The video does a great job summing up the ride itself . I tried to touch on the mental side of how fried I was from the drive , but it was tough to capture . There is this unspoken thought that as humans we can always push through , that we shouldn ’ t give ourselves time to mentally reset . What I am learning as I undertake more misogi-type trips , is that I need to use these treks , including the travel time , to reset . That ’ s a hard thing to do when time is of the essence , but awareness to that intention is where it starts .
The intent is to not treat the drive as a means to an end anymore . The drive to Colorado , or wherever a future riding trip awaits , is part of the adventure . Travel time used to be treated as something to be completed as fast as possible . Bathroom breaks were for the weak , we have coffee cups to pee in . Coolers held drinks and snacks , we didn ’ t need to stop for lunch . Crap , we ’ re almost out of gas ; pee while we ’ re filling up because we ’ re leaving in four minutes . I ’ m trying to adjust my thinking so the time it takes to get to our destination is still part of the adventure . It adds to the memories , and the enjoyment , of traveling across the country .
850 MILES BACK HOME
Since the Sherco didn ’ t make the entirety of the DEATHMARCH , my voyage home started earlier than expected . As soon as I had cell service , I made two separate calls . One was to my wife , and one was to my friend Geoffrey Fryer . A lot of negative self-talk surfaced for me during the 7-8 hours I was on the bike with Morgan and crew . I knew I didn ’ t want to stew on those thoughts for the entirety of the drive home . Those post-ride chats brought a lot out into the open for me to think about , and I ’ m very thankful for these friends and family in my life .
I don ’ t know what trip is next for me . Liam and I have been riding together more , enjoying Spider Mountain and Bentonville recently . Norah is still killing it on her Torrot , though she ’ s not as avid as Liam is about getting seat time . Due to a lack of vacation time , I can ’ t attend the Tecate Enduro like I had hoped I could . I think it ’ s time to settle in a bit for the end of the year . I ’ ll make
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 44