A New Beginning

            The beginning of a new life starts with some pain and a little bit of sorrow. I’ve been watching my mom for the last 5 years living on the road on her motorcycle. I was always envious of her for doing just that, living. So when the next chapter of my life was about to be written I decided to join her for a few months. The reasoning behind my joining her was pretty simple, to see how she did it and bond with her on her level. Life seamed to become dull, the excitement for the world I once felt seemed to have disappeared and everything became redundant. Not to mention the pain that was brought about due to a recent breakup. It was time for something new, something different, something out of the ordinary for most.


               I left the house my ex and I had bought together with a storage container half full and my motorcycle packed with everything I thought I might need. A tent, a tarp, a couple sleeping bags, a small foam mat, a flashlight, a pair of boots, a few pairs of pants, a few shirts, a leather jacket given to me from a friend, my chaps and some knickknack items. I hopped on my bike and off I went. It was about 6pm and I was heading east trying to make it to South Dakota to meet up with my mom. I had little knowledge of the journey that lied ahead but I was ready to learn and experience it with an open mind.


               As I crested the Pedrogosa Mountains in Arizona the sun started to set and my mirrors were filled with the brilliant oranges and gold’s of the summers desert sunset as the clouds absorbed the last bit of sun of the day. The start of a beautiful feeling started to overwhelm me as the weight I’ve been carrying on my shoulders for the last few years was yanked off as if there was a chain tied to the past that was slowing me down. I began to feel a freedom that I haven’t felt in a long time.


             This was the freedom I felt as a kid running through the Jacumba mountains with my brother, the freedom from the rat race, wake up go to work, come home fix dinner, take a shower, go to sleep just to wake up and start over again. The freedom of a really self-absorbed life. Nothing around me seemed to exist, maybe it was me that didn’t exist. The beauty in life had become a dull kind of uh yeah sunset, uh stars, oh look a wild animal. Tears welled up in my eyes at this regained emotional state and I almost felt the need to pull off of the road to celebrate in a well deserved cry for a new beginning, a cry for I’m actually doing something, a cry for the excitement that I wasn’t sure about the future again, a cry for being in the moment which was long coming. Instead I laughed and gave out a scream of joy and continued on my journey. As the excitement built inside me I found myself going faster and faster and really enjoying the speed on the open highway.



The ride after the sun went down seemed to be a beautiful adventure in itself. The sky was like a big mouth just waiting to swallow me up. The stars were so bright I could have probably ridden without lights. The temperature was almost a perfect 80 degrees and the wind that blasted me was a warm tropical wind. I was in heaven. I was in the moment; nothing seemed to matter except the road and the beauty of the stars dancing in the skies. I found myself swaying back and forth in ecstatic pleasure. It seemed there was no one in the world except for me and the couple of cars that were on the road, at that moment I was once again one with the moment, one with my raw emotions, and one with the gods of the road. I was a kid again without a care, without worry, experiencing life again instead of just going through the motions.


             When it came time to find a campsite I had no idea what I was going to do with myself. Like a kid out in the neighborhood for the first time I looked to my mom for advice.  I was directed to look at the truck stops and camp there but I didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of a bunch of truckers. This was still all too new to me and so as it started to get late I found myself pulling into a hotel with a motorcycle in the front. As I walked in the gentleman inside greeted me and offered me a room for a discounted rate. He told me I could keep my bike under the awning with his. He assured me he would watch it so I kindly thanked him and went to my room to shower and sleep. It seemed like it took me a long time to fall asleep that night with the excitement of my new adventure. With thoughts racing through my head, “ Am I doing the right thing”, “What happens if I like doing this so much I don’t want to stop”, “How will this life affect my daughter”, “What if I die on the road”, what if what if what if… finally I fell asleep and woke ready to join the road again. After a good breakfast I left enjoying the cool morning air as I rode into the sun.

My Second Night on the Road

          Around four o’clock I started searching for my first campsite and was getting a little down when I couldn’t find one. Was I going to stay in another hotel tonight? KOA next exit a sign stands out on the highway. I exit hungry and cold in hope to find a cheap place to stay for the night. On my way to the KOA I see the beautiful country surrounding me and I start thinking I should be able to find a spot off the beaten path. As I near the KOA I give in only to find when I get there it’s going to be $30 per night. I thank the lady and continued on my journey.
          I see a little road that looks as if it goes up one of the surrounding mountains. Turn here something whispered to me, so I followed my inner whisper. I began to loose hope when all I could see were houses but my inner whisper was still pushing me forward. The road turned to dirt and I thought to myself “I should be able to find something here” finally about 5 miles up this windy dirt road I see a spot that I think will work out. I park my bike and walk into the forest area. The ground was soft so I would have to be careful getting in but it would make a great bed. Looking around further I see the perfect spot under a bunch of trees. It looked as if it could have been a den for an elk or a moose, the perfect place to spend the night. Private enough I could pee out in the open and covered enough the wind couldn’t blow me away. So I hopped back on my bike pull off the road and set up camp.


           My camp was set up and I was really proud of it. I tried to send pictures to my mom to show her I was doing it, but there seemed to be little to no cell service. I was out in the wilderness alone. It was ok though; kind of like one of my hunting trips except it was the first time I had camped since I was a kid. I ate my dry top ramen and watched the sunset. Being in the moment I didn’t think to take pictures of the beautiful sunset that brought the silhouette of the trees to life, instead I just sat and enjoyed the moment. The clouds started coming in so I checked my tarp to make sure it was secured to the trees.


          That night the skies opened up and I thought for sure I was going to be soaked. Being the storm lover that I am I truly enjoyed being in the excitement of it. The lightning was touching the trees and ground all around me. Filling my tent with the natural strobe lights of a party. The cracking of the thunder filled the air and created the wonderful bass to follow the strobe, listening to the rain falling on my tarp creating a beautiful beat. I lay there enjoying the symphony of the storm. With only one concern, I lay there wondering if my camp was going to hold up to the weather. I finally fell asleep to this wonderful orchestra of nature.


          Three-a.m. I woke up startled by the sounds of coyotes singing their hunting songs all around me. It seemed as if the wild dogs had surrounded me. A fear started to build inside of me. What if the coyotes attacked me, what if there were wolves in the area, what if that’s what they were singing about? As I lay there scared, listening to their songs hoping they would leave me alone, I heard something spectacular, the sound of dogs drinking water. They were right outside drinking the water that collected on my tarp. Then the singing started up again. An overwhelming feeling of wonder joined my fear and washed it away. I peaked out of the mesh on my front door to watch three of them dance away to join their brothers in the hunt. I had become part of their world and they meant me no harm. What an amazing feeling to be so close to the nature. Feeling secure I went back to sleep wondering if they would come back for another visit.


          As I woke I listened carefully to my surroundings to see if could hear any animals nearby. I peaked my head out for a quick search to find the animals of the morning were busy elsewhere. I stepped out and started to take my wet tarp down. It was cold outside and very early. As the tarp came down I noticed the sun rising. I propped myself up on my motorcycle to enjoy the beauty of nature before I would join the road again. With everything I packed in back on my bike I set off.