America

I WAS THIRTEEN YEARS OLD WHEN I REALLY NOTICED MY FIRST AMERICAN FLAG. SURE, I HAD PLACED MY HAND ON MY HEART BEFORE CLASS EACH MORNING AT SCHOOL AND RECITED THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WHILE STARING AT THE SAME FLAG, AND YES I HAD EVEN SANG THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER BEFORE MY LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL GAMES – BUT, ON NOVEMBER 1963, WHEN I SAW ON TV, THE AMERICAN FLAG DRAPPED OVER JOHN F. KENNEDY’S COFFIN, I REMEMBER THE SORROW AROUND ME. AT THAT SAME MOMENT MY MOTHER WAS STANDING AT THE IRONING BOARD WATCHING THE T.V. WITH ME, SHE JOINED IN WITH THE WHOLE COUNTRY TO SHED TEARS. FROM THAT DAY FORWARD I HAD A DESIRE TO SEE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT AMERICA. A DREAM TO TRAVEL! A DREAM TO SEE!! A DREAM TO SHARE!!!!

SOMEWHERE AROUND 15 I STARTED COLLECTING MAPS AND DRAWING DIFFERENT ROUTES THAT WOULD GIVE ME THE BEST LOOK AT AMERICA. HIDEING MY DREAM AND CONTINUOUSLY BUILDING ON IT WAS MY SECRET.  A LITTLE BOY DEVELOPING INTO A MAN HAS IT’S MOMENTS; THOSE MOMENTS COULD BE STRETCHED INTO HIS DREAMS.  I REMEMBER THESE  MOMENTS VERY VIVIDLY BECAUSE I WAS ALWAYS WANTING TO CATCH UP TO A BROTHER THAT WAS ONE YEAR OLDER AND TO ME- WHAT I WANTED TO BE.                      BUT -- THAT’S ANOTHER STORY . . . .

MY DREAM TO VISIT AMERICA STARTED TO TAKE SHAPE WHEN MY FATHER BOUGHT A SEARS AND ROEBUCKS RED ALLSTATE  CUSHMAN SCOOTER. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A 25 HP, RED BOX WITH WHEELS THAT WOULD MAYBE REACH 45 – 48 MPH DOWNHILL. A LAWNMOWER ENGINE AND A WATERMELLON SHAPED GAS TANK AND WHAT LOOKED LIKE A SWINN BICYCLE HANDLE. THE DAMN THING WAS UGLY BUT WE DIDN’T HAVE TO PEDDLE!!!

BEING OLDER MY BROTHER DROVE ME EVERYWHERE FOR MONTHS. I JUST HAD TO FIND A WAY TO GET IN CONTROL!  THEN IT HAPPENED. A FRIEND OF MINE GOT SICK AND HE ASK ME TO THROW HIS PAPERS FOR HIM.   MY FIRST “BIKE” WAS FINALLY IN FIRM GRIP.  YOU KNOW THAT FEELING IF YOU EVER HAD A BIKE.  I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT OWNING OR RIDING OR HAVING A BIKE – I’M TALKING ABOUT GRIPPING YOUR BIKE. YOU KNOW –IT’S YOURS, NO ONE ELSES’, WHEN YOU MOVE IT MOVES, WHEN IT PURRS YOU PURR AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT’S A PART OF YOU.  I LEARNED LATER IN LIFE THAT THIS SAME TYPE OF FEELING ABOUT MY BIKE COULD BE SHARED WITH MY COUNTRY.  THIS, BY THE WAY, IS THE MOST COMMON THREAD TO MOTORCYCLE RIDERS – THE LOVE OF THEIR COUNTRY.

NOW THAT I HAD A BIKE THE MAPS I HAD COLLECTED BECAME EVEN MORE INTERESTING TO ME. SECRETLY WHEN MY BROTHER AND SISTERS WERE WATCHING TV OR TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT PLACES I WOULD INSTANTLY SEE MYSELF ON A BIKE AT THAT SAME PLACE.  YOU REMEMBER THOSE MOMENTS WHEN THE TEACHER CAUGHT YOU DAY DREAMING OR WHEN IT WAS RAINING AND THE BUBBLES IN THE ROAD WOULD PUT YOU IN A TRANCE – MY MOMENTS WERE ALWAYS ON A BIKE.

OF COURSE ABOUT THAT TIME MY BROTHER WOULD COME BY AND SMACK ME UP SIDE THE HEAD AND MY DREAM WOULD BE INTERRUPTED BY ONE OF OUR MANY BRAWLS – MY FATHER SAID IT WAS JUST PART OF BEING BOYS – BUT THAT’S ANOTHER STORY . . . .

THE DREAM WAS GETTING CLOSER WHEN “PETER FONDA” CAME RACING ACROSS THE SCREEN AND WE WERE ALL LETTING OUR HAIR GROW OUT. I DIDN’T PARTICULARLY LIKE THE ENDING TO THE MOVIE BUT HIS “BIKE” LIVES ON.  “CAPTAIN AMERICA BIKES” ARE COPIED AND ROAD ALL OVER OUR COUNTRY. IT’S A COMMON BIKE AT LOCAL RUNS. NEXT TIME YOU SEE ONE NOTICE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT IT.  I GUARANTEE YOU THEY ARE LOOKING AT MORE THAN THE BIKE. THAT CHOPPER WITH THE AMERICAN FLAG ON THE GAS TANK CAN CAUSE A LOT OF MINDS TO GO BACK OR FORWARD.   MINE WENT FORWARD. I WAS NOW DOWN TO MAKING A LIST OF ITEMS TO TAKE ON MY TRIP WITH ME. LET’S SEE: 4 PAIRS OF SOCKS, 4 PAIR OF UNDERWARE, FIELD JACKET, LEATHERS, GLOVES . . . .BUT – YET ANOTHER INTERRUPTION!!   I WAS DRAFTED. 

THERE I WAS AGAIN, STANDING INFRONT OF THE AMERICAN FLAG WITH MY HAND ON MY HEART.  I KNEW I WAS HEADED TO VIET NAM BUT I COULD ONLY SEE MY DREAMS BETWEEN THE RED AND WHITE STRIPES. MY DREAM OF BEING ON THE ROAD GOT ME THROUGH THE NEXT TWO YEARS AND I BROKE SILENCE OF MY DREAM ONE NIGHT TO A FRIEND.