Long Way Round

This movie has been my obsession for the last week. I think about it when I'm awake, when I sleep, I replay the scenes in my dreams. I want to watch it over again, even though it's about 6 hours long and I just finished watching it Monday. I don't know why it's stuck in my head.

Long Way Round is the DVD of the television series documenting the 2004 trip Ewan McGreggor and Charley Boorman took around the world on their motorcycles. My dad had watched it and gave it to me to watch. I'd seen some other around-the-world-motorcycle-trip movies, like Mondo Enduro, and I just wasn't impressed. Yes it's hard and completely crazy to attempt to go around the world on your motorcycle. Big deal. But this movie is different. It's not so much the trip, although that was truly exciting and beautiful and all, but the friendship between Ewan and Charley is just so much fun to watch. They're total screwballs and even waist-deep in a river, pushing their bikes across through the current, they're laughing. They made fun out of everything they did and I loved that.

As an added bonus, Ewan and Charley both have great accents and use those British phrases I love so much. They visited "petrol stations" and got mosquito bites on their "bums". They stood in "queues" and wanted to film their trip so they might "have a bit of a giggle" later on in life watching the film with their grandkids. At one point Ewan called himself something that I really want to go back and find because I intend to use it some day. Something like "whiney Molly arsehole". I love it!

I feel about this DVD the way I did during the first couple of seasons of 'The Real World'. I was obsessed with that show because it showed real people being real and having fun together. They may have fought a little, but they had more fun than fights. It was reality TV at it's best and that's exactly what Long Way Round is.

I've read some complaints about the movie with people saying that Ewan and Charley are whiney spoiled brats and how some people couldn't get through the first hour of the DVD. The first hour tells the story of how this idea came to be and who got involved and how they managed to organize the whole adventure. I had even said to Luke during one of those early scenes when they're upset because KTM refuses to give them three bikes for the trip, "they're rich - can't they buy their own bikes?" After watching the whole movie, I see why they couldn't just buy their own bikes. Why they needed donations and sponsors. This wasn't just two spoiled brats going on "holiday". They were making a movie. They had camera crews and producers, equipment and insurance, doctors who traveled with them and a whole support team. They needed backing to be able to create such a great DVD. If you watch it, don't be put of in the beginning, it's worth the time to see how it was all planned.

Even if you don't ride a motorcycle or have any plans to ever travel around the world, I would still recommend this movie to everyone. It's a great time watching two fantastic friends have one incredible adventure. Go now and rent it. Or come to my house, I'd be more than happy to watch it again!

Wild Weekend

So much went on this weekend, but I got absolutely nothing done, and my head is still spinning.

Between Saturday and Sunday, we planned out our new deck and shopped for materials, shopped for a new motorcycle, shopped for a new truck for Luke, went to see Amanda in Love Letters - it was fantastic - settled on buying a new motorcycle, spent about an hour sitting on said motorcycle at the dealership, decided not to buy said motorcycle from the dealership, shopped for new aquarium supplies, made a lasagna, went to Paula's for dinner, and decided that now I want to trade in my car for a new Yaris. What is going on?

See what happens when you pay off your credit card? As I wrote to one friend, I'm feeling a little too unburdened by debt, so I thought I should buy something new. I'm kind of sad about the motorcycle, but fear not! I'm still shopping. Anyone out there looking to sell a used Buell XB12SS?

My Application For Suzuki’s “Ride of A Lifetime” Contest

Have two long-time motorcyclist friends? You know, the ones you’ve shared the highs and lows of the road with for as long as you can remember? Perhaps more importantly, two that could put up with you for 1000+ miles on a bike road trip?

Well get your riding gear ready, because Suzuki is looking for three close friends (and licensed motorcyclists) to take “THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME.” The chosen few will ride new, 2007 Suzuki Boulevard cruisers on a 5-day, 1000+ mile road trip through some of this country's most beautiful scenery, on roads that you'll swear were made for motorcycling. To top it off, the entire trip will be filmed for Suzuki’s new 2007 Suzuki Boulevard advertising campaign, and you & your friends could be the stars!

