an hour, wide open throttle for 109 miles. And you know I beat it going up pikes, peak and everywhere else. You know, because it's a lot of work slinging that big bitch around and you know she just if I have a back tire, i said fuck you, dude, i'm done. So everybody pulled off. The group made a decision to stay the night because there was a nasty S storm rolling in. I was waiting on dad to come down with the trailer because we had to get that home. Chrissy had to work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i mean Chrissy. Andy wanted to get home, so I came, i pulled off the exit, we rolled into a tire USA or whatever the hell it was And first thing I got off the bike. I'm like, hey, you have sidecar tires And they're like how big And like small for a sidecar And they're like I don't think there's a power sport shop down the street. I said okay, thanks. And then someone was like no, it was a back tire.
Speaker 1:I'm like, oh shit, i'm like because everybody thought it was the sidecar tire, because it was the one that was wearing. weird, most certainly.
Speaker 2:And so, because I'm getting information on the side of the highway, sean blew a tire And I'm like all right, we rolled up to the next exit And I just assumed it was the sidecar, because we just talked about, at one of the stops, the sidecar.
Speaker 1:So because I kept you updated with how the bike was doing so that you would be aware of something happened. This is what's going on Again information.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:And I was the third bike from the back which was behind me and Sandy was behind him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so.
Speaker 2:I mean, it was one of those things. Once we got there, that's the first thing I asked You got tired, Da, da, da, da da. Hey, there's a power sport place across street. And then you know, Brandy's like well, we didn't have Brandy yet, So I'm like, all right, well, I'm gonna go back and see what's what, Because we didn't have the trail cars there either at the time Because they broke off, you know, going a different route. So that's when I came down, talked to you guys you know dad's on his way, da, da, da, da da. Like all right, let's like at the very least we can pick up me and Bobby came down, Like very least we can pick up Brandy and Jay and get them off the road.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because he was. When I initially pulled off side of the road, i had him get out of the sidecar and move over to the you know where the rail is, for safety reasons. He was pissed. I made him get out of his fucking sidecar So I pushed it farther off of the road and into the grass So he could get back into his sidecar and be comfortable while he was sitting on the side of the road. Cause you know reasons.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we do that. Go back up And now you know, now we're trying to figure out how we can get your bike off the side of the road, and that's where the let's call you all spot. Let's call this that the other. That's when Link took it upon himself to put a post out on Facebook On our Ohio page for our group.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:And you know anybody you know in the area that can help out. Da, da, da, da da da. And then you know and people came down and helped out, you know.
Speaker 1:Bill Tebow and Bowman.
Speaker 2:Hell yeah, i tell him you're my hero. And then so you know me. You and Rich down there, you know, try to ride that thing up the trailer too wide, have to come down, have to, you know, shimmy to shimmy to the sidecar and to the bike.
Speaker 1:And had to bust all the bolts, loose All my adjustments, slide everything together And fucking weeks of work.
Speaker 2:It's down the drain Right, and then we finally get it up on the trailer and get it off. you know, get it off the road and we get back up. And you know, everyone had decided to. hey, we're you know, rain. You know angry rains coming in.
Speaker 1:And it was angry.
Speaker 2:It's late in the day. You know 90% of this ride is going to be in rain, in the dark.
Speaker 1:Same people had spoken Right.
Speaker 2:The people right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean The common sense group.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and my only thing was, you know, chrissy had to be back at work.
Speaker 1:You had to be home Tuesday night, so she'd go to work Wednesday morning.
Speaker 2:And, and I'm like you know, like my thought process is, if I get a room tonight, we're leaving Me and hers leaving at the wee hours.
Speaker 1:And then she's got to go work all day, yeah, and that's not fair to her.
Speaker 2:Right, regardless. You know her, her, her sidekick at work, her, you know they, they run this section. You know the one A, the one B. I equate it to being a PL and a platoon start. You know what I mean. So her, her cohort and her section was going on vacation that next day, so someone had to. You know what I mean. Yeah, someone had to be back at work, yeah, and I was like I'm not going to be back. Someone had to. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Someone had to be there and, and so It wasn't a scenario where she even had an opportunity that she could miss. She had to be there because there was nobody else going to be there. Right, she's coming off vacation. They're going on vacation.
Speaker 2:Yes, there was no buffer, and you don't want to. You don't want to be the person that says, hey, you're going to have to bump your vacation a day.
