Part 1, Sidetrak'n with a bionic neck

(this is the cliff notes version). 

Well… its been almost a year since my neck injury and the recovery has been an adventure  I know i have been tremendously lucky and not just with this particular incident.   Apparently I fractured it several times before without realizing how close I was to being in a real bad situation. This injury was no different.  Thankfully I had the right people at the right time to make it better however, it wasn't without challenge.  

First the right people;  In 1996 I gave a presentation to a group of educators and one of the teachers asked if I would be willing to mentor a young man on career day.  He was interested in every and anything space related.  I agreed and we spent the day together talking about space exploration and philosophy.  I don't know how much I helped him but he sure left an impression on me.  He was one of the most respectful, thoughtful and intelligent young people I have ever met.  He proudly told me about his father with such detail and respect that I remember the details of his fathers education and achievements still to this day.  Several weeks later I received a copy of the paper he submitted for his project and as promised I included it into the reference archive at work.  Well time passed and we lost contact but I always wondered if he followed his dreams. 

Now the right time;  Well if you have ever uttered the phrase "what goes around comes around" then you can appreciate this part of the story.  So…. there  I was with a busted up neck and in need of some serious skills to make it right again.  The insurance folks called and gave me a list of specialists to choose from and I see a curious name, it was the young man's father.  Two days later I am sitting in his office and he gives me the news.  Surgery or disfunction.  Knowing who I have on the team I say go for it.  I then told him about the connection to his son from so many years ago and how that knowledge gave me the confidence to take the risk of the surgery.  Doc and I reminisced about the "mentoring day" and I told him how impressed I was with his son.  He was truly surprised when I produced a copy of his sons report which I took the liberty to bring with me. 

Now the challenge;  The trip home on Christmas Eve was the second trip home with the new neck.  About a week earlier I went in for the surgery which went quite well at least initially.  48 Hours later I was released and sent home to mend.  So, exhausted and happy to be home I settled in for some rest.  After a while I woke up with tremendous discomfort and pressure in my neck.  When I looked in the mirror I realized there was extreme swelling in my throat (my neck was bigger than my head) and something was seriously wrong.  I was trying to make some phone calls to the nurse to get suggestions when the pressure got so bad I couldn't speak.  I realized that it wouldn't be long before I wouldn't be able to breathe so I grabbed my tactical trauma kit complete with necessary items to perform a tracheotomy, packed frozen vegetables around my neck (great pre-packaged ice packs) and raced to the ER about 25 minutes away.  If figured I would drive as far as I could until I my breathing became desperate and then I would pull over and do the tracheotomy if need be.  Well I made it to the hospital in the nick of time just before the pressure subsided in my throat and moved further into my chest.  They loaded me into a critical care transport ambulance and sent me back to the main hospital about an hour away where i was rushed into emergency surgery for internal bleeding.  After everything was said and done, Doc told me that if I waited another 10 mins we probably wouldn't be having the conversation.  Apparently a vein ruptured around my esophagus and there was a whole lot of the ol' red stuff pumping into the wrong place.  All is well that ends well and thankfully we got it all fixed up.  So Christmas eve I was heading home with some uber cool titanium bits in my spine and things were on the mend.  Five weeks later I was riding my motorcycle. 

What goes around did actually come around and because of that, I have been able log over 16 thousand clicks on the Sidetrak'n odo since 1 February 2012.!  

Well… Thats just the beginning of how the neck injury led to a Sidetrak'n story. Join us again for Part 2 of Sidetrak'n with a bionic neck

Exotic Serendipity

Exotic Cars -- Let it Bleed; Side 2 track 9

What's this title about?  As the old saying goes, one door closes and another opens.  Such is the case with this post.  I was planning to do one thing and plans fell through but then I was rewarded with hanging out with a great group of folks that I would have otherwise missed.  In turn, I saw many things I wanted but more importantly I got what I needed.  It is becoming increasingly painful dealing with apathetic people that are about dynamic as paste, so having the opportunity to interact with this dynamic group was exactly what I needed.  What?? there are people out there with a personality that don't apologize for their achievements?  Who'da thunk it?  Thank god because I swear I am about to start smak'n the slackers just to see if their still alive.  Guh! So... slackers you got a reprieve because I am, at least for now, convinced that achievers still exist.  Cue... Mick and the boys with Side 2 track 9.

