I just don't know

I am sitting in a coffee shop in Playa Del Rey trying to figure out how to explain a week of my life that cannot be explained. After San Fran I gathered supplies and went to live in the desert north of Reno for one week with 50,000 of the most generous, caring, like minded, forward thinking, inspirational human beings on this planet. Black Rock City, Nevada is the fifth largest city in Nevada and it exists for only one week a year. Everything you carry into the city is your responsibility and you must carry it out with you. As I was told prior to my first "Burn" is that Black Rock City is anything you want it to be. I had no idea of how true that would prove to be. Anything and everything is possible.

We were fortunate enough to have a full moon week and our sunrise parties were accompained by the setting of the moon followed by the rising of a fresh new sun.

The artwork at Burnning Man was my favorite aspect of the event.
No cars are allowed unless registered ahead of time and decorated as "ART CARS" You could jump on any car you want and follow the party or meet up with another car and watch the sun rise and dance until noon. Really anything goes. I was so busy enjoying myself and absorbing the insanity around me that I didn't get many photos, but the few that I got are a good example of the controllled madness. Everyone there was responsible with their insanity and made you comfortable doing things that you never thought you were capable of doing. It was truely how the world should be on a daily basis. People responsible for their own waste and consumption and helpiing each other to make the whole organism work.
My trip back through Reno was just a profound. It was like caomming down from a long slow dream on a far away mountain and finding the ants still at work on the valley floor. I meet my friend Brooke in the city and sat down for one of the best breakfasts of my life. We found a nice park with a river running through it and I got to take my first bath in over a week. Other "Burnners" were also enjoying the water after a week int he desert and we got to continue the party for that much longer. Brooke and I went our seperate ways and I headed back to San Fransico. I must have been flying high cause the six hours of traffic didn't even put a damper on my spirits. I stayed in San Fran for a day and then headed down to LA. I couldn't have picked a more opposite place on the planet to go after BRC. But the vibe stayed with me and I have been surfing and visiting old college friends. To quote my friend Alex, I'm swimming towards broke like Michael F@ucking Phelps. I am going to start my treck home in a few days by way of Lake Mead and The Grand Canyon and, oddly enough, Kentucky. Not sure what's in store but there is only one way to find out.

ENDURE, JAMM

Worlds Have Orbited Since We Last Spoke

Seattle was an amazing experience. I have been hearing about my Banibridge Island for years and now that I was on the ferry traveling there it all started to become real. Mu Uncle Bill and Aunt Johanna live with their two children Claire and Alex just west of Seattle on Bainbridge Island.

It is an ideal place to be cause it has a small town feel with all the perks of the big city at your disposal. The warmth of the people and the Coffee Shops and Farmer's Market welcome you imediatly and pull you into the family that is BI. I got to take one of the hardest bicycle rides I can ever remember with my Uncle. Quentin T's new film came out and I found a theater in walking distance that was playing it. What's with this trip and Nazi Films?

Later that night I went with the whole family to Claire's Ballet recital wich was about as drastic a contrast as you could get from Ingloriuos Basterds. It made for a full and very interesting visit.






Well since Seattle and our last conversation I have traveled for many moons. I rode south from Seattle through WA state and pulled into Aberdeen, WA, birth place and memorial site of Kurt Cobain. Upon entering the town you are greeted with a sign that reads Welcome to Aberdeen, Come As You Are.


I was guided by an unseen force to the sight where Kurt's ashes were scattered into the Wishkah River. There is a memorial and a plaque with some quotes of Kurts. The whole thing affected me more than I thought it would. Leaving Aberdeen was a sad event but if anything could cheer me up The Goonies could. I crossed into OR and was greeted by one of the most amazing bridges I have ever crossed. It popped me down into Astoria, WA where the film The Goonies was shot. The high cliffs and bay opening into the Ocean turned me into a tweleve year old boy and I suddenly got really excited. I found a Rouge Dead Guy Ale Resturant and got a giant hot dog and a freash brewed Rogue Rootbeer Float. The resturant was on a Peir int he Bay and gave me a chance to really relax and soak in the events of my day. HWY 101 south out of Astoria spits you out into the Pacific Ocean and a view of the Rock Formations used in the film.

