Solo Ride To Nowhere In Particular

It’s oddly chilly this August morning at 5:00 AM, in California’s Central San Joaquin Valley where the average high temperature for this time of year is in the mid 90’s. The faint glow of sunrise is still an hour away and it’s hard to see-- through my sunglasses--the minefield of debris that clutters the bike lane on the road ahead of me. I struggle to get comfortable in the saddle and settle into today’s ride. It’s an odd combination, sunglasses and headlights, but given today’s route, which will cover five thousand feet of climbing at a maximum elevation of just over 3400 feet, including a 3 mile pitch at 9%, the idea of saving weight, today especially, appeals to me, so my regular glasses would have to stay behind along with my jacket.

The morning air is still and it is cold, what breeze there was created only from the pace I set for myself—and that only by feel. It’s to dark to read my cycling computer and the lack of feedback is strangely annoying, but probably for the best, I don’t need to know how fast (or slow) I’m going, only that I’m pushing a comfortable pace as I warm up along the relatively flat roads towards the climbs to come, but warm is not something I’ll be for a few more hours.

Sheri’s Road House is located at the intersection of two fairly well traveled roads,  just a few miles from a local Indian Casino; an ideal location for a tiny mountain bar with a convince store and gas station to boot.  Motorcycle and hot-rod clubs used to frequent the place on weekends and parking was often at a premium.

 

Sheri’s was the epitome of the American Road House; pool tables, live music, beer on tap, and even a small dance floor for those who, perhaps, had taken advantage of the happy hour specials! But Sheri’s, it seems, has fallen victim to the times and the doors were closed a few months ago. I can only hope someone eventually buys the place and revives this local icon; someone always has, it's the American spirit to do so! At least the gas station and mini-mart are still open.

I had hoped to see other cyclists here this morning, trying to beat the August heat, but there was not a soul in sight.  My body expects to stop—Sheri’s is one of the area’s common regrouping points—and normally I would, but this morning I’m on a schedule; others will be waiting in North Fork and I don’t want to be late!  I had told my wife I’d keep her updated on my progress so I needed to stop, at least long enough to send a text, but the short climb just beyond Sheri’s was one I’d rather knock out first, then I could take a short break.

5:45AM. My first text of the day to my wife read: “Just past Sheri’s and on schedule”.  

The silhouette of the Sierras began to take form as the first light of dawn peeked out over the jagged horizon.  My headlight now made less difference as the ground around its bright white spot began to come into view.  Hazards on the road, not seen over the past hour, became easier to avoid as I could now see a bit farther ahead and in the distance a coyote crossed the road, headed to where ever it is coyote’s go so early in the morning. 

It’s quiet out here, all I can hear is the sound of my chain spinning along with the sound of my breathing, and they are in unison.  The coyote stopped and turned a curious eye my direction; he must have been wondering where I was going so early in the morning.

In the distance I could see Table Mountain, a plateau range that runs alongside of the San Joaquin River as it meanders its way down to Millerton Lake.

 

Growing up, Table Mountain was literally my back yard.  My parent’s property line borders the fence with the cattle range on the mountain; I’ve hiked nearly every inch of the place.  I’m amazed, now that I’m older, what little appreciation I had as a boy for the beauty of the valley this place over looks.

In the distance I could just make out the mountain peak known as Squaw Leap, it seemed so far away, yet it marked the beginning of the hardest part of today’s ride and I realized I had a lot of riding ahead of me and most of it upwards.

“Good morning, how are you doing?”

I was slightly startled, but pleasantly surprised, to see there was at least one other human being on this barren road.

“I’m tired” I replied, as he passed me like I was standing still.

The thought crossed my mind to try and grab his wheel and see if I could catch a tow for a short while. That thought often crosses my mind, normally just after I hear “On your left!”

“On your left” is one of those phrases that can evoke joy or pain and often both depending on who’s uttering it! I’ve noticed, lately, as my fitness level has increased and my body weight has decreased, I’m finding more opportunities to say those words rather than hear them.

But I was quickly reminded of the day's goal, Powerhouse, and I settled into my “comfortable pace as I watched him ride away.

The lone rider slowly grew smaller as the distance between us increased, this was the first real climb of the day—the climb to Marshall Station, 6% at worst and a relatively short two miles—and I knew I’d need every bit of energy for the climbs to come.  I never got his name, never exchanged more than two or three words with the man, but I felt we were connected somehow; the road it would seem can do that, and I was glad to know I was not the only one on this road to nowhere in particular.