Well… If you didn't know this... I'll tell you; I'm a gearhead...I love cars.  Ah hell I like anything mechanical that hauls um... butt (definitely relative) and can be pushed past the limit of engineered cohesion.  If you can do both of those things at once your probably at the top of my list of interests.  To be clear its not the material possession or the accolades but more so the finesse of engineering and the drive to push a boundary.  That's what racing has been about since day one.  Its also what the early days of the space business were about.  So recently I was honored to meet a great group of people that brought one part of the equation "a legacy of motor performance" to another group of people the "guardians of the high frontier." 

I have been fortunate to be involved with many kinds of racing events with much of it steeped in the automotive industry.  Suffice it to say that I know something about cars and car people.  One of the things I have always appreciated about Ferrari and all of the exotic marques are the passion of the owners.  It's like they get it… They get it in a special way that a musician "gets it" when they hear a note that is nearly impossible to achieve and completely missed by the average listener.  Everyone can listen to beautiful music and say "thats nice" but sometimes you have to be able to play the instrument to understand how hard it is to hit that note.

The kind of people that have achieved something on their own tend to define an objects value and do not have the object define their value for them.  When it comes to very exotic things the superficial poser happens  from time to time but much less than you would imagine. Unfortunately thats the douche that everyone sees.  The reality is the that hard things are achieved by a short list of people and you usually dont see them.  News flash they are probably busy doing something.  Just say'n.  Now don't get me wrong there a lot of people that try to buy a personality thru the association of some kind of hardware, clothes, jewelry, cars, etc... the list goes on and on.  That's why there are fakes and knock-offs for Rolexes and Coach bags etc etc. but there are no convincing knock-offs for a 2008 Scuderia Spider 16M.  There are only 499 of them… PERIOD.  You either have one or you wish you did.  You can't BS that.  

This isn't about opulence. This is about arriving.  Arriving a place where you can appreciate the extreme sense of devotion it takes to create something exquisite, not perfect.  Perfection is a limit that implies an ultimate achievement or end state.  A true artist will always push to redefine the boundary and therefore perfection is just a vague goal not a final end-state.  The exceptional people don't waste time with that, they focus their efforts on what drives them and keep pushing.  

So this post is about a group wonderful people that have arrived.  Most of this group was comprised of members of the Ferrari Club of America - Southwest Region plus a host of other SoCal exotic car owners.  These folks have arrived at an exquisite place in their life. They have arrived at a place where they can enjoy the art and share it with others.  They arrived at Vandenberg AFB to honor our Armed Forces.  I am humbled to have met these folks and hear them talk about their appreciation for our armed forces and how proud they are to meet these noble young men and woman.  They were humbled to have come to honor the troops and then found the troops were honored that they took the time to care.  To quote… "but wow airmen stopped all down the roadway, they took photos and cheered us on like a parade it was BACKWARDS we were there to show our support to them and they  went the other way, clapping and cheering as we drove by, it was truly our honor to be there!" 

The real lesson here is about appreciation not about an object.  Do we take the moment to be Sidetrak'd long enough to say thank you?  To notice someone?  To notice there hard work, their strife? The cars themselves represent that drive.  Enzo Ferrari didn't set out to be mediocre.  The AMG technician that places his signature on every engine he builds doesn't do the job because someone made a checklist due to fear of risk.  Quite the opposite.  He signs it because its a record of his ability to reach that level.  