I took a ride into Ecola State Park to get a better view of the coast. The entire OR coast was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Every three minutes there was a vista point to stop and view the cosast.

Magnific!!!! I was going to meet a friend in Eugene but was unable to get int touch so I camped for the night and the next day made a burn for CA. I stayed in Redwoods NP the following night and rested among giants.

The next day I had a long burn for San Fransico. My friend was going to let me stay at her house so I didn't bother making any calls to get a place to stay. I arrived in SF at 10:15PM and realized that all the numbers I had for people were old and my firend was out of town. I made a call to my friend Todd who hooked me up with a PIMP suite in downtown SF. After a month in the woods and on the back of a motorcycle a five star hotel room will warp your mind.
The next day all my peeps showed up and the most recent leg of my journey was complete. I was ready for my launch countdown to Burnning Man and a week that would change the rest of my life. I just didn't know it yet.
That is another story.

JAMM

So I am in Seattle, WA. I took a ferry ride into the city from Bainbridge Island to get some breakfast and look around a bit. It has been an eventful week and a half. The weather finally dried up and Harvest could begin. I have to say that under as much stress as everyone in Potlacth ID was they were all very kind and took the time to show me the ropes and teach me a little about the machinery and process of harvesting that much wheat. In the same circumstances I would have not been as calm and collected. I guess that comes from years of farming and being able to understand that none of it is really in your control. The landscape was unbelievably beautiful and the process of driving the combine was surprisingly intense.

I found out about a possible job in NOLA so had to move onto my next stop before I got to see the fields bare and the job done. I left Thursday morning and rode through the rest of "The Palouse" region, look it up cause it has and amazing history, and passed through a few hundred miles of desert. The temperatures got to be above 104 on my bikes TEMP gauge and I had to find some shade more than a few times and cool off. As hard as the heat was it was still dry heat and once I hit David Lynch Land the weather cooled off and gave me a beautiful ride through North Bend and Snoqualmie where Twin Peaks was filmed.

I had to be a dork and stop at Twede's Cafe and get a piece of Cherry Pie and a "damn good cup of coffee". Ironically enough the pie and coffee has made my stomach screwed up for a few days now.

Snoqualmie Falls is reason enough to visit that town, not to mention the Pacific Northern train cars and weird petrified wood samples lining the roads. All appropriately bizarre for Twin Peaks world. The temp really dropped once I climbed the pass and made it over the Cascade Mountains. 82 degrees and cool. As exciting as Chicago was to ride into I-90 through a tunnel and over lake Washington was equally impressive. After a few wrong turns I made it to the ferry that carried me across Elliot Bay to Bainbridge island to my Uncle Bill's house and a hot meal and a bed.
Lots more to come
ENDURE<
JAMM

I finally feel far away from home!

The most amazing things happen when you're on the road. After Minnesota and North Dakota I was pretty beat up and not looking forward to the long hot ride through Eastern Montana. I pulled out of Sideny, MT and found that the weather was considerably cooler and overcast. After two days riding in tempertures of 100degrees it was a welcome change. I rode north to Hwy 2 which is spans most of the country from Seattle all the way to Michigan and up into canada. I stopped at a gas station after riding through my first rain storm. Two guys on Dual Sport bikes pulled over from the gas pumps and introduced themselves. Jim and Don May.

Two brothers traveling from Ohio to get to the Rocky Mountains to begin a 1300 mile trip that would put them in Salt Lake City to go work the Bonnivelle Salt Flats where people compete for the Land Speed Records. We rode together through some of the worst weather I have ever been in on a bike. Harsh Montana winds and cold stinging sleet and rain. We made it to the other side of MT and got a room for the night. The next day would turn out to be one of the most demanding days of my life.
We were up early and headed up to Glacier National Park. The weather was in the 50's in the morning riding through the flats but as soon as we hit the mountains the temperture dropped and the rain started up again. We climbed to an elevation of 6649 feet at the highest point of the pass. We basically rode up into a cloud and a 38degree rain strom. Picture a two lane road with a cliff to your left and a rock face to your right. You visor on you helmet is fogged up so you are forced to just open your helmet and deal with it. We were warned by multiple people to turn back but that was just not a possibility. We pushed forward and finally rode back down from the cloud into a the most amazing weather and a forty mile ride with dry roads and sunny skies. That was our reward.

