Mid-Ride thoughts from Joe

Well I’m about mid-way through this years ride. As I was riding today, I felt it was time to reflect back on some of what I’ve experienced and share some additional thoughts. I am up to  5200 miles into this ride. 5200 miles is a long way to ride in a car let alone on a motorcycle. There isn’t a whole lot you can do on a motorcycle either but ride and think. This, of course, was a big purpose of what I wanted to do. Although I find myself thinking about things far different that what I originally intended.
I am no stranger to traveling. I took a job right out of college that was 100% travel and had never been on a plane before. I had no idea if I would like it or not. That if fairly typical for me though. I let the details take care of themselves as I go along. This drives friends of mine that are detail oriented insane but it’s how I always have been and I make it work, somehow. Between the ages of 20 and 25 I had been around the world 3 times and seen many countries as well as much of the United States. Although seeing it while travelling for business is much different than doing it via motorcycle as I am doing now. Looking back 20 years later I have a real appreciation for the opportunity and what I was able to learn and see while I traveled. It is not something that everyone has the opportunity to do. What did happen is that I learned that the world is much bigger than me and what I see and experience. I have learned to take things with a open mind and realize that my opinions are just that MY opinions.  They are not necessarily fact and while not really wrong, they are based on a limited scope of information that I have available at a given point in time. This applies to everyone, not just me. Over time we live and learn. I have re-evaluated and change my mind on things throughout my life from time to time as I gain more information and broaden my understanding on various subjects.
I left on this trip with the intent of relaxing, re-energizing and being able to see things that I have always heard about but never saw in person.  Additionally, I wanted to be able to make some positive impact on others while doing it. I have been given an opportunity to do something new and different and I didn’t want to squander it by being selfish and thinking only of myself and what I wanted to do.  I think by taking that perspective and that point of  view, it has allowed me to be open to meeting a lot of great people along the way as well as seeing a lot of things that I didn’t expect to see. The beauty of this country that we live in is not appreciated or understood until you take the time to explore and learn about it.  Even for those of you following along with what I’m doing, you are taking my word for what I am seeing and experiencing. I am doing my best to impart the beauty and diversity of what our country has to offer but it doesn’t compare to experiencing it for yourself. I wonder as I ride, what other countries offer the capability of moving around so freely and the ability to experience so much with the absolute freedom that we have in the USA. I know that many of our allies offer that kind of freedom but they don’t have the diverse geography that we have here. Ocean to Ocean, plains to mountains and so much in between. I have only scratched the surface with all the riding I have done on this trip so far. My experiences traveling when I was younger have served well as a framework for understanding what I am seeing now and realizing the grand scope of how lucky we are to live where we live and have the freedoms that we have.
It’s easy to sit at home and bitch and moan about how bad the economy is, the price of gas, the cost of war and all of the political issues that we are inundated with on a daily basis. I certainly don’t want to turn this into a political rant. There is enough of that going on without my help. What I do want to share is my point of view and some of my thoughts as I cross this Great (and I do mean Great) Nation. It is my sincere hope that my travels are touching some part of everyone that is following along and reading about what I’m doing. I hope that after reading about our travels and seeing the pictures that we post that everyone walks away a bit more positive about this country that we live in. It is a wonderful nation with a lot of terrific people that live within it’s boarders. I think we tend to take our freedoms for granted from time to time. All of us, including myself, need to take a break, a moment from our self-imposed busy lives and try and gain a deeper appreciation for out country and  the opportunities freedoms that that have been granted to us by the sacrifices of those that have and continue to stand up and protect us on a daily basis. Every single one of the Patriotic  Americans that have committed to serve in our armed forces have chosen to do so. Even those that were “drafted” in past years deserve our respect and support. It doesn’t matter where they serve or why they are there.  The important thing to remember is that they ARE there. Those that give the ultimate sacrifice of their lives should be remembered as heroes. Unfortunately there is little we can do for them but for the heroes that are forever scarred by the enemy in whatever aspect, need out continued support and assistance. This is the precept that the Wounded Warrior Project  was founded upon and what I have chosen to support via this effort that I call Ride with Joe. I sincerely appreciate everyone that has shown support for my efforts and truly thank you all for following along with my journey and share in the daily adventures that I and my friend Daniel are encountering. Please continue to send me messages and comments. I read every one, even if I don’t find myself in a position to timely respond to each message.
 
God Bless you all!
Joe
 
(Yeah I said the “G” word … it’s my blog and I can say whatever I want)