Meeting John And Big-Sky Living

Ron 0:02

Well, once again, I'm interviewing someone I really like that I'm just now meeting. Now, how is it possible to really like someone that you're just now meeting? Well, for one thing, you learn a lot about people through Instagram. Now, I I'm the best at bashing technology, and I came from the tech world myself before I retired. But I have stumbled upon some of the nicest and most interesting people on Instagram, and that is my guest today, John Gorley, has joined me from you are my neighbor to the south down in New Mexico. So welcome, John.

John Gorley 0:37

Thank you very much. I am your neighbor down to the south. I'm in eastern New Mexico. It's a beautiful country to live in.

Ron 0:43

Well, I want, let's just hit on that for a second because I was telling you just before we started recording that when I look at your Instagram videos and especially the pictures of sunrises and sunsets and things like that, and you're way down a dirt road, so you're you're off the beaten path. Man, that just pulls at my heart in my head. You can ask my wife. I've had this dream of living out where the stars are as bright as anything and it's quiet, and it sounds like that's where you are, John.

Speaker 1 1:14

That's exactly where we are, Ron. We're on a dirt road, two miles, three miles, maybe from a little bitty town of 600 people. Uh, we're the only ones on this road, and we've lived here for 23 years. My father actually built this house that we live in today, and uh it is, it's very quiet, and we see the stars, we see the sunsets, we see this sun rises, and it's a wonderful place to live. We've really enjoyed it.

Ron 1:47

Oh, yeah, yeah. And and you've mentioned, uh, you've mentioned, I think, a number of times. Uh aren't you aren't you not far from Route 66?

Route 66 History And Small Towns

Speaker 1 1:57

I'm not far from Route 66. I'm actually just about an hour south of Tucumcary, New Mexico, and that's right where Route 66 runs up, and that's really a favorite ride of mine. I get up there and uh it's about a two, three-hour ride, round trip to Tucancary, and it's beautiful, and I can get on Route 66 for just a minute and see all the neat stuff, and uh it's it's a fun little town to go to.

Ron 2:27

Well, for those who don't know, this is the 100th anniversary for Route 66 this year, isn't that right, John? It is absolutely, and and there's lots of activities going on around that event, and uh I'm glad to see it too. I mean, just to segue just a little bit. I've ridden Route 66 myself, uh, the western part. I've not ridden all the eastern part yet, but going through some of the towns, like Barstow, California, for example. Um, man, they need some help. Uh you know, the interstate bypassed them, and then man, if it's not for Route 66, some of these little towns would really be suffering, wouldn't they?

Speaker 1 3:10

They would be, absolutely. They just, well, a lot of them have kind of dried up and blown blown away. Um, right there at San Juan, New Mexico, there's about a 25-mile stretch into Tootincarry, and you can ride it, and you can see some old dilapidated buildings that used to be gas stations or businesses, and they have, yeah, route uh Route 66 was bypassed, and literally through that area that I'm talking about, uh I-40 is less than half a mile north of Route 66. Oh, and it just died.

Ron 3:48

Yeah, yeah. Wow, yeah. I I there's uh a newscaster slash travel guy that used to be on TV, Charles Carolt, I believe was his name, and he used the expression, I'll never forget this. He said, Uh, the interstate system was designed so that you can cross from one end of the country to the other and never see a thing. That's probably right, as opposed to Route 66.

The Interstate Versus Seeing America

Goldwing Reliability And Long Miles

Speaker 1 4:21

He's probably right. If you want to get across the country fast by automobile or motorcycle, get on an interstate. Yeah, you know, but uh, and I've done it 85, 90 miles an hour all day long, and it uh you just zip past through history, yeah, yeah, true.

Ron 4:41

Speaking of a bike that'll go 85 miles an hour or 90 all day long, you're riding a Honda Goldwing, aren't you, my friend?

Speaker 1 4:49

I am, I am, and I really have enjoyed it. It's uh 2017 Honda Goldwing that I bought new, nice, and uh it's almost got 59,000 miles on it now, and that'll be the next service that I do on it.

