That is part of the fun, I don't have to describe how good it feels to have a brisk ride in the morning, or outrunning a thunderstorm exactly one mile faster than the cloudbank, or surprising some rare animal or bird that motorists would NEVER notice.

We've all traveled by car, stayed in identically designed motels on the interstates, I'll bet a lot of MBer's were Scouts in their youthful days, have memories of camping, and how "Be Prepared" is very important to a MB.

In other words, we all know we can DO IT, time/career/family might constrain you, but still, in your mind, it is just as real, putting yourself in Rocinante's saddle. Just like watching or reading "Lonesome Dove", wondering if you could survive like those pioneers.

The major difference in traveling long distance on a Motorized Bike is the simplicity, because you built it, after a little experience, you know how to do emergency fixes and repairs, so you don't have that Tow Truck/AAA mentality. You already know after a half hour of sweating under a tree fixing a wheel, you will dry off/cool off in the breeze once you get back on the road.

When you hear a strange noise/vibration, knowing full well you hit a pothole moments ago, you stop and don't have a sense of "dread", because you brought tools and tubes and zipties and ducttape, find a shady spot and you are pretty positive you can either get it back in shape, or minimally, you can limp to the next town and get-er-dun.

There is always a "hopefulness" about the road ahead, in my case, I always know where I'm headed (generally), but forget the names of the towns I already passed through, UNLESS I take a little time to explore older parts of a town, because the main drags all look similar, auto parts and burger joints.

Motorists depend on a mechanic to tell them what is wrong, and cowboys were dependent on water for the horse and a blacksmith if "Ol Paint" threw a shoe. We can beat those limitations with a little planning.

And because fellow MBer's already understand the fun of seeing the landscape at a leisurely 25 miles per hour, they can seperate themselves mentally from the rat race going on in the traffic, where all the cars now look the streamlined cookie cutter same, and any driver who isn't staying with the 70 miles per hour pack mentality "speed/flow" is subject to road rage.

We all wish there was not so much litter on the road, but still, if something perks our curiosity, we can pull up, stop/explore, and take a few moments to "figure it out", and then think about it deeper as we resume our ride.

There have been so many times I've seen some new crop or odd structure or unique mountain range, and then you spend 10 miles thinking about it until you meet a stranger, ride right up to him and ask "what the heck was that orange thing 5 miles back?"

We are all constantly talking to strangers, which is a fun thing, proving to ourselves that good folk live all around, only the accents change.

Motorists and tourists can't do that as much, they come off as pushy/nosy or ignorant, and while we ARE ignorant about the foreign territory when on an adventure, at least the bicycle gives the stranger the chance to ask his own questions.

It makes the rider and the stranger equal in curiosity, both come away with a new knowledge, and usually the local gets the better end of the story, about the idiot passing through on a bike contraption. "You ain't gonna believe this, boys......"

I don't know how many times a car or pickup has followed me, then a few miles ahead I see him parked at a gas station, waving me in with a few others standing there, "what the heck is that???"

Likewise, another part of the fun writing for you folks is a simple "fact" doesn't have to be debated.

When I explain that carrying two pairs of denim jeans cross country is a BAD IDEA, because the morning dew makes them heavier and un-dryable rolled up and packed in the carrybag, whenever you do decide to take a trip, you'll possibly remember that advise.

(AND, when you forget reading about me having to dump 600 page paperbacks, heavy thread count sheets, half bottles of bug repellent and clunky heavy sandals, all in the quest to lighten my load, you WILL remember it when you encounter it in person !!!) Fleece hoodies being GREAT will dawn on you when you carry a backpack.

So, Bill, in fact YOU already have been there, when you read a road-trip story and have hundreds of motorized bike miles under your belt, it doesn't take very much imagery to "get the humor".

If it isn't fun, then why do it?

When I tell you guys how stupid I felt sitting in front of a laundrymat in Florida, you will understand what a GENIUS I was in Ada, Oklahoma, throwing all my old t-shirts in a Goodwill box, restocking my shirt supply for less than a $1. Getting back on the road in moments, not an wasting an hour, plus spending less money than it would take to wash them.

Again, thanks for the input and feedback !!

I hope we can keep the spirit of AMUSEMENT alive on this forum, not worry about the screwed up outside world.

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