Longriders & Bucket Lists

I just finished reading Mark Tiger Edmonds book "Longrider". Tiger is a PhD retired English teacher at St Leo College in Florida. He is also a "longrider". For those of you that don't know what a "longrider" is, it is a person that rides more miles in a day on a motorcycle than some people ride in a year. Most good longriders use BMWs and a few use Honda Goldwings. These folks are in reality modern day cowboys, gypsies, vagabonds, wanderers, people who need to be on a quest, if for no other reason than to just be riding. They are a breed of people that are always looking for and finding the "other side" of life. I applaud them for their independence and if they had lived long ago we would call them explorers.



I have known several "longriders" in my life. They have been to all four corners of our country and many have been around the world. I want to be a "longrider", but I lack the dedication to pursue it. It takes a certain mental attitude to jump on a scooter and ride off into the sunset knowing that in four hours your ass is going to start hurting and rain storms will be in your future. I know a guy that rides the "Iron butt Rally". He tells me of riding from coast to coast in under fifty hours. "Mapquest" says that it's 2456 miles from Savannah, Georgia to San Diego, California. To complete that run you would have to average 49.12 mph. Take into consideration that you have to stop for gas, food, potty breaks and who knows what else, and I see it as a formidable task. OK I'm a wuss! I really want to go on an extended ride and now that I'm reaching my "golden years", whatever the Hell that means, it has become the lead entry on my bucket list.



I didn't know what a bucket list was until I saw the movie entitled that. After I saw the movie I thought that it wasn't just a good idea, but a necessary item to fill out, so here is my list.



1. Take a long trip on a motorcycle. Not just to a destination, but to no destination. Just load up some stuff and get on the bike, start the engine, put it into gear, let out the clutch and don't look back. You will know when it is time to go home. Take a cell phone, but leave it off until it is needed, like to call home and tell them that you are still alive or call for help if you break down.

2. Be sitting on a starting line ready to race on my sixty fifth birthday. I don't care what kind of racing, but it will either be road racing or off road racing. I'll explain why for you sometime if you ask.

3. Finish all the writing projects that I have started. Lots of stories need to be put down as a sort of legacy for my grandchildren. They will serve to explain who I was.

4. See the Grand Canyon.

5. Check in for an airplane flight wearing just a speedo and flip flops. Don't ask! It's a revolutionary thing.



That's it my very short list. I've had the opportunity to do all the other things that I wanted to do. I don't want to jump out off an airplane, unless it's sitting on the ground. I have been able to race at tracks all over the US and I've seen most of America from the boomers seat of a KC135. I've had a great marriage and wonderful friends, and I've done most everything I wanted to do when I was young. I don't want to see any place outside of these United States. There is more than enough to see here at home.



The things that I want to see are: My grandson, Conner, growing up and the wonder in his eyes as he sees what the world has to offer him. Lots of glorious sunrises and sunsets. Birds sitting on the feeder outside our kitchen windows. Great visual movies like "Avatar". That's about all I could ever want to do. Oh yea! grow older with my beautiful bride.