Speaker 1:Because I'm bumping mine an extra day. Right, that's dickhead, all the way around.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you don't, that's a straight dick move. So, um, and then you know people are like Hey, you know, find a mirror. And and I'm like listen, we have cars here. If cars are driving back, you know the harbors were going to Columbus. You know, if we got her to Columbus, chances are one of her family like her, all her whole family is up in Columbus. We can get her to Columbus. They can probably get her home in cars and I'll stay. And and Andy came over to me. He's like Hey, boss, I'm going home. I'm like, well, fuck everything, all that shit. I just said a minute ago that's fucking moot. Right now We're fucking right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and uh because again, where where one goes, the other goes. Most certainly We're not going by ourselves, you know he, he wasn't riding home alone. Yeah, i had to go home, um and uh, so And and, like you said, with going to Mount Evans, if you were going to go, there's a couple of people that are going to go, whether it's sane or not, and so that's what happened. You tune, you know, non sane decision We're, we're fucking traveling.
Speaker 2:And uh, so we filled up and he's like, hey, um, i think we fill up here, we can make it all the way, and I'm like that's fine. So it you know the longest stretch, uh, it was a hundred 160, some miles, 62, whatever it was. It was the longest stretch of the whole fucking trip.
Speaker 1:Um, in the dark and some angry fucking rain Yeah.
Speaker 2:In the dark, in some angry, angry rain, The only I think I know the road, Um, I fucking know the road, I know um.
Speaker 1:ESPN is not a thing. It's not a sponsor.
Speaker 2:Right, right, uh, my shit's on airplane mode too. I don't understand Um, um, i know the road. I've been down 71,. You know, my daughter went to school at Cincinnati um UC, um, not a sponsor, um, but yeah. So I know the road, you know it's, it's pretty straightforward Drive straight for 80, some miles, bang a right on the 270, you know, get on 70 and then you know another 60 miles or so.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, i mean it's, it's, but I'm telling you the, the, the rain, fuck with my radio, fuck with my. You know, um, at one point I had to turn my radio off, um, but the radio's off, but just like my phone, right now on airplane mode and it's dangin and you know ESPN's coming through or whatever. Um, my radio is off on my on my bike, but I'm still getting notifications from GPS and let me tell you, you know, on ways, uh, and I'm not even running. Here's the crazy part. I'm not even running ways. I'm running, uh, google maps was you know, but ways is telling me there's hazards on the side of the road And I'm telling you it comes to me.
Speaker 1:I've heard the stories when I'm already laughing.
Speaker 2:It comes to me after about 40 miles, 50 miles of silent Just hazard I had.
Speaker 1:I'm like I'm like God, Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. you, you and Chrissy have headsets.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:But there's a problem with your headsets to where she can hear you, but you can't hear her.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So now that we've said yeah, well, right, and the the mics are off, right, so communications off. So, um, there's a setting on the radio that I have to turn the intercom on for us to talk, right, that's off And I keep it off because I like to sing the music. I, like you, know all the things that annoy her. It's not fair to her when she can't annoy me back, right, and I told her at one point. I'm like this is the only way we get to argue And she's like fuck you.
Speaker 1:I can hear you.
Speaker 2:You know she's giving me that, giving me the bird, the bird, and I'm like this is the only way we were allowed to argue right here. Um, but yeah, so the intercom is off, it's not supposed to work. The radio is off. It's not supposed to work. The, the fucking program that's talking to me over the radio, and even the one I'm using, but it says hazard reported ahead. And I'm like, and I fucking freaked the fuck out. So I'm talking out loud in my headset and.
Speaker 2:I'm like God God is that you Like? I'm like, holy shit, god's a woman, they were right And they're giving me directions, so yeah. And I'm like God's telling me there's a hazard ahead. I'm like man, you should have talked to me about an hour ago and told me not to go. You know so, um, but yeah, and, and, but. Chrissy can hear the whole thing.
Speaker 1:She is cracking up And uh, so you're having this one on one conversation with God legit conversation with God And, uh, I like Jesus Christ. And uh, you know, we get home and uh at one point you asked her if she could hear you, right, yeah, and she didn't say a fucking thing or do a thing.
Speaker 2:You're like, oh yeah, she can't hear me, i'm good. And then we get off and she is fucking hysterical. hysterical, um my Jesus Christ, i like it's. I mean startling, like you're it's me again, margaret right Cause you're in complete silence.
Speaker 1:Focused on the rain and road ahead. It's dark Like you just feel like you're alone.
Speaker 2:And you know, and I've told you and I've said it before on here, the reason why I have my radio up so loud and it helps control my brain, my thoughts keeps me, you know. The music, you know, helps me.
Speaker 1:It helps you focus.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Cause when it. When it's not there the quiet time, your brain's all over the place.
