Livin’ the dream!

“I have cancer.”

Paul’s words blasted through the phone, but shock kept them from registering. This sentence seemed so surreal coming from my dear friend’s lips.

“What?! This can’t be!” was all I could utter. My mouth was paralyzed.

“Two years of planning my round-the-world, and it’s in
the toilet. What’s the point?!” I could feel him giving up.

“Wait, don’t slip away. I know it’s hard to see it right
now, but there may be a reason why your trip isn’t happening the way you planned it. Listen, I need you to hang in there with me. Can I ask you something?” As these words rolled off my tongue, I felt the strongest pull to help Paul heal. It was a pull I had never experienced in all of my life. It was so strong that it felt like a calling.

“Sure.” He answered.

“Will you let me help you heal? I know we can do it together.” And with that invitation, Paul felt drawn to say, “OK”. It was at
that moment that I knew how the rest of my life would play out…in a bigger picture sort of way.

This intense period of healing and connection pushed this friendship into a beautiful relationship where life dreams converged. From a foundation of optimism in the midst of a battleground, the round-the-world dream was reborn…one year later. Except this time it would be with a loving partner.

But, as a solo riding mama, how in the world was I going to be able to break away from my kids longer than my longest ride of ten days? There was only one answer. They would come with us. This vision of the family round-the-world adventure ride is very clear in our minds, and something we are making happen in 2012.

Now, for the fun of landing a Ural motorcycle, and customizing the sidecar into a cushy rig for my daughter Alana, 10, and my son Dimitri, 7. This is a dream I’ve had in my mind and have talked about in my ride reports for years. It’s finally coming to fruition. I have always envisioned a sidecar in my future, and now I get to orchestrate its design. Two of my biggest passions rolled into one…riding and designing. This is how I am going to share my world with my children and be by their side as they discover our world as a whole lying in wait to unfurl its beauty for their new eyes.

I invite you my dear ones to follow along. This is going to be a journey of a lifetime for so many as it represents hope, dreams, love and determination. We have our vision focused on making this trip happen, and those of you who come along for the ride will get to witness great things unfolding before all of our eyes.

"The Phoenix Rises"

Your vote could save the future of our country. Quite literally. Here we have our very own brother adventure rider, Ara Gureghian, and his dog Spirit captured in a single poignant photo that could be the seed of inspiration for the next Ron Howard short film that he is developing with his daughter.

Ara’s black and white desert self portrait is a finalist for an inspired storyline in Ron’s new “Imagin8tion project”. This means that we have a shot at getting a story to screen that will fill the hearts of Americans and beyond and give them hope for their future. You see, Ara represents a rising Phoenix from the depths of the ashes. And with so many trying to climb out of the ashes these days, hope is the only life-saver around.

What is one of the fastest routes to the ashes in this case you may ask? I can attest that as a parent this answer is easy…losing a child. Try an only child. And in Ara’s case, how about a twenty-six year old son whom you’ve wrapped your future dreams into of co-owning and running an exciting restaurant together that is the culmination of a tight loving relationship and passion for food and life. All of it down the toilet and with it the will to live without this one person by his side, when the few words were uttered, “I have cancer.”

Since losing his son seven years ago, Ara has taken his life, BMW sidecar rig and his devoted dog, Spirit, to the road. This way of life hasn’t always been easy for Ara. Being at the whim of Mother Nature has both its perks and its challenges. As one gets older, the challenges become more and more like a test of sanity. Why, at age 62, would you put your body through camping in the snow without heat and luxuries? Or, find yourself stuck in a remote area of Timbuktu when your rig breaks down.

The answer is very simple…it is a calling.

Ara has answered this calling of taking to the road with grace, determination and loyalty. Through this journey and the shared insight and heartfelt self discoveries within his blog, www.oasisofmysoul.com , Ara has shed light on not only the dark recesses of his own mind, but those of thousands of others. His readers cling to his words that surface daily like boeys in a tumultuous and angry sea. These words have become their only hope when everything around them looks so dim.

If Ara can survive both the cards he has been dealt, as well as the cards he has dealt himself, then why can’t we?

Vote by clicking the above photo and navigate through the contest details. Thank you, Nicole.

-Nicole Espinosa is the founder and blogger of Rugged Rider.

"Shocking!"

What happens when a ride turns into something bigger? Like my last adventure ride around Oregon. What’s funny is I felt in my gut before leaving that this ride would open doors. These weren’t ordinary doors like connections for work or leads to material gains.

These were the doors to my soul.

