Gear and Getting Ready

My bike in Lake Ann, Michigan

My planned departure date was October 15 of 2008 and the amount of preparation for this trip was pretty phenomenal. Whether everything I bought or got done would be useful or needed remained to be seen.

I had to first get the bike ready, fortunately my 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 750 (Mr. Spock) was pretty new and didn't require a lot of preparation. This was going to be a long cruise and something to look forward to, its what we were both built for in ways!

New tires and spark plugs, an oil change or two before Mexico and a new battery were about the only things the bike itself needed. Everything else was basically traveling gear; a tank bag for carrying things like maps and credit cards (quick access items that could go right on the gas tank), a new tool bag for the front of the bike, new saddle bags to go along with the three rear luggage bags I already had, extra tail and head light bulbs, a tire repair kit, a new sleeping bag and ground mattress, a hammock, a new lightweight cover for the bike when I wasn't on it, a new Laptop so I could write and store my pictures while waiting to upload them at a hotel or cafe, a new case for the laptop and small things like camera batteries or tail lights that I would want to have before I crossed the border into Mexico (where items are often hard to get or more expensive).

I also ordered maps from a local book store and a place in Vancouver. Its important to get the best maps you can find and unlike in the U.S. where you can get one for a few dollars at any gas station, in Mexico and Central America you often have to go out of your way to find them. And good ones if you can find them are not cheap.

I called ahead to Brownsville Texas to the Kawasaki dealer there and ordered new tires to be put on before going into Mexico. Unfortunately they did not tell me they needed a copy of my credit card before they would order the tires. Because of this the tires would probably not be there on time. Why they didn't tell me this 3 weeks prior when I originally talked to them was the question. So I just ended up having new tires put on before I left Traverse City and put 9,300 miles on them with no problems.

The gas cans, the hammock and the tire repair kit I never needed or used. I also didn't use my camping gear much (maybe twice) because I used hotels a lot for safety, convenience and helping me keep to a schedule. Hopefully on my next trip to Mexico and Central America I'll have more time for touring and involve less hotels and more camping or hostels.
While warm clothing was essential for fall and later winter travel in the states, it was also necessary for the high country in northern Mexico where at some altitudes frost is not uncommon in December. I did not have a lot of high priced techno gear so I went with Carhart bib bottoms for the U.S. part of the trip with an upper coat. I kept the upper coat for Mexico and Central America  and sent the lower half of the Carharts home after I reached Texas. Of course rain gear is needed both as a windbreak in cold weather and for the frequent downpours you run into. From Texas to Costa Rica I had very little rain however, most of what I was to encounter would be in Costa Rica itself.

Along with the seemingly endless list of clothing and equipment I also got all the recommended immunizations; Typhoid, Malaria, Tetanus, Hepatitis A and B shots and a Yellow Fever one for Panama (these were not cheap either, costing $300-$400's from the local public health nurse). I considered getting international health insurance with emergency evacuation coverage for myself for a few hundred dollars (which for someone doing extended travel abroad is often recommended, especially on a motorcycle) while looking into insuring the bike for the whole trip (another couple of thousand dollars perhaps). I decided not to purchase either and saved a lot of money by not doing so, this time anyway.

Most motorcycle travelers I read about didn't carry insurance on their bikes in Latin America (though some countries do require you purchase it at their border). The rule of thumb being; don't get in a accident and if you do get in one settle with the person before the police arrive or you could be considered guilty of causing it and your vehicle could be impounded and you put in jail until its cleared up in court. I have never heard anyone actually going through this scenario though, perhaps this is where the infamous official Central American bribe comes into play.

Before leaving on the trip I had to set up my home stay in Costa Rica with Spanish speaking classes as well as my dental work; the reason I was going to begin with. I also contacted the Record Eagle, a local paper here in Traverse City to see if they would want to do a story on the trip (they did and it was published the Sunday before I left saying I was on the road when I hadn't even left yet!). I had to make copies of my passport, credit cards, credit card contact numbers, vehicle title and registration while getting travelers checks. I also had business cards made up with my blog's address that I could pass out as I traveled for those who wanted to follow the trip or contact me later. Along with this I had to leave an itinerary and a way for others to contact me if needed as I traveled (the wonders of email). The lists seemed endless and had to be double checked and added to as new anticipated needs came up.

