August 1, 2025 • 14 mins
Abraham Lincoln once shared his deepest thoughts with a friend during a simple carriage ride down a country lane—an undistracted conversation that seems almost foreign today. Yet this is what motorcycling still offers: a chance to be present, to experience reality directly, to defy a world that wants to numb us. When you swing your leg over your motorcycle, you're not just going for a ride—you're making a deliberate choice to feel alive, to connect with what's real, to tune out artificially amplified negative voices and engage with the beautiful world that's actually out there. Ready to experience life more fully?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ron (00:12):
A couple of days ago, after work, I took a look at the news
on my computer and, wow, thatwas a mistake.
While my work day had gone justfine, reading the news reports
just brought I don't know thisheavy weight of discouragement.
As you've gotten to know methus far, you know what I did
(00:35):
then.
I put on my motorcycle gear andI went for a ride.
Yep, I headed north.
Yep, I headed north.
I stopped at a gas station thatI've frequently stopped at over
the years.
It's at the intersection ofHighway 287 and Highway 14 here
(00:57):
in Colorado.
I topped off with gas and wentinside to pick up something to
snack on for my next stop,wherever I decided to stop.
The lady behind the counter wasthere, and I just felt
compelled to tell her what I hadjust experienced.
I told her that I looked at thenews and I got discouraged and
I hopped on my motorcycle andhere I was, right there in front
(01:19):
of her.
She didn't have to be as kindas she was, but she was she.
She talked with me for a fewminutes because there's no one
else around at the time.
She went on to tell me that shetoo gets discouraged sometimes,
but in her work there at thegas station, she meets a lot of
really nice people.
(01:40):
She said something to theeffect that there's a lot more
good people out there than thereare bad people.
It's just that the bad peopleare just so much more loud.
Yeah, I get it.
That little comment, thatstatement of fact.
(02:02):
Yeah, that helped a lot.
Anyway, from there on mymotorcycle, I went west and
followed the canyon road thatparallels the river and I
stopped, oh, I don't know, 10miles up into the canyon.
I stopped at a small riversidepark.
No one else was there.
(02:23):
In the pack on my bike I carrya hammock these days, something
really foldable, easy to carry.
I took the hammock down by theriver and connected it up
between two trees, and it wasthere that I had my snack that I
got at the gas station.
(02:44):
It was there that I had mysnack, that I got at the gas
station.
I spent time there doing nothing.
I just watched and listened tothe river, looked up at the
canyon walls to look forwildlife and I watched the
clouds go by.
After a few minutes I heardvoices.
(03:04):
Now, these weren't voices in myhead, no, these were real
voices.
I glanced back up to where I'dparked my motorcycle some I
don't know 40 yards away andnobody was there.
But a moment later, two guys ontheir kayaks floated by down
the river right in front of me.
They were having a littleconversation.
(03:27):
That was pretty cool.
In a moment I'll talk aboutanother conversation that I
heard about, but today we'regoing to talk about the value of
turning off the bad stuff andturning on the good stuff.
Turning off the bad stuff andturning on the good stuff.
(03:49):
Sometimes, when bad things arehappening and they feel like
they're just overwhelming oursenses, maybe it's time just to
walk away and in our case, maybejust ride away.
Some may call it escapism, but,as for me, when I choose to
ride away from the chaos of lifeevery once in a while, honestly
(04:11):
I usually return with some newinsights, some new energy and
hopefully, new ideas to solvesome of those problems in the
world, at least in my own littlesmall way, in my little small
space.
So that's what I want to sharetoday.
Thank you for joining me, staytuned.
(04:33):
Recorded in beautiful Loveland,colorado.
Welcome to peace, love moto thepodcast for motorcyclists
seeking that peaceful, easyfeeling as we cruise through
this life together.
Are you ready?
Let's go.
(05:11):
Recently I was listening to anaudio book.
The book was about AbrahamLincoln.
There are lots of books aboutAbraham Lincoln Quite an
admirable guy, to say the least.
Anyway, it described anoccasion where he was riding in
a small two-seater open carriagepulled by a single horse.
He was going down a countrylane.
(05:32):
He was riding along with histhen law partner.
They were having a conversation.
Riding along with his then lawpartner, they were having a
conversation.
It was in that conversationthat Abraham Lincoln shared some
personal and private thoughtswith his law partner, who was
also his friend.
Just the two of them ridingthrough the countryside.
(05:56):
This is well before he becamepresident and the additional
pressures that came with that,I'm sure.