It’s no surprise that the world at large is feeling something bubbling up from beneath. Chaos and the crumbling of archaic systems are visible all around us. The time has come for change in the dawning of this new age. It was this change that brought me to my knees three years ago after my divorce and the loss of my home. But, it took me being shaken that traumatically from the world that I knew to force me to search for answers within. This search would ultimately lead me to the brightest climb of my life…my inner journey of coming home.

It wasn’t until I threw a leg over my bike, Jack, this last October for a loop around Oregon on an eight day solo journey that I realized my calling. This ride was centered around learning a healing technique called muscle testing from an acupuncturist in Portland. This technique is based upon tapping into intuitive answers to yes and no questions, which can include health, life, truth, you name it. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye, and it eventually led me down the path of trusting my own stronger intuition in the end. But, all in all, it was an inner journey to beat all others.

Throughout my Oregon ride, my people connections proved to be magical in many ways. When individuals would approach me on my bike after realizing I was a woman on a solo motorcycle ride our conversations would always drift to the lure of living life in a big way. Invariably, we would all agree that there was some kind of excitement in the air. That something bigger was happening. Often times, we would walk away feeling the charge of electricity between two people excited about life.

Since October, my intuition has gotten stronger and I have begun to feel buzzing in my feet, legs and sometimes my hands. When something rings true to my heart and soul I get goosebumps and sometimes tears in my eyes. These telltale signs of connection keep me on the path that is meant for me at this time. I am deeply feeling the energy and electricity of others around me and am repelled by negativity in people and situations and avoid them at all costs. One of the biggest draws in this feeling of coming home is the feeling of a very deep connection within the amazing community of adventure riders, and those who have responded to my ride reports. This family that I have built around me gives me this feeling of security, warmth and the love of life that draws me in.

An additional byproduct of this bigger picture journey is my pull to living a healthier lifestyle, which includes eating fresh, organic fare, exercise that feeds my body and soul, and meditation that helps me find the answers within. Synchronicity and coincidences that aren’t really coincidences are happening at a higher rate, as well. Opportunities and people to help me along my path are being placed before me. This gives me such hope that all will fall into place the way it should for an exciting future that is right around the corner.

What really hits home from this journey, though, is the realization of my calling or purpose. I feel so drawn to healing in some way. I’m not sure if I will become a healer or will inspire others through my adventurous living and loving. But either way, I have walked away from this ride knowing that I am doing exactly what I should be doing for my soul’s journey…riding, writing, creating through photography and product design, and letting everyone know that something big and wonderful his here.

Nicole gives herself the gift of riding.

The last time I rode my DRZ, Jack, was on my soul-filling Oregon adventure ride in October. He’d been in the shop since then just waiting for me to get him out of hawk. Two months away from my bike was synonymous to slow water drip torture.

In the meantime, life got in the way.

Whisking kids off to school, soccer and playdates forced the excuse to use the cage/car. But for those beautiful, peaceful moments while the kids were at school these past couple of months still had me enclosed in a cage. Little by little, my patience got shorter and daily responsibilities began to weigh on me.

At the time, I didn’t link the lack of my bike to the sole cause of my slipping zen mindset. At least, not until this weekend when I picked Jack up from the shop and brought him home where he belonged. No downpour could keep me from riding my bike down to the L.A. Motorcycle Show this last Saturday. And, it wasn’t until I was layered for the weather, mounting the bike and zipping out of the garage did I realize how very, very much I had missed this experience that I so need in my life.

I was laughing out loud in my helmet, talking to myself, and smiling so hard that my cheeks popped out over the tight helmet pads…

“Oh my gosh, this is living!!!”

“Man, have I missed this!”

“I LOVE LIFE!”

Now this holiday season as I fill myself with giving to others, I make sure I take the time to give myself the ultimate gift of life…time on my bike.

Saddleback Leather rig gets help setting up.

Rolling up to this event last year on Jack, my DRZ, had me drooling. I pulled in behind a procession of vendor overland vehicles chomping at the bit to set up their adventure wares. That was not the last time I had to put my tongue back in my mouth after ogling adventure vehicles that weekend.

As the following three days of inspiration, education and demonstration unfolded, this event, put together by Roseann Hanson of ConserVentures, proved to be the leader of the pack in the adventure travel industry.

The stellar quality of this show pulls in quality vendors, which include this year’s killer partnership of BMW and Rawhyde Adventures sponsoring a special motorcycle course that includes BMW motorcycles to demo. You can also add recovery and skills courses to your list of classes to enjoy after lining up the next adventure motorcycle for your stable.