APPLICATION:

Rider 1: me
Rider 2: Luke
Rider 3: Keith

Riding Experience: four years

Current and Previous Motorcycles Owned: none
Current and Previous Motorcycles Borrowed From Husband: ’83 Honda Nighthawk, ’00 Buell M2 Cyclone

How Long Have You Known: Luke – 16 years, Keith – 5 years

While addressing a large group of people, select which of the following is going through your mind:
Great Group! Can we hang out later? ___ I’ll be glad when this is over! _X_ Just shoot me! ___

Describe yourself and your two friends’ personalities on the road, either Leader of the Pack/Navigator, Mid-pack, Bringing up the rear, or Where’s lunch/are we there yet?
Me: Mid-pack
Luke: Leader of the Pack/Navigator
Keith: Mid-pack

Describe your favorite motorcycling memory:
I have some great memories of gorgeous days and twisty roads. Of realizing the power beneath me and that capability within me, but my favorite memory is from early on, before I even had my license. I was taking the motorcycle education class and the big, burly teacher went around the room and asked why we all wanted our motorcycle licenses. I said that I wanted mine to make my dad proud. My dad really wanted me to learn and I wanted to do well for him. We were on our first day of the road course and we were doing the typical exercises of circling and swerving, going around cones and I was having a great time. We were all doing one last big circle around the course and as I came back in to the parking area, the burly instructor said to me, “why did you say you wanted your license?” I said, “to make my dad proud”. He said, “I think that did it”.

Describe the funniest thing in your motorcycling life:
That would have to be Luke. He’s hard on me when I make mistakes riding, but he’s also the only thing that can make we laugh when we’re on a long, wet ride or stuck in traffic on a 90-degree day. He’ll reach out and pretend to pinch bicyclist’s butts as we pass them by on the road. If we see someone bending over, working on their garden and their showing a bit of “plumber’s crack”, he’ll make a hand motion like he’s dropping a quarter in a slot machine. If we’re in traffic or behind a slow driver, he’ll motion like he’s pushing himself along with his feet. It’s the stupid little things like that that keep us both going on long days. With no radios and helmets covering our faces, we have to rely on creative sign language to pass the time.

Describe what it is about your two friends that makes them worthy to be part of the Suzuki “Ride of a Lifetime” with you:
To put it very simply, if it wasn’t for Luke letting me ride his motorcycles, I wouldn’t be riding. He cautiously encouraged me to learn to ride and offered his bikes for me to ride on. He’s been my constant riding buddy and I feel like I’ve forgotten something if I ride anywhere without him. That, and we’ve been together forever and he’d kill me if I did this without him. If it wasn’t for Keith getting his license, I wouldn’t have mine either. When he was getting ready to take his test, he needed a bike to ride and the old Nighthawk had been sitting, unloved, in our garage for a while. It needed a little work but since Keith needed a bike, we took her out and dusted her off and got her up and running. After Keith got his license, he bought a bike of his own and the Nighthawk was free for me to ride. The rest is history. That, and he’s really tall so our awesome leather-clad trio would look proportionate on the promotional posters with tall Keith in the middle and me and Luke like short bookends on either side. He also sent me the link to the contest, so it would be mean if I didn’t include him.

Describe something that each of your two friends did that drove you crazy:
Well I’m married to one of them, so eventually everything he does drives me a little crazy. Keith, I cant say there’s anything he does to drive me crazy, but give me five days and 1100 miles with him and I’m sure I’ll change my story.

Molly the Awesome Biker-Pup

Our motorcycle trip on Saturday started out well. We were headed to New York for a campout and we actually left early for once. The day was perfect, crisp and sunny, and I was back in my groove, back on the Buell. Everything was going right.