Anyway, what captured myattention from thinking about
that experience was not so muchthe conversation that they had
(06:18):
but the fact that they had onein an open carriage, pulled by a
single horse, down a countrylane, sitting side by side, just
talking, no distractions.
I guess today, sometimes weforget about the value of a
conversation with nodistractions.
Fast forward to today.
(06:46):
I've also heard recently thatsome bars and restaurants in big
cities are feeling the effectsof a changing culture, a culture
where fewer people go out afterwork to socialize like they
used to.
Instead, if they're not alreadyworking from home, they're
going straight from theworkplace back to home to be
alone.
Well, maybe they're not reallyalone, but rather they're
(07:11):
connected to the outside worldthrough their computer, the
phone in their hand or whatever,and that has replaced the
desire to connect with others ina real way, in a side by side
way, and it's removed a desiremaybe to even be outside in the
(07:34):
real world.
Wow, that's sad, you know, inour real world, wow, that's sad,
you know, in our modern world,so much of our life is designed
to separate us from the outsideworld, even separate us from
other people, from realrelationships, those
side-by-side relationships.
Think about it, our cars aresealed off right side
(07:59):
relationships.
Think about it, our cars aresealed off right Soundproof,
temperature controlledentertainment systems that keep
us entirely within our ownlittle bubble.
The goal for most modern carsis to make the journey as
uncensory as possible, to getfrom point A to point B without
feeling, hearing or smellinganything.
(08:24):
An experience of notexperiencing Interesting.
But that's not the case for us.
(08:46):
Is it that experience of notexperiencing?
No, we are motorcycle riders,we get out on our bike and we
experience everything.
And everything changes for us.
Yeah, the world changes.
You get out on your bike andthen, suddenly, you're no longer
a passive observer, you're anactive participant in the world
(09:10):
around you and this, my friends,is aesthetic experience.
The word sounds a whole lotlike anesthetic or anesthesia,
but the word is anestheticexperience.
The word sounds a whole lotlike anesthetic or anesthesia,
but the word is anesthetic andit's polar opposite in meaning.
Anesthetic experience is aboutheightened awareness.
It's about engaging all of yoursenses.
(09:33):
So when you're out on your bike, you feel the, the world.
You feel the cold rush of airat times and the warmth of the
sun at other times.
You feel the subtle vibrationscoming from the engine, the
rhythm of the road.
You feel the lean of the bikeinto every curve.
(09:54):
They say it's the closestexperience that you can have to
flying while still being on theground.
Yeah, you experience the worlddifferently.
You see the world differently.
On the bike, your field ofvision is wide open.
You're not looking through asmall screen, you're looking at
(10:16):
a panorama.
The scenery isn't a picture,it's this immersive 360 of
reality.
That's awesome and that's whatwe get as motorcycle riders
every time.
I know we can draw all sorts ofcomparisons between driving a
(10:47):
car and riding a motorcycle, buthere's a few Fresh cut grass,
the smell of a field that's justbeen cut by the farmer, the
rich scents of pine trees aftera rainstorm, and even this, a
small town diner as you pass by.
(11:08):
I was riding through the tinycommunity of Encampment Wyoming
recently and passed the one andonly diner in town and I could
smell those hamburgers gettingcooked.
Oh, that was so good.
Did I turn around and go intothe diner?
You bet I did, and it tasted aswonderful as it smelled for
(11:32):
sure.
You know, maybe this is allwhere riding for mindfulness
comes from.
It forces us to be present, tosee, to feel, to smell what's
real, what's really out there.
In a world that so often wantsto numb us, riding a motorcycle,
(11:55):
at least for me, is a solution.
It's something that, ratherthan drives me back to bed to
hide underneath the covers infrustration and maybe fear, it
drives me to put on my ridinggear, go out to the garage,
start the bike, say a word ofgratitude and then just go, just
(12:18):
go.
It's this deliberate choice toembrace the wonderful world
that's really, really out there,just like the lady said at the
(12:40):
gas station, those negativevoices are just really, really
loud.
So tune them out and then makeyour positive voice, make your
positive action that much louder.
It's an act of defiance andit's a choice, I think, to feel,
to be alive, to connect withthe world in a way that modern
(13:04):
society these days keepsdiscouraging us.
But no, next time, next time youswing your leg over a
motorcycle, I want you to thinkabout this.
You're not just going for aride.
You're engaging with a realworld and having an experience
with your mom, with mothernature out there.
