NIght Rider Big Blog Big Ride.

Riding in the day has been tough, so to not miss any miles I've been riding at night lately. It has its good points as well as its bad.. Cooler, less rain, less traffic, but harder to see and be seen,
can't take as many pics, your a target, might have to fix a flat in the dark, can't see what you may be running over, the music sounds better and the ride is more stimulating, it's a death dare that makes you feel like a spartan without a sword. The route can't change much, get on the River at Williams, ride the river levee to Audubon Park, take a break, St Charles to Canal, Bourbon and Royal Streets, the River Walk, take a break, Canal St to the Cemeteries , either the Park to the Lake then home or Metairie Road to West Napoleon, home or back up the levee to Williams to home. Dusk is a great time to ride , the world is shutting down around you ,
I get to experience day to night differently from getting off the couch, looking outside and noticing it's suddenly dark ,sitting your ass back on your secure couch. When your 20 miles from home and its dark your committed. Eyes scanning all around wondering whats behind the next dark shadowy object. The music has taken me away by now, the chemical release in my little brain has me feeling like one of the characters Joseph Campbell talks about, an adventurer left the village to slay the dragon, finding the journey is his dragon and must come back home victorious or face self inflicted demise . Dishonor is what the orientals call it. A dragon lies in wait around every corner, I must turn the corner, face the dragon, slay it , if we don't face our dragons we are dishonored and the fear of death rules our lives, how can we attack life's fullness with fear of death seated at our side, self induced prison to die never feeling the high of walking to the edge of life , balancing on the ledge and laughing all the way home that you did not fall.
On the Bike you have no defenses, your naked to the elements, all the night contains and hides, lurking and waiting for you to misstep. Wayne Dyer says to live the Tao you must relinquish all cherished things, the things that make us feel secure, walk life with no shoes, that's not for me but I feel that way on my bike at night in the city. My favorite writer Henry David Thoreau says a "mans true worth is in proportion to what he can afford to do without", I take that as humility, living without a sword, sword being all the things that make you feel like you, complicating your journey to slay the dragon, fostering a fear of death. I cheat death by acknowledging and accepting it's power, running up to the line that separates it from life and running back.
Captain Ahab knew he couldn't kill the white whale he sought obsessively, his own fears created an obsession so powerful he took a crew down with him, just another Dragon, a journey to life or death. Starbuck knew all along what the future had for them. Joseph Campbell knows why we have to die, cause in our death there is life, sound familiar, everything on the planet must die so another can live, it's just a matter of when and how, I'd like to live to a ripe old age, but if my calling is to get run over by a bus on a journey to slay the dragon then so be it. What does all this have to do with bike riding on the street at night , it's a high that's worth the risk, I come home being a dragon slayer, a death defier, a life liver, a hero. Just as this thought hits me the player blast "In the Wee Hours" by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells from the album "Hoodoo Man Blues", it'll take you to places in your mind you've never been , may not go back to, and might never leave. In the "Art of War" by Sunzi, Sun Tzu, I learned that the only War you win is the one you never have to fight, you do this by being positively prepared for the possibility, I accept that for others to live at sometime I'll be taken. Not by a White Whale but maybe a white bus. I 've been fortunate in my life to talk to and learn from Truman Gandy and Valdaslav Colangelo, two remarkable men. Forget Leo Trotsky, Karl Marx, Mohandas Gandhi, Goldring, I'm starting to write like Richard Brautigan except I don't have a muse at my side. Remember instead what the 3 Amigos had to do when they were confronted with El Guapo , do what you have to do then go home a hero.........
Live on the Edge,,,
gary.

ckick on the pics for enlargement and the last one is a video .

