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Thoughts And Pics From The Road

Started by aldousburbank, November 25, 2013, 07:54:35 PM

aldousburbank

Good call ItsOver!  Yes, grew up on and just now rode both the San Pedro (flows north from Mex.) and the Gila Rivers. My beautiful spiritual home.

Here's a shot of the Aldous-mobile with the Superstition Mountains and Weaver's needle in the background.

[attachimg=1]

It was hell getting up that mountain with that backpack and junk. Along the way, I passed by the copper mines where you can see a plume of dust where the blast crew is blowing crap up.

[attachimg=2]

aldousburbank

Fans of the movie U-Turn may recognize this scene.

[attachimg=1]

Home of the Hohokam, desert farmers and artists. The ultimate hippies!

[attachimg=2]

Crap.  Pictures laying around wrong directions.  Oh well...

aldousburbank

Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
[attachimg=1]

Hanging with friends
[attachimg=2]

aldousburbank

UofA campus
[attachimg=1]

The glory of Arizona sunsets!
[attachimg=2]

b_dubb

AB that bike is seriously kickass man. 

Heather Wade

Quote from: b_dubb on February 10, 2014, 05:14:45 PM
AB that bike is seriously kickass man.

He's right.  It is a dude magnet.   :o

b_dubb

Quote from: (Redacted) on February 10, 2014, 05:16:14 PM
He's right.  It is a dude magnet.   :o
Uhhh ... huh? Perhaps if you were riding said bike it would be magnetized for dudes.  But not brother Aldous. 

Heather Wade

Quote from: b_dubb on February 10, 2014, 05:17:10 PM
Uhhh ... huh? Perhaps if you were riding said bike it would be magnetized for dudes.  But not brother Aldous.

Inside joke.   ;)

maureen

Quote from: aldousburbank on February 10, 2014, 03:59:44 PM
Just back from a magical ride through the Sonoran Desert. The mom of some of my oldest, most loved friends passed away. She was elderly and ready to move on but I went back home to be with the family. Ironically, she chose the exact one year anniversary of my daughter's passing to make her escape. Her eldest son had served as minister for my daughter's babtism AND funeral and now, exactly one year later I was back in the same place. This family went through the torturous years of school together with me and their mom was kind of mine also. So the eldest daughter approached me and showed me the handwritten notes her mom had previously made regarding the memorial service she wished to have. One of the points was to choose a person to read her letter to the family and friends gathered. She asked me to do the reading. Humbled and honored I opened tge handwritten note and silently read it. I must have cried out loud for 5 minutes after that just touched by the beauty of what it said. When I was back to baseline I agreed to read it during the service, which I did and it was powerful.

As the universe would have it, it was my own momz 89th birthday. So after the service, I mounted my trusty steed and rode off into the sunset to have a birthday dinner with her.

Here's a few pics from my trip.

[attachimg=1]
Riding along the desert river, the same trails where I rode my bike growing up. It's even more fun now!

[attachimg=2]
thanks for sharing  such poignant events, Aldous! blessings on you!!

BobGrau

Quote from: aldousburbank on January 17, 2014, 06:54:08 PM
Hey, forgot to post this but, a crested Saguaro in AZ. [attachimg=1]

Reminds me of the Beatles movie Yellow Submarine

BobGrau

Quote from: aldousburbank on February 10, 2014, 04:33:50 PM


Crap.  Pictures laying around wrong directions.  Oh well...

Remember you're inept.


aldousburbank

When the road gets weird, the weird get rode. Enough about my heh lovelife.

Weird week though seriously I tell you, it's weird out there.  Or is it just me?  Maybe it's the paths I travel.  Maybe it's just that weird is where the fun is, I dunno.  Anyhowever, Got pretty busy going pretty far, so far... Far enough to get into the more out there neighborhoods, far enough to not catch the Monday GabCast even.

