Ride Across America: Day Ten

As I write these words, I am sitting in the office of a friend I have only known through Twitter. He has run out to pick up some things for supper, and has trusted me with his home. It’s amazing when you think about it.

But this isn’t necessarily a “social media” thing, although it is where I was first introduced to Paul. This is a biker thing. You see, true bikers — the kind that Paul clearly is, understand the value and importance of the motorcycle community. Another biker is, in a sense, family, even if you’ve known then only a short time. It’s not about the kind of bike you ride, nor the leather’s you where — you can find “posers” on every type of motorcycle. It’s an attitude that you have.

As I sit here, I am reminded of another encounter I had in the past week with a motorcyclist. Notice I didn’t say biker, because this is where I see the difference. This enthusiast, owned a hotel that only rented rooms by the week. They had a “vacancy” sign lit up. It was the day I rode through the mountains. A very long day of riding. I was tired, and looking for any place where I could get a room. When I pulled into the driveway of this hotel, I saw two motorcycles parked under the canopy. My first thought was, “Great! Bikers. They will be so helpful!” Through the big window at the front of the hotel, I saw him (and her) sitting in comfy chairs watching television. For a moment, I simply sat on my bike, exhausted, but confident that I would soon be resting well. I started to pull off the full face helmet that I had put on a few hours earlier. As I pulled it off, I thought I noticed the man shaking his head. After adjusting my glasses, I looked again. Sure enough, he was shaking his head. “No.” He didn’t get up, didn’t unlock the door, didn’t great me. Nothing. Just a simply shake of the head from his comfy chair that made it clear to me that he was not going to be providing me with a place to sleep, even if he had vacancies that night. He may have owned two motorcycles, but he was no biker.

Paul, he’s a biker. If you don’t follow him on twitter, you should. You can find him here. Another biker, the owner of HellCat Customs, felt so bad about not being able to provide me a place to stay, he offered to pay for a hotel room for me. How amazing is that? Well, if you’re a biker, it’s just makes sense.

I realize that I’m not talking much about my actual day of riding. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t do too much riding today. I wanted to check out two places — two very different places. Both were very close to my hotel. The first was Crystal Cathedral. I’ve seen the show on television a few times, and figured it would be a very impressive building. It was cool to see. The other was Jesse James’ West Coast Choppers in Long Beach. For a guy as popular as he is, the shop was incredibly low key. I walked in and checked out about a dozen bikes on display without a single other person around. The only person I saw the entire time I was in the shop was a girl working the accessories counter.

I did meet another friend from Twitter at lunch time and that was great also.

But today, I just can’t help but think about what it means to be a biker. I asked that question a few weeks back in a blog post, and today I’m seeing it lived out. I have a sticker on my helmet that says, “Harley Riders are a dime a dozen. Bikers are a rare breed.” How true. How true.

Are you a biker?

Tomorrow, I start riding the Pacific Coast. Will update when I find a campsite.