Biker Karma

    I do believe I'm going to aim at writing this blog without the use of photographs to retain your attention, merely to see who's more interested in the blog than the images. But I may decide otherwise along the way.

   Now, I understand that not all people are the same; and bikers are no exception. That said, I'm going to speak on behalf of the bikers that I regularly associate with and call my brothers. Each as any other human, unique in character and personality but each share a fundamental trait that is pretty common in biker culture; respect.

    If an individual is able to prove themselves to possess the qualities of integrity, respect, and reliability, they gain a certain level of respect that few ever really get to experience. I'm a man who strives to live a simple life, simple does not mean lacking in complexity but merely that my core life values are pretty easy to understand.

    Those who know me understand that I'm not a man of money. I spend pretty much every dollar trying to keep my family afloat as does any other "lower class" man. I make enough to survive and that's about it. Men like me come to understand the value of integrity and honesty as well as a willingness and genuine desire to contribute to helping others. Because by having a genuine interest in helping others, the mystical ways of the universe create biker karma. A simpler way of looking at it is that people like me build a genuine kinship like bond with those we choose to associate with.

    I have a very, very select few people that I choose to associate with; which to count wouldn't exceed the use of one hand. But these individuals know that if they need a hand or two to help out with a project, or to build a fence, hell even to mow the yard, they know they can count on me any time I'm available. They know that simply asking, they will receive any assistance I can afford. And by being so eager to help these brothers and family, I have always been taken care of.

    I can remember the day that one of my closest brothers invited me to his bike shop. He offered me a crazy hourly rate to help out around the shop as I could, an hourly wage I've never known before. A credit based rate that would contribute to getting maintenance assistance and provisions on my bike that I normally cannot afford. Living a lower class life, the most expensive thing I own is my Harley and due to that luxury, I do without virtually everything else that most average people get to enjoy. I do not have a car, I sacrificed a rental house and moved in with my queen in her apartment. I eat, sleep, and breath my biker life; something most of the world would frown upon or think foolish.

    But I digress, the relationship with this particular friend started on a credit basis assistance founded virtually entirely upon an act of faith. He did not know me personally, and made this choice based on my work ethic and personality alone. Today, though the credit foundation still exists, I've developed a level of respect and trust with this brother that ensures that pretty much anything I need, he'll help me get. By not abusing his friendship, and offering a genuine desire to help in any way that I can, I've earned a level of karma that has always taken care of me in the end.

    Being who I am, I analyze and over-analyze absolutely everything in my life no matter how big or small it may be. And if there is even just one bit of knowledge that I could pass onto the next generation (my boy), it would be this; Live a humble life, and never believe that you are better than anybody else. You are human and nothing more. Live a life of service; serve your brothers and those around you. Never believe you are above a task. This is not to say you should ever accept anything less than respect, but rather it is to say that you must in every waking moment be willing to earn that respect. If you earn your respect, you will always be taken care of. If you're willing to give the cloths of your back to a brother, your brother will do the same for you. Sometimes you may put forth more effort than you believe it is worth at that time, but you'll find out later on that the favor will always be returned. And lastly, it is my hope that you will heed this warning.

    If you fail to be genuine in your actions, you will fail. If you only help others to get something out of it, you will pay for it. A selfish heart is a destructive one that leaves a wake of damage along its path. And you can only hurt so many people before you're left alone to fend for yourself; and if you burn the wrong bridges you may find yourself fighting to live at all. So be good to people, and be sincere in your heart. Help others simply because you can, and never keep a record of the balance. Concern yourself only with what you can do to help and you'll find yourself surrounded by loved ones of whom you thank the Lord for every day.

MLH&R
Ziptie

Memories I'll never forget

Riding the Storm

Outskirt of the Storm

    I can remember riding back home with my father back in June from our family reunion. We had just rode through the worst rain storm I've rode through to date between Douglas and Casper, and spent about an hour at a gas station to change and dry off before heading to Shoshoni for our next stop. Some raggedy old biker was on his way home from work when he stopped to inquire about our trip. When he found out we were on the latter half of our 2500 mile loop he shook our hands and offered to buy us rounds at his clubs bar. We politely declined in that we were on a time crunch, but had a good visit.

    The rain let off between Casper and Shoshoni for the most part, and other than the antelope and fresh chip seal, there wasn't much to worry about along the way. As we rolled into Shoshoni I took notice of a small bar on the side of the road with an old chopper sitting outside; I couldn't help but think it was probably the bartenders because I remembered seeing it on our way through the first time.

Boysen State Park

   We cut North en-route to Cody on HWY 20 and I've got to say, if you've never rode the 20, you otta. Not long after leaving Shoshoni we found ourselves along side Boysen State Park and its reservoir. Riding along side of the reservoir at the fall of the sun put an amazing light along the landscape; clouds still off in the distance. You begin riding through twists and turns as you enter the canyon with walls that touch the sky.

   Darkness had finally fallen right around Thermopolis and lightening lit up the sky in the distance. After leaving Thermopolis I decided it was time to take a piss before the rain hit again so we pulled over for a minute. I looked up and watched the sky, and as the lightening lit up the sky I could see the grey and white clouds above us. It was the kind of storm with lightening everywhere but not a crack of thunder to be heard in that moment.

   A lightening lit sky at 11:30pm after a solid rain is something to see while you're out in the middle of nowhere WY. The smell, the sight, its just something that sticks with you. I hopped back on the bike and we took off. Now unfortunately we had noticed earlier in the day that my high beam had gone out. This made for an interesting ride considering the elements, as I had to ride elbow to elbow with my father in order to clearly see. My father and I ride this way pretty much everywhere we go, but it was quite a bit more intimidating once the rain started hailing down on us again.

   If you're a biker who truly rides to live and lives to ride, you'll know that no matter how hard I try, I'll never truly be able to captivate the details of experiences like these; but it is my hope that I can do so well enough to bring back your memories to your own moments of the past of mutual experience. Because spite the rain, the cold, the burned out high beam and being 80 miles from our destination, it was still an experience I'll never forget, one that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.

   Out there on the road, everything just disappears and all you've got is the gas in your tank and the road beneath you. There are many experiences I'd like to share with you, but at this time I'm struggling to get my family into a better home, but in time I hope to be able to. I'd like to share experiences like getting stuck on WY HWY-26 while they chip-sealed, hot as the sun and nowhere to piss but a sage brush for all to see (not that we care haha). I'd like to share the experience of the front of that rain storm and the wind blowing so hard that we were riding at a 45 degree angle on an interstate practically flooded with water, even the cages were pulling over to wait it out; but not us.

   In time my friends, for those who find joy in story swapping the Idaho Hog will get there in time. Its my hope that one day The Idaho Hog will be an archive for all my experiences as a biker to one day share with my boy, the story of the life I've lived. A story of adventure and excitement, fear and sadness.

MLH&R
Ziptie
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