The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride 2013

Distinguished Gentleman and Ladies alike, please mark your calendar and don your best dapper attire (or at least dapper attire that you are willing to sacrifice for a ride) and join us for the Gala Dapper Motorcycle Event of the year.   Yes, pedestrians of the countryside, let your hearts go aflutter with desire as these handsome fellows grace the countryside on their noble fire breathing steeds.  The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride is upon us.

Our gallant adventure will take us from Los Alamos Ca, (the home of the historic figure known as Zorro) down the highways of California to our first stop for coffee, pictures and a regroup at the Corner Coffee House in Los Olivos, CA.  After a short stop we will enchant the locals with dapper merriment as we traverse this eclectic hamlet before a short journey to our next tarry.  This will be the destination not to miss.  It will be an opportunity for a bit of time travel at the Vintage Motorcycle Museum of Solvang.   After an opportunity to absorb as much as a gentleman can so do, without public salivation (yes that would be salivate- trust me I've been there. 1949 Vincent Black Lightning- Case Closed!) we will have worked up a bit of an appetite so plan for lunch at the Alisol River Grill.  With our hunger abated we will mount up and travel through the picturesque Danish Village of Solvang before making our way through the back canyon roads that twist beautifully through some of the most spectacular vineyards in Santa Barbara County.  We are planning one last regroup and photo opportunity at the historic stage coach stop known as Mattei's Tavern.  Our final relaxing jaunt will take us further through wine country where we will pass Daniel Boone's winery (...or  Davy Crockett - depending on which show you watched) and back to Los Alamos.  We will finish at Casa Dumetz Winery and for those interested we can migrate down the street for a meal fit for an artisan at Full of Life Flatbread.  

I encourage all of you to be as ornate as possible, monocle, pipe, and pocket watches are the order of the day.  For those dapper lads and ladies that aren't riding but would like to participate, please feel free to dress for the occasion and meet us at any and all points along this itinerary.  We would love to see you beautiful ladies in your best 40's era attire.  Remember, this only happens once a year don't miss you opportunity.

One final note:  This year the we would like to also add support for a charitable cause in addition to our merriment.  This year we would like to bring some much need dialog to something that effects Distinguished Gentleman the world over; sadly that would be Prostate Cancer.  It is detectable, treatable and survivable with the right surveillance and treatment.  Please help us make a difference.  We would request that anyone wishing to share in the philanthropic spirit of this ride please make a contribution to the Prostrate Cancer Foundation.

Thanks to everyone for their interest and support.  A tip of the hat to you all.  Many thanks to the lads in OZ that started this whole thing a few short years ago.  Safe travels and rubber side down mates. --JP

4 Generations- back and hopefully forth!

Recently, I took a leap of faith to follow a dream to become a filmmaker. I decided to listen to the years of coincidence and repeated experiences of working on television documentaries and educational television programing to step up to the challenge.

Travel Channel Film Crew

I applied to a school that I have always wanted to attend and to my surprise, I was accepted.  Ha! I think they just needed the money.  lol

Ironic plaque in the entrance to the school I wont attend

Anyway, the next step was funding thru the Veterans Administration.  Well, that's were everything got ugly.  Long story short, they said NO.  Actually it was more like, "Hell no! peon get back to work."  Honestly, I was pretty deflated about it.  I has left me determined to just do it my way but I really don't know what "way" that is or how to go about it… but thats never stopped me before and I'm learning.

I do know this;  In the last 26 years I have been in some way connected to the Cold War and somehow I have inherited a responsibility to preserve and tell this story.  I have tried find purpose in this and in so doing I have met people that have shaped the world.  People of high esteem and people of nameless stature but they are all part of the same equation. They were/are a part of something historic.  I am sure of one thing; If we [humanity] forsake these lessons then humanity will ultimately loose their place at the table.  

Since learning that I was NOT in-fact going to film school, serendipity has been knocking on my door again.  I have met a world renown photographer

Justin Barton working on his latest project, "The World in Their Hands"

who is documenting personalities of the Cold War, I have met a crew member of the original Thor weapon system for the RAF, I have had several AF Thor personal seek me out to learn more about their own story. On top of this, a couple of old friends came back into the picture with renewed vigor to conduct research and in as much they have renewed my faith to tell the story and most importantly I have been reminded that the work matters.  To Shawn and Joe… I thank you for your service and all that you do to preserve this story.  I have come to grips with the fact that what i do just doesn't matter to the "institution."  Fine so be it.  However, it matters to humanity, whether it is known or not.  

I was reminded of this last week.  I received a request for an unplanned visit to my office by a former Thor member to which I obliged.  I try to support all of those requests if at all possible.  It's a learning experience at the very least and therefore worthy of my time.  What I usually receive is a purposeful life lesson.  This visit was no different. 

So, our Thor veteran shows up on site as scheduled with his family in-tow.  When I say family, it don't mean wife or child… I mean FOUR generations of his family. wife, kids, grandkids and great grandkids.  So, given this dynamic I couldn't really interview him but instead took the opportunity to tell the story.  The story that he was a part of… a story that shaped history (and still is by the way).  Ultimately, his story.  I watched as his family was moved to emotion as they heard the humble endeavors in which their loved one participated.  Stories being told unsolicited, unrehearsed, unbiased by a self recollection (often our memories are self focused-like or not- it's human nature).  I was merely a stranger that validated their families history.  The three hours spent with this family go into the collection of great honors in my professional life.  They GOT IT! 

