I have this memory from my childhood where I was out skating (skateboarding/ sk8ing) with a bunch of people (hoodlums, because these are my people). This older kid comes over to my group of friends and asks us who our favorite skater was. This kid was really good, we all looked up to him, now he was sizing us up. I remember thinking, "Shit. (I was 14, my vocabulary wasn't as diverse as it is today) I need to come up with an answer." I rattled off the first name that popped into my head and he gave us hell for it (which he would have done regardless of what we said). But that's not what sticks out for me. What I remember most clearly is thinking that the answer was, "Me. I'm my favorite skater." The pros are great and all, and I have much respect for them but I'd rather be out here skating than at home watching it in the videos. Twenty years later, my only amendment to that teenage thought is that my true answer is that these guys, my friends, are my favorite skaters.
If I'm being honest with myself, a gen-Xer, my favorite moto-gadget is probably email, and to a lesser extent Facebook. It's how I stay in touch with buddies and plan rides. Everything else is just farkle, which is nice too. My second favorite is any GPS unit that will show me the road names as they are coming up and a compass. How did we wander the back roads before GPS? I know I did a lot of backtracking.
Love yourself first I guess.
- Ride North
Before GPS, we used paper maps. That really makes me sound old, right? I still love paper maps. Yes, a GPS is easier, but they're not foolproof. As long as I have a map to show me the broader view of an area, I can find my way. But my friend Google lady does make things pretty easy.
ReplyDeleteBut do you have a favorite paper map? I have an old, marked up copy of "South West Wisconsin" that covers the area west of Madison. It gets top billing in my small library.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a gen-xer but email and FB, Google photos and Instagram are definitely high on my list of favorite gadgets too! And as for paper maps, check out Mad Maps and Butler maps. They make motorcycle oriented maps by region with roads rated for fun riding!
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