Ron 5:06

Awesome. I I know that the listeners are not able to see. We're looking at each other, and you're not gonna be able to, they are not gonna be able to see this, but I'm gonna get something here off my shelf. This was this was my last Goldwing. I'm I'm holding a model. I don't know what scale this is, but this is a little model. This should be a 2003 or so. I had a 2003 uh 1800, and uh like you rode the wheels off of it, rode all over the country, rode up into the southern part of Alaska and around. And oh man, that was comfortable. That is a comfortable and really smooth, smooth motor, just flops.

Speaker 1 5:47

They kind of eat the miles, and you kind of you're riding that thing, and you kind of forget about the bike, and you're just in the ride, you know, you're just in the moment, and I think that's a good thing. And but I think it's almost almost automotive feeling to me. You know, uh, I've ridden some Harleys and I've ridden some other motorcycles that you really had to pay attention to what was going on on that bike, yeah. You know, you know, you really you you listen to the different noises, and I still do even on the Goldwing, but uh it it's a different experience, and I've never gotten up in the morning and come back to the garage and hit that starter button and worried about that thing not starting.

Ron 6:36

Yeah, oh I had the same experience. I think I saw that Goldwing when I had 140 plus mile, 140 plus thousand miles on it, and I think maybe uh why did I I play or replaced the water pump? I think that was it in 140,000 miles is amazing.

Speaker 1 6:57

Isn't that crazy?

The Origin Of “Voice In My Helmet”

Ron 6:58

It is amazing. Good, good mic. Well, you know, I'm I'm segueing all over the place here, but uh I've had a lot of coffee today, I can tell you that. But where I was intending to go back to the whole Instagram thing, is your handle on Instagram, the voice in my helmet, really, really caught my attention because again, I I read it and I thought this is what this is, and then you and I get on the phone together for a few minutes and you blew my mind. I was completely wrong about my assumption on where that came from, and you told me the most wonderful story about where that came from and where it all ties together. Would you mind would you mind sharing with us that? Love to hear it.

Speaker 1 7:44

Of course, Ron. I don't mind at all. So that all came out, and uh it was on my first Goldwing, my 1996, I had bought, and my daughter at the time, our daughter, was in Albuquerque going to college. So she's 20 or 21. And I suggested to her, hey, we should go on a trip, a motorcycle trip. She'd never been on a motorcycle ever in her life. Oh, and she said yes, and we got together and we planned this crazy trip. It was 10 or 11 days, and I rode to Albuquerque and I spent the night with her and I picked her up, and we went on a really epic motorcycle ride. And of course, we had the intercom, and she became my navigator because she really is better with tech than I am. And we uh the first day we rode to from Albuquerque to Sedona, Arizona, and that first day made me realize that she would complete this trip because there was rain, there was cold weather, there was terrible winds. We rolled into Sedona in the rain and we grabbed a hotel room and she was still happy.

Ron 8:59

Oh, that's a bonus.

Speaker 1 9:01

She was still happy, and we went to dinner, we had a great time, but anyway, uh so we completed we went through that trip the next day. This is gonna be lengthy. Uh, the next day we went to the Grand Canyon, we did the southern rim, and that night we actually spent the night in Las Vegas, Nevada. And then the next day, and I had told her this, I said, I always wanted to go through Death Valley.

Ron 9:28

Yeah.

Speaker 1 9:29

So we hit Death Valley, and in Death Valley, it was the first of June. Oh, that's hot. Yeah, it was so unbelievably hot, and I'm from a hot area. Uh we uh we got down there 280 something feet below sea level, and uh we started back up the climb, and it was so hot that the gas boiled in the gas tank.

Ron 9:57

Oh man.

Speaker 1 9:59

And that old Gold Wing, she uh she vapor locked and quit. Really? She quit, and so I told her, I told my daughter, I said, we're gonna be here for 45 minutes or so. Let this thing cool off. And anyway, we got started back up and we went, we made our way to Furnace Creek, and my daughter was actually suffering, she was hot.

Ron 10:23

Well, I was thinking the same thing because I know what kind of wind protection that you got on a Goldwing, which you don't necessarily want in the heat, right?

Speaker 1 10:33

Yeah, but uh through that, so I had a vented jacket on, and she did also, and I told her, keep that jacket on.

Ron 10:41

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right, that's right.

