A New Ride

Well its been far too long since I updated my blog...let's just say I have been on a writer's hiatus for a while. I have finally gotten my act together and created a new website for my photography, www.justindavanzophotography.com which links to this blog and since that is the case I need to update and write and share my exploits.  I have decided to leave the title the same since I still feel the need to escape from Los Angeles if not physically, then mentally for sure.  I am not going to spend a bunch of time telling you what I have been up to the past year since that would require a book, but let's just say I have concentrated on centering my intentions towards photography and creating a lifestyle that is full and rich and layered with the actions that I want to create.  My recent return to motorcycling has brought me back to a place that I absolutely love which is the adventure of camping, and riding and exploring the world from a simpler perspective.  I just returned from a trip into King's Canyon National Park where I was part of a trip that my wife had for her 5th grade end of year camping experience.  I rode the motorcycle out....and in doing so found a peace and happiness that has been absent for a bit.

During this ride, I was alone going both ways for about 9 hours which gives one lot's of time to reflect and think about things. It also slows down the process of processing life as you ride through endless breathtaking moments around each new turn.  I have ridden many miles on two wheels and it never ceases to amaze me at how life changing each experience can be.   The exploration is not unlike riding a horse in the west during the gold rush.  Tack on the ultimate experience of spending 3 nights and 3 days with wide eyed and energetic young souls in the 5th grade and life comes into perspective a bit.  It hit me when we were all gathered around the campfire on the last night with smores sticks in hands and the fire crackling that I was finally at an age to understand the arc of life to some extent.  What I mean is the 5th graders won't fully grasp the memory of the night and the experience for some time, but as I sat there I realized that time is a fleeting element and the moment of smores and 5th grade is gone in an instant and only later will these young ones look back and understand what a special time it was.  The adults that were with me were having a similar (I can only assume) experience of remembering childhood moments whilst observing the sheer innocent joy and experience that the young ones were having...I marveled at the young beings and their laughter, care free and ernest importance of each passing moment throughout the trip and realized that life is always this way...what I mean is we all have our moments and no matter what age, those moments always feel huge and emotional and dramatic....but the main difference between a 5th grader and an "adult" is that the 5th graders very much live in the present and maintaining this mindset as and adult can be a challenge. This idea is also why I love to ride a motorcycle because you have no choice but to live in the present. One cannot focus on the last turn or the next turn, it is the turn you are in.  Each dynamic variable of the riding experience represents a chance to practice life as it should be. Small journeys and triumphs, exhaustion, perseverance, patience, control, freedom, glee, laughter, doubt, fear, terror, satisfaction, trust and simplicity.  The fragile existence we call life....I cannot say I am a master at any of this, but I am trying to be a better student and with each passing day in this journey we call life, I will strive to remember the 5th grade campfire and the moment the stars came out with flames dancing, and the laughter, and the singing, and the fear of the dark, and the giddy excitement of getting into the tent and sleeping in the wilderness with the thoughts of what will I do when a bear comes?  

What will I do?

Love and Understanding.