Well, ain’t that something…?! Folks on here wondering about me and my absence from the board. I hadn’t thought much about it, but now I can see that our members’ concern for each other extends even to this unremarkable gypsy… I can even see why that might be…
Northern Valker, for example, shared that there is some mental illness in his family, so he is quite sensitive to any abrupt changes in the behavior and/or moods of others… Very understandable, of course, but something about which I had not given much thought. We often go about our usual activities oblivious to the impact we may have on others… more food for thought!
ALI and I have just been doing what we do… riding around drinking in the sights, sounds, and wonders of our special place in the cosmos. Thinking about stuff, and about why people are the way they are… and how some can be so different from others…
Have I ever mentioned that I absolutely love North America! The natural beauty and abundance, coupled with the wide range of variations and contrasts is enough to hook anybody on this nomadic life… but, naturally, I see more… I see a population of people who can at once can be so puzzling, frustrating, and disappointing, yet at the same time be so amazing, kind, friendly, and generous!
I see a place that is relatively safe for travel, has an overall great road system, and has a population tolerant of strangers and passers-by. What is it that makes our fly-speck in the universe so unique in this regard? How is it that our ‘noble experiment’ has produced such a free and open society, so conducive to individuals having so much latitude to choose how and where they live, when and by what means they move about largely unfettered and unconstrained…?
The polar extremes of chaos and despotism form the outer perimeter of the tools employed to ‘govern’ people and harness their energy, creativity, and potential…. and to produce some degree of conformity, common purpose, and resulting synergy. Where exactly to place the ‘fulcrum’ to gain maximum leverage with the tool of governance has always been the elusive, imponderable goal. Tribal hierarchies were used early-on, followed by theocracies, monarchies, then dictators, emperors, and ruling elites. All had the fatal flaw of concentrated power in the hands of one or a few flawed, imperfect human-beings…
Dispersion of power into the hands of the governed has been the experiment that has provided the most and most widespread benefits to all members of a society, but that is also imperfect… precisely because it depends upon flawed, imperfect human-beings to make the wisest and fairest choices… And, being flawed and imperfect, general populations are vulnerable to the deceit and machinations of clever and unscrupulous so-called ‘leaders’, resulting in the manipulation and exploitation of the general body. A ruling elite of sorts still has room to operate!
Given that we are discussing the affairs of flawed, imperfect beings, there is by definition, no hope of ever finding perfection. Given the unfathomable potential of human ability, however, there is the very real prospect of continual improvement… and therein lies my unbridled optimism for our way of life in North America… A level of confidence that enables this flawed and imperfect being to wander all around America and Canada without much fear or worry about what may lie down the road…
I checked my phone for messages one fine day not long ago… and… I’d had a recent call from ‘Tailgate Tommy’, no voicemail, though… I’ve known Tom for a couple of years now, and I’ve come to like him a bunch. Actually, I’d liked him right-off, but more contact has deepened that like… Anyway, I eagerly called him back… Dang! No purpose to his call whatsoever… it had been merely a ‘butt-dial’! No problem, though, and we did chat a while anyway!
Tom mentioned that the Colorado Riders were planning a ‘weather dependent’ ride in a week or two for some BBQ brisket at a place MarkT had found… He also mentioned that this nomadic wanderer would be welcome, should he happen to appear at said event… Hey, most folks who know me know NOT to threaten me with a good time, or a meal, because I might just show-up for either of those!!! Well, Tom does know that, but he was still undeterred…
One thing led to another, and then Misfit contacted me. He extended an invitation for ALI and her lucky passenger to stay at the ‘Misfit Manor’… and I gleefully accepted! Taking nothing for granted, I stopped off after arriving in Colorado Springs, but before going to Damon’s house… for a maintenance dose of grits to tide me over! Damon had taken me to a Waffle House near his place on my last visit, so I knew just where to go!
By the time we’d arrived, however, half of our would-be host’s family was down with varying degrees of flu, and they all had cases of the ‘can’t-help-its’… plus, they were contagious! Dang! Imagine my surprise when Damon even showed me a box of grits he’d purchased so he could prepare some for me during my visit! Some folks are just kind beyond belief!!! Unfortunately, this was no place for a so-far uninfected, aging trekker on two wheels a long, long way from home, so…
Damon, always the thoughtful host, did have a fallback plan… Ron ‘Polky’ Polkingham lived nearby, and he is practically a member of the family himself… He lives alone in a three-bedroom house, so… He is willing to catch the overflow of guests and such, and he was even willing to allow this guy to stay there, too… Dang! He even had room in his garage for our girl! I did notice one odd thing in his backyard, though…
Apparently, this is the latest trend in ‘green’ urban lawn care… Grass and shrubbery are clipped, then recycled as fertilizer, using this ‘natural’ implement… Colorado, it seems, is very serious about this environmental stuff!
Did I mention that Colorado is cold during March? Well, anybody could guess that, of course, but I still put that theory to the test anyway… and it was confirmed! Only a light dusting of snow during my stay, but for a Florida boy, that was plenty!
We met-up and made the ride north to Franktown, CO, and to the restaurant MarkT had raved about… The day we had chosen also happened to be St. Patrick’s Day, so… no brisket. Nope, some rather good corned beef and cabbage instead, though, in the form of a sandwich. They didn’t have sweet tea either, so I had to let a Sprite round-out the beverage portion of my meal.
A view of Pikes Peak on the way up…
St. Paddy’s Day special…
A surprisingly large turn-out for this outing! A wonderful group of folks, however, and most of whom I’d met on previous rides…
The illustrious owners of ‘Horse-Apple Ranch’…
The ‘Corned-beef’ crew…
Since reports of the brisket had been so favorable, it was decided that a return to this eatery would be made on Wednesday of the following week… Only three of us made that gathering, but the brisket was well worth the return ride! Being caught-up in the excitement of things, I didn’t take a single picture of that dinning event… Still Damon, MarkT, and I had a nice meal and a great visit! I just love hanging out with the good folks all around our continent, and Colorado folks are as good as any anywhere!!!!
We also made a breakfast run one of the mornings while I was still in Colorado Springs… Another huge surprise awaited me as the folks at the restaurant we visited actually served grits! Man, I’d been on the verge of ‘grits withdrawal’ when I’d crossed the state line into this beautiful state… But now I was enjoying my second mess of those marvels of culinary ascendency… Sometimes everything just goes my way… Biscuits ‘n gravy and bacon rounded out this wholesome repast… they also had sweet tea, but I needed coffee even more...
The breakfast bunch…
OK, corned-beef and cabbage on St. Paddy’s Day, check… Brisket, check… grits, check… Visit with my fabulous friends who live in or near the ‘American Alps’, check… Time to head back south now, before the cold traps me here! ... Check...
DDT
