For a prospective rider...

I have a friend here at work, who seems to be wrestling with the demons of riding. He has professed an interest in the two-wheeled fraternity, it's true. Has even gone down the road to at least one Montreal Motorcycle Exhibition (Le Salon de la Moto). He seems to be showing all the classic signs of early murder-sickle affliction syndrome, or EMAS. Hey, why not? Everyone else has some lame-ass acronym for their completely made up and make-believe affliction...

But I digress here. This is no mere fabrication of which I speak. This here 'call of the wild' can become a true, debilitating disease, if not treated early and appropriately. The call to ride itself, is a wonderful thing. That haunting, siren song of The Road. It's all the unanswered questions and uncertainties that come along with it, that can drive a person to madness. "What course should I take?" "What's the difference between them?" "How big a bike should I get for my first one?" "What type of bike should I look at?" "What kind of accessories should I consider?" "Can I even really learn how to ride?" "What type of gear should I wear?" "What type is best? Most comfortable? Safest? Less expensive?" Really... the questions can be endless.

I suppose over the years, I have been responsible for a good many people 'discovering the rider in themselves'. It's not something I actually try to do, but it just seems that if I'm amongst a group of people and the talk turns to bikes and riding, it's easy for me to relate the genuine pleasure that this unique activity brings me. To describe the thrill of discovering new roads and living new adventures. To me, talking in glowing terms about riding in general or a favorite road in particular, is something that just occurs naturally. It's not something that you have to sell very hard either. And in so doing, I have introduced many people to the world of riding. In these conversations, it always seems to be the same questions which surface.

So what are some answers to these questions?

- "What course should I take?"

There are many, many individuals who have gotten into the motorcycle training business. I am not going to question their motivation or their passion for riding. All I will say that "good intentions do not necessarily make good instructors". It is unfortunate to say, but my better half found this out the hard way and has since been pretty much turned off learning how to ride.

My personal suggestion would be a certified training establishment, such as the Ottawa Safety Council, who offer the definitive Motorcycle Rider Course. This course is certified by the Canada Safety Council and is modeled on the American MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course.

http://www.ottawamotorcycle.ca/

Their instructors are top notch, as are their instructional techniques. These are the people we had in mind, when we spent years lobbying to have these courses made mandatory across the country.

- "What's the difference between them?"

You can go with the lowest priced course, but in return you can expect some sheep-shagger training techniques, complete with having someone push you around on an unpowered motorcycle. As with any other course out there, the choice is yours. Just remember that this training is designed to teach you what you need to help you survive the first couple of years as a new rider. It's serious stuff...

- "How big a bike should I get for my first one?"

This is a very good question. Many people will advise you to go small at first, until you've mastered the mechanics of riding. Then, when you feel a little more comfortable and confident with your abilities, you can think of going to a larger displacement bike. The one thing to keep in mind, is that first and foremost, you bike should fit you. By this I mean if you happen to measure 6 feet and weigh in at 200lbs, a Honda 250 Rebel is probably not the ideal first bike for you.

http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2008models/2008-Honda-Rebel250-CMX250Cb.jpg

Let's face it, you don't want kids pointing their fingers at you as they pass by in their parents' car, yelling: "Look Mom... a circus bear!!" Conversely, if you happen to measure 4 feet 5 inches, a 2300cc Triumph Rocket Three is probably NOT the ideal first bike for you.

http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2008models/2008-Triumph-Rocket3-RocketIIIa.jpg

A Suzuki Hayabusa or any other bike that is capable of attaining Mach speed, is not an ideal first bike for ANY rider. These are serious, serious machines which are capable of some high performance envelopes. A stock 'Busa right out of the crate, with no massaging, will turn out an honest 200MPH.

http://wonder2thunder.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/hayabusa_motoby.jpg

They are meant for more experienced riders, though all too often end up in the hands of wide-eyed neophytes, thanks to some unscrupulous dealer. Soon thereafter, far too many of these youngsters end up making the headlines of their local papers.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/3038267013_f389104ea0.jpg?v=0

