Travel Tip #17: DITCH THAT GPS AND SHOOT FOR THE MOON!

Today's tip title seems fitting as there will be a super moon tonight!  (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO)

But the tip really has nothing to do with the moon, its more the stars and everything else that surrounds the moon that ends up being what we really take home.

You have heard the saying, shoot for the moon and you will hit the stars.... Well it applies to travel as well.

Today while on a 400+ mile motorcycle day trip I happened upon a gem in the sierras and the only reason we found it is because we bit off more than we could chew while trying to find a different way of getting from point A to B.

My buddy Jeremy and I decided on Thursday night that we would try to make it out on our motorcycles to a set of waterfalls we had heard about called MacArthur Burney Falls. We decided that we would take the long way around to get to our destination on some roads we found on the map but that would add some extra distance to the trip hoping to do some exploring in the process. We spent a few hour rambling about trying to find a road that was on the map but that had never even existed. Out of this chaos we found something new. We never even made it to the falls because we stumbled across a national park that neither of us had ever been to before.  In our efforts to make it to the falls we passed through Lassen Volcanic National Park and discovered a gem neither of us even knew existed. Each of us had lived in the area for 30 years and never thought to visit the place.

At the end of the day the consensus was that had we stuck to the beaten path and simply followed the GPS we would have never experienced this awesome day of riding!

So go ahead DITCH THAT GPS AND SHOOT FOR THE MOON! -  You will find something new amongst the stars that will make your journey even more complete. 

Emerald lake view of Mt. Lassen

A man and his horse, I even wore cowboy boots! ( The ones I picked up on my last trip to Nashville)

Emerald Lake

The amazing winding road headed for the top of the pass.

Jeremy at the Mt. Lassen visitor center

This little table shows all the volcanos in the area and describes how the earths shape was formed.

Travel Tip #15: CHUCKLE!

A day without laughter is a day wasted! - Charlie Chaplain

I sat down at the computer this morning with the intention of planning out my next trip to the Chicago/ Milwaukee area. But as usual an hour latter I had achieved no planning and found my self cruising facebook.

What do you say was the cause of this great distraction?

MY EMPLOYEES!

At Long Ride Shields - (A company I started in college) my staff have been using humor to their advantage and have gotten us from 500 all the way to 19k Likes - Just by using funny pictures. 

I spent the last hour laughing at all the funny pictures my employees had been posting over the last few months.

Here is the FB page for those interested enough to read the comments and pictures.

LONG RIDE SHIELDS FACE BOOK PAGE

I had forgotten how healthy a little laughter can be, and then I started to think about how a simple chuckle or finding the funny in an otherwise serious moment can help us relax, regroup and re-think.

When traveling as a road warrior I think a little laughter can go a long way.... So next time you are out and about exploring the world - Find Something to laugh at- you might just enjoy yourself!