I ordered a copy of and started practicing a Rosetta Stone CD on learning Spanish. Something to help me get by at least until I could get to Costa Rica and delve into my Spanish classes. Finding the time to practice didn't come easy though and two years later I'm still getting through all 4 sections. While I think Rosetta Stone is helpful, you really have to spend the time practicing with it or it won't do you a lot of good. I use it now in conjunction with my college Spanish classes and I find it very useful.

The rough outline of the trip was to leave my home near Traverse City around October 15 and drive to Brownsville Texas where I would cross the border into Mexico. I figured the entire ride to Costa Rica and back would be about 10,000 miles, give or take a couple of thousand (It turned out to be about 9300 miles total from Michigan to Costa Rica and then back to Memphis where I loaded up my bike on a U-haul for the last part of the trip). The goal was to reach Costa Rica by the 1st or 2nd of November after having traveled along the Gulf Coast of Mexico and into and through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. (I actually ended up reaching Costa Rica about a week late having spent more time in Texas then planned. I was waiting on weather reports and summoning my courage to cross into Mexico and actually start the trip!).

Having reached Costa Rica I would stay with a family in San Jose, take Spanish lessons for a month and finish my dental implant work. In my spare time the goal was to tour and travel Costa Rica on my motorcycle. While most of this part of the plan was sound what I did not foresee was how my Spanish classes which were Monday thru Friday with my dental appointments squeezed in would not leave me much time to sight see. I was more or less a prisoner of my own schedule, much like I had been earlier that year in July when I went for the initial implant work and ended up spending most of my time in the hotel recovering from surgery. I also did not take into account how difficult (even with maps) getting around San Jose and Costa Rica would be. I eventually learned San Jose and most of Costa Rican roads fairly well, but initially I found it almost impossible to get around (lack of street signs and detailed maps being the main problem). On top of this was the fact that November is a rainy season month when many roads can be washed out or travel can be more difficult. So as in July, I was left frustrated with not much time to travel in a place that deserves a lot of exploration.

After a month in Costa Rica I planned to head south to Panama and the canals hoping to not only see them, but also to drive the last of the Pan American Highway before it ends at the Darien Gap, the stretch between Colombia and Panama that most people ferry around due to the wildness and the drug trafficking that reportedly goes on there. I felt like if I got that far on this trip then perhaps on a subsequent trip I could tour South America without back tracking to the Darien Gap since it is so difficult to cross on the Pan American Highway anyway (this way I would have still done the whole Pan American Highway outside of the gap).

By the second week in December it would be time to head north (as strange as this may sound in the middle of winter) back the way I had come and as far north as the winter weather would allow me. I thought if we had one of those winters where we got a stretch of 40 and 50 degree weather for a few days I could use this window to make it all the way back to Michigan on my bike. And even more ambitious If time permitted I might make New Orleans or visit a friend in Key West Florida before Christmas. I wanted to get back and see my family and dad by Christmas and knew I did not have all the time to do everything I might have liked on the trip. As it was I "over planned" and had to cut out several things I might have done had time permitted.

The three weeks before leaving was a very busy time as I continued to prepare. And during this time I went over to Wisconsin for two weeks to help with harvest on a cranberry marsh that I had worked on in the 90's. Having not worked all summer it seemed a good opportunity to earn some extra money before I left. I'm not sure financially the effort was worth going over for two weeks (especially since I left early to come back) but even if not, northern Wisconsin with its hundreds of lakes and wild forests is still one of the most beautiful areas in our country.

The backdrop to the Central American trip was the fact that just prior to leaving I had a close friend die and I assumed responsibility for much of his burial and estate matters. I had quit my job to handle his estate and also to deal with Plantar Fasciitis (swelled tendons) in my feet. If you have not had this condition before, you are lucky. I had developed it while working at a nursing home where I was often on my feet for long periods of time. It is a condition that for some will go away, with others it may require intensive physical therapy, anti-inflammation shots or even surgery to relieve the pain. I'm afraid I fall into the latter category since two years later it is still can be an issue for me.

As with all inflammation conditions diet also is an important factor. I found out just about everything I eat; from meat, dairy and sugar, to bread, coffee and citrus fruits, all contribute to inflammation in the body. In fact when I looked at it, 80% of the foods many of us eat are considered high inflammation foods.

Added to everything else that was going on was the fact that both my parents needed to move into long term nursing and assisted living homes. This put a tremendous amount of strain on everyone concerned; not least of all them. By the time of the trip my mother had passed on and it was now just my dad who needed help. While I would be in touch most of the trip with his AFC home and his care, it was still a difficult time to leave and there were strains put on me and my sisters relationship because she would be the one doing the bulk of the work while I was gone. In the end I decided to go, hoping the extra month gone would not not be regretted.

