Every day we find ourselves peering into those around us, wondering what makes them tick.  This usually comes about when we see them do something strange or abnormal, or something that just sticks out, both in positive and negative lights.  The crackhead that’s washing your window with fabric softener = Crack.  The suit and tie guy who just cut you off in the Beemer = Cash Money.  The kids in white shirts knocking on your door and sharing their love of God with you = Salvation.  And what’s behind the motivation?  I’d like to think 99% of the time, it’s fear.  Fear of withdrawals, fear of losing your precious possessions, fear of burning in Hell for all eternity.

These are all pretty easy to wrap your head around, fairly normal, straight-forward and not easily undermined.

But for some of us who do things that don’t quite fit in with the norm, people have a hard time understanding just what our “deal” is.  “Why in the hell would you want to go and do that?” (Or my personal favorite – “Have you looked at a f___n’ map lately?”).  I’ve had a lot of conversations with people that have ended in head-scratching and bewilderment, and others that have ended in wide-eyed wonder and hopefully, a planted seed of inspiration.  I’m not only looking for a challenge, I want to inspire those around me as well.

So what makes me tick?  What makes the people I admire and share this strange bond of endurance and pain with commit to doing something so vastly overwhelming, so ominous, something so much greater than the sum of any of your parts?

We all have our own reasons, but I’ll share some of mine with you.

I’m motivated by a lot of different things, but we’ll start with my fear.  9-5.  Car payments.  TiVo.  American Idol.  Glenn Beck.  Going on trips to Home Depot.  Living a life that’s “normal” and American scares the Bejezus out of me.  I tried to play by the rules, I honestly gave it 100% and I did quite well, but I was miserable.  The experience of my “grown up” job put that fear into me.  Fear of the norm, and even more terrifying – fear of not living up to what you know you are capable of.

Testing yourself everyday is the best way to see that you’re still among the living.  And for me sitting in a corporate structured environment, office and salary included, was as about as appealing as snake handling at church and as far as challenging it was hard to stay awake and be productive.  I may die penniless and uncomfortable, but at least I’ll be smiling.

There are selfish reasons, I’d be lying if there wasn’t a part of me that wants to do this for myself.  I know that’s not the modest thing to say but it’s the truth.  It’s going to be crazy to look back on this, to smile with my ever-present distant stare.  I need this like a junkie.  I’ve never been higher than when I’m on a bike thousands of miles from anything I know.  And like any good drug, there’s gonna be withdrawals.  And you’re always searching for a bigger hit the next time.  I started thinking about this trip about 2 days after I finished riding across the states.

I can go on and elaborate forever on this, but I think the above is as basic as I can make it.

IN OTHER NEWS!

Jesse Reeves, voted Northern Nevada’s Best Bartender, as well as being a capable woodsman and desert wook, partied hard with me out to Knott Creek Reservoir for 4 days this past weekend.  Full report on that as soon as he finishes uploading the damn photographical evidence.  I will assure you, we got extremely rad.  We caught fish that would make Whale Wars relocate.  We turned into modern cowboys.  Stay tuned..

Larry