The schedule of classes will be out in the fall, so come sign up for the Overland newsletter to stay apprised of the up-and-coming hot list of new and exciting classes. In the meantime, come sample some of last year’s smorgasbord of classes, while keeping your tongue in your mouth:

-Adventure Motorcycle Riding – Loaded

-Choosing & setting up an adventure motorcycle

-Tire Repair: Motorcycle

-Chain Repairs – Motorcycle

-Loading & Lashing: 2 Wheels

-Motorcycle Electrics: Setting up the extras

…and workshops:

-Packing and Packing Lists

-Overlanding without a fridge — can it be done? (coolers + moto)

-Overland cooking / Eating locally

-Food: Storage, preparation & local supply

-Capturing the Adventure: Overland Videography

-Documentation for international travel: The Carnet

-Overland wired: Staying online off-grid

-Capturing the Adventure: Overland Photography

If you are a vendor, the exhibitor spaces go fast, so you won’t want to take a long time in the decision process. I have already registered for my first vendor exhibit at OX11, and am so excited.

They open individual classes up early in the year around mid-January or so. Paid registrants receive notification and can select classes through the online system at that time.

The Overland Experience registrations will fill up, so getting a jump start on those are important if you want to be included in the driving, riding and special seminar courses from experts around the world.

The day passes are unlimited, so if you’re unfortunate enough to miss the Overland Experience registration then you can sign up for a day pass. You can see the difference between the package and the day pass here.

If you want to get a raw and fun look at OX10 from Dave Muson of Saddleback Leather, come check out his great YouTube video of the event. You can see Dave’s overland rig with some of his beautiful leather bags and luggage in the above photo. Don’t miss this adventure of the year! www.overlandexpo.com.

"You can take my home, but you can't take my bike!"

I can make any place with four walls and a roof my sanctuary to nurture my family and work life. But, it’s my bike that I need for my sanity. That’s my connection to the glorious world of nature and adventure where I become one with my core and the earth. All it takes for me to recharge my batteries is the sight of my bike, Jack B. Nimble, packed for an adventure ride and then…

I know I’m home.

Who cares what this economy has heaped on me. It can’t take away what I hold most dear…my freedom and the ability to instill in my kids a lust for life. It’s that passion for life that really surfaces in me when I’m on my solo rides and pondering some of the deeper questions of existence. Specifically, have I learned some of the biggest lessons of my life? I actually think that my most recent lesson of letting go is my biggest one. Graduation from the schooling of that one seems to be knocking on my door. Not soon enough, or so it seems. But, then again I realize that it’s all playing out the way it is meant to for me to climb to the next level.

When contemplating the “climb” the other day, I had a revelation about how I am going to be successful in both work and daily life. It is going to be through my personal connections with people. It’s funny how I crave that, especially on my solo rides where the interpersonal stories or strangers living their own journeys is what’s most intriguing to me. Here we are thrown together on this Earth in various cultures and communities, and through international adventure rides or everyday interactions we can find that we are all one.

There are commonalities that just can’t tear us apart, no matter what wars are being projected on the news. Have you ever been a rider on one of those adventure rides out in the middle of nowhere and your bike breaks down? Ever needed any help beyond what your tools or mechanical expertise can reach? Isn’t it amazing how a stranger in a foreign land or a fellow ADV rider appears out of nowhere to lend a helping hand? How about the exchange of love and laughter between a rider and children in a third world country? It’s those priceless moments on the road that demonstrate that home is really where the bike goes in the journey of life. So the next time the bank says, “foreclosure”, I’ll answer, “You can take my home, but you just can’t take my bike!”

"Let's kick this beemer into overdrive and get to Overland Expo, pronto!"

Adventure riding is a lure for me in so many ways, especially, solo riding. To me, it has always been the journey that holds the growth of spirit without focus on the destination. It is the challenges that arise on every adventure and the connection with nature and people that whispers to me to hop on my bike to discover new land.

By exploring solo, I can quiet myself to feel the beauty around me that is so inspirational for the soul. This, in a nutshell, is called “overlanding”, which is the self-reliant overland travel to remote destinations where the journey is the principal goal.

Our industry has a new name that celebrates and inspires this very meaning of overlanding…the “Overland Expo”.

This exciting one-stop three day event, on April 16, 17 and 18,  is in its second year providing a large venue that is designed to educate and inspire people to get out and discover the world. Additionally, spreading awareness about conservation of our land is a key focus for Overland Expo director, Roseann Hanson. Roseann takes pride in presenting the first event that encompasses education, conservation, and inspiration, while getting familes and women involved in huge numbers. Last year, almost fifty percent of the attendees and instructors were women. Now that’s something to get excited about.