Lesson #1 in the Art of Learning to Travel Well: If you can, wait till it feels right in your bones to leave, understanding what you leave undone you may well have to come back and do later.

Lesson #2: Define what your travel goals and objectives are and how you plan to reach them. While its possible to over prepare and plan, for the most part being prepared will go a long way in determining the success and enjoyment of the trip.

I would much rather do my homework and plan a trip around the things that interest me while working within a budget to allow them to happen then being disorganized and perhaps running out of money or rushing from place to place missing out on why I went there to begin with. Trips that turn into an exercise in survival are seldom fun. As general's are prone to say, "battles are won on the drill field, not the battle field". In many ways international travel is no different.

Lesson #3 Through discretion and reason learn to develop your intuition, it will always serve you well.

There is a method of walking called Goat Walking, if I remember right it is modeled after goat herders who simply follow their herds and have no agenda for their hike. No personal choice, no schedule, no itinerary, they just walk and leave it up to the herd to take them where they will. Not unlike following the wind, there is a certain wisdom and freedom here that perhaps could best be described as soul travel. When all personal choices and desires are set aside, when the ego is laid to rest with no self will to rule the day, perhaps then the souls needs can be felt and subsequently met.

Used correctly traveling can help us develop an intuitive response to life. A way to go beyond reason to the many subtle ebbs and currents that effect our surface realities. Our intuition often senses these underlying causes of events before or as they happen and will allow us to respond accordingly, if we listen. At the same time travel can stir up every insecurity and fear we've ever had showing us where many of the blocks to intuitive living lie. The art of travel is not easily mastered.

It has been about a year and a half since I finished the trip and I am now starting the process of going back and re-doing posts, correcting grammar and adding insights and useful information to what has already been written. It is the same trip of course but in ways with a new writer and reader that are now making it. For some it will be your first trip, while others hopefully you will find there is value in visiting a place more than once. I know I usually do.

I hope in some way this blog add's to a process of learning to live and travel well and helps reaffirm the need to have awareness in all we do.

d.k.f........Lake Ann 05-10

Next post: Wisconsin

Wisconsin

 

One of the hundreds of lakes that dot northern Wisconsin, this one is just north of the town of Woodruff on Hwy. 57

I spent about three weeks in Wisconsin helping with the cranberry harvest before coming back to Michigan to finish getting ready for the trip. My spare time while there was often spent looking for good places to eat since my motel room only had a refrigerator and microwave. There are an amazing amount of good places to eat for the remoteness of the area and unlike cities where most restaurants are centrally located together either in suburban malls or downtown, this area has most of its best restaurants spread out on various small lakes. These small resorts rely on seasonal rushes and consistent patronage of regulars during the off seasons to survive.

My Klepper sitting at Black River Bay on Lake Superior in Michigan's upper peninsula just north of the cranberry marsh.

I got to take my Klepper (folding kayak) out on Lake Superior the first weekend I was there. I was in five foot waves and a freezing wind which was a bit wild, but it did well. I am still learning what this boat and myself can do. It's advertised as one of the most sea worthy boats there is and has been used in all parts of the world under all kinds of conditions. Every time I use it I appreciate more of just how well it is built and what it can do.

 
Looking out of the Black River Harbor into Lake Superior.

I also took my kayak out into the Lac du Flambeau region which is part of a large chain of lakes in Northern Wisconsin. The Chippewa Indian Reservation and Casino are on the lake and the amount of wild land surrounding this area is as extensive as any place I have been in the midwest; with islands everywhere and free camping its a canoe or kayakers dream. There are wolves, moose, eagles, bear, marten, weasels, reports of cougars along with Tiger Musky fishing that rivals Alaskan salmon fishing.

The hunters and fisherman also seem to like the islands for they too appear everywhere. It is an area that unfortunately seems to always have a hunting or fishing season open so the land is multi/heavily used. In winter there are large numbers of snowmobiles and the rest of year ATV's (all terrain vehicles) seem to rule off road travel. Different users must share the land at the same time and respect each others right do so. If your hiking or kayaking, and you end up walking or paddling in front of a duck blind filled with hunters, it obviously feels less then comfortable. These situations don't give much of a sense of solitude for either party; the reason we like to think we went out there to begin with.

