Adventures

Come Saturday another full fledged motorcycle flight is in the planning stages. Its odd, up until last year I haven't been in NH more than twice in the last 5 years. Now I am planning my 3rd excursion into the state in 4 weeks.

I spoke to Liam today, who is quite possibly one of my favorite people. He had a couple days ago commented on my FB that he would be happy to be the guy in the sidecar when ever time chose it. Well it seems we have a time to test this theory come Saturday. His motorcycle is back in Richmond NH, and he is currently at UNH. He has no other means of transportation beyond that motorcycle. So getting it from Richmond is a bit of an issue for him. He offered me a free meal, which in my eyes is plenty. When I think of all the hours I put into sets at Saint John's in the name of a free t-shirt, 6 hours on a bike is simple work for a free meal.

So early(ish) Saturday morning I will set out heading North on state highways that will bring me up to UNH, and then from there I will collect Liam, probably stop for some Pepsi and a smoke, then he'll hop in the sidecar and off we'll go west. Once we reach Richmond we'll collect his bike, he'll buy me dinner - or rather lunch - then I'll split South East and arrive back in Worcester around 2pm.

My trip in this order will take me through: Clinton MA, Townsend MA, Nashua NH, Londonberry NH, Derry NH, Raymond NH, Lee NH, Durham NH, Concord NH, Henniker NH, Stoddard NH, Keene NH, West Swanzey NH, Richmond NH, Royalston MA, Athol MA, Barre MA, Rutland MA, Worcester MA.

There is a minor temptation to double back the way I came with Liam in tow back down to Nashau to show him that bike shop I discovered last weekend, and then head west from there. In theory (according to google) that would only tack half an hour onto the trip - so I'll have to run that by Liam. It is all in all a rather tempting idea, as I am almost dying inside to get back there, and really this is the best excuse to go there again.

Although there is also the home coming of Jon from Korea for 2 weeks soon, and when that happens - he and I shall be heading BACK into Northern NH to go for a ride up Mt Washington (I am tempted to invite Liam, maybe Paul, Chris, and perhaps Jack along on that, but have to ask Jon). I have informed Jon that he has no real choice, on the way back from THAT adventure we WILL be stopping at the motorcycle shop on Rt 111 NH.

So 6 hours on the bike this weekend, 2 tanks of gas for sure, maybe two and a half. Free dinner. Hanging out with Liam for 2-3 hours, granted about 2 of those hours will be limited to possibly shouting at each other over the winds.

Tomorrow at this time the motorcycle will be all but inspected. We got her insured today, and she will be getting the plate tomorrow. I am tempted to see if I can get a Handicap plate, actually MORE than tempted as I do have a placard for my car, and my car IS going away. Sooooo yeah. I mean I don't use it all the time, when I am feeling good I don't need it, but when I'm not and walking is such a challenge I can barely think straight, well... for those times a handicap plate on the bike will be down right necessary. The joy of the sidecar is there is really no reason they can't give me one. I mean when you look at it, you never put your feet down, you really mostly use your arms.

I am listening to one of my favorite Josh Ritter songs, its desperately simple, but I sang the lyrics I knew all the way home from NH on Saturday.


Peter killed the dragon and he did it with his bare hands,
Peter killed the dragon and he did it with his bare hands,
Paul killed the dragon and he did it with his bare hands.

Eight miles high, I saw you wearing a royal blue shirt,
Eight miles high, I saw you wearing a royal blue shirt,
Hiding in a hole in the blue from the world of hurt.

Well Mississippi mighty, oh and it's eight miles wide,
Mississippi mighty, oh and it's eight miles wide,
Standing on the edge, I saw your face from the other side.

And Even on the phone you're eight hours from my time,
Even on the phone you're eight hours from my time,
Wish I could hold you in my arms like I hold you in my mind.

'Cause i'm standing on a rooftop wondering if it's true,
I'm looking over rooftops hoping that it ain't true,
God could give or take away, well who would make such an awful rule?
God could give or take away, well who would make such an awful rule?

Peter killed the dragon and he did it with his bare hands,
Peter killed the dragon and he did it with his bare hands,
Paul killed the dragon and he did it with his bare hands.

