Get Your Motor Runnin

Spring is here! Well, at least the calendar says so. It didn’t feel like it while driving home in the cold rain and snow the other night. My mother in Maine will tell you how much snow there is to dig out from under right now. But despite the weather, the blossoms are still bloomin’, the sprouts are still sprouting’, and leaves are gettin’ greener around here in Southwest Virginia.

I love Spring. It’s a transitional season and I love the change. Change is good. It keeps me on my toes and requires that you adapt to avoid stagnation. It’s so easy for me to get comfortable and feel safe.

Some times I need to get out of the box. I did that a few weeks ago by riding Bertha (my motor sickle) to Daytona Beach Florida for Bike Week 2015. What a long strange trip it was! Being a film maker and gadget geek, I took lots of photos and movies while down there as well as during the ride.

Besides film making and photography, anything motorized is also a passion of mine. Needless to say I was overwhelmed with all of the blindingly shiny and gloriously loud bikes and a few cars. It pumped me up, got my blood moving, and adrenaline flowing. It was motorcycle heaven where anything with two wheels and a motor trumped all. Anyone in a car who copped an attitude with the amount of motorcycle traffic they encountered, soon realized they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was there with a few of my closest friends. Riding together around the Daytona area with them was a testosterone laden bonding experience. Comedian Tim Allen would be proud.

Because of the snow storm we had prior to my departure, I rode down there alone. When I was about 45 miles from New Smyrna Beach, my destination, I got a call on my in-helmet Bluetooth connected iPhone (told ya I was a geek) from one of my friends. He was letting me know what to look for and where to go when I exited I-95. He told me another friend was going to meet me at the end of the exit ramp to guide me into town. At this very moment, as I type this blog post, I still get choked up at the camaraderie, concern, care, and friendship that my brothers from other mothers showed me that day. They were all waiting for me to arrive safe and sound. The next day I was part of the same thing, being there to welcome two other brothers as they arrived after two days of travel, a flat tire, cut finger, and lost cargo that fell off a bike and was intentionally hit by a motorist.

Powerful shit…good karma…strong mojo…passion…

Whenever I write one of these blog posts, I can’t seem to get away from how rich life is in all its random precision, timely spontaneity, and serendipity. I love what I do, who I do it with, and the results of the effort.

What does this have to do with film making? Maybe nothing…or…maybe everything. Director Werner Herzog says “Filmmaking must have experience of life at its foundation.” So, I’ll keep riding, keep living, keep being a dad, keep meeting people, keep doing whatever it is I do at any given moment, keep living this real time movie called life.

Riding "Bertha" in Daytona Beach Florida.
Riding “Bertha” in Daytona Beach Florida.