Objects are just an opportunity for dialog.  Much like the sidecar is just a tool to start the conversation.  The real treasure is taking the time to meet the people that create, share and appreciate the art… whatever that art may be.  Sounds like Sidetrak'n to me.  

Bella!!  --jp

For more pics check the link:

Marshallia Ranch Exotic Car Show 2012

The Thrill of it all

Greetings and salutations my virtual friends.  Well its the end of October in the first official year of the Sidetrak'n project.  I find myself wishing I had an actual time machine or at least a time stretcher so I could make this month last just a little bit longer.  October is actually our most summer-like weather here on the Central Coast of California. The almost daily clear skies and warm temperatures tend to make you a bit spoiled.  When you add to that, the vivid colors of the season, the long light of fall and the many harvest celebrations, it's easy to see why one would wish it last just a bit longer.  

Well Sunday was a great example of finding a happy place behind the handlebars.  My intention was to tie a few local events together as an excuse to get unite some friends and  generate some spontaneous fun.  The plan was to do a scavenger hunt for scarecrows and see what else pops up.  Well, almost immediately upon kicking the idea around something else popped up.  It turns out there was a flash mob planned for the same day in the general area.  Now when I say flash mob I do mean a dancing flash mob but this wasn't just any old dance or any old place.  The event was to perform the choreography to Michael Jackson's epic video of Thriller.  Thats a pretty cool plan for a Halloween flash mob but this was going to occur at the entrance of his former home, the Neverland Ranch.  So there you have it;  find scarecrows, have fun, see a historic flash mob and of course find some pie.  No worries! The scarecrows were easy since there was a scarecrow festival happening in Solvang just down the road from MJ's ranch.  The ranch was an easy drive so I didn't put too much worry into the planning.   As for pie…well the Ural has pie seeking radar for that so not a prob.

All in all it worked out fine.  We accomplished all of our goals and met some neat people along the way.  With some help from Willie Wonka, all the kids got plenty of sugar (the big ones too) plus a balloon that unfortunately didn't survive.  Sadly there  were some alligator tears over that one for the littlest monkey in the gang.  --Reader assume sad face... now--.  OK we're over it.... as Dad said,  "your three,  I'm sure you'll get another one."  Brilliant sarcasm lost on the 3yr old.  Anyway, the scarecrows were cool,  the flash mob was great but I think the best part of the day for me was introducing my friend Stacie to side-hacking (she immediately assumed the role as my impromptu monkey) She was a real trooper and got to find out what this is really all about.  Life is short and precious so enjoy the day and savor the interactions that happen, even when you start off on the smallest of adventures.  All will be fine if you take the plunge, keep an open mind and see where it leads you when your head is in the right place.  So off we went, her first ride in a sidecar and her first flash mob (my first flash mob as well).  One my favorite Stacie comments, "people really do just smile when they see you in this [sidecar]."   Its true.  They can't help themselves.  umm the monkey always smiles as well.  That is all the payback I need. 

The flash mob was very cool.  I would say about 100 people showed up with about 50 or so dancers in full make-up and attire.  It was very kind of the current Neverland Property owners to allow this to happen without hassle.  There was only one major bummer.  My friend the Vino Vaquera couldn't make it.  She got stranded in LA with car trouble.  She was the one that brought it to my attention and I was looking forward to her participation.  I know she was as well.  Next year!  My helmets off to all of those who participated both in the dance and the coord.  All very cool.   If you'd like to see more pictures check out the Sidetrak'n FaceBook photo album. 

Next stop… pie. 