6:11AM. I texted my wife an update: “Leaving Marshal Station, all trains on time!”

Marshal Station is a mystery to me; it’s been there for ages, attested to by its adobe wall construction and rusting corrugated steel roofing, complete with lead window paned windows and the remaining hitching post outside the front door.

It served as a stage coach stop in the early 1800’s and was the site of a post office in the early 1900’s.  I used to pass by here on the 45 minute bus ride to school every week day for 12 years. 

Numerous small businesses have called this old building home over the years—currently it is a Mexican food joint, but it’s literally smack dab in the middle of nowhere, a victim of the waning lumber industry that used to bring more traffic along this road so many years ago.  Why anyone would try to run a business from here now is beyond me, but if you’re ever in the area, I hear they make a mean Chimichanga!  

  

A quick sip of (insert gratuitous ad for your favorite replenishment beverage here) and a bite of granola bar and it was onward and upward to Prather.  

The stretch of road between Marshall Station and the small town of Prather holds bitter memories for me and each time I pass I say a short prayer and remember my brother who died in an automobile crash here years ago.  I miss you bro!  But no time to stop for ceremony, not today, the climb to Prather awaits and it’s the first one to get me out of my seat; it’s a short pitch but my guess is its 9-10% and that scares me a bit because the 9 percent grade to come goes on for miles and this climb is hurting more than I expected!

6:32AM. I texted my wife once again, “Made Prather right on time!”

I ran inside the gas station for a quick spot of caffeine; my favorite source, the nectar of life, Diet Pepsi!

The grey light of dawn illuminated the parking lot and I deemed the wait for the sunrise a worthy distraction from the pain in my thighs—72 miles and over four thousand feet of climbing the day before were beginning to take their toll. I had a few minutes to kill and the rest was needed, the sun was about to rise and I couldn’t help but pause for the photo opportunity!

The sunrise is amazingly predictable; they say you can even set your clock by it! For eons it has come each and every day even though throughout history rulers and clergy have told the masses there was at least some chance that it may not, unless they conform. As I watched the sun rise over the mountains, I couldn’t help but think to myself what an amazingly spiritual thing it was.  I suppose those who never find God in their lives, rarely if ever are up in time to experience it. I’ve felt the same thing next to the ocean, as well as when standing on top of mountains; it is there, it’s real, but is it God? Only you can answer that for yourself.

7:03AM. I send my wife what I assume will be my final text before I reach North Fork: “Auberry. No more txts until I see you.”

“Until I see you” was in reference to the fact that my wife and son would be following behind later in the morning in my truck; an insurance policy; sometimes the spirit is willing but the legs are weak.

I graduated from Auberry Elementary in June of 1980. Jimmy Carter was about to lose the Presidency of the United States to an actor from California. That actor went on to become one of the greatest Presidents in US History!

The buildings are still in good shape, but the grounds are lacking; weeds growing in the tall grass where I used to play soccer and baseball.  The school was shut down at the end of the last school year because the area lacks enough children to keep it open.  Not long after I graduated, the local mill was closed; primarily due to the tree hugger lobby and the over regulation of the logging industry that eventually killed the number one employer in town. I fear Auberry shares the same fate as Marshall Station, and will soon become an historical landmark, a ghost town, on this road to nowhere in particular.

This is reposted here from an email I received (Author is listed below)

Dear  American liberals, leftists, social progressives,  socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et  al:

We have stuck together since the  late 1950's for the sake of the kids, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has clearly run its course.

  Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right for us all, so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our  own way.

Here is a model separation  agreement:

   Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a similar portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective  representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate  tastes.

  We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. We'll take the nasty, smelly oil industry and you can go with wind, solar and biodiesel. You  can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell.

You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them.

  We'll keep capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have  your beloved lifelong welfare dwellers, food stamps, homeless, homeboys, hippies, druggies and illegal aliens. We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's and rednecks. We'll keep the Bibles and  give you NBC and Hollywood .

   You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide them security.

   We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism, political correctness and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N. but we will no longer be paying the bill.

   We'll keep the SUV's, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.

    You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We'll keep "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "The National Anthem."

     I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute "Imagine", "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", "Kum Ba Ya" or "We Are the World".
  We'll practice trickle down economics and you can continue to give trickle up poverty your best shot.

   Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag.
  Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like-minded liberal and conservative patriot.  In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet you answer which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.