Until this happened:
(that would be my drive belt - a small, but unfortunately very necessary part of motorcycle-riding, BTW, it's supposed to be shaped like an "O")And then this happened:
(that would be my dad's friend Pete's truck with me, my dead bike and my helmet hair in it)And then this happened:
(that would be my bike in my dad's basement [and me with more lovely helmet hair] - the Buell's not going anywhere this weekend)So, rather than complain and whine about having my broken-down butt carried up to the campout on the back of Luke's bike, I did this:Yes, that would be the divine miss Molly riding on the motorcycle with us. I was afraid of her riding on Luke's bike alone in a basket, but curled up in my lap on the back of Luke's bike, now that's a different story. That I could go along with.

We bundled her up in her fleece coat, then her Old Navy parka, then her harness, which I attached to a rope that went around my body. I sat her on my lap and we were on our way. I thought she'd get sick of the wind in her face and tuck her head inside my jacket after a while. Boy was I wrong.Two and a half hours of riding, one short stop for lunch and she was still hanging her floppy ears out in the wind. In fact she kept leaning into Luke's back, trying to squeeze herself in front of him. She perched on the end of my lap, stretching her little neck out to catch as much air as she possibly could.

Once we got to Sioux and Voyle's place in NY, Molly hopped off the bike and had a grand time sitting by the bonfire and hanging out with the crowd. She got to sleep in a tent with me and Luke, she shared (hogged) my sleeping bag and woke up the next morning raring to go. When we packed up the gear and I grabbed her parka she started to wag her tail and when I put it on her she jumped up on the bike, ready to go. She amazed me. She's one tough little cookie and she's fearless.

So if you were in the souhwestern part of Connecticut/southeastern part of New York state this weekend and saw what looked like a fluffy white dog on a motorcycle, you weren't going crazy, that was my biker-pup, Molly.

My Dog is AWESOME.

More bragging to follow. Stay tuned.

Have Dog, Will Travel - or How We Humiliate Our Dog While She Plots Our Slow, Painful Deaths

Luke has always wanted to take Molly on the motorcycle with him. When we had a quad, she LOVED it and rode on it all the time. Now she jumps up on the seat of any motorcycle she gets near as if to say, take me for a ride!

We took her, a couple of times, up the street to our friends' house but she sat on my lap while I was on the back of Luke's bike and she loved it. But this weekend it's a different story. We have a 2-hour motorcycle trip to New York planned with an overnight camp out, and sure, my mom would be happy to watch her while we're gone (right Mom?) but wouldn't it be more fun to bring her? Of course it would.

Molly's a hit with the motorcycle group we're camping with and when they heard us joking about bringing her, they were all on board. My dad even called last night with a new idea for transporting her in a milk crate lined with foam on the back of Luke's bike. So we've been brainstorming for possibilities and although it hasn't exactly been working out, it's been really funny.

This here is Sunday night at my sister's house. Luke was insistent on trying out one of Andrea's old baby carriers to see if Molly would fit. She fit, but her enormous look of disdain and loathing hung over the top.Luke still thinks that this is the best solution. I say: have you seen Molly actually sit up for more than five minutes at a time? She's more of a lounger and I think it would drive her nuts if she couldn't lay down for two straight hours. Plus there's no room in the carrier for her tail to stick out.

Which led us to the Toto basket (formerly our laundry basket). There's plenty of room for her to lay down, or look out if she chooses, and she can wear her harness so we can tether her to the bike instead of Luke. We fastened the basket down snugly and she actually looked pretty comfy in there. (Don't let that look of disgust fool you, there were treats in that basket. She was happy there.) I'm still worried, though. She's gonna be cold! I've got a fleece jacket for her and even an Old Navy parka with a hood, but I still think she'll be scared and cold. If I was riding on the back so she could lay on my lap, that would be one thing. But all alone in a breezy basket - I don't think she'll go for that. We'll see. I don't think we've given up on the idea yet.