When I was singing it, I only knew the first 3 lines... so naturally singing it for the next... 2 hours meant I had to improvise a little bit, and boy did I improvise! I actually was unaware that it was actually a full song until I looked it up on Amazon. Ritter has a habit of randomly inserting little bits of this or that into his live shows. He inserted a whole chunk of Mr Trooper by Springsteen into Harrisburg in one of his shows, and man did it sound fantastic! In the version of Peter Killed the Dragon that I am listening to now (which is also live) he must be in Columbia because he switched out Mississippi with Columbia.

Josh Ritter as far as I am concerned is our generation's Bob Dylan. He has been a long time coming. He is young, and god what talent. He has other songs, here are the lyrics to one which I find to be the best political song since Desolation Row (and its damned near the same length, and played just as gently.

I will bold the section that I find to be most political, and then I'll let you go, but oh my god the imagery!

I became a thin blue flame
Polished on a mountain range
And over hills and fields I flew
Wrapped up in a royal blue

I flew over Royal City last night
A bullfighter on the horns of a new moons light
Caesar's ghost I saw the war-time tides
The prince of Denmark's father still and quiet
And the whole world was looking to get drowned
Trees were a fist shaking themselves at the clouds
I looked over curtains and it was then that I knew
Only a full house gonna make it through

I became a thin blue wire
That held the world above the fire
And so it was I saw behind
Heaven's just a thin blue line

If God's up there he's in a cold dark room
The heavenly host are just the cold dark moons
He bent down and made the world in seven days
And ever since he's been walking away
Mixing with nitrogen in lonely holes
Where neither seraphim or raindrops go
I see an old man wandering the halls alone
But only a full house gonna make a home

I became a thin blue stream
The smoke between asleep and dreams
And in that clear blue undertow
I saw Royal City far below

Borders soft with refugees
Streets swimming with amputees
It's a Bible or a bullet they put over your heart
It's getting harder and harder to tell them apart
Days are nights and the nights are long
Beating hearts blossom into walking bombs

And those still looking in the clear blue sky for a sign
Get missiles from so high they might as well be divine
Now the dogs are howling at your door
Singing bout vengeance like it's the joy of the Lord
Bringing justice to the enemies not the other way round
They're guilty when killed and they're killed where they're found
If what's loosed on earth will be loosed up on high
It's a Hell of a Heaven we must go to when we die
Where even Laurel begs Hardy for vengeance please
The fat man is crying on his hands and his knees
Back in the peacetime he caught roses on the stage
Now he twists indecision takes bourbon for rage

Lead pellets peppering aluminum
Halcyon, laudanum and Opium
Sings kiss thee hardy this poisoned cup
His winding sheet is busy winding up
In darkness he looks for the light that has died
We need faith for the same reasons that it's so hard to find
And this whole thing is headed for a terrible wreck
And like a tragedy it's what we expect

At night I make plans for a city laid down
Like the hips of a girl on the spring covered ground
Spirals and capitals like the twist of a script
Streets named for heroes that could almost exist
The fruit trees of Eden and the gardens that seem
To float like the smoke from a lithium dream
Cedar trees growing in the cool of the squares
The young women walking in the portals of prayer

And the future glass buildings and the past an address
And the weddings in pollen and the wine bottomless
And all wrongs forgotten and all vengeance made right
The suffering verbs put to sleep in the night
The future descending like a bright chandelier
And the world just beginning and the guests in good cheer
In Royal City I fell into a trance
Oh it's hell to believe there ain't a hell of a chance

I woke beneath a clear blue sky
The sun a shout the breeze a sigh
My old hometown and the streets I knew
Were wrapped up in a royal blue

I heard my friends laughing out across the fields
The girls in the gloaming and the birds on the wheel
The raw smell of horses and the warm smell of hay
Cicadas electric in the heat of the day

A run of Three Sisters and the flush of the land
And the lake was a diamond in the valley's hand
The straight of the highway and the scattered out hearts
They were coming together they pulling apart
And angels everywhere were in my midst
In the ones that I loved in the ones that I kissed
I wondered what it was I'd been looking for up above
Heaven is so big there ain't no need to look up
So I stopped looking for royal cities in the air
Only a full house gonna have a prayer
Only a full house