So now that we are rolling and we have the proper attitude, we find that the adventure is often something as simple as the stories we learn along the way…. somehow they just happen.  It's like there is some cosmic force that calls your attention to the periphery and there in-wait are the stories.  This day was no different.  On the quest for pie we took a detour to a pumpkin patch for some pictures when a story presented itself.  We had a gentleman and his family (a fellow Ural owner) come up and tell us about his great camping adventure he had with his son.  His story sums up this project perfectly, I might add..  Anyway this is an example of how life is an adventure but more importantly how we view it is the difference.  Here's the readers digest version of the story;  He and his son were n the middle of nowhere, 40 miles outside of cell phone range, heading up a mountain pass on their sidecar when the bikes engine blows.  BAM!  Not good!  So, they turn the bike around and coast back down the mountain to the nearest home and stop to ask if they can use the phone and possibly camp in their yard until they get help.  The strangers greet them at the door and are completely sympathetic to their situation.  You see… they "get it" the adventure, the courtesy etc etc.  they also get it because they too own a Ural sidecar.  Seriously, what are the odds of being in such a remote place and having such troubles and finding such a connection.  What a great experience for all.  They embarked on what they thought would be a particular adventure and ended up finding something completely different and being rewarded with a connection that they otherwise would have missed.  

That was a cool UDF!  I was happy Stacie the "Flying Tiger" Monkey was there to experience this unscripted random exchange.  Usually I'm by myself when this stuff happens.  It was cool to share it with someone in real-time.  Thanks for hanging with us. It truly made my day.

So thats it… Keep pulling on the thread my friends.  An adventure is bound to unravel.

Reporting to you this week with the assistance of the "Flying Tiger" Monkey and as Woody Guthrie would say,  Take it easy… but take it!

jp

Moto Guzzi... Do they still make those? Yes, yes they do

So, Why the Guzzi?

Well for the most part, it's completely inverse of the Ural.  They are like mechanical Yin and Yang.

The Goose is absolutely the most passionate machine I have ever owned and that says something because I have had my share of machines.  It has a level of intensity that permeates everything in its vicinity. You don't merely start or "turn on" this bike.  You literally bring it to life when you put in the key.  It reciprocates by bringing the same to you when you settle into the saddle.  

It has an explosive symphonic growl that is simply unique.  If you were to try to visualize the sound, it would be as if it were a star at the brink of going super nova.  Sticking with that theme; when you twist the throttle it is like the M1 Nebula… it just keeps expanding with this explosive force that feels as though you are going to be hurled across the universe. 

Where the Ural turns heads by its unique visual presence this bike turns beds by its voice.  When I was at Speed Week this guy comes running out of the store at a gas station with his buddy to get a glimpse of the bike.  He told me he was an AMA tech inspector and how he loved the unique sound of a Guzzi.  He was right, nothing sounds quite like a Goose.  He kept saying, "Man I heard you downshift and pull up to the pump and knew.  THAT HAS TO BE A GOOSE".  He was elated to see one on road. 

The design; well it's artistic yet comfortable.  I can ride it all day and still feel fresh.  At your very first gaze you realize it has its own shape and it is not merely a copy of every other half-naked sport bike.  The closer you look the more finesse in engineering you will see. from the fasteners to the fairing brackets.  Yes... even the brackets on this bike have style and functional style at that.  

More importantly to me is its character.  The combination of all of those things brings a unique character to this bike.  It is what drew my father to love Moto Guzzi's many years ago.  I can remember him coming home with a flyer for a new Eldorado and telling me all about the engineering of the transverse V-twin and the shaft drive.  I remember him proclaiming that it was the Maserati of motorcycles.  He was right.  He never was able to own a Moto Guzzi because shortly thereafter he had a stroke which prevented him from ever riding a motorcycle again.  I know he rides with me every time it comes to life.  He would have loved this machine.

Sidetrak'n worthy?  You bet!  It too is a catalyst for dialog.  The people that walk up are either "in the know" or they want to be.  Either way, they have a story and are interested in yours.  For example the other day I stopped to say hello to Cookie Kelli and enjoy a fine Chocobloc Cookie (a somewhat religious experience, i might add) and Jim the Corvair guy was captivated by the Goose which resulted in a 20 minute conversation about all things mechanical and philosophical.  Brilliant. 