Speaker 1 10:43

Keep that thing on. And we stopped in Furnace Creek and got some ice cream and cooled down. We went on, got some fuel, we went on to lone uh lone pine, California, couldn't find a room. We got something to eat, and we made it to Bishop, California and got a room. Um and Bishop is a really beautiful town if you get there. And uh we got a great room, we got up, took off, and uh one of our stops was Yosemite. Oh nice. So we went to Yosemite, and the point of this is is that one day we were 280 feet below sea level. The very next day, actually less than 24 hours, we were above 12,000 feet in Yosemite, and we were playing in the snow.

Ron 11:37

Oh man, I love it on the first of June.

Death Valley Heat And Yosemite Snow

Speaker 1 11:42

Yeah, and that was a pretty long day. We actually made it through Yosemite and we made it all the way across California to Oakland, California. We spent the night in Oakland, and then the next day we got up and we went into San Francisco, got another hotel room, and we decided to take a day off the bike. We went around San Francisco, went on Pier 49. We uh what'd we visit? The Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory. Oh, yes, yeah, we got some good chocolate there. Uh, and then the following day we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. We went up Highway 1 and went to Eureka. We went through the Redwoods. Oh yeah. If you get to the Redwoods, the Avenue of the Giants, you got to. It's just amazing. You go into that forest, and everything is so big that you feel yourself shrinking, and you realize how inadequate and small we are in the whole thing, you know. Anyway, that night we spent the night in Eureka, California, and the next night we turned back west. Uh we spent that night in Susanville, California. And I dropped my bike in a parking lot there with her on it.

Ron 13:13

Doesn't that seem to happen? I I I I have had the only time I've laid a bike over, which is only a few times, big bike, since I've been as an adult, I was stopped. Yeah. Thank goodness, but still just stopped. And it really felt like an idiot.

Speaker 1 13:34

Yeah, it was just one of those things. I just dropped it, and uh she just stepped off and she's like, Why'd you do that? And I said, Well, help me pick it up and we'll go on, you know. Um, but uh we went on across, we went through Reno and we went down highway 50 across Nevada. The loneliest highway in America.

Ron 14:03

Loneliest highway, yes, I've heard about that. You get a chance to ride it. How would you describe that? I mean, uh, it has that that that cool what do you call it, moniker or whatever, the loneliest highway. But is it because of the distance between towns or gas stations, or is it just real straight? Or how would you describe that?

Speaker 1 14:24

So, yeah, it's extremely straight, and it follows the Pony Express route through Nevada, so there's a lot of history there, and what that road does is it peaks in valleys, so you'll go through a valley that might be 30 or 40 miles long, and you'll go back up into a like a mountain range that's seven or eight thousand feet, and you'll get on the top of this mountain range and you'll see the other mountain range 30 or 40 miles away. Wow, and it does that all day long, about 300 miles. Wow. And you just she said, she literally said, My daughter, uh, she said she felt like she was in the twilight zone. She's like, We're never gonna get out of this. But we eventually did, and I remember it getting dark on us because we were going into Utah, and I told I told her, I said, kind of help me watch out for animals because we're out there. I mean, it's dark as dark before we got. I don't know where we stopped in Utah, and she's like, What? Do you think I can see an animal between my helmet and yours?

Ron 15:46

Yeah, good point.

Speaker 1 15:49

Good point. But we eventually made it back to Albuquerque and I got her dropped off. And uh when I dropped her off, and I spent the night there, she said, You're gonna miss the voice in my helmet or in your helmet, because she was my navigator. She would tell me to turn right or turn left, and a lot of times when she tell me to turn left, I would turn right, or vice versa. And she'd get all upset, and you're supposed to follow the navigator, and uh it was a lot of fun, and that's where that uh where that moniker came from, the voice in my helmet. And on the way back, it's a four-hour ride from her house to my house. Um, I did absolutely miss the voice in my helmet, and I still do.

Ron 16:39

So that was an amazing bonding opportunity with dad and daughter.

Speaker 1 16:45

Oh, you can't believe um the conversations we had, yeah. You know, just through that through that intercom and in the hotel rooms, and uh it was amazing, and it wouldn't have happened, probably I don't think it would have ever happened if it wasn't for a motorcycle.