Speaker 2:All the fuck Squirrel, yeah, so. So here I am in a fucking helmet Right, like I don't even get like the wind that much, it's just quiet. And I'm like. Then I hear fuck, hazard reported ahead And I'm like, fuck, fuck, like God, god, are you talking like holy shit, like God's a goddamn woman? And she like I'm having this conversation and I'm sure there's more to that, you know, more than a conversation, you know, and I'm talking to myself And the whole, while she's hearing me and cracking the fuck up, she's dying, laughing. Yes, you have no idea. She can hear you, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's, it's it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's. it was a perfect recipe for you to be an idiot. Right And right. Right So again what we've talked about.
Speaker 2:We're comfortable telling stories of us being in most certainly, most most certainly, i mean I yeah. Um, but yeah, like and it was. It wasn't um, like the. You know, the God thing was like. I knew it wasn't God talking. You know what I mean. Like like at at about three seconds I knew what the fuck happened, but the radio's still off.
Speaker 1:I mean it's not saying you know, turn right now Your logical brain is saying that there's no way that that voice should be talking to you right now, let alone you should be able to um, chris, you should be able to hear what you're saying.
Speaker 2:None of it, you know. So we pull into, we pull into the garage. The radio's still off, like so. I turned the radio on and what happens on my my road glide, the water puddles and it. It kind of dances on the screen and whatever, whatever it's when the rain's hitting it, it'll, it'll make a jump Right. So the, the rain drops are acting as my finger, but Harley Davidson claims that that does not happen.
Speaker 1:They can eat a dick.
Speaker 2:Um, but, but, yeah, so that that fucking happens. And uh, but we make it home. Uh, you know, we, we threw some grilled cheese down our, our, our, throat, the, the warm up, took a nice hot shower and, uh, yeah, made it Other than you know, god, speaking to me, no issues whatsoever, it wasn't. The rain wasn't as bad when we wrote through it as the rain Through it as um, cause I?
Speaker 1:I left it later with the truck and the trailer and it was fucking horrible Like I could barely see in some sections.
Speaker 2:I mean, but it wasn't. It was you know the thunder, the lightning, the, the, the high winds, the very, very frightening. Right That that stuff it didn't. it didn't um manifest manifest himself while we were out there.
Speaker 1:So um, and then Andy followed you and and then when you peeled off he said it was, it was rough going those last what 40, 50 miles to his place.
Speaker 2:Yeah, And Andy followed me and um, so in my head I'm like I'm gonna go to um Norwich, which is you know um the exit between ours. I said I'll take him down there and then I'll double back Um just just to let him, you know, just another 20, another 20 minutes or so, so that you know he's he's not doing all 40 miles um by himself. And uh, yeah, and then, uh, we, we bumped off and came home and he got off.
Speaker 1:He said it was. He said it was Harry going. Uh, we got. When he seen the lights of the big power plant down by Buffalo, he was like all right, i'm almost home. And then, uh, he said we got to the bottom of his driveway. He's like I just I just need to make it to my driveway. I can get up the driveway and my fucking sleep, i just need to make it to the driveway. He said he was going up the driveway, it's all fucking wet and soft. And then he's seen fucking lights behind him and he's like what the fuck? And it was a duchess. She had um GPS track disaster. He was pulled into driveway.
Speaker 2:We would have to have a conversation.
Speaker 1:And then, and then he said he got in there. He got off the bike and he was like I just need a minute. And then he said he went inside, he curled up on the couch with her, she put a blanket over him and he was going, he's going.
Speaker 2:See the whole, the whole GPS track. And what a warm me up real quick, real quick. How the fuck you know I'm home? Oh, um, god spoke to me.
Speaker 1:There was a hazard ahead. God spoke to me, but yeah, i mean um, all in all, 12 days, 11 states, almost 30, anywhere between 3450 and 3600 miles, depending on what happened with you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Weather, uh, a little bit of snow, a little rain, a little bit of hail altitude sickness a little bit of fucking altitude. A little bit of sun a lot of heat, yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, man, a little bit of everything. Great trip, yep, um, i, i, you know, um it, it. We would be remissed, um, if we didn't mention, you know, two of our brothers from Ohio that went down and and died on his trip um, bondo and zoo, and uh, may they ever forever rest easy And uh. but you know, it's one of those things where every year, um, you know, every year, national week takes lives of uh combat veterans and and, and it makes you take a step back and be like why the fuck would everyone want to ride to nationals if somebody ain't coming home?
Speaker 2:and it's, it's what we just talked about in the last you know two hours. It's, it's the journey, it's the growth, um, you, you grow through what you go through. And let me tell you, um, as years, as the years go on, we will, we will, we will look back in fondness of the hail, we will look back in fondness of the altitude, we will look back in fondness of you know, sitting on a side of the road down in Cincinnati, the pizza guy in Dodge City that couldn't figure out where the hotel was, with the giant sign The giant sign that you drove past like four times right That you know that you have to pay for delivery and then you have to go basically deliver the shit yourself.