[attachimg=1]

So I guess the year of the horse is on to an off start because my morning ride today was to a dead one.  There are two horses minus one on our property as the old feller up and died.  I saw him down on the lower 40 walking his final approach in a way that was not right looking.  So much so that I kept my eyes on the old dude, a mustang BLM formerly, now way way past the prime.  Sure enough, he laid it down and I rode my bike down as he did. Talking softly in my brain he let me know this was it man, don't just stand there watching me die or do it's up to you.  Sadly, my second dangit was that I am embarrassingly out of the proper caliber ammo for a mercy-down.(having only my garden variety basic small cal and shotgun shells on hand)  So I got back on my bike to grab something from the neighbors, with their permission.  My Buddha Cowboy neighbor said he'd come right over and I rode back to the expiring horse rather than leave him to his own dying self.  He was gone by the time I got back.  Did you know there are people who offer horse carcass haul-off service?  I guess I did too but you never think about stuff like that until.  Technically, the horse was not mine, we just allowed it to pasture here as it's owner's property lacks the space to roam.  Therefore neighbor dude, being a 3rd generation downscale homesteader offered to repay me for the postmortem horse buggy ride but I am low on split stove wood so this is the advantage of country neighboring service bartering.  Happens almost every day around here.

One more strange- 2 days ago, riding my unit through a residential area while scouting some cross-town bike trails, I thought I heard a weird human call which just did not sound right.  I turned my head to look but saw nothing and rode on, but when I got to the corner I reconsidered it and turned around.  I heard it again and so was able to scope out the area where I found and older gentleman totally down on the driveway of his house.  He was kind of groaning loudly I guess to get someone's attention.  Jumping off my bike I was like holy crap sir what the, I mean do you need help??  So yeah, he was big but I pulled him onto his butt as he was trying to stand but it was no good, there was something wrong, and he was big, heavy, stiff, and disoriented too.  The across the street neighbors came running over to help  It was windy, cold, drizzling and this guy was cold, maybe laying out there for a while.  I grabbed the keys which were laying on the driveway but they didn't fit the door so while the neighbors stayed with dude I ran around, found an open door, and we brought him inside very slowly and layed him down.  I asked him if he had a wife or anybody and he gave me his in-town daughter's number.  Called her quickly, then called 911.  Ambulance, firetruck, the whole deal.  Keeping it real.

Anyhoo, afterwards on the lovely ride back home, I stopped on a high point in the sierras, looking out into the valley, filled with the stone cold awareness of what it is to be alove and if alive, to know what it is to love it, with every memory of your now adding up to tomorrow and, what it is and stuff.  And how lucky I am to live in a land where if you work your ass off you can ride your ass off, but you can only ride free if you know there is no free ride and things of this nature.  It reminded me of this moment, oh so long ago, before I was born.

[attachimg=2]

Wait, what were we talking about?


maureen

Quote from: aldousburbank on February 18, 2014, 05:52:05 PM
When the road gets weird, the weird get rode. Enough about my heh lovelife.

Weird week though seriously I tell you, it's weird out there.  Or is it just me?  Maybe it's the paths I travel.  Maybe it's just that weird is where the fun is, I dunno.  Anyhowever, Got pretty busy going pretty far, so far... Far enough to get into the more out there neighborhoods, far enough to not catch the Monday GabCast even.

[attachimg=1]

So I guess the year of the horse is on to an off start because my morning ride today was to a dead one.  There are two horses minus one on our property as the old feller up and died.  I saw him down on the lower 40 walking his final approach in a way that was not right looking.  So much so that I kept my eyes on the old dude, a mustang BLM formerly, now way way past the prime.  Sure enough, he laid it down and I rode my bike down as he did. Talking softly in my brain he let me know this was it man, don't just stand there watching me die or do it's up to you.  Sadly, my second dangit was that I am embarrassingly out of the proper caliber ammo for a mercy-down.(having only my garden variety basic small cal and shotgun shells on hand)  So I got back on my bike to grab something from the neighbors, with their permission.  My Buddha Cowboy neighbor said he'd come right over and I rode back to the expiring horse rather than leave him to his own dying self.  He was gone by the time I got back.  Did you know there are people who offer horse carcass haul-off service?  I guess I did too but you never think about stuff like that until.  Technically, the horse was not mine, we just allowed it to pasture here as it's owner's property lacks the space to roam.  Therefore neighbor dude, being a 3rd generation downscale homesteader offered to repay me for the postmortem horse buggy ride but I am low on split stove wood so this is the advantage of country neighboring service bartering.  Happens almost every day around here.

