“There’s just something about sidecars,” I thought, rattling eastward across Snoqualmie Valley. It was time to give back the hack, and I wasn’t sure I was ready. Through the simple human kindness and superior gullibility of Jim at Motoduvall, I’d taken loan of “Brunhilde,” a brilliant three- wheeled rig based on a BMW R1200C, and … [more]
Help Me Vandalize This Map!
16-February-2015 by 11 Comments
I’m a rambler, I’m a gambler, I’m a long way from home And if you don’t like me, well, leave me alone I’ll eat when I’m hungry, I’ll drink when I’m dry An’ the moonshine don’t kill me, I’ll live ’til I die! –“The Moonshiner,” a traditional Celtic lay Just a quick hello here; my name is … [more]
Onward & Upward
9-January-2015 by 13 Comments
I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings. Coming down is the hardest thing. —Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Learning to Fly “Are you scared, Jack?” “No way, Dad!” I stood there, looking up the hill at what’s now named Straddleline ORV Park. It’s been closed off and on over the years. Back … [more]
Want to Break New Ground?
14-December-2014 by 5 Comments
Head Check: What it Feels Like to Ride Motorcycles is live on Amazon.com, which means that just any old person can buy it, from all over the world. That’s an exciting notion for me. But what does it mean for you, Loyal Reader? Yeah… you. Over there. The tall, good-lookin’ one with critical thinking powers and … [more]
Showing Off
23-November-2014 by 5 Comments
It’s been a long time since it was cool to go to a motorcycle show. Just corporate shills, and overpriced exotica, and hipsters and posers and fakes. Right? I don’t care, though. Turns out I like motorcycles quite a bit, enough to overcome my aversion to crowds. Enough to meet up with people I have … [more]
Weekend Dalliance
1-March-2014 by 3 Comments
Felt a little guilty pulling up the Lynnwood Convention Center (exit 181B from I5 north, for those of you playing along at home) in a mere car, but I put a few miles on a couple of bikes this weekend and realized there’s a midwinter to middle age and it’s cold there. In the parking … [more]
Eight Bells on the Last Dog’s Watch
18-January-2014 by Leave a Comment
It was a short errand, but I put on my gear, anyway. Might as well pretend I know what I’m doing. We have a motorcycle ride scheduled for Monday, up along some of my favorite King and Snohomish county roads. I laid out the route on Friday morning. It’s a good one. One of my … [more]
Flying ACE
17-September-2013 by 11 Comments
Sometimes I forget about things. I’ve been meaning to post this onto Jaxworx, if only to share the transcendent joy of stone knife-simple — yet purposefully refined — open air motoring of the kind espoused by Mr. Peter Larsen. This article was originally written in the autumn of 2008 for Motorcyclist magazine which, after some … [more]
"Jack Lewis takes the overall literary crown with his new book...there’s a lot more to Lewis’s work than what it feels like to ride motorcycles.” — Ultimate Motorcycling
"Insightful and from the heart ... a driven and much recommended look into the mind and conflict of the next generation of war veterans. " — Midwest Book Review (Reviewer's Choice)