Redwoods Awe And Highway 50 Solitude

Ron 17:04

Yeah. And John, that's what the pod this podcast is about. It it it really is. I mean, you just kind of hit on all of it, really. You know, I've described it any number of times, and I guess I describe it differently every time too. But the the whole piece thing of peace love moto is peace of mind that some of us who discovered motorcycling, that's what we find when we're out for a ride. And then the love piece I think is really significant. I almost didn't include that word in the podcast title because I thought it was a little too, I don't know, sappy or whatever. Right. But I I'm so glad I kept it. I really am because I'm I'm convinced too that with with that peace of mind that many of us like you and I can gain from the experience on the motorcycle, and the you know, you learn to love yourself to know that yeah, I gotta take care of myself and and for others, and then you you're more equipped to love other people. And that that's what I I'd love for hearing from you, John, right now is that you get all of that, and and I picked it up from your Instagram too, before we ever had a conversation. Just everything the um the sunrises and the sunsets and those uh what you say out there when you're on the road, when you've got your bike parked and you're just out on that dirt road and those various things that you say, it's just real, real positive. It's it's just a light in this old world that needs a whole lot more light. And and love and compassion for other people, a love for nature, a love for appreciation for those sunsets and those sunrises. And that's that's why I knew this was going to be a guy, you, that I needed to meet.

Speaker 1 18:57

Yeah, you're absolutely right, Ron. Um, I can't appreciate the peaceful times uh that I have, like you said, out there watching a sunset or a sunrise or out there on a bike, and just the appreciation I have, and I'm so thankful that at this age I can still get on a bike and go for a ride. I don't even think about it, I just hop on and go. And uh that can end in an instant. And I appreciate the moments that we continue to have, and I hope it lasts for many, many, many more years. You know, uh it's just it's just a great way to relax and to enjoy the life that we have.

Ron 19:43

That's it, man. And that I have a really, really close friend, probably my closest friend's name's Joe. We've known each other for 40 years, just about. And I knew he'd listen, but he got back with me and he'd he didn't address those complaints at all. Instead, he said, Aren't you grateful for this? Aren't you grateful for that? Aren't you grateful for that? And he'd list them, starting with my wife. You and I are on the same page there too, having spouses that that love us and care about us and what a gift that is. But um there it seems like there's there's not a there's not a whole lot of loud enough voices that reflect the fact of that those of us who have a hobby where that gets us outside, call it a hobby sport, whatever, um that it's really a good thing. And we're so darn lucky to be able to do it. Like you said, you know, and maybe you experience the same thing as I do. I've got so many friends and relatives for that matter with cancer uh uh that have uh are battling all sorts of stuff that is keeping them in the house practically all the time. And you and I can I I go have my cup of coffee and head out. And next thing you know, I'm a happy man. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 21:20

It's a yeah, you can take a 20-minute ride and just be like, it's great, I'm good.

Ron 21:26

That's it.

Speaker 1 21:26

I get it, yeah. I know it.

Ron 21:31

Well, well, John, I wanted to ask you too. I I mean, as we kind of begin to come full circle on this thing, what what drives you? I'll ask a little bit of a personal question. What what drives you to post such positive messages, personal messages, unscripted messages from the road as you do?

Why His Posts Are So Positive

Speaker 1 21:57

That's a good question, Ron. And a kind of a tough one. I think I just when I'm writing and I get this feeling like this is a great way to spend my time. This is a great life. I'm enjoying this. Um even on a road that I might have been on a thousand times, and I know that freaking road mile by mile. But I just think maybe I want to share that with somebody else. And I don't know how to convey those feelings. So a lot of times I'll just pull over at a white spot or something and I'll just say, hey, I hope you're having a great day. I'm out here riding this, I'm enjoying my life. I hope you are too. Uh and I don't know honestly how to convey the feelings I have when I'm riding down the road, uh, but they're positive and they take my worries away. And uh if I could share that with just one person, maybe brighten their day, yes, I'll pull over and do it.