After that intense experience I realized my day was only half over. I still had 280 miles to ride before I arrived at The Farm that was my destination for the night. I said good-bye to Jim and Don and hit the road south. The cold weather and rain showed up again and was on and off well into the evening. Everything out west is much bigger than it looks on the map. I made it to my exit and thought I was in the clear. Another few miles and I would pull in right at sunset and save the day. Well this was not the case. The first of three towns I would need to ride through ended up being 42miles down the twisty byway I was traveling on. That meant that The Farm was still 50 something miles away and it was nearly dark. The sun went down and the temperture dropped into the 50's once again. My muscles were cramping up and around every corner you could see shinny eyes linning the sides of the road waiting to dart out in front you, which on a motorcycle is fatal. I slowed to a crawl and eeked along until I finally arrived at The Farm by 10pM. I have never been so happy to have a shower in my life. I have been helping out where I can and staying out of the way where I can. Harvest should start in the next day or so if the rains let up.
It will be an adventure.
Endure, JAMM

Well, let's see now, where were we?

I feel like I am made of jello. It's hard to lift my arm to drink a glass of water let alone lift my 700lbs motorcycle off the kickstand.
I am in Sidney, MT in a little motel soaking up the AC and electricity. The my last post was a week ago in Chicago so...
I was too busy having fun in Chi Town to get a chance to write. My friend Karina finally got some days off work and had a chance to hang out and show me her neighborhood. I have a new 2nd favorite Whole Foods, sorry Austin. The highlight of my trip to Chicago was getting Karina on my motorcycle. After a short ride she was anxious to try and ride so I let her take the bike up and down her street. Within three minutes she was off and rolling. After twenty she was coasting to a stop and taking off out of first without putting her feet down. After a half hour she was whizzing by in third gear and screaming her ass off. It was one of the most amazing things to watch and was the perfect end to my stay there.
I left Chicago on Mon the 10th and rode to drop off a seat to a guy named mike who I met through the BMW club in IL. He was kind enough to lend me his extra seat so I could take people for a ride while I was in Chicago. He also spoiled me by letting me borrow his custom Rick Mayer seat to match. Thanks again Mike.
After dropping off the seat I headed north to Milwaukee to get some oil and a new pair of gloves. That detour set me back a bit but my gloves were well worth the trip.
After Milwaukee I made it as far as Madison, WS and crashed for the night.
For the next three days I did noting but ride, eat and sleep. I went west of Madison to meet back up with the River Road. North from their took me through St. Paul and Minneapolis. Two twins I would rather not ride through again. I headed up to Fargo. Joel and Ethan lied to me. There was no snow to be seen and it was 101 when I rode through Fargo. What a total contrast between expectation and reality. Never the less, I rode through Fargo, ND on my motorcycle. HA!
After Fargo I hit 94 for longer than I had planned. A nice gentleman named Red told me about a few good roads in ND and was nice enough to pass along a map with some notes on it. I have to make a point to pass it along myself. With some amazing sunflowe fields my grandma would have loved.


ND was pretty brutal. Mostly flat prairie land which makes for some nasty winds. I made it as far as Jamestown and looked up a primitive camping spot the said "No Fees" This could mean so many different things. My first reaction was an overcrowded, underkept dump, see "Lousisiana No Fee Camping", the exact opposite was true. It was one of the best camping spots I have ever come accross. The weather was perfect and the view was even better. The only mis calculation was drinking a five hour energy drink three hours before you try to go to sleep.


From their I wandered through the rest of ND and made it just across the border to Sidney, MT.
Tomorrow is a burn for Glacier National Park and destinations not yet known.

Endure, JAMM

Chi Town Streets

Here's a little something fo yo ass! My daily commute into the city. Part of it anyway.

You can't go wrong with Nazi Zombies!

Perfection in cinema!


DEAD SNOW at the Music Box in Chicago was a unique experience. After my first ride on The L we went and had 1800 margaritas and some of the best Mexican food ever, Sorry Juan's, you still win for style points. Then we walked over a few blocks to The Music Box. It reminded me of The Vista in LA with it's old school lighting and architecture. The ceiling in the main theater was speckeled with stars and illuminated to give you the feeling of being outdoors. The big screen was being used for a film festival so Dead Snow was booted to the smaller screen but no size screen can hold the insanity of Nazi Zombie running wild. I highly recommend checking it out. It's like Shaun of the Dead in the mountains with way more intestines.