So thats it, passionate, absolute, dependable and unassuming yet stylish enough to a sophisticated taste. I guess it's just a mechanical reflection of what I aspire to be.  

Twisting somewhere--jp

Why a Ural?

People ask me  why the Ural?… Easy… Its cool, its unique and its fitting.  

Fitting?  your damn skippy its fitting..  For you see… I am an old Cold War veteran that saw the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resulting social changes. I was part of that history.  So for me to be able to own a Russian Military Motorcycle that is now publicly available on an open US market and built by the folks that largely own the privately held company is just simply a level of poetry.   I would call that sociotechnical evolution.  

Cool?… your damn skippy it's cool.  For you see… when you travel via sidecar there are several things that happen that are unlike other modes of travel.  Sidehacking is like a relationship;  once you realize that you "effect" it and cannot "control" it… well… everything is much more enjoyable.  So you learn to not worry about the dumb stuff and you are forced to slow down and see the things that matter. 

 One of those things is human interaction.  When you travel down the road via sidecar everyone smiles.  It's like being in a perpetual parade and you are the lead float.  I often tell people it feels like a public service because you leave leave nothing but smiles in your wake.  

When people see you they wave.  Well… "to wave," may be an understatement. They all but throw their arm out of its socket.  I had one guy almost fall of his bike because he could not prevent himself from waving.  It's like tossing a ball around a Border Collie; they are going to chase it.  Who knew that sidecars were programed into our DNA. It's innate. 

Of course you have the riders;  technically if they are in the "Chair" aka sidecar, they are referred to as the "monkey".  take a look at any side car racing clip and you'll understand why.  On-Board a sidecar race hack However all of that aside, the riders also cannot help themselves.  They have an innate reaction as well.  Regardless of age or gender, they all do the same thing.  They grin from ear to ear. I swear someone is going to break their face one of these days and my insurance is going to go up. 

Cool?… yep thats pretty damn cool.

So there you have it.  Why a Ural.  

PS.: They go anywhere and you can haul a pant-load of stuff!  I can't do that on my Guzzi so that begs the question; Why the Guzzi?  More on that in another installment.  

out there…--jp

Time...

Man there are so many things to share but so little time to do it all.  I am reminded of an Ani Difranco lyric,  "I've been a long time coming and I'll be a long time gone.  You've got you whole life to do something and thats not very long."  

I wrestle with my time management/efficiency and often feel like I should be doing more.  I have to find a more simple way to write and edit all of the things I want to accomplish.   Crap!  

Recently I commented to friend that I was just exhausted and didn't understand why I wasn't getting more accomplished.  He laughed and replied that maybe I should slow down a bit.   Slow Down?  Slow Down?  What?  I ride a Ural for craps sake how much slower can I go.  lol…  He commented that perhaps my perspective is a bit off.  He looked at my odometers and reminded me that I put over 17K clicks on 2 bikes and recorded almost 2 terabit's of data in 9 months while still working a separate full time job.  Whatever… I still feel like I should be doing better at this.  

Largely its about having the right equipment and then spending the time to learn how to make it productive.  I'm getting there.  This is the first year and the project is just starting to have its own personality which helps define what the work needs to be.  

I will admit…sometimes I fantasize about simplifying my world and imagine what it would be like to have a defined task related job.  I wonder if I would get bored if all I as doing was videography or just editing etc etc.  I enjoy to do too many things.  Hmm, I wonder why I always feel busy.  

Recently I have been reminded that busy is good but just remember to enjoy the things and people around you.  If that isn't happening your focus is wrong.  

I come back to the Chinese Proverb about the red thread.  "Just pull the damn thread Prichard and don't get yourself tangled in it."  Practice what you preach.

Until next time…. look for me broadcasting from my 3 wheeled pulpit.  --jp

Castro's Comm

Every time I take the Ural out for a ride it turns into an adventure in human interaction.  One of my regular stops is at the El Rancho Market in Santa Ynez.