85 mile Saturday

The weather is beautiful , my Kevlar vest is out the dry cleaners , and I'm set for an adventurous ride today. I started normally up to Williams to the River and up onto the levee , started heading to the city. Not much wind, great music in my hears, sunshine, great. Through Harahan pass the Huey P Long Construction and just past that I decided to check on my blackberry patch in the bature, I thought is was a secret place because the river rose into it in the spring. I did my off rode riding and found a young couple there picking blackberries, halt I said who picks my blackberries, they replied , the world knows about this place and they've already picked most of this years crop, your late, I bowed my head in shame and rode back to the levee never to return. Listening to some blues this morning, old blues, good stuff, "Living in the House of the Blues""Trouble don't' always last" "Little Wing". I make it to Audubon Park , take a leak, hydrate and people watch a while, great fun, turned onto St Charles Ave, and scooted toward downtown, on the way I diverted into some neighborhoods, Uptown has some nice areas and some not so nice areas, I visited both, mansions and shacks. Saw my sisters old VW on a side street. As I approached I-10 I wanted to get some pictures of St John the Baptist Church from the ground , we all see it from the I-10 ,the church with the gold steeple just before the St Charles Street Exit, it's on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, which is also O"keefe Ave, no one wants to go to the ground and see it because. . Beautiful front with a big statue of St John the Baptist on the front, I also found Mc Donough 38, hidden back there in the ghetto, it's done for, the homeless people moved from Canal and Claiborne to I-10 and O"keefe across form the New Orleans mission , convenient, rode around the area a while till I felt I pushed my luck far enough and headed for Canal St. Passed by 1010 Common where I used to pick up Marie after work , she was a data card puncher for an insurance co. she worked there with Theresa and Joyce and Tommy Lynn. Stopped and starred at the Orpheum Theater, saw many a movie there, some of my favorite James Bond Flicks were there, the facade is beautiful but you have to stop and look at it. Every time I see it I see something new. Did my usual Bourbon, Royal, Decatur st tour, the self proclaimed street musicians are getting out of hand , a man with a bucket and a drum stick is not a musician, he's a panhandler. It was early so no strippers were hanging in the door but the food was smelling great. When I was very young one of my pastimes was to go to Bourbon and have the barkers let me sneak a peek in the door . "Make it easy on yourself" Jerry Butler the Ice man, great song. I rode up to the River Levee to check for oil and take my next break, no oil yet but I'm waiting, as I eat my Nutrigrain Bar I see a 30's couple on the walk stepping in front of tourist and wanting to bet them $20 they can tell them were they got those shoes, the answer is " on your feet", none fell for it but it pissed me off , so I stood there a watched a while till they noticed me, when they did I took out my camera and started taking pictures, they decided to leave. Good deed done. I passed by the Cathedral and once again saw all the Fortune tellers and phycos , here again panhandlers with a small table and a rock on it dressed like scanks, and all wearing something on their heads for some reason.. I hope I'm alive when Jesus walks out of St Louis Cathedral with a whip and cleans the scum from in front of his church. they piss me off. Refreshed I took Esplanade toward City park, took a shot of "Checkpoint Charlies" everyone heard about it but has never seen it. Shoot out to City Park, nice ride , spend time checking the construction sites looking for a clean Port a Let to pee in , found one , what a relief, more gatorade, headed to the bayou and took the new bike path along Bayou St. John, it's nice , 2 lanes , smooth, marked, nice, I recommend it, got to the lake and climbed the Bayou St John Bridge checking for Oil , none,. took a break and a picture, their raising the levee there so there's a lot of construction.. Lakeshore drive is back together and rides nice, no bathrooms though. Went into Bucktown and the Bonabel boat launch, admired the dog park, watched some boats go in and out. Took to the neighborhoods between West Esplanade and the Lake , some wealthy people live back there, took vintage to Williams, visited the Williams boat launch, not much happening there, came back to David Drive , rode around Lafaniere a few times and went home with 50 miles. Good ride , it's about 2:30 , I came inside, did my situps, rested , ate some ice cream, about 5 :00 we took my mother to dinner, got home about 6:30, sat there and said to myself, self , if I can't ride tomorrow cause I'm going to Dance recital on the naught Shore why can't I ride tomorrows ride tonight. Saddled up my horse , re provisioned, put on the headlight, and headed back to Williams and the River. The sun is starting to go down , a beautiful sight, riding in the evening is soothing and relaxing., when I reached the Huey P , is was dark, I look to my right and see the first UFO, I see them all the time, a few miles down I saw another, one was red and one was white. NO big deal just another UFO. Audubon Park gets dark at night and there's nobody there, it's spooky, I stopped for my usual leak break at the shelter on St Charles , no one was around anywhere, took a few night pictures. One was an apparition, pretty scary huh.. Don't go there at night, its dangerous, I can because I'm part of the furniture. Back to the levee and homeward bound , some guy was walking on the levee in the dark , no reflection on, no lights, I didn't see him till I was about 6 feet behind him, he jumped so high I thought he'd land in the river. I told him nice reflectors asshole. Got to Williams took my final break, headed home, was going to do a few laps in Lafeniere then I realized it was after 10:30 and it was closed. 35 miles tonight , making it a 85 mile day, and I still fell great, I could've did more but it was past my bed time.

