It's late. Just wanted to get these pictures up. I'll be back tomorrow to add the stories that go with them. Check back on this same post.
As I said in the previous entry, I've decided to get an adventure motorcyle to ride far out into the desert to search for gold. ha ha I'm serious, and I'm not.
I could just say I'm getting a motorcycle and I'm going do some off-roading in the desert. But why not make it more romantic, more mysterious, why not make it more of an adventure. I'm not just going out into the desert, I'm going out into the desert to hunt for lost treasure. Who knows, I could get lucky and find some gold, but I don't really expect to. I couldn't really say how much gold hunting I'll actually do. The important part I feel, what I'm going to enjoy the most, is just getting far out, away from civilization, into the quiet of the desert, and standing under the cobalt blue night sky filled with countless stars. I want to stand under that sky again, a sky that most in this lifetime will never have the chance to see. It is a sky that can only be seen far out in the wilds, far away from the noise, and the drowning lights of the city. It is crisp and clean, pure and shimmering. It is a pilgrimage that each of us should take at least once in our lives, a pilgrimage to worship beneath god's sky.
So I say I'm going out into the desert to hunt for treasure, but I really say that just for fun. I'm going on a pigrimage of sorts, a journey to solitude, to do some thinking, and to pay my respects to the great mysteries.
The picture above is of downtown LA one night as my friend Jorge and I were driving in to look at a motorcycle. I didn't end up buying it, but the journey was fun.
This is a picture taken of downtown San Diego as Jorge and I were once again on our way to look at a bike.
Found the right bike at the right price. It's a 2006 KLR650, inexpensive and capable. It's not the most amazing on, or off road machine, but it's perfect for what I need.
My new bike, in the parking lot of North County Cycle in Vista. Changing out the battery here. Not sure if I had to do so much disassembly to get the job done, but I'm unfamiliar with the bike.
On Thursday, I went out to start the bike. I was going to take it in to the DMV to get it registered. The battery was dead. For a little while I was wondering if I had gotten tricked, wondering if I had been sold a lemon. My friend Jorge helped me push start it. I thought after it had run a while, the battery would charge a little. We got it started and I took off to the DMV.
I was a few blocks away from the DMV when I killed it at a stoplight. I pushed the start button.....nothing, nothing at all. I pushed it into a shopping center parking lot. So there I was, pushing this bike up and down the parking lot, getting it rolling as fast as I could, then hopping on and popping the clutch.....nothing. I was getting tired of sprinting down the parking lot trying to get this thing started. I was standing there, bent over with my hands on my knees, huffing and wheezing, sweat dripping to the ground, when two guys came up and asked if I needed some help. Glad they showed up. They helped me get it started, and I was off again.
I managed to kill it a couple of more times down the road. I've never owned this type of bike. It's not like the Harley at all. I did a lot of pushing that afternoon. The battery, obviously wasn't taking a charge, so I decided to just head to the motorcycle dealership, and pick up a new one. Got there, and I didn't have the tools I needed to get to the battery. Had to borrow some from the shop. Bought a new battery for $88, and was on my way again.
The typically long line at the DMV. It started outside. I waited, and waited, and waited, and finally made it to the counter, only find out that I was missing a signature of the seller. Oh man, all that time wasted. I have to go do it all again on Monday. It's typical of trying to get anything done at the DMV though, isn't it?
At least I was able to get the bike inspected.
The whole misadventure with the bike was my fault. I wasn't paying attention on Wednesday night when I parked it. I turned the key to lock the handlebars, but I was in a hurry, and didn't notice that I turned the key all the way to park, which turns on the taillight. It sat like that long enough to completely waste the battery. We all do dumb things sometimes. That was my latest dumb thing. Cost me almost $100.
Saturday night, I caught UFC 87 at the Beach Club in Oceanside.
Ths is my friend Greg.
I'll try to write more about UFC 87 later. I was impressed with some of the guys. I have a few thoughts on the show.