(13:25):
Maybe you're riding through thecity and you're not able to go
out into the woods or into thecountry, out there on the road,
in the wind.
You are a part of yourenvironment, the real
environment, and that's a very,very good thing.
So until we visit again, go fora ride, and with that, I wish
(13:52):
you peace and I wish you love.
A couple of days ago, after work, I took a look at the news
on my computer and, wow, thatwas a mistake.
While my work day had gone justfine, reading the news reports
just brought I don't know thisheavy weight of discouragement.
As you've gotten to know methus far, you know what I did
(00:35):
then.
I put on my motorcycle gear andI went for a ride.
Yep, I headed north.
Yep, I headed north.
I stopped at a gas station thatI've frequently stopped at over
the years.
It's at the intersection ofHighway 287 and Highway 14 here
(00:57):
in Colorado.
I topped off with gas and wentinside to pick up something to
snack on for my next stop,wherever I decided to stop.
The lady behind the counter wasthere, and I just felt
compelled to tell her what I hadjust experienced.
I told her that I looked at thenews and I got discouraged and
I hopped on my motorcycle andhere I was, right there in front
(01:19):
of her.
She didn't have to be as kindas she was, but she was she.
She talked with me for a fewminutes because there's no one
else around at the time.
She went on to tell me that shetoo gets discouraged sometimes,
but in her work there at thegas station, she meets a lot of
really nice people.
(01:40):
She said something to theeffect that there's a lot more
good people out there than thereare bad people.
It's just that the bad peopleare just so much more loud.
Yeah, I get it.
That little comment, thatstatement of fact.
(02:02):
Yeah, that helped a lot.
Anyway, from there on mymotorcycle, I went west and
followed the canyon road thatparallels the river and I
stopped, oh, I don't know, 10miles up into the canyon.
I stopped at a small riversidepark.
No one else was there.
(02:23):
In the pack on my bike I carrya hammock these days, something
really foldable, easy to carry.
I took the hammock down by theriver and connected it up
between two trees, and it wasthere that I had my snack that I
got at the gas station.
(02:44):
It was there that I had mysnack, that I got at the gas
station.
I spent time there doing nothing.
I just watched and listened tothe river, looked up at the
canyon walls to look forwildlife and I watched the
clouds go by.
After a few minutes I heardvoices.
(03:04):
Now, these weren't voices in myhead, no, these were real
voices.
I glanced back up to where I'dparked my motorcycle some I
don't know 40 yards away andnobody was there.
But a moment later, two guys ontheir kayaks floated by down
the river right in front of me.
They were having a littleconversation.
(03:27):
That was pretty cool.
In a moment I'll talk aboutanother conversation that I
heard about, but today we'regoing to talk about the value of
turning off the bad stuff andturning on the good stuff.
Turning off the bad stuff andturning on the good stuff.
(03:49):
Sometimes, when bad things arehappening and they feel like
they're just overwhelming oursenses, maybe it's time just to
walk away and in our case, maybejust ride away.
Some may call it escapism, but,as for me, when I choose to
ride away from the chaos of lifeevery once in a while, honestly
(04:11):
I usually return with some newinsights, some new energy and
hopefully, new ideas to solvesome of those problems in the
world, at least in my own littlesmall way, in my little small
space.
So that's what I want to sharetoday.
Thank you for joining me, staytuned.
(04:33):
Recorded in beautiful Loveland,colorado.
Welcome to peace, love moto thepodcast for motorcyclists
seeking that peaceful, easyfeeling as we cruise through
this life together.
Are you ready?
Let's go.
(05:11):
Recently I was listening to anaudio book.
The book was about AbrahamLincoln.
There are lots of books aboutAbraham Lincoln Quite an
admirable guy, to say the least.
Anyway, it described anoccasion where he was riding in
a small two-seater open carriagepulled by a single horse.
He was going down a countrylane.
(05:32):
He was riding along with histhen law partner.
They were having a conversation.
Riding along with his then lawpartner, they were having a
conversation.
It was in that conversationthat Abraham Lincoln shared some
personal and private thoughtswith his law partner, who was
also his friend.
Just the two of them ridingthrough the countryside.
(05:56):
This is well before he becamepresident and the additional
pressures that came with that,I'm sure.
Anyway, what captured myattention from thinking about
that experience was not so muchthe conversation that they had
(06:18):
but the fact that they had onein an open carriage, pulled by a
single horse, down a countrylane, sitting side by side, just
talking, no distractions.