This is a continuing problem for someone wanting to get away from it all and not hunt, fish, or use a vehicle to get around, especially in northern Wisconsin. To just go for a hike or paddle usually means you are going to run into someone and upset their hunting or fishing space. I would be curious to find out if there is a "non land use" season in northern Wisconsin. For someone just wanting to experience the woods without others using it for recreational purposes seems almost impossible to do at times.

Recently in Michigan's Pigeon River State Forest area I noticed signs saying motorized vehicles are not allowed in the whole state forest. This seems more the exception than the norm however and I think part of the reason this rule exists there is because the states only Elk population resides there.

Even with all the activity in the woods northern Wisconsin is a good example of north woods beauty and solitude. With its many miles of bogs, lakes, deep forests and marshes of stunted growth trees one can almost imagine the vast tracts of woods covering the earth for another 500 miles from here to the north until the tree line ends and the thousands of miles of tundra begin; the real true north. For those of you who have never really been far north, like up towards the arctic circle, it is hard to describe the magic that lays heavier and heavier on the land the farther north you travel. Just the angle of the earth and how the sun light illuminates it is unlike any other place. You simply know you are far north by the "feel" of it. This "feel" certainly starts in northern Michigan and Wisconsin and becomes more pronounced the farther north you go.

My second week in Wisconsin was in the 40's and 50's; certainly warmer than my first week there. That week it was cold enough for snow. While working out on the marsh, the wind, rain and cold which all alternated with the sun popping out was some of the most intense work I have done in some of the worst conditions. Even working on a fishing boat in Alaska when I was younger was no worse than this, though a little more dangerous. And like being on a fishing boat the beauty of working out on the marsh and being able to see weather patterns develop for miles around is something special. This watching wildlife while you work is simply not in most job descriptions and is working in an environment that has a raw beauty that is continually changing from moment to moment.

One day after a long day of weather changes we came back to the shop just off the marsh and saw not only a whole rainbow, which is rare enough, but it turned into a double rainbow; it was one of the best ones I've ever seen.



Our shop and yard on the cranberry marsh with a rainbow overhead.

My time there was too short. I left the cranberry harvest a little early due to a conflict with another worker. Like many construction jobs there is always conflicts and scape goats to be found, hung over bosses and a sort of burn out energy that often comes from long hours, both on the job and in the bars. It is a weird environment, not unlike commercial fishing or a host of other construction type jobs done in beautiful outdoor settings. There is hard work and beautiful scenery which feels so good to be out and in is often accompanied by a certain work environment from the coworkers where the job (even in a beautiful setting) no longer seems worth it. Like most jobs one has to be willing to adopt a certain attitude and simply enjoy it and see it for what it is. I'm afraid I didn't quite allow myself to do it this time.

At times one needs to be willing to get in there and rough it up, take whatever comes down the pike and fight for what you believe in. This not only makes us human, it can make us feel alive. For some of us being John Wayne for a day is exactly what the doctor ordered! A good brawl, drunk and roll in the hay can make us feel deeply human again. Not that I advocate getting drunk, fights or promiscuous sex of course. But it is important to recognize the need for these things in our lives and the need to feel human, with all our many faults and virtues.

So again I say goodbye to Northern Wisconsin hoping I will again come back and perhaps put up at least a seasonal home. How few people know of these beauties outside of the midwest. Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, God shed his grace on thee: and don't get me started on Canada's beauty...

Next post.... On a cold October night I start the long journey south....

Night Riding, Motorcycle Yoga and the Mississippi Delta

My bike in Lake Ann at the beginning of the trip.

Finally I got to leave. While I still had some things to do for the trip, most of what was left was to simply drive. On my way south I stopped to see my dad at the AFC home he lived at in Big Rapids. I took a picture of him and some of the other residents (and yes he still has a way with the women), I also had a picture taken of us in front of the bike, the last time I would see him till Christmas two months later.

Dad and I at the beginning of the trip

Dad and fellow residents at the AFC home in Big Rapids, Michigan

I did 600 miles the first night needing to make up some time feeling I was already running behind schedule. I was suppose to be in Costa Rica the 3rd of November.

The first night was cold (about 40 degrees) and was only bearable because I had bought a new full length Carhart insulated suit while in Wisconsin. Without it I wouldn't have been able to stand it going 70 miles an hour with a wind chill of well.... very cold.

That night (early morning) I made it almost to Memphis, the home of Graceland. Unfortunately I didn't  have time to visit Elvis. He's still alive you know, like Tommy Lee Jones said in the movie Men in Black, "he just went back home to his planet".  As it ended up there were a number of places like this it would have been fun to stop and see, but I wouldn't have the time (the next trip will be set up for sight seeing).

