The Santa Ana winds left our SoCal area after blowing in the 40-60 mph range, for nearly three days; before, during and after thanksgiving. Almost immediately the desert dirt settled right back down onto the ground, where it belongs. It’s now beautiful again, with 81 degree sunny weather and it’s almost December 2021. Coach Kevin must’ve been looking out a similar window when he suddenly declared on WhatsApp to our Bike Bros riding group – let’s ride!!
Most all, or possibly some, just need that occasional small prodding to ride. WE NEED TO STAY PROFICIENT! Why do you think we call him Coach? Every sport from golf to shooting or fishing needs periodic practice and training. That’s how we stay on top of our game and possibly alive. There’s no reason to simply own a motorcycle if you aren’t going to ride it like it was intended- long distances.
The Coach is known to make the occasional personal plea to get the riders numbers up and the momentum going. Four signed up to ride and motocamp at Anza Borrego; it turned out to be the perfect number.
And like I always say, riders need a purpose and a destination. The original plans of motocamping San Diego fell through so, I suggested Anza Borrego park and hot springs. Once we arrived and everyone including the Park Rangers treated us with welcoming arms, we began to relax amid cups of freshly made Vietnamese coffee, sunflower seeds and wafer bars.
What’s not to love about a sixty foot, RV camp spot with electricity and endless desert views; and with both an indoor and outdoor hot springs.
Coach always assumes the unelected role of sheriff, and hastily assembles the cowboys (Bike Bros) to track down an outlaw. That’s how I saw it when I signed up to ride.
No one in the group wants the associated responsibility that comes with it. It is allot of work and for that we are both honored and thankful to have our riding Coach, aka Kevin.
Meet at 0900 on Saturday at the Arco station in Temecula and the 15 freeway. Ride to nearby Anza Borrego, camp, go out for a meal, soak in the hot springs, later bask by a huge camp fire of sand epic proportions, sing kumbaya, and motocamp in the near 40 degree desert.
If you don’t know Kumbaya; the lyrics are simple: Someone’s singing, Lord, kumbaya. Or Someone’s crying, Lord, kumbaya. Or Someone’s praying Lord, kumbaya. Or the Bike Bros that failed to show, oh well, kumbaya!
Coach likes to use or even at times. overuse the word “epic “. Epic is one of those words, like literally, that’s been incorrectly used to the point that its original meaning is largely obscured.
After all, can a ride or say a burger really be that heroic or grand in scale or character?
Yes, now says Benny, David, Kevin and yours truly, why it most certainly can.
And- Can it narrate the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or even the history of a nation? Why most certainly it can; why just last night:
Seeing the international space station and the Chinese space station all at once as it was traveling at 238,900 miles per hour through space, for me – THAT was truly epic.
And no, it doesn’t matter much to me that I saw them last night, while I was peeing on a nearby desert plant or bush. I couldn’t help but look up. The sleeping Bike Bros nearby sounded just like buzzsaws in their personal tents.
From most locations on Earth, assuming you have clear night skies, you can see the ISS for yourself. It looks like a bright star moving quickly from horizon to horizon to us on Earth. As suddenly as it appears, it disappears.
The entire Milky Way is visible at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. It’s also known for its extraordinary spring wildflowers, majestic views, natural wonders and the Lazy Lizard Saloon.
True. That’s where we had to eat last night. The Ranger originally told me that if we went down this road for 20 miles we would see it.
The burger joint was long ago gone, possibly on account of the world wide pandemic, the lockdown and the nearby border wall. Why eat burgers when you can eat tacos.
Our choices before us at the Lazy Lizard now included frozen burgers, frozen pizza, frozen corn dogs and a decent draft beer served in a chilled glass.
The locals at the Lazy Lizard accepted us somewhat reluctantly when we first walked in with words like oh, shit, oh, oh, here come the bikers. They soon skiddadled. I looked over and saw Benny merrily spinning a pool cue between his fingers. Both him and Dave are “Israeli businessmen”, however, both employ superior Krav Maga skills and ride scooters. David rides a manly looking Honda, automatic CTX 700, complete with a storage box where most motorcycles place their fuel tanks. Don’t mess with these guys.
Doug Madsen: Ooh boy, my ass is sore.
– Dudley: Mine too, its all Woody’s fault for riding us so hard yesterday. The human body wasn’t made to stradle something that big for that long.”
AND THE POSSEE STORY CONTINUES; Saturday morning- To others, well, the posse mounted up and takes off in search of the bad guys but, suddenly an emergency WhatsApp message goes out to the group. “Let’s push back 30 minutes.”
So, for me it’s now another five or more minutes of taking off jacket, gloves, cold weather gear, helmet, unplug the microphone, unbuckle the ride boots. Great dress rehearsal.
Now I go back inside to enjoy a bowl of oatmeal. It’s cold outside. This morning I wanted to see what it would be like, just like a loosely but quickly assembled, possee to pack up at the very last minute.
In the past area ranchers, or whoever was in the saloon after a shooting in the middle of the street, quickly assembled. If you own a bike or a horse – YOU are expected to know how to ride. Simple huh? How long can you stay on the saddle without a pee break? Are you now gassed up? How long could you be away from ma, pa or the Mrs?
These are some of the questions and more that the men of the last century faced. Today Coach is concerned about one thing- is your Packtalk charged?
And Benny? Well , it turns out he’s the sharpest tool in the group. He brings a small and quite compact portable plug in heater. Quite ingenious I might add as we were paying for a full 60’ RV camp spot with electricity and the temperature was expected to drop to 40 degrees.
No one asked the rest of the posse members if they could shoot straight—if they had their own guns and ammunition, or if they’d had any experience hunting fugitives.
The lore of the Old West continues to lay a foundation to its ensuing mythology. It was once an era of cowboys, Indians, pioneers, outlaws and gunslingers all brought together for the sole purposes of USA expansion, defense from those that now owned the land and its reinvention.
Juan Bautista de Anza was the first European to travel across this vast desert land and establish an overland route from Mexico, through the Sonoran Desert, to the Pacific coast of California. The Spanish explorers had been seeking such a route for more than two centuries. Imagine what that world looked like compared to our world with cell phones, drones and GoPro; Vietnamese instant coffee, frozen this or that mystery pizza or food, adventure motorcycles, and paved roads.
Life is tough. Let’s Ride! As motorcycle riders we know that we may very well be that last remaining reincarnated cowboy of this new American frontier. Ride while you can and God Bless America.
Trawlercat
Trawlercat Personal Blog Chronicles 