As an individual begins making the rounds of dealers, he/she should sit on any bike which catches their fancy. Sit on bikes that don't even interest you. Just to get a feel for what fits and what doesn't. Notice the ergonomics of the bike's design. Can you reach and operate all of the controls easily? Are they well laid-out? How do your feet and legs feel on the footpegs or floorboards? Will they cramp up after a couple of hours? Do you have to reach forward to grasp the handlebars? What kind of strain does that put on your back? Your shoulders? How does the seat feel? Does it offer the proper amount of comfort and support? Most importantly, do you feel comfortable sitting there? Can you see yourself hurtling down the road on that critter?

Once you find a model or type that fits you, you will know instinctively. It'll feel like putting on your favorite jeans, after they've just come out of the dryer. From that point on, you can begin thinking about the displacement of the engine.

- "What type of bike should I look at?"

Unless you have a specific type in mind right off the bat, look at everything there is out there. You will probably be surprised at the number of brands, makes and models that are available. There are sportbikes, cafe racers, cruisers, tourers, sport-touring models, naked bikes and "maybe-you-oughtta-keep-that-on-a-track" bikes. One factor that will inevitably end up influencing your choice, is the simple question: "What type of riding do you intend to do?" Sound silly? "How many types of riding can there be?", you might ask. Okay... Let's have a look.

- Are you going to be riding on weekends only?

- Are you all about the speed?

- Do you prefer a more laid-back type of cruising?

- Are you going to use your bike for commuting to and from work?

- Are you going to use your bike for long-distance touring?

- Are you going to be riding strictly solo, or are you planning eventually to ride 2-up?

- Are you going to be doing more city riding than open road?

- Are you just going to take your bike down to a local hang-out and then back home? ***

All these different riding styles cannot help but influence your final decision. It is possible to find a bike that will do all of these relatively well, but there are trade-offs. City riding is best accomplished with a smaller, lighter bike. Large cruisers and touring bikes can handle city riding, but tend to be heavier and a little more unwieldy for slow speed manoeuvres. Heavy city riding (beaucoup idling and stop-and-go traffic) would also make you lean towards a liquid-cooled bike, rather than an air-cooled model. For better fuel conservation and smoothness of operation, a fuel-injected model would get the nod over a carburetted model. Carbs are also affected by high elevations (Blue Ridge Parkway, Denver, CO), temperatures and humidity levels, whereas fuel-injected models are not.

If you're a fair-sized lad and want to go on a one-week tour with your GF in tow, that little 750cc will be screaming enough to make your ears bleed, as you go on a long uphill grade. You're gonna need something with a little more 'oomph' to it. If you're looking at touring, you're going to be looking at a larger bike. A cruiser, a full-on touring bike or perhaps a sport-tourer. These provide more comfort and adequate power for 2-up touring. Ask the dealer about such items as saddlebags, windshields and luggage racks, to see what is inclusive with a particular model. Suzuki and Kawasaki do very well in this department.

*** If you're simply looking to buy a bike so you can hang with your buddies at the local tavern or doughnut shop, they'll tell you what type of bike to get so you can fit in... Better still, I say save your money, don't buy a bike. Just keep buying the Harley t-shirts and when you go down there, you can tell 'em that your Harley's still in the shop. They'll understand...

- "What kind of accessories should I consider?"

Again, this depends on many things. Myself I had a backrest and saddlebags added before I even picked the bike up from the dealer. Then again, I pretty much know that for the type of riding that I like doing, I couldn't live without them. Even if I'm not riding 2-up, that backrest serves as a great anchoring point for all kinds of extra storage pieces. A must-have for long rides. If you're going to be carrying anything more than just your wallet when you're riding, you'll probably want some type of storage system on your bike. I see a lot of young fellows riding around with backpacks on (ICON makes some very good models...) and if that works for you, so much the better.

http://www.ridersdiscount.com/channel-images/90/9088/320x320-FULL.jpg

Me? I'd rather have no load on my back. I find it interferes with my freedom of motion and if it's hot? Who needs that... There are also tank bags which are available in a cornucopia of sizes, colours and styles.