If you who have never rode a motorcycle before and wonder about the experience, what it is like and what is the attraction, especially when doing a long trip like this, I try to convey some of the experience through my posts over the coming two months. Like the night when I was traveling on almost deserted 5 lane freeways on a cold night through Chicago, feeling as if I was floating as I changed lanes and traveled through downtown with its skyscrapers and empty streets at 65 mph.

This floating comes from the accompanying heightened sense of being a couple of feet off the ground with very little separating you from it or the air around you. One does get a sense of "floating and freedom" that is as close to unassisted flying perhaps as one can come. Of course the danger of non protected flight has its drawbacks as well!

At other times I have drove through Chicago at midnight on my motorcycle, through tunnels of semi's on either side of me feeling almost non existent compared to a car or another truck. I felt a connection with the truckers, like maybe there is a certain respect from them for anyone riding a bike in the midst of all these 18 wheeled monsters. Yes, perhaps imagined but knowing we are all traveling a long way through the dead of night alone, feels like a connection indeed.....

Getting gas on a cold night in Illinois.

As for Yoga and Motorcycling, there are two kinds I mention here. One definition of Yoga is the union of creator, and created. When the microcosmic is balanced with the macrocosmic you have a union of the two, and both know each other. With motorcycling this "balance" occurs more easily in ways between the outer and inner. The sense of being out there in all the elements and weather and having to dress accordingly and be more aware of your environment at all times, including the traffic environment, brings about the union of the rider (inner), and the environment of the rider (the outer), into a sort of Yoga, or union itself.

The other Yoga of Motorcycling here is the physical. To do 600 miles on a bike in one night I need to do stretching exercises or I could never do it. I've tried it before and without exercising I could barely move the next day. Last night at each gas stop (I did one about every 120 miles because I only have a 3.5 gallon tank), I did a lot of leg and hip stretches, using my bike as a balance point. I then began to realize it would not be hard to set up a whole series of exercises using different postures either on the bike itself, or beside it. Postures which are somewhat unique to riding the bike or being able to use it as part of the exercise itself. These postures make it easier to target certain muscle groups, especially the ones affected by long rides. Throw in some disciplined breathing, a mantra or two and you have Motorcycle Yoga, developed by and for bikers. The book coming out soon to a Borders near you!

Lesson #4 In the Art of Learning to Travel Well: Understand your needs on all levels and plan on ways to meet those needs.

Joking aside, taking care of ones self while traveling is not only more important in ways then when one is at home because of the extra stresses you often face with long days and odd hours, but like motorcycle yoga, when you find ways to be creative and meet these needs you will feel better and the trip will be more enjoyable. It will no longer be a marathon or a way to sprint from point A to point B.

When I hit Memphis I was about half way to the Mexican border and was planning to stay in Texas one night before crossing. After that I thought my posts might become a little sporadic due to limited internet access in Mexico and beyond. 


Next post: Memphis, Cotton Fields and Jim Croce

Memphis, Cotton Fields and Jim Croce

Passing over the Mississippi River just north of Memphis the weather got decidedly warmer. From 40 degrees the night before to seventy degrees that first full day. The land reminded me of Paul Simon's song Graceland, "The Mississippi Delta, Shining like a National Guitar", was stretching all the way to Memphis.... So cool, very different then the upper
Midwest. Here the land appeared so fertile, and even with November coming on summer seemed to linger. Here I got to see my first cotton fields, at least the first I could remember.

Most of the fields had already been harvested with big boxcar like bins lying at the end of the fields. Other fields with plants with loose cotton in the upper stems looked to be just waiting. A naive northerner, I know very little about an industry that has defined the south for so long.

Cottons fields in late October in Tennessee. 

I Didn't see much of Memphis, the freeway heads west to Little Rock before ever going into town. Knowing the Mississippi defines everything around it, I imagined Memphis too must be defined by it's might running right thru it.. I wanted to go into town and try some delicacy of southern cooking, but it would have to wait, again time was not on my side.

Patty Ann's in southern Tennessee

Interstate 40 took me towards Little Rock, cutting across the center of the state of Arkansas and to Interstate 30, and onward to Dallas. Never having been somewhere before all you can do is imagine what it is like when you look at a map. Living in the upper Midwest sometimes I feel we have a corner on the market when it comes to wildlife and wild places, especially the farther north you go. Of course this is true in ways, but I forget how many wild and beautiful places there are everywhere in the United States.