Well,  stopping at El Rancho has been known to result in great lunches, great people watching and even better interactions (plus they have the best whiskey selection on the Central Coast).  I have to admit that I have gone there rather selfishly (w/o regard to the project) and should have been more prepared to record the events for Sidetrak'n.  For example, once while having lunch, David Crosby walked up and started admiring the bike.  We chatted for quite a while about everything from motorcycles to gunsmithing and I didn't have a single camera available to take a picture.

I really dig how this bike has what can only be described as a magnetism towards inhibition.  Two things are absolutely guaranteed; 1. Complete strangers will come up and talk to you with hesitation, 2. Everyone that goes for a ride smiles uncontrollably.  So, recently while having a cup of coffee at El Rancho and talking with a passerby about the bike, another gentleman overheard our conversation.  As the first fellow walked away the second man walked up to me and with a very strong spanish accent he points at the bike and says,  "that is like a Jeep missing one wheel"...."They will go anywhere"... "I know this!"  I had to chuckle at his accurate assessment but more to his 'as a matter of fact' delivery.  So I agreed and asked him what brought him to this conclusion.

So... how do you come to this conclusion?" I ask rather sheepishly.  He then proceeds to tell me something I did not expect.  He told me how he was in the Cuban Army when he was a young man as a Communications Specialist and how they would use the Russian Sidecars to carry and advance the communications gear across the battlefield.  He told me how they used the front machine gun mount for the antennae mount and how the receiver/transmitter equipment would be carried in the sidecar body.  Both operators would ride on the bike just as they did with the anti-tank units.

We walked over to the bike and he was shocked when I told him that the bike was in fact a 2011 model year.  He was amused at how much of the bike had remained unchanged over the years.  He did comment how he wished he had a reverse gear on his old military unit but all in all he was always impressed because it just kept going and going.  He thanked me and before I could gather my thoughts he and his wife got into their truck and drove away.

The thing that strikes me about this interaction was the fact that had he not heard my previous conversation he may have never started into a conversation with me and I obviously would have had no reason to pry into his life to ask if he had a story.  Thankfully the bike was the catalyst for this particular Sidetrak'n experience.  More importantly it made me realize that everyone has some kind of story and they are all around us.  We just have to be open to hearing them.

So... until next time go get Sidetrak'd...  --jp

RIDE the block!

Blessed... fortunate.... these are words I think of on a pretty regular basis.  This weekend has been no exception.  Saturday I had the opportunity to hang out with an old friend as well as some new friends and I was reminded of how nice it is to have people feel comfortable just hanging out in your "space." 

So today I was hanging out with another buddy when it hits me that we seriously look at the world from a different perspective than most people.  We both realize there is greatness all around us that most people just don't see.   It seems to me that this societal blindness has very little to do with greatness and more to do with self-absorption.  I think most folks are just not secure enough in themselves to let their guard down and be open to all of the things around them.  Often times people just want [something]... the end.  They have no idea what it takes nor are they willing to put forth the effort to find out what it takes to achieve or attain the thing they desire.

I look for people that aren't looking to get or take something or even better yet, people that offer something of themselves without asking or expecting something in return.  Those folks have my full attention.  It's a good thing there aren't many of them... because I'm not very bright and would have a hard time keeping track if there were bunches of sharp folks.  lol... No Worries...right?

Seriously though... I do feel blessed.  In the last 48 hours I was able to help a friend with his car, help share culture with something as simple as a bicycle and take a beautiful exotic lady for a ride in my sidecar resulting in another friendship that seems as old and genuine as any I have known.   Too bad she doesn't have a uber-cool twin sister.  Apparently, I need to go to Uruguay.  lol... It's probably just as well... Oh well.  

So no long ride this weekend, no new scenery but still an adventure around every corner even if it was literally within a block of my home.  --jp