http://www.zx-6r.com/my-zx-6r/tankbag-1.jpg

http://assets0.rapidracer.com/images/P/SKU1319_1_lg.gif

There are those who may want to appear 'hardcore' (whatever their definition of that might happen to be...), or who have never stopped a junebug with their forehead (it feels about the same as being shot with a .32), who will insist that a windshield is 'un-manly'. These are also the types who normally never leave the confines of the city. See the reference to the doughnut-tavern crowd... A windshield not only offers protection from road debris and the elements (yes, for those of us who ride when it's not sunny outside...), it can also prevent you from ingesting a stinging insect. Laugh if you will, but there are legions of riders who have died from swallowing a bee or a wasp. One sting can lead to your throat (trachea) swelling shut. If there is nobody on the scene that can perform an emergency tracheotomy in time, you're pretty much done. That ain't how I plan to go out...

As for any other accessories which might improve the performance or comfort of your bike, a good rule of thumb is to ride it for a year first. At the very least, a couple of months. By then you will have a pretty good idea of what, if anything, you would like to see changed on your ride. Remember that grips and pegs can be changed. Extensions are available for your footpeg positions, your handlebars can be raised or lowered by adding custom risers and your seat as well as your suspension, can be changed to alter your riding position or the feel of the ride itself. As for the aesthetics of your bike, those changes that render your bike your own and separate it from the rest of the herd, that is between you and your bike. But be forewarned... once you start, it's pretty hard to know when to put a halt to it... :) That's all part of the wonderful disease that is riding.

- "Can I even really learn how to ride?"

This single question has probably held back more would-be riders than any other. Notably when we're talking about women. If you ever owned or rode a bicycle when you were a kid, you can no doubt remember how cool it felt whe you mastered the mechanics of remaining upright. How surprised you were to discover that as long as the bike was moving forward, it would remain upright of it's own accord. Well, riding a motorcycle is exactly the same. It is just that easy. The only difference here, is that there is no pedaling. Instead, you simply twist the throttle. How friggin' hard is that? Remember what it was like to lean a bicycle into a corner? Well, it's exactly the same on a motorcycle.

For those who might never have ridden a bicycle at any time in their lives, first of all, welcome to Canada. Secondly, it is so easy that children can (and do...) do it. Trust me, you'll be fine. The biggest stumbling block to learning how to ride, is the refusal to believe how easy it actually is.

- "What type of gear should I wear?"

That question was seldom heard back when I was learning to ride. Truth was, there were only so many choices. You had leather, you had denim, or you had a combination of either. The leather was black and the denim was blue. Every now and then some individual would show up wearing a buckskin jacket (just like Billy - Denis Hopper in the cult-favorite "Easy Rider"...), but that was pretty much what you had to choose from. I vividly remember how Brian Powers ('Snoopy') of the Montreal chapter of Satan's Choice, wore his colours on a buckskin vest, complete with fringes and conchos. He always was a class act... may he rest in peace.

Nowadays, there is leather, faux-leather, ballistic nylon, kevlar and Gawd only knows what else. The colours available span every known hue of the rainbow. But basically, there are 2 well established camps. The Traditionalists and the Progressives, for lack of any better terms. The traditionalists believe in the wearing of dead cows exclusively. They have their own reasons for this and I'm not about to embark on any explanation. I will admit to wearing leather for a good number of years. I will also qualify that by stating that there was nothing better available at the time.

The Progressives are those riders (and not always young folks...) who are up to speed on the advances in riding apparel. They have discovered a wide range of light, comfortable and weatherproof clothes to make their riding experience more enjoyable. The synthetics are very big with those who prefer long-distance touring, due to all the benefits they provide. They come complete with CE armor at critical areas and provide superlative protection while still allowing comfort and mobility.