The 40 classes and workshops are a great way to grab that valuable hands-on education for safe adventure travel with off-road motorcycles and vehicles, while respecting the natural landscapes.

How can you resist class names like these:

• Adventure Motorcycle Riding- Loaded
• Choosing & setting up an adventure motorcycle
• Tire Repair: Motorcycle
• Chain Repairs: Motorcycle
• Loading & Lashing: 2 Wheels
• Motorcycle Electrics: Setting up the extras

…or workshops like these:

• Packing and Packing Lists
• Overlanding without a fridge — can it be done? (coolers + moto)
• Overlanding cooking/Eating locally
• Food: Storage, preparation & local supply
• Capturing the Adventure: Overland Videography
• Documentation for international travel: The Carnet
• Overland Wired: Staying online off-grid
• Capturing the Adventure: Overland Photography

With 65+ exhibitors like Wolfman, Black Dog Cycle Works and Rawhyde Adventures it’s sure to whet your whistle for adventure immediately. And, in  addition to the exhibitors and classes, you’ll find on-site camping and social opportunities like happy hours and a BBQ to kick things up a notch.

To round out the inspiration, there will be special guests guaranteed to set your adventure-loving spirit on fire. At the very least, you will really enjoy digging into these solo adventurists’ backgrounds, who will be three of the guest speakers:

• Ara Gureghian: “Oasis of My Soul“, author of the most heart-felt solo adventurer’s blog; avid photographer; travelling partner to his adventurous pit bull, Spirit; and so much more.
• Lois Pryce: “Lois on the Loose“, author of two incredibly adventurous books, “Lois On The Loose” which is her first book, telling the story of her ride from Alaska to Argentina, and according to the Sunday Telegraph, “it roars along at a breakneck pace, and is full of funny asides and snappy accounts”; and, “Red Tape & White Knuckles“, the book of her ride through Africa. “Lois Pryce knows what it takes to be a fun, fearless female. She rode solo from London to Cape Town, with the barest of essentials” -Cosmopolitan
• Austin Vince: “Mondo Enduro“, author of “Mondo Enduro“, one of the first fully documented round-the-world adventure rides on unprecedented smaller sized bikes, 350cc’s, with virtually no riding experience; subject of two popular DVD’s: “Mondo Enduro” and “Terra Circa“. Vince’s best known quote, “Just go for it.”

The popularity of this amazing event is growing in monumental leaps and bounds, so you better act fast if you want to catch anything this year. In fact, full registration may be closed by the time you read this. They may have some day passess left or you can always plan for next year. Either way, you should take a peek at their trailer to help get you excited.

Adventure riding is a growth industry, so why not come out and get inspired…

www.ovexpo.com

"Never fear extra dualsporter's support is here!"

It’s amazing how one commonality of straddling a motorcycle can corral such a big group of the kindest, most supportive and adventuresome people I know. Look at any ride report on ADV rider website and you’ll find that the response to any rider in trouble is astronomical. There are many heroic riders out there who would ride for hours over many miles to save a fellow dual sport or adventure rider from a tough situation in the boonies. Yes, it is a tightly knit bunch, to say the least. So, what is it that binds us together like Threadlocker?

Love of life.

It’s that intoxicating thirst for adventure that gets us out there buying the bike in the first place, but, it’s that love of life that keeps us out there riding, experiencing, and living it time and time again. Witnessing someone else in the process of loving life on an adventure ride is especially inspirational. Just look at any one of the highly viewed ride reports on the ADV rider website like “The Oasis of my Soul, 4th Year on The Road” by Ara Gureghian, or Beemerchef as we all know him, with 155,387 views. The reason Ara has such a large following is because he writes from the heart in a colorful, engaging and deeply humanistic way. You can’t help but walk away from his ride report and blog touched with a new perspective on life or deeply moved by his photography. Ara easily demonstrates a love of life through his continuous adventure ride with his 4-legged cohort, Spirit, in his sidecar that is now into its 4th year of communing with Mother Nature. Many of us stand up and cheer when we witness an adventurer of life like Ara, especially when he is one of our own. These larger than life adventure riding stories can transport any of us from the daily grind and seduce us into living the adventure vicariously.

Personally, I don’t find it coincidental that my adventure riding started the same year I experienced a huge shift in personal growth. My yearning for independence, exploration and one-ness with nature shook hands with the wide-eyed idea of adventure riding and there was no looking back. Plus, my kids were finally old enough to understand that mommy “needed” to go on these trips for so many reasons. With each solo ride, I experience an enormous feeling of “coming home” once I cathartically expel my experience into a ride report on ADV Rider and am supported by the many riders that have welcomed me back. Some of that glorious support has grown into some magical friendships that make me realize that no matter the obstacle in front of me I am not alone in having to overcome it.