One more strange- 2 days ago, riding my unit through a residential area while scouting some cross-town bike trails, I thought I heard a weird human call which just did not sound right.  I turned my head to look but saw nothing and rode on, but when I got to the corner I reconsidered it and turned around.  I heard it again and so was able to scope out the area where I found and older gentleman totally down on the driveway of his house.  He was kind of groaning loudly I guess to get someone's attention.  Jumping off my bike I was like holy crap sir what the, I mean do you need help??  So yeah, he was big but I pulled him onto his butt as he was trying to stand but it was no good, there was something wrong, and he was big, heavy, stiff, and disoriented too.  The across the street neighbors came running over to help  It was windy, cold, drizzling and this guy was cold, maybe laying out there for a while.  I grabbed the keys which were laying on the driveway but they didn't fit the door so while the neighbors stayed with dude I ran around, found an open door, and we brought him inside very slowly and layed him down.  I asked him if he had a wife or anybody and he gave me his in-town daughter's number.  Called her quickly, then called 911.  Ambulance, firetruck, the whole deal.  Keeping it real.

Anyhoo, afterwards on the lovely ride back home, I stopped on a high point in the sierras, looking out into the valley, filled with the stone cold awareness of what it is to be alove and if alive, to know what it is to love it, with every memory of your now adding up to tomorrow and, what it is and stuff.  And how lucky I am to live in a land where if you work your ass off you can ride your ass off, but you can only ride free if you know there is no free ride and things of this nature.  It reminded me of this moment, oh so long ago, before I was born.

[attachimg=2]

Wait, what were we talking about?
cosmically right on, Aldous!!! as always, very poignant!!

aldousburbank

Taken today, NYC subway. This city is the motherload of material this thread so here's my opening salvo.
Technically this is a selfie, in the third eye.
[attachimg=1]

steelbot

Quote from: aldousburbank on March 05, 2014, 05:44:57 PM
Taken today, NYC subway. This city is the motherload of material this thread so here's my opening salvo.
Technically this is a selfie, in the third eye.
[attachimg=1]
That's fucking awesome!

steelbot

Quote from: aldousburbank on February 18, 2014, 05:52:05 PM
When the road gets weird, the weird get rode. Enough about my heh lovelife.

Weird week though seriously I tell you, it's weird out there.  Or is it just me?  Maybe it's the paths I travel.  Maybe it's just that weird is where the fun is, I dunno.  Anyhowever, Got pretty busy going pretty far, so far... Far enough to get into the more out there neighborhoods, far enough to not catch the Monday GabCast even.

[attachimg=1]

So I guess the year of the horse is on to an off start because my morning ride today was to a dead one.  There are two horses minus one on our property as the old feller up and died.  I saw him down on the lower 40 walking his final approach in a way that was not right looking.  So much so that I kept my eyes on the old dude, a mustang BLM formerly, now way way past the prime.  Sure enough, he laid it down and I rode my bike down as he did. Talking softly in my brain he let me know this was it man, don't just stand there watching me die or do it's up to you.  Sadly, my second dangit was that I am embarrassingly out of the proper caliber ammo for a mercy-down.(having only my garden variety basic small cal and shotgun shells on hand)  So I got back on my bike to grab something from the neighbors, with their permission.  My Buddha Cowboy neighbor said he'd come right over and I rode back to the expiring horse rather than leave him to his own dying self.  He was gone by the time I got back.  Did you know there are people who offer horse carcass haul-off service?  I guess I did too but you never think about stuff like that until.  Technically, the horse was not mine, we just allowed it to pasture here as it's owner's property lacks the space to roam.  Therefore neighbor dude, being a 3rd generation downscale homesteader offered to repay me for the postmortem horse buggy ride but I am low on split stove wood so this is the advantage of country neighboring service bartering.  Happens almost every day around here.