Great Day. Great Time, Great High, Love that blues...... bye.

I'm not watering dead flowers.

Attacked by Rain all day.

Started out about 9:am rode to the River Levee to get a nice long ride in around the city.

Took pictures of the bike path for those who hear about it but have never been there.

One side is all housing and the other side is batture, businesses, river, and occasionally a high area with woodlands. Things were going smooth, listening to music, had a little headwind, no problem , I heard thunder over the music, I look up instinctively and the black clouds are across the River, no problem I'm good, it's storming on the Westbank. I continue on and suddenly about 100 yards right in front of me on the top of the levee a bolt of lightening strikes

down to the ground, since I'm the highest profile on the levee, on an aluminium frame bike I decide the smart thing to do is to exit stage left. I spot an alley leading to the street, to Vlad's chagrin and I know he'll swallow hard when he reads this , I shot straight down the levee to the alley full speed. Once on the Street it starts to rain, I head for Jefferson highway seeking shelter, across the street is a friendly Ace Hardware with a ledge on the front of the building,

it's pouring now , I'm crotched against the building , I have a poncho but in a down pour like this it's not much help. I waited out the storm ,, the water was cold, I had to cross Jefferson highway to get back to the River but it was like crossing a NASCAR track on the 499th lap. I walked across with bike and life and once on the other side took a deep breath. Got back the the River Levee and resumed my cool enjoyable ride. Made it to Audubon Park, stop and took a break, notice how the shelter bathroom I use , and am grateful to have , is meager compared to the beautiful Dog Parks being built around town, won't these dog lovers build "me" a place to pee woof woof. Watched the families playing on the swings and climbing the oak trees then jumped on St Charles ( newly resurfaced) and fled to the quarter. Wasn't much going on , it was early, the strippers were still sleeping, last nights drunks made it home and the tourist just had their cafe au lait and begnets,

I rode around and took a break on the river and here it comes again, sprinkling rain then downpour , I had good shelter under the shed where people wait for the River Boat.

Ate my Nutrigrain Bar . drank some Gatorade and watched people for a good while. I'm easily amused, all the while listening to some great blues of the 40's and a few 50"s on my mp3.. This is where I took the picture of the Loch Ness Monster cruising the Mississippi. Imagine that.

The rain stopeth and I continue on my journey, the air is cooler, the clouds are tighter and I'm feeling great, on canal street you can see as far as your eyes will let you and it's hard to get hit by a car , plenty of room , let me hurry to the climax of the day, took West Napoleon to Transcontinental and the rain came again , I hid in the car wash stall till it stopped, when I reached Lafaniere Park I was about 5 miles shy of 40 miles so I'll just ride around the park then go home, guess what here comes the rain, I find a shelter near the playground , a small one ,

here it comes,,, there was a lady sitting there in a flowered dress with a reddish purse on her lap, and nice leather shoes , she was plainly attractive looking about 60, cool and relaxed. I said ,'how you doing' , she replied, "its raining," she immediately asked me about the mirror on my helmet, I told her," I ride on the street a lot and the mirror helps me see whats going behind me,", With authority she exclaims, "isn't that dangerous , couldn't you die if you get hit by a car, aren't you afraid", I felt it called for an answer like," if I die on my bike it'll be ok, rather that than my sofa", she says looking right into my eyes, "your not afraid to die are you."... I knew then I was talking to the Oracle from the Matrix. I answered "no I'm not" ,"already dealt with it". I waited for her to ask me if I wanted a cookie and not to worry about the vase. We went back and forth about my impending death when I asked "Why are you sitting in this shelter in the rain, seems she was walking home and got caught in the rain without a umbrella, a likely story , she's part of the Matrix. I reached in my back pocket and pulled out a poncho and handed it to her..Without saying much she put it on and walked away. I knew then she was the Oracle.

I went straight home, took an atavan , soaked in a hot tub trying not to think about it.

More adventures next week. .