More importantly to me is the fact that they helped me "get it" as well.  I was reminded that there are many unnamed contributions that our disposable world may just never know… unless someone tells their story.  That is what I do.  I collect and share the stories.  A voice so the voices are heard.  A voice so the stories are experienced.  I am a collector.  The Cold War is my canvas.  I will find and excercise every medium possible to share this story.  I owe it to you.  A Russian General once said to me, " We have to tell this story… and we have to tell the truth.  The fate of mankind rests on wether we have learned this lesson."  

He was right.  So here it is; I am fueling up the bike and charging forth with a camera, a wide eye, an humble ear and an open mind in search for the REST of the Cold War story. God help us, that in four more generations the effort will have mattered.  Hopefully someone will still be here to remember. --jp

Threads

Threads…

Through the years I've had the opportunity to test the engineering worthiness and structural integrity of the my human machine.  Often requiring a minor fix and on several occasions serious repair became necessary.  My Dad used to say, "your gonna pay for that when you get older."  Of course I didn't listen after all he was old… what did he know.  Lol.  Well he was right and a while back I performed a high velocity ballistic gravity test on my mountain bike which exceeded the structural integrity of my right shoulder, eventually requiring surgery.  The surgery wasn't too bad... in and out one day for the chop, chop but the PT was a different story.  

The PT is where this "thread" story starts.  PT was great! Seriously, I didn't mind a bit…. heat, exercise (pain), elctro-stim and ice.  Done.  The best part was the people.  We all got to know one another, staff and patients alike.  We would work to gather to encourage each others progress and while happy to be done, it was also sad to say good-by. 

The best benefit of my PT was the friendship established with my trainer Christie and her husband Steve.  We all clicked and have been good friends ever since.  Christie and Steve have become family.  We share similar interests in many things, music, photography, and of course motorcycles.  

So, recently we celebrated Christie's birthday with their family, friends and lots of food, I mean LOTS of food and lots of laughs.  With-in five minutes of arriving on the sidecar a thread was discovered.  Mutual acquaintances and stories were shared for hours reminding me of the power of a social community.  After a while I met one of their neighbors, Dr John, the anesthesiologist and his first question to me was, "Have you ever seen the show, Long Way Round?"  Why yes, yes I have... I have also been fortunate enough to hang out with one of the producers, Mr David Alexanian another mutual acquaintance. Well,  Dr John and I start talking and tells me of his sons adventures on his bike, living the "long way round" and how we have adventured some of the same areas and can therefor relate to the experience.  We can also appreciate the stories of places we haven't traveled ourselves because we now understand how we see through the same lens of life.  Brilliant!

After a while Dr. John comes up to me and says, "speaking of threads connecting people…." and he begins to tell me a red thread story.  He was living in San Diego and taking some vacation days to spend time with family visiting from Indiana when he received a call from the hospital.  They [hospital] were short handed and asked if he could come in and support an unscheduled open heart procedure.  Understanding the urgency he apologized to the family and went to work.  Upon arrival he talked to his patient and finds out that she was also in the area visiting family.  He continues to query her and finds out that she is also visiting from Indiana.  Doc thinks, "well isn't that a coincidence…"  Well they continue to talk and unbelievably he finds out that his urgent surgery patient is in fact the next door neighbor to his inlaws that are at his home visiting.  Well the surgery goes fine and he heads home with a message for his in-laws to say "hello from their neighbor" but more importantly the message that the world is a small place, we are all connected and life is a precious gift.  

Thanks to my friends Christie and Steve for connecting the red thread and to Dr. John for sharing his thread with us.  Now go find a thread and see where it leads you.

Part 2; In search of a Helmet

So after a follow-up appointment with the Doc (had to make sure all the screws were still tight) I decided to stop at Santa Barbara Ducati to look for a light weight helmet.  I figured they would have what I needed; light = fast, fast = Ducati.  Seems logical.

Anyway… I start talking with one of the folks behind the counter and telling him about my Sidetrak'n project which leads him to tell me about his Grandfather and how he started racing motorcycles after he moved here during the Korean War.  

Ah Ha!! another thread to pull and see where it leads.  Well I find out his grandfather was stationed at Camp Cooke which is now Vandenberg AFB.  The next thing I know we are on the phone with his grandfather talking about his Army days.  We make arrangements for him to come out to Vandenberg for a tour and to tell his story.  

A couple of weeks later AJ and his Grandfather show up at the front gate for their tour of the base along with AJ's mother.  She hadn't actually known anything about her dads military history so this story was all new to her as well.  So off we go with the first stop at the Korean War Memorial.  To our surprise his unit was not listed.  I checked our records and his unit wasn't listed in any of them.  Thankfully Mr Collins saved his unit history yearbook or we may have never known about his units story.  

We traveled to different areas to see how much it had changed while he regaled us with stories of his time stationed at the base.  Eventually, our travels took us to the northern most point of the base boundary known as Point Sal.  He told us all about how they trained with amphibious tanks and conducted landings in the frigid surf along the cold foggy coastline.

 He laughed and remarked at how difficult it was for the unit because the unit had been activated from a  National Guard Unit in Florida.  That is when it hit me.  I kept thinking that the unit number seemed familiar but I couldn't figure out why.  Well, the guard unit had been activated from Gainesvile Fl.  The town I grew up in as a teenager.  THATS IT!  I used to ride past the armory everyday on my way to school.  Talk about a 6 degrees of separation or following the red thread of destiny.  I had been working at the base for years and had it not been for meeting his grandson I may have never have known the connection. It is also very possible that his units history may have been lost forever.  Now my curiosity was peaked and I wanted to know more which leads me to Part 3 of this story.

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