One more strange- 2 days ago, riding my unit through a residential area while scouting some cross-town bike trails, I thought I heard a weird human call which just did not sound right.  I turned my head to look but saw nothing and rode on, but when I got to the corner I reconsidered it and turned around.  I heard it again and so was able to scope out the area where I found and older gentleman totally down on the driveway of his house.  He was kind of groaning loudly I guess to get someone's attention.  Jumping off my bike I was like holy crap sir what the, I mean do you need help??  So yeah, he was big but I pulled him onto his butt as he was trying to stand but it was no good, there was something wrong, and he was big, heavy, stiff, and disoriented too.  The across the street neighbors came running over to help  It was windy, cold, drizzling and this guy was cold, maybe laying out there for a while.  I grabbed the keys which were laying on the driveway but they didn't fit the door so while the neighbors stayed with dude I ran around, found an open door, and we brought him inside very slowly and layed him down.  I asked him if he had a wife or anybody and he gave me his in-town daughter's number.  Called her quickly, then called 911.  Ambulance, firetruck, the whole deal.  Keeping it real.

Anyhoo, afterwards on the lovely ride back home, I stopped on a high point in the sierras, looking out into the valley, filled with the stone cold awareness of what it is to be alove and if alive, to know what it is to love it, with every memory of your now adding up to tomorrow and, what it is and stuff.  And how lucky I am to live in a land where if you work your ass off you can ride your ass off, but you can only ride free if you know there is no free ride and things of this nature.  It reminded me of this moment, oh so long ago, before I was born.

[attachimg=2]

Wait, what were we talking about?

Awesome man, you totally rock!

aldousburbank

Recently The Mrs Burbank was going through our old photos and realized that my series of "Smoke And Be Free" photographs now goes back 25 years. It should make a great coffee-table book someday doncha think?  I mean 25 years of pictures of doofus smoking the fume across the nation and around the world- how stupid is that?  Oh, and I have a sub-series of smoking in front of no smoking signs pics duh. Anyway, here's my latest shot from a little place that I like to call "America" i.e. Manhattan, as differentiated from The United States, if you know what I mean. Art is hard work but it must be done.
[attachimg=1]
And another-
[attachimg=2]

b_dubb

When can we expect the first of the bateman and ab drunk pics?

jazmunda

Quote from: aldousburbank on March 06, 2014, 08:58:11 PM
Oh, and I have a sub-series of smoking in front of no smoking signs pics duh.

I used to do this too when I used to intentionally destroy the cells in my lungs with carcinogens. High times.

jazmunda

Quote from: b_dubb on March 06, 2014, 09:18:26 PM
When can we expect the first of the bateman and ab drunk pics?

This must happen. I still don't think other people don't exist on this forum and I am just having conversations with the many wacky personalities of MV.

Sometimes when I'm in a really wacky mood I think I am just a persona of MV. And not one of the good ones either.

aldousburbank

Walking through Arlington National Cemetery today and noticed this particular headstone. The name called out to me somehow.
[attachimg=1]

aldousburbank

Staying Free @ 72nd and Central Park West, NYC, America
[attachimg=1]

wr250

i guess my new years prediction of "Aldous will post more awesome pics" has proven to be true

b_dubb

Quote from: aldousburbank on March 10, 2014, 04:18:11 PM
Staying Free @ 72nd and Central Park West, NYC, America
[attachimg=1]
This confirms my suspicions that Aldous is in fact a Bodhisattva come to free us all from the Samsara.  Either that or he is in the habit of talking on his cell phone while standing next to his microwave.

aldousburbank

Although I have been traveling and photographing in the desert Southwest for over a week, I am posting this pic simply because I'm in the middle of nowhere, using a sattelite dish for internet connection, and that trips me out at least as much as the hot springs and peyote tea so...
[attachimg=1]

wr250

couple of zion national park pics :
this 1st one was unintentional, it just happened. the 2nd one i photoshopped another pic  to pastels
[attach=1]
[attach=2]


Quote from: aldousburbank on April 17, 2014, 02:13:23 PM
Although I have been traveling and photographing in the desert Southwest for over a week, I am posting this pic simply because I'm in the middle of nowhere, using a sattelite dish for internet connection, and that trips me out at least as much as the hot springs and peyote tea so...
[attachimg=1]

Is that guy going for a Hunter S. Thompson look there or what?

aldousburbank

The mini-me and The Mrs on a recent journey. [attachimg=1]

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