                    Sincerely,
                    John J. Wall
                    Law Student and an American

     P. S. Also, please take Ted Turner, Sean Penn, Martin Sheen, Barbara Streisand, and Jane Fonda with you.

     P. S. S. And you won't have to press 1 for English when you call our country.

More Liberal Whining and Lies!

Axelrod is on CNN right now whining about the money groups, like The Chamber of Commerce, are spending on political adds for Republicans.  He claims he wants a law that will reveal the source for ALL politcal donations.  But does he?  Do the Democrats really want the country to know about the millions of dollars they receive from communist organizations?  Of course not!  So why the ploy?  Because they know there will NEVER be such a law, so they can get up on CNN and whine about campaign finance and paint the Rebulicans as Wall Street Fat Cats when IN FACT the Democrats are the ones living in one of 12 houses, flying around the world in private jets and drinking tons of liquor on the American tax payers dime!  The CNN anchor pointed out to Mr. Axelrod that CNN's own research reveals that Democrats have out spent Republicans in this election cycle.  YOU ARE BEING LIED TO AMERICA!  Vote for conservatives in November!

The Well Dressed Wolves; Makers of Fine Woolen Clothing!

As the story goes, a group of otherwise self-serving, hedonistic, high school boys made the ultimate sacrifice for their “special needs” teammate by handing him the ball in a 47 to 0 football game while the opposing team ( who was winning 47-0 and had previously agreed to the shtick) stood by and cheered as the electric wheelchair bound youth literally “drove” the ball across the goal line to make the score 47-6; apparently fulfilling his “lifelong dream” of “playing” varsity football.


This story is of course meant to warm the heart and I’m sure most of you will disagree with my take on this one; but I’m used to that by now.

I think it’s great they “tried” to “do the right thing”, unfortunately I think they failed. Sure, this boy felt good for a few fleeting moments and he’ll always have this memory, but if the coaches and players REALLY wanted to make a statement, really make his touchdown “count”, why didn’t they let the boy return the opening kickoff? This was the “top-ranked” team in this league, after all; was there ever any real doubt they were going to win? The question begs to be answered, what did they sacrifice? The answer is ZERO, NADA, NOTHING! All they did was stand around patting themselves on the back for being such great human beings!

Another question is why was this one player singled out to be allowed to score unimpeded? Was it his “life-long dream” to score in a varsity football game, or did he long to be treated as an equal? Did he actually “play” football? I’m sure there were a number of boys on that team who’ve never scored a touchdown, simply because they lack the level of skill, compared to the other boys on the team, to be played, by their coach, in enough games and situations that it would be likely they could score. Every year boys all over the country sit on the side lines of high school football games as second or third string players in positions that can score ( QB,RB,WR etc. opposed to linemen who rarely if ever score points), but are never put in the game long enough and in enough situations to make a score likely; so why this boy; because he’s in a wheelchair? Who decided that the wheelchair was the defining "limiting" factor that allowed this player special treatment?  Was it not enough that the third string wide reciever suffers from Asthma and thus could never complete with the first string WR who was also the school's 100 meters track and field champion 3 years in a row?  Does anyone really think this disabled child fulfilled his dream of “playing” varsity football? No, this was not the ultimate moment that will forever change this boy’s life; after all, he woke up the next day still in need of his wheelchair. What this was was a group of people taking advantage of a disabled high school student to make themselves feel better about their own lives.  By the way, I wonder how many who cheered in that stadium that night had illegally parked in a handicapped spot?

Unfortunately, I must confess, had I been one of the coaches (or players), I’d have likely made the same decision to allow this to occur; and for the same reasons, it would have made me feel like ‘I’ had done or been a part of something special!

What we need today, is less people patting themselves on the back and more people rolling up their sleeves and doing the tough work it will take to return our country to greatness! One of the most devastating impacts socialists have had on our country is the idea that everyone is guaranteed equal outcomes in life; THEY ARE NOT! Ribbons and metals for “participants” serve only to dilute the value of the awards given to those who earned them. The creator, from whom all ‘inalienable’ rights flow, created us each as individuals with special talents, and in some cases limitations, to be used for His purpose and for as many day’s He has granted us. Trying to deny the fact that there are weak and strong among us is the same as trying to deny gravity and then jumping off of a cliff; both end with similar results!

Socialism claims, as a goal, to make the weak strong, but in fact they always take from the strong, handicapping them in some way ( taxes, regulation, asking them to stand idly by while a member of the opposing team “rolls” by them to score a touchdown) and thus make them weaker; giving the illusion that the weak have magically become stronger; it’s all a lie, smoke and mirrors, designed to deceive while those powerful few continue to oppress all those subjected to their pathetic ideals; both weak and strong!

