Adventure: Just How Tough Are You?

Adventure: Just How Tough Are You?

July 12, 2020

Are you adventurous? Adventurous according to Google, means eager for adventure — an adventure always has an element of the unknown. Being adventurous means you're willing to go where you haven't been before and do things you've never done, even if you don't know how it's going to turn out.

 

There’s a great story about two boys who wanted an adventure, which was supported by their father, a U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Oklahoma. They embarked on six adventures over a few years, covering 10,000 miles. You see, the boys, 9-year-old Louis “Bud” Abernathy and his 5-year-old brother, Temple, truly wanted adventure. Their mother had passed away and their father figured they were tough enough. The year was 1909, and they first rode their horses to Santé Fe, New Mexico to see the new governor’s mansion. They traveled alone; 1,300 miles. The next big trip was to New York City to meet Theodore Roosevelt who was returning to the U.S. after a safari in Africa. They made it on time and became legends. They each bought a car and drove home afterward, a ten-year-old and a 6-year old!

A statue commemorating the Abernathy boys was dedicated on the lawn of the Tillman County courthouse on April 22, 2006 – a month after what would have been Temple’s 102nd birthday, (34.3911185, -99.0180135). Ron Ayers wrote about them in one of his motorcycling books.

I love this story. These kids were tough. Their dad was tough. Has the world changed this much? Maybe. There are probably kids right now growing up in Wyoming or Montana on a ranch that would come pretty close to being this tough. It’s almost like playing a video game for today’s kids!

 

Before you did your first Iron Butt Saddle Sore 1000 or some other big ride, how adventurous did you feel? Were you eager for adventure? Was the element of the unknown playing on you? Maybe, your feeling of adventure for some other type of ride.

 

I know I was full of anticipation wondering if I had what it takes to ride 1,000 miles in twenty-four hours. I read everything I could find about the Saddle Sore 1000. Made a plan, went over it six-ways-to-Sunday, and then I did even more research. When I was finished with the longest one-day ride I have ever accomplished, I had a sense of accomplishment. I felt tough. A week later I wanted more…more adventure. I had conquered the unknown. I wanted more.

 

I have accomplished some great rides, Border to Border, Heaven to Hell Gold, BBG1500, and 100 Coast to Coast to Coast. I’m currently planning a 48 States Plus in ten days. These are my rides, for me, to feed my adventure gene. Greg Rice is trying to get 100,000 miles in BBG1500s, he is almost there. He is also an Iron Butt Rally finisher and has almost 50,000 miles in IBR rides. Steve Diederich did 40,000 miles in 40 days, a month or so later Matt Wise did 45,000 miles in 45 days. Tim Masterson did an SS1000, in July, in Death Valley, and so have others. These guys are amazing, I would love to meet them, and hear about their adventures. But those amazing accomplishments are theirs, they did their rides. Ron Ayers has written three books about his amazing adventures; you should read them. The early people of the Iron Butt Association rode amazing rides too. Each one of these guys has inspired me and helped to feed my adventure gene.

 

I look back on my childhood and reflect on some stories that family members tell about me and have come to the conclusion that the adventure gene has been in my system my whole life. When I was 3 to 5 years old the only way my parents could find me was to call for the dog. She would head home and as soon as she saw who had called her, she would stop and bark then run back to me. I could be blocks away from home. When I was a senior in high school a friend and I went to the Grand Tetons National Park and took a two-day basic rock-climbing class. On the third day, we climbed and summited the Grand Teton by ourselves. We went on to climb the Grand ten more times over the next few years and many of the sandstone towers in southern Utah.

One spring afternoon, after school, I rode my Honda 250 Xl into the mountains. I dropped down over some snow drifts at about 8,000 feet and kept riding. Finally, it dawned on me that there was no way I could ride back up over these drifts. I pushed that bike for miles through snow-covered roads. Now, on the other side of the mountains, and around midnight I found a farmhouse and asked for some gas, they gave me a snowmobile suit to use (I was soaked), called my folks (not a pleasant conversation), and rode the 50 miles home. No one had known where I was or what I was doing. It was an awesome ride! I’m pretty sure any grey hair my parents had was caused by me.

 

I wonder how the adventure gene is passed on? Some children pick it up from their parents, others seem to grow it on their own. How did the Abernathy boys get it? Maybe society or your environment builds it for you. I know that sometimes, the stress of work can replace the adventure gene with a pseudo-stress-gene. That’s not good. If you find yourself in that boat, sink it quickly, and create a pure adventure gene. It will be much better for you. It will make you a better person, in my opinion at least. I hope my kids and grandkids have it. If you feel stressed or in a down mood, push yourself to take on an adventure. Let success boost your mood. Praise yourself for the work you do to be adventurous. Motivate yourself by saying, “You're adventurous because you are living life to the fullest. Congratulations.”

 

What fulfills your adventure. Maybe it’s a Saddle Sore 1000, maybe it’s a Bun Burner Gold 1500. Or maybe it’s an afternoon ride around your community. Maybe, it’s your first overnight ride. It’s your adventure, ride your ride; doing your thing, that’s what's important.

 

I love being outdoors. I love adventure. I love the challenge. Riding motorcycles currently feeds my adventure gene. Age, especially old age, begins to limit how adventurous you can be. What age is that? Not sure, but I will keep pushing and let you know when I’m too old for an adventure. Maybe one day, I’ll be tough and a Jazzy will fulfill my adventures.

 

Find your adventure, be tough. Go ride, stay focused.