It's CRITICAL!!!

Bikes, bikes, and more bikes. Critical mass Chicago. Everyone met at Daley Plaza at 6PM and thousands of people took back the streets in a overpowering display of bicycle power. Any cars trying to sneak in or out were surrounded by a dozen bikes and forced to sit and wait until the mass had passed. In the daily struggle to not get killed by a car plowing over you in the madness of the city it is a great feeling to outnumber the cars and take back the control. I'm gonna have to arrange my trip around the critical mass rides in a the big cities I'm gonna go through. Enjoy!!
Enjoy

CHI TOWN ILL NOIS

Illinois has some wicked cool camping. The happiest I have ever been to be out of my riding suit and in some rasta sandles.




So I had to change my diaper when I saw the skyline of Chi Town comming up HWY 55. After three days of back country road and silent corn fields the city was a trip. I got lost and ended up in the middle of downtown during rush hour and couldn't have been happier. So many buildings and sights that are burned into my brain from a lifetime of movie images and photographs wizzing by in all directions. It was overload for sure. It's Gotham city for christ sake! I arived at my friends house yesterday afternoon and was very happy to be off my butt for more than ten minutes.
I am gonna be in Chicago for a week or so. Lola is comming up and there is so much exploring to do I'll never have enough time. All for now.

endure, jamm

The Bear Necessities/ Oh, Hell hath fury.

It's a challenge deciding what to bring with you for the next month of your life. I luckly got it down to the things I could not live without, the bear necessities, if you will. Believe me I have gotten so crazy looks on the road. and I quote: "I seen a lot of things in my day, boy. I been to three state fairs and a rodeo and I ain't never seen a damn bicycle strapped to the back of a motorcycle." End Quote. This guy in MS kept blown fuses on his HD and had narrowed the problem down to a pinched wire in the throttle where he had just installed new CHROME covers. Chrome is a killer, every time.




So apparently I am much better and riding a motorcycle than I am about stopping and updating this blog. It is Sunday the 26th and I am almost to St. Louis.

Yesterday was very, FULL, is the word I am looking for. I started out at around 8:30 from New Orleans and followed Hwy 61 up to Natchez, MS. I decided to wind my way to the western side of the river and crossed two wonderful old bridges and popped in and out of LA and MS more times than I care to remember. I covered a grand total of 500 miles which I wasn't sure I'd be able to do considering I haven't been on a motorcycle for more than a few miles in months. I hit Memphis, TN at sundown and rolled into a KOA just in time to set up my tent. I was so tired that I hit the mat and fell out quick. The lady who I reserved the camping spot from said it "may rain" later on but that it never flooded there before so I should be safe. I am pretty sure she was high on crack at the time cause there was a thunderstorm that sounded like hell was opening up and deciding on earth. I really wish I had my camera in the tent cause it would have made for some wicked photos. The rain stopped at around 5 Am and I slept for a few hours. The next morning I emerged from my little cave to find that I was set up in the only dry spot in the entire place. The spot next to me was not as lucky.



I am eating just south of ST. L and am very curious about what today has in store for me.
Photos are on their way. Long story!
JAMM,

the f*cking planning

It is July 23rd and I am sitting in Mojo's coffee shop in New Orleans trying to finish up the last of my packing for my motorcycle trip. I have been working for four months without a break and the build up to this trip is going to give me a heart attack. I have a feeling that once my two tires are rolling down River Road the wind will blow all that shit into the past.
My plan is to travel The Great River Road all the way to Davenport, Il and then take a right and go visit friends in Chi town. After some much needed bi-cycling and Lolapaloza-ing I am gonna finish the River Road. My plans after that are less thought out but I know I am gonna continue west into Idaho and end up in Oregon. Then down the west coast via PCH to LA and some old friends who I have been neglecting. A little JT and Jumbo Rocks. Then back East to the Dirty South to make some more money cause by that time I'll be riding on fumes. If you are receiving a link to this blog and you are going to be in my general path please get in touch and I can plan a little detour to come say hello. I will be updating this daily and photos and videos will be following shortly.

Wish me luck, JAMM