Leather is strong, has good abrasion resistance, it's comfy, it smells good, it has style and it creaks. It is also heavy, heavier still and cold when it's wet and hotter than Hell when the sun is beating down. In ideal weather, I have no qualms about wearing a leather jacket and/or a good set of chaps. Notably when riding a highway or interstate. Many citizens look at those wearing leather, as an outward sign of being 'tough'. If only they knew. We wear leather as a sign of admission that we're not really that tough, compared to that asphalt we might find ourselves sliding along. The leather has never been there to intimidate, it's always been there to protect us. But of course, non-riders wouldn't get that...

In extreme weather (hot or cold) conditions and rain, I would not consider wearing anything other than synthetics. Period.

Reasons: Synthetics are lighter, stronger, have a stronger abrasion resistance factor, are weatherproof, vented and offer excellent insulating properties. And yet, they are priced for the most part, cheaper than leather. Still, there are many, many people out there who are convinced that riding has become more about fashion, than actually riding. I fortunately am not one of these folks. Whatever you decide to wear, is your own prerogative. You'll also find a complete array of heated garments. Pants, jackets, gloves, socks, vests, whatever you want kept toasty warm, there's something that'll do that for you.

So what is the 'best'? That's simple... whatever works for you. Whatever your budget can afford, whatever your ego needs, whatever you deem fit to use, it's all out there for you. Here again, it's a matter of exercising your own judgement, of suiting your own tastes. There is no 'uniform' that you have to wear to fit in. Well... unless you happen to ride a certain Milwaukee-built motorcycle... :)

Bike dealers are greedy...

I recently went on a tirade against motorcycle dealers, some in specific and others in general, for being a bunch of greedy, greedy bastards. Just to prove a point, I recently bought a single pair of brake pads (EBC, HH-rated, sintered metal) for my bike. I bought them from my local Powersports dealer right here in Ottawa. I paid $61.01 for them. For one set!! Christ on a stick!! Having worked in the industry back in Nova Scotia, I know that the drill is: you take an item from the crate, you mark it up by 70% and you put it on the shelf. That was a few years ago now (9 to be precise...), so in the meantime the mark-up could only have increased. It never goes down...
I have just ordered online from one of my favorite suppliers, a company called Xtreme Revolution in California, 3 sets of these very same brake pads, for the price of $32.31 (US) each. With a conversion rate of $1.14 CAD per US dollar, it works out to a grand total of $96.93 (US), or $123.31 CAD. That's including shipping and handling as well mind you, which was an additional $11.81 (US). Had I bought all 3 of them here in Ottawa, it would have cost me $187.20.

http://www.xtremerevolution.com/
So... that first pair that I bought from my local 'stealer'? They're going right the Hell back in a big, big hurry. Okay, so the ones I ordered have to be ground-shipped across terra firma via UPS and take all of 10 days or so to reach Ogdensburg, NY. Big deal... I ain't in no hurry. I got at the very least a couple more weeks of wear left in the present brake pads.
So, if I say that we have been taking it in the neck when we endeavour to support our local businesses here at home, you can understand where I'm coming from and know that contrary to what these snake-oil salesmen might swear to you, I'm definitely NOT making this shit up.

Still not convinced? Take a scroll through any motorcycle dealer site in the U.S. Pick any make and model you want. Compare their MSRP to their counterparts' here in Canada. Add on freight, PDI and dealer prep charges. Don't bother adding taxes, the dealerships have no control over that. That's the feds and the provinces. Then tell me what you think...

A really short weekend...

Well as promised, the rain showed up on Saturday and pretty much trashed a bunch of stuff I or we could have done. Still, I did manage to get Baby's oil and filter changed on Saturday, as well as service the K&N air filter so she can breathe properly. Outside, it rained like there was no tomorrow. Sunday we did some small jobs on the house and went for a drive out Plantagenet way, to view some prospective properties.

I took a short ride out Cumberland way on Sunday morning (0715). It was perfect. No traffic, no hassles. I did a loop out to Dunning Road, down to Old Montreal Road and then out to Tim's in Rockland. One small coffee later and I was on my way back, content that the new oil had now been circulated to all the moving parts. Later that afternoon, as we returned from our property visits, I once more took Baby out for a cruise along the backroads to the Powersports dealership off of Hunt Club. I picked up one set of EBC (HH) brake pads, for the princely sum of $62.00. It takes three sets to do a complete change-up on Baby. Jesus wept... I made a mental note to find a cheaper source stateside, who could deliver them free to my UPS Store in Ogdensburg, NY.

