"ROAD TRIPS" by THE OLD SQUID

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The Gorilla on the Road

The Manly Art of the Oil Change

The Scent of a Ride

B.A.D.D.

Fall Commute

Street Racing in Portland

The Shroud of Sport Tourin
(part 1)

The Vortex of Doom
(part 2)

Real Motorcycle Shops and What Dad's Are For
(part 3)

Laguna Seca-
(part 4)

Is North Really Uphill?
(part 5)

"Road Trips" by The Old Squid

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you may be swept off to." Bilbo Baggins

A Trip In Time

Two weeks ago, my Fearless Wife and I went on a journey through time. We both enjoy doing the reenactments with the Park Service at English Camp in the summer and have our 1850's era clothing for the roles we play. December 7, 2002 was the annual old time Christmas party for all the reenactors and friends and whoever is in the park that day. This may seem odd considering my choice of transportation but before I rode fast bikes, I rode fast horses. I had dreams of being a jockey as a boy and I was truly sad when I weighed more than 110 and I knew that it was not to be. For me, the fast motorcycles simply replaced fast horses. The reenactment, a continuation of my past.

On this day, we started in the 21st century, driving the "horse less carriage" out to the parking lot at English Camp. As we stepped out of the car we started to make the transition to an earlier age as we walked down the parking lot towards the celebration. A pair of bicyclists detained us in the present as they sped by in day-glo green lycra. One did a double take and almost crashed as he stared at our funny clothes.

As we walked down the trail it was one of those rare days when it was completely still in the woods. No cars or boats could be heard and no airplanes muttered in the distance. None of the ubiquitous noise of modern civilization intruded. The wind was calm and when we were about 50 yards from the Barracks, we could start to hear the party inside.

Acoustic music was being played. Wood smoke drifted from the chimney and an old reel was being called by an unamplified human voice. The local traditional band called "Sugar On The Floor" was playing. A faint murmur of sound, voices and music gradually getting louder and more distinct not at the speed of a car coming down the road but at the speed of a walk in the woods. I was struck by how timeless this was.

For tens of thousands of years couples have been walking towards parties of human voices, music, fire and drink. For only 50, we have listened to amplified music. For me, I enjoy country and rock and roll but both of those can be played with no electronics. Not so with the bass driven beat of Rap and Hip Hop. This type of music is a product of the electrical age and can't exist without those pumped up electrons! The acoustic music though has a resonance with the human soul. We must not lose human voices raised in song, strings vibrating, horns playing.

I fully realize the incredible irony of making a pitch for this old-time entertainment via my computer to yours, but my point is not to limit ourselves to a particular era, rather, it's to stay in touch with our past. Celebrate by singing and listening to song. Go to a concert by a local band. Listen to the San Juan Singers "Songs of Peace" December 21 and 22. If we become creatures of only recorded voices, if we listen only to digitized music, we lose some of our humanity. This Holiday season, play, sing, and dance. Live long and prosper.

-The Old Squid

(Please note that no trees were killed in the sending of this message, however, many electrons were inconvenienced!)

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