Ron 22:58

Absolutely. You have brightened mine. You most Ron. And I'm just so glad we found each other on through Instagram. And I want to encourage or encourage our listeners too, that um I think everybody could use, especially these days with so much chaos in the world and so much negativity. You need a bright spot. And and uh the voice in my helmet is a bright spot, hosted by my friend John here. And uh I would encourage everybody to go and check it out, follow it, and um you're gonna come away with a smile. I have, and uh, I just can't thank you enough for being the the guy that you are and a motorcycle buddy that I'm gonna connect up with you sooner than later. I don't know when, but we're not that far away, and uh I can get down your way. Or if you want to come up my way, I'd love to have you. Love to have you.

Speaker 1 23:55

I love riding in Colorado, Silverton. My wife and I uh honeymooned in Silverton, and we've been up there several times on the bike, you know, the million-dollar highway, all that business. Absolutely beautiful ride.

Peace Love Moto And Everyday Gratitude

Ron 24:09

It is, it is. I just love that whole vibe. Uh, my I think the neatest experience I had in Silverton was spending the night. So, my wife and I, this was several years ago, but we took the Durango to Silverton train, which for those who don't know, is uh 1800s vintage steam train, and the route that it takes between the town of Durango and then up to Silverton is one of the most beautiful train stretches in the world, I'd say it really is. So we we got the particular package, I don't remember how it worked out, where you board the train in Durango, you ride it all the way to Silverton, and then you spend the night. I I can't remember the name of the hotel that we stayed in, though. But it was the coolest thing when the last train of the day left, and we're just literally walking down the middle of the street, right? And it's just like the 1800s again.

Speaker 1 25:07

It really is. Yeah, it really is. That's a wonderful part of the country to visit, and beautiful motorcycle roads, they they maintain them well too. The last time I was up there, the pavement and everything was in good shape, it's easy to ride and gorgeous, just gorgeous. But uh I love Colorado, I love riding up there, and the last time, well, one of the times we rode another one of those uh steam trains from Antonito, Colorado down to Chama, New Mexico.

Ron 25:41

Oh, I haven't heard of that one, yes, and Toltec.

Speaker 1 25:44

Yeah, Cumbers and Toltec Railroad, and uh it's about four or five hours, but uh it's also a beautiful ride and well worth it to go on that.

Ron 25:53

Yeah, um, but I used to I used to work with quite a number of people um that live in the east coast, uh up in New York and and kind of up in there, and um still keep in touch with quite a number of them, and any number of them have said that, oh, I would love to see the West on a motorcycle, those mountain states, you know, where you are, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana. Uh it's just they're just gonna have to see it.

Speaker 1 26:23

Yeah, you cannot describe it enough.

Ron 26:26

That's it.

Speaker 1 26:27

It's gotta be experienced. Uh one ride I went on when I early on when I got this goal wing, I told my wife, I said, it was summertime, I think. Uh, I said, I gotta get out of this heat. I'm gonna go to Colorado for the weekend. And seven or eight days I came back from Yellowstone, and uh it was I was just I just had to keep going. And I ended up in Yellowstone, and I came back through Idaho and Colorado and all that. And uh, but my wife, the woman that she is, she said when I got home, she said, I hope you had a wonderful ride. I'm glad to see you. And uh, she wasn't mad, she wasn't, you know. But I gotta I gotta respect her for that. She uh a lot of times she'll tell me you need to go on a motorcycle ride. And I'll go for a weekend or a week, you know. And that's oh that's uh that's a tribute to her. She knows she knows me. And sometimes she does ride with me, sometimes she's on the back. And we always have a good time.

Trains, Colorado Rides, And The West

Ron 27:29

Oh, that's that's wonderful. You're very blessed, John. And uh, so's your wife. You're a good man, you're a very good man. And I again, you know, as as we close up, I I just uh I appreciate you accepting my invitation to be on the the podcast. I just knew I wanted to talk with you, and after we talked on the phone, especially, I want the whole world to hear you. Thanks, Ron. I appreciate that. Because we we uh we have a brotherhood and a sisterhood among motorcycle riders, and like I said, uh there's a whole lot of people in here need to hear a positive voice out there, and you've been one. So I want to thank you very much.

Speaker 1 28:07

Thank you, Ron. You have also. I appreciate this invitation.

Ron 28:11

You bet, you bet. Have a good one. I am going to stop the recording.