I’m pleased by the joy this event must have brought this young man and I can, in the end, applaud the effort made by the other young men involved in this story. All I ask is that when we read of such happy moments we never forget we are under attack and the enemy is winning the battle SLOWLY, step by step, one heartwarming story after another and he comes as the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing!

"Life"-style?

Here is a typical liberal argument: “That guy over there was caught in the very act of the behavior he claims to denounce; a behavior we, as liberals, enjoy and promote as normal. He’s a hypocrite!” Therefore, the very behavior he denounces should be accepted by society as normal behavior!”


Example—

Conservative Premise: adultery is wrong.

Situation: a pastor (known for denouncing sexual deviance) of some mega church is caught in adultery.

Liberal conclusion: all conservatives are hypocrites so adultery must be acceptable behavior.

We must stand up to liberals backwards thought processes; they simply lack the capacity for reason!

With regards to the issue of gay and lesbian lifestyles, we find that over the past 60 years, the communist party in America has set as a goal to promote “alternative lifestyles” in an effort to undermine the strength of our union by tearing at the base element of our society; the American family.

Why would they do that? Because they know that if they can corner our children in communist schools, alienate them from their parents, that brainwashing them into accepting total subservience to a central government will be much easier; they just had to be willing to wait long enough for such a plan to take hold. It has taken hold America!

“Alternative LIFE styles!?” When was the last time two men created life (or two women for that matter); as I recall from my public school education, life is begun via the process of an egg being fertilized by a sperm; and as we learned in 6th grade, the female of our species carries all the eggs. It’s not hard to draw the conclusion, then, that in order for our species (all species really) to procreate and thus survive, it requires a partnership between the female and male of said species. Promoting unions between same sex partners is not an “acceptable LIFEsytle”, it is an obvious deviance from nature and natures ways!

It’s time to stand up America! Stand up or be trampled over by a minority activist group whose only goal is to force their deviance to be “accepted”! We can reject the homosexual lifestyle and the false messages they preach, while we accept the individual’s right to live free of harassment. I can work side by side with a gay man, play a round of golf with him, invite him over for a beer and to watch the game, but when I do, I expect he will abide by my standards of decency; not the other way around! The first time he shows up to my football party wearing nothing but a boa and a G-string, he’ll no longer be welcome in my home. Someone must stand up and say NO! Not in my home.  Not on my streets.  Not in my town! Not in my state, not in my country!

The Demise of Personal Responsibility in America

Last night, my son brought home a stack of paper work for me to fill out; paperwork from his Jr. High School. That’s right, he goes to school and I get to do the homework! OK, it’s not the paperwork, per se, that has me hacked off, it was the content.


First of all, it turns out that five of the “forms” I had to fill out, were all from one teacher for a single class! One form went on about class conduct and behavior while another pointed out that the computer equipment is expensive and that the students, by signing the form (as if before they signed the form no such responsibility existed), agreed to treat it with respect.

Really, I need to sign a form that says I understand that my child is responsible for any physical damage he causes to school property? Has our society degenerated so, that we must sign legal documents stating we have a personal responsibility to take care of expensive equipment entrusted to our care?

When I was in school (oh man did I just write that?) the principal still had a paddle that he, boldly, hung on the wall directly behind his desk; and he used it regularly! We didn’t need our parents to fill out stacks of paperwork describing our “personal responsibilities” for public property; WE KNEW OUR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES and if we forgot the paddle was a great reminder!

I remember when this BS all started, for me it was 6th grade (1978), the program was called “The Positive Reinforcement” plan ( or something like that, come on it’s been a few years). The plan called for each student to be tracked all year with regard to behavior and if you had not received any “cards” ( of varying colors ) you could participate in the “positive reinforcement” which was to be something like a dance, a field trip or some other “whole school” activity. This lasted one year. At the end of my 6th grade year, all the “eligible” students were treated to a movie in the Gym (The Nutty Professor staring Jerry Lewis; it was in black and white!). My 7th grade year, the decision was made to keep the negative aspects of “The Positive Reinforcement” plan -- the colored cards that were handed out when you got in trouble—and do away with the “costly” positive reinforcement ( the cheesy movie ), now that is liberal thinking and policy at its finest, bait and switch!