We are a unique group that is woven tightly together by its strong brotherhood and lust for life. With this sense of belonging, we can tackle any hardship and know that in the bigger picture it isn’t this small obstacle that matters, but rather the feeling of belonging to a larger family that has your back.

The load you carry at the beginning of an adventure ride is usually much bigger than the load you bring home. That’s because half the load is the stress of life that starts to melt away as soon as you make the decision to go. Yet, who influences that decision is usually significant others, family members or kids. Even if it takes permission to get out the door, It makes it that much harder to get that permission if no one understands the yearning of the adventure ride.

As a single mother, getting away for a week meant that I was going to need to pull some pretty big strings. This is why this week long solo trip looping the Grand Canyon from Los Angeles was such a big deal for me, even when my kids understood Mommy‘s yearning for adventure. I had to move heaven and Earth, so I could be plucked away from my busy daily routine that is easily likened to quicksand and the squeeze of demands from every direction.

It was time to set myself free.

So, there I was…free to yield to the whims of the road and whatever adventure rolled my way. This was me making my dream of designing aftermarket accessories come to fruition. This was me feeling independence and freedom at this point of my life. This was me feeding my soul. And, because I was feeding it on so many different levels, I began to see life and how I fit in it with a whole new perspective.

Having to rely solely upon myself for everything on this trip gave me the perspective of a new confidence that I brought back for my business and other areas of my life. That confidence gave me the belief in myself, so that I could be resourceful and have faith that I could get myself out of every tough situation that arose.

Luckily, I didn’t have any major bike malfunctions on the road. But after realizing that my stock side stand wasn’t cutting it for the load on this trip after lowering my bike, I easily found the best man to trim off an inch and a half in the middle of my journey. Dawn Benton, owner of Desert Cycle Works located right next to Joshua Tree in Twentynine Palms, welcomed my bike and I with a huge smile as he quickly fired up his welding torch. He and his work posse were a great bunch of guys with extensive backgrounds in riding and hearts of gold ready to help out a sister adventurer at a moment’s notice. So, there I was back on the rode in no time after Dawn, the artisan, cut and re-welded my side stand to a perfect angle.

That experience alone made me realize that I was in a tight community within the dual sport industry. We bend over backwards for one another with support and encouragement, so that our passion for adventure stays alive. That, in and of itself, shows that living life to its fullest and surrounding ourselves with the same type of people is what is most important to us.

Other than sharing my love of adventure with other enthusiasts, I also felt the desire to open myself up to strangers on the road. That meant being receptive to any encounter however small. All it took was a twinkle in the eyes and an easy smile to open an exchange in conversation. Often times, it was just being a chick on an adventure bike that got the chit chat rolling. But from one person to the next, the mutual feelings were all the same. Usually, each of us would walk away from the encounter being inspired to live life more fully and present.

In total, all of the people I met on this journey had a story to tell. Whether it was Maxwell, the 37 year old photographer, who packed up his car four months ago to capture America on camera while riding out the recession; or Victor, the retiree who created a successful restaurant with his wife and no experience in the small Utah town, Kanab; or Kathy, the recent widow living out of her RV after her husband died continuing the travels of America that they had mapped out together; or Shan, the tall, professional clown and Harley rider that gave me great camping area tips out of Jacob’s Lake outside of the north rim Grand Canyon; or Irene, the Navajo woman who made jewelry out of her home to sell at a highway side stand, we all enjoyed the connection.

My story can be told through this adventure, as well. I’m at a very exciting time in my life, because I have chosen my mid forties to reinvent myself. I am putting everything I have into creating a successful dual sport accessories business, and am thoroughly enjoying the product development and manufacturing process. The 2-in-1 Rugged Rider Sport and Adventure cargo racks that I designed for my bike, the Suzuki DRZ400S, carried a big load on this trip, and ended up making me quite proud. What also made me proud was feeling the warmth from our incredible dual sport community of fun-loving, adventuresome people enjoying my ride report on adv rider. I’m really at a point in my life where I’m thoroughly enjoying the opportunities of creativity, riding and the challenges of starting a new business.

But, if the time ever comes again where I feel like I’m scurrying nowhere in a hamster wheel, then I know it’s time to move heaven and Earth for my next week long solo ride.

Please view my ride report and photo journal of this trip to Joshua Tree, Sedona, north rim Grand Canyon, Zion and Vegas.

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