I guess today, sometimes weforget about the value of a
conversation with nodistractions.
Fast forward to today.
(06:46):
I've also heard recently thatsome bars and restaurants in big
cities are feeling the effectsof a changing culture, a culture
where fewer people go out afterwork to socialize like they
used to.
Instead, if they're not alreadyworking from home, they're
going straight from theworkplace back to home to be
alone.
Well, maybe they're not reallyalone, but rather they're
(07:11):
connected to the outside worldthrough their computer, the
phone in their hand or whatever,and that has replaced the
desire to connect with others ina real way, in a side by side
way, and it's removed a desiremaybe to even be outside in the
(07:34):
real world.
Wow, that's sad, you know, inour real world, wow, that's sad,
you know, in our modern world,so much of our life is designed
to separate us from the outsideworld, even separate us from
other people, from realrelationships, those
side-by-side relationships.
Think about it, our cars aresealed off right side
(07:59):
relationships.
Think about it, our cars aresealed off right Soundproof,
temperature controlledentertainment systems that keep
us entirely within our ownlittle bubble.
The goal for most modern carsis to make the journey as
uncensory as possible, to getfrom point A to point B without
feeling, hearing or smellinganything.
(08:24):
An experience of notexperiencing Interesting.
But that's not the case for us.
(08:46):
Is it that experience of notexperiencing?
No, we are motorcycle riders,we get out on our bike and we
experience everything.
And everything changes for us.
Yeah, the world changes.
You get out on your bike andthen, suddenly, you're no longer
a passive observer, you're anactive participant in the world
(09:10):
around you and this, my friends,is aesthetic experience.
The word sounds a whole lotlike anesthetic or anesthesia,
but the word is anestheticexperience.
The word sounds a whole lotlike anesthetic or anesthesia,
but the word is anesthetic andit's polar opposite in meaning.
Anesthetic experience is aboutheightened awareness.
It's about engaging all of yoursenses.
(09:33):
So when you're out on your bike, you feel the, the world.
You feel the cold rush of airat times and the warmth of the
sun at other times.
You feel the subtle vibrationscoming from the engine, the
rhythm of the road.
You feel the lean of the bikeinto every curve.
(09:54):
They say it's the closestexperience that you can have to
flying while still being on theground.
Yeah, you experience the worlddifferently.
You see the world differently.
On the bike, your field ofvision is wide open.
You're not looking through asmall screen, you're looking at
(10:16):
a panorama.
The scenery isn't a picture,it's this immersive 360 of
reality.
That's awesome and that's whatwe get as motorcycle riders
every time.
I know we can draw all sorts ofcomparisons between driving a
(10:47):
car and riding a motorcycle, buthere's a few Fresh cut grass,
the smell of a field that's justbeen cut by the farmer, the
rich scents of pine trees aftera rainstorm, and even this, a
small town diner as you pass by.
(11:08):
I was riding through the tinycommunity of Encampment Wyoming
recently and passed the one andonly diner in town and I could
smell those hamburgers gettingcooked.
Oh, that was so good.
Did I turn around and go intothe diner?
You bet I did, and it tasted aswonderful as it smelled for
(11:32):
sure.
You know, maybe this is allwhere riding for mindfulness
comes from.
It forces us to be present, tosee, to feel, to smell what's
real, what's really out there.
In a world that so often wantsto numb us, riding a motorcycle,
(11:55):
at least for me, is a solution.
It's something that, ratherthan drives me back to bed to
hide underneath the covers infrustration and maybe fear, it
drives me to put on my ridinggear, go out to the garage,
start the bike, say a word ofgratitude and then just go, just
(12:18):
go.
It's this deliberate choice toembrace the wonderful world
that's really, really out there,just like the lady said at the
(12:40):
gas station, those negativevoices are just really, really
loud.
So tune them out and then makeyour positive voice, make your
positive action that much louder.
It's an act of defiance andit's a choice, I think, to feel,
to be alive, to connect withthe world in a way that modern
(13:04):
society these days keepsdiscouraging us.
But no, next time, next time youswing your leg over a
motorcycle, I want you to thinkabout this.
You're not just going for aride.
You're engaging with a realworld and having an experience
with your mom, with mothernature out there.
(13:25):
Maybe you're riding through thecity and you're not able to go
out into the woods or into thecountry, out there on the road,
in the wind.
You are a part of yourenvironment, the real
environment, and that's a very,very good thing.
So until we visit again, go fora ride, and with that, I wish
(13:52):
you peace and I wish you love.
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