I recall a 7th grade teacher who used to love to wax nostalgic for the days when the school could leave playground equipment out on the playground overnight and on weekends so that children could use it after school; those days were gone even back in the 70’s. He used to tell a story about how, at the beginning of every year, he would take a .50 cent piece and drop it next to one of the desks and NOBODY would pick it up, and if they did, they’d bring it to him to see if he knew who had lost it; the lesson being that each child knew it did not belong to them and would naturally figure that the owner would, sooner or later, discover it missing and come to claim it. By 1979  those days were LONG GONE. I have to admit, had I found a .50 piece laying on the floor, I’d a picked it up and turned it in too, only I’d a turned it in at the snack bar in exchange for a candy bar!

What have we become? We now live in a society that is so “sue happy” that our own public schools ( schools and equipment we pay for with our taxes) must send home reams of paperwork for students and parents to spell out their exact responsibilities with regard to personal behavior and respect for others and their property. I think it’s time for some parents to get involved well before their children start school! It’s time to return to our Christian heritage and start teaching our children about the founding principles that made this country the greatest the world has ever seen. At the very least, imagine the number of trees we’ll save!

Considering Katie’s Krops

I came across the story of a young lady named Katie Stagliano. Katie found that she had a talent for growing cabbage; a 40 pounder started her on her journey.

You can read more about this remarkable young lady on her website here: http://www.katieskrops.com/

Please don’t get me wrong, this is a feel good story about a well-intentioned little girl who’s just trying to make a difference; and for that I applaud her. I’m afraid she simply needs to refocus her energy into pursuits that can make a lasting difference.

Katie found that growing vegetables in her backyard could help to feed a lot of people in her community. So Katie founded a non-profit organization and now oversees six gardens in her neighborhood; all of which grow vegetables that are then donated to local soup kitchens.

As you can imagine, Katie has been featured on a number of news shows; including CNN. But as I read her website I realized there is a bit of a problem with her organization’s stated goal:

“My dream is that there are no hungry people.
I may only be 11 but I know I can do it.”

The question is, can she? The answer is of course she cannot!

Katie, like so many before her, has failed to see the flaw in the nobility of her quest. Katie’s “plan”, thus far, has been to plant a number of small gardens around her community and get others to do the same. Consider this from her website:

“If people (I hope lots of kids too) could grow even one vegetable
plant and donate the harvest to a local soup kitchen we could make
a huge difference in the fight against hunger.”

Fast forward to a world where every family, in every town, around the globe, grew their own garden and donated the harvest to their local soup kitchen; what would happen? Sooner or later they would realize that they no longer needed to buy their own vegetables from the local market and could begin saving money by growing for their own consumption. What affect would that have on the local market, its employee’s, and the farmers who make their living growing vegetables to supply the market? Sooner or later, these farmers would find other uses for their land, like condominiums or strip malls. Now, the food that “normal” families used to supplement their home grown garden would no longer be available. They would realize that to survive they would have to begin devoting more time to their garden. Eventually, we would become an agrarian society and join Ma and Pa Ingalls back on the prairie!

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “what a jerk this guy is! She’s just a little girl trying to help feed a couple of homeless people”, but you are wrong! While she may not know it, she represents one of the most dangerous political theologies known to man; socialism! If her dream was realized and everyone had a garden in their backyard, hunger would survive. You see, the dirty little secret, no one is telling Katie, is our planet has an abundance of food; enough food is thrown away every day to feed entire countries. Plane loads of food are dropped over third world countries on a daily basis; ship loads of food arrive daily in ports all over the third world from “faith based” organizations and where does this food end up; in the hands of the powerful few socialists or communists who claim to know what best to do with it; they claim to know what’s best for the people! And what is always best “for the people” is that the food stays in the hands of the powerful and while they entertain at lavish parties for their comrades, the masses go to sleep hungry!

Socialism has failed “the people” every time it’s been tried.

Now, instead of spending her time in a garden growing free food for people who have no means to buy food, clothing or shelter, what if Katie spent her time focused on building a business that could support 100 employees and started a campaign to get other, like minded, caring, individuals to do the same? What if she lobbied congress for business friendly policies that promoted small businesses that hire people in good paying jobs? What if instead of the socialist ideal of giving free food to people (who then become dependant slaves to those who enable them) she embraced the concept of self-reliance and the power of the individual to take control of their own pursuit of happiness?

Jesus told his disciples that they would always have the poor with them; and I am not saying we shouldn’t help those in need, what I am saying is we should not be helping those in need to stay needy; dependent upon a daily handout.  We need to teach them to fish!

The answer to the problem has always been freedom to fail as many times as it takes one to succeed!