Driving down highways of beautiful tall pine trees with eagles hunting the ravines, with the pine scent and warm sun on me, Jim Croce's song about pine trees lining a winding road in Georgia came to mind. Its funny to travel and visit  places I have only visited in songs. Arkansas's beauty was another reminder that no place has the corner on beauty.......it can be found anywhere.

After having gone thru Arkansas and into Dallas at rush hour (just what I didn't want, a big city at rush hour), I traveled through skyscrapers in packed traffic looking for my freeway heading south to Waco. Here then would be the final push to the Mexican border. So I had come about 1500 miles and was north of Brownsville TX, my crossing point into Mexico.

The reservoir just before entering Dallas from the east. I believe its called the Hubbard reservoir (maybe after the astronomer?) In  the distant is the Dallas skyline.

Next Post: Texas, Oil Rigs, Palm Trees and a child of God.

  

 

Texas.... Oil Rigs, Palm Trees and a Child of God

I came upon a child of God, he was walking along the road. When I asked him where he was going, this he told me. (Lyrics from Joni Mitchell's...... Woodstock)

Steven carrying his cross outside of Corpus Christi

When I first saw Steven carrying his cross along the side of the road just south of Corpus Christi I had to turn around, I thought what a picture to have. Its these out of the ordinary things that make travel so much fun and reminds us of what is normal for us, is not necessarily normal for everyone (thank God, literally in this case). I look at meeting anyone different as an opportunity to learn, especially someone carrying a cross down the highway!

I stopped and offered him a drink of water and asked the obvious, "how far have you come", "how far are you going?". The why's were written all over the cross with Jesus Saves and the John 3:16 header plus he was wearing an Addicted to Jesus T-shirt. He also had that in Spanish on a index card sitting on the cross and read it off to me in very good Spanish.

At first he said he was walking to a place in Kansas some 600 miles to the north. My first impression of someone carrying a cross over 600 miles along the side of the road had me in awe, like wow that is walking the talk!

After a time he pulled out a cell phone and called someone he knew that had set him and his support car up before for a place to stay behind a produce stand, just down the road. He was trying to see if I could stay there instead of paying for a motel room or camp site. I appreciated his thoughtfulness. Then I began to piece together more of his story. He had a phone, he had a support car for the walk, there was 3 or 4 other people helping him, perhaps sharing the cross and the walk. He also talked about usually walking around cities short distances at a time, not doing a 600 mile hike as he said he was doing now. It appeared he was from the Corpus Christi area and this could just be a short get peoples attention type walk. Like maybe it wasn't a 600 mile trip after all. I didn't know since they did seem to be camping as they moved. Either way we had a wide ranging God based spiritual talk which I am prone to do at times (trying to find the universal principles underlying all religion). I appreciated what he was doing and didn't feel a need to judge it, after all, here I am driving a motorcycle 4000 miles to Costa Rica!

I asked him if I could take his picture and he was fine with that, he asked if I would pray with him and I did and then we went our own ways. Me on my motorcycle heading south, him carrying his cross heading north (little did I know on a cold blustery day in December our paths would cross again).

Later that day he called me on my cell phone to make sure I found the place to camp. Maybe it was because I have been alone so much the last week on the road, but a kinship of sorts formed and I was glad we had met.

Maybe like most of us, he was just looking for his own Woodstock. Of course  as any spiritual teacher might tell us, there is only one place to look for that, one only needs to inquire within........

Distant Oil Refineries along the coast of Texas.

So I did not see nearly as much as I would have liked to in Texas, perhaps I thought when I come back through in December. A picture of an oil refinery in the distance here, long flat highways, palm trees, cattle ranches and oil rigs come to mind.

The road south from Corpus Christi to Brownsville.

The other thing that stood out for me are the people in Texas, especially the older ones. Being somewhat of an oddity, this lone bike man with a huge load heading God knows where would in other parts of the country either make people stare, or they might even come up and ask where I was going. Here people quite often either waved to me, or just said "hi", never asking anything. My best guess is in this state built on heavy individualism there is a certain respect for someone riding an iron horse to God knows where alone. It just came to me, the Lone Ranger, the Lone Star State, the Lone Bike Man, it all fits into place...... Its polite to say hi, but really its not respectful to ask about someone else's business out here in this country. It well maybe dangerous.

Its hard to describe but my feeling in Texas was that the people had genuinely acknowledged me in a way different then most places I've been, and it has been a nice change.

Oh and Mexico was the next day.....I was thinking