Speaker 1:So yeah, uh, bayer just uh reminded me, you know, as he curls up on top of me and gives me much loving, uh, this week's, fuck that guy.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, um where, where, yeah, where is it? I got you Go ahead, all right.
Speaker 1:So this week's fuck that guy is a broad general statement, because we don't want to, you know, be busted for, you know, whatever they can get you for, um, people who breed dogs solely for the sake of making money, but not loving the dogs the way a dog deserves to be loved.
Speaker 2:Well, fuck that guy.
Speaker 1:Um, we rescued a couple of dogs. Our last three dogs have been rescued slash rehomes. Last two have been from um, a breeder. They're not a puppy mill Like so. I mean there's there's a different level to this, but the dogs don't know how to be dogs. They don't know how to be on a collar, they don't know how to walk on a leash. They don't know how to be dogs. And it's very frustrating for me because I love dogs more than I love people And I really didn't want to take on a six dog, but I couldn't let this dog go somewhere and to just be used as another breeding machine. So we took her home. Um, she's been an adventure, but, um, yeah, if you're going to breed a dog, be a reputable breeder. Yeah, the laws may not mean you have to do it. You know, i made a phone call to ask some questions a while back And as long as they've got food, water and shelter, they're good to go, according to the state of Ohio. But you know what be better, because dogs deserve better. I can't.
Speaker 2:I mean I, i'm not a dog guy Like you are. I mean um. I got bearer because he was free straight up. I mean I got bearer because he was free Um he's looking at you like that.
Speaker 1:What the fuck bro.
Speaker 2:It's like four years, man, get over it. But straight up, i mean, you know, at the time I got bear, I wasn't taking care of myself very well And you know, um, chrissy's son got him for Chrissy's daughter right. And then Chrissy's daughter was in a relationship that ended and, and now you know, it was two people taking care of a dog. Now it's one person taking care of a dog and I'm at work all day, you know kind of thing. And, like you said, she recognized that she couldn't give the dog the love he needed. Yep, um, so he's like, hey, um, your boyfriend don't do shit all day. You think he, you know. And I'm like, yeah, um, so you know, november 2019, we got him, um, and uh, you know you didn't realize how much you needed him to.
Speaker 1:You got him up. Yeah, yeah, i get it Right.
Speaker 2:I mean um. Now I've had um dogs in the past. I had a cock or spaniel, uh, with my young, my oldest daughter, um, and then I had a boxer, um for me, Um, and then we had uh, a, uh, lab boxer, no, lab, pit bull mix, um for my youngest dog. So I mean I say I'm not a dog.
Speaker 1:You're a dog person, you're just not one like me.
Speaker 2:Right, i mean there's levels to this shit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and, and I wouldn't take on six dogs. No, no, but a lot of people don't understand why I took on a six dog, or actually the last three dogs, um, and and, like I told, because my dad's like bro, you can't save them all, and I'm like you're right, i can't, but I can save the ones that get put in my path, and this one got put in my path. I initially said no, um, but circumstances changed, um, i thought about it more and I gave her brother. We gave, i say I, but we gave her brother a great home and he's flourished. I know we can do the same thing for her Um, so she got put in my path for a reason. My reason is I'm going to make sure that she gets to be a dog and cause, like I said before and I'll say it again, humans do not deserve dogs. Yeah, straight up. Yeah, i don't. There's a lot of things about organized religion that I don't believe in, but if you want to tell me angels exist, i'll tell you their four legs and furry.
Speaker 2:Yeah And uh. I mean, yeah, i'm with you, and and uh, i'm trying to find my train of thought that I was going to say it's on the tracks next to the Colorado river at the bottom of the royal gorge. Probably so. Um, but yeah, i mean um.
Speaker 1:I know today was a long-winded one. Yeah, it was the long trip. We had a lot of stuff to talk about, but it was a lighthearted for the most part.
Speaker 1:You know, um, you know, it wasn't so doom and gloom like some of our episodes have been. um, i think today was a good one. I know we had talked earlier about trying to get our our mojo back. I think today was a good day of getting our mojo back. Yeah, hopefully it translates to everyone that listens. you know, may not be the hard hitting subjects that most people are used to, but, um right, And uh, as always, we appreciate you, uh, listening.
Speaker 2:Uh, we, we welcome your feedback. And uh, hit us up, hit us up. And uh, if you're not a fucking dog person, and uh, you just want to make money off those muts.
Speaker 1:Fuck that guy.
Speaker 2:You're this week's fuck that guy. Thanks.