I spied some heavy clouds and rain walls approaching the dealership parking lot, as I stepped back ouitside the store. I had seen them on the way in, as I approached the airport along the Rideau River Road. The long tendrils of rain couldn't have been any more than 2 minutes behind me, by the time I finally caught the light at the corner of Laser and Hunt Club. I veered left and booked it, leaving the nasty wet stuff behind. I had thought of retracing my meandering steps through the country, but decided that a quick and straight getaway would be more appropriate in this case.

I kept checking the skies around me, noticing isolated rain clouds here and there, tracking along with me. Paralleling my course, it seemed. I stayed on Hunt Club until it intersected Hawthorne Road, where I again veered left, headed down to Walkley. At Walkley I hung a right, arcing over the 417 and heading out to the country. I wanted to stay away from Innes Road for the time being, as weekends are always hellish for traffic, due to the shoppers and other mall-crawlers that choke up the major thoroughfares.

In very little time, I was turning onto the Anderson Road. I took the right hand turn at the end, leading me to the zig-zag path to Renaud and finally, Mer Bleue. Through it all, the rain clouds were alternately following, then closing in on me. It was nip and tuck but by the time I finally had to turn onto Innes Road, I could plainly see that the storm clouds were tracking East along the other side of the river. On the Gatineau side... I had dodged the bullet once more. After cleaning the bugs off Baby (which I do immediately after every ride, for those who want to know...), I had a little rest until we decided that perhaps a movie would be a good thing.

We headed out to see the 1920hrs showing of 'Public Enemies' featuring Johnny Depp, one of my favorite actors I have to say. The movie was quite good but by the time we made it back home again, I was more than ready to call it a day. We hopped into bed and chilled while watching some comedy program. I think we both kept fading in and out and eventually, it was lights out. For some reason, the weekend had really felt short.

So how sick are fundamentalists...

This little news item was taken from the CNN website, just minutes ago.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- A top Taliban leader in Pakistan is buying and selling children for suicide bombings, Pakistani and U.S. officials said.

Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud has been increasingly using the children in attacks, the officials said. A video released by Pakistan's military shows the children training for the task. In the video of a training camp, children can be seen going through exercises.

Mehsud has been selling the children, once trained, to other Taliban officials for $6,000 to $12,000, Pakistani military officials said. Some of the children are as young as 11, the officials said.

"He has been admitting he holds a training center for young boys, for preparing them for suicide bombing. So he is on record saying all this, accepting these crimes," said Major General Akhtar Abbas, spokesman for the Pakistani army.
The young suicide bombers may be able to reach targets unnoticed, the military said. "If he is approaching on foot, there is a possibility he will bypass security," Abbas said. "In certain areas, there is a possibility in the population centers everyone can not be checked physically, so he can create havoc there."

Pakistan has launched an offensive against the Taliban, started in the Swat region of the North West Frontier Province. The Taliban have countered with a spate of suicide bombings, including a July 2 attack in Rawalpindi, in which a suicide bomber on a motorcycle struck a Pakistani Defense Ministry bus. At least one person was killed and 29 others were wounded.

Pakistan's army said it is hunting Mehsud in the hopes that the supply of suicide bombers will dry up after the Taliban leader is captured.

Meanwhile, a suspected U.S. drone attack killed at least 12 people and wounded five others in northwest Pakistan Tuesday, Pakistani officials said.

The missile strikes in South Waziristan targeted a suspected Taliban hideout at a madrassa, or Muslim school, in Zangarah, according to intelligence officials.

The attack near the border with Afghanistan involved a pair of missiles shot from an unmanned drone, local resident Janbaz Mehsud told CNN. He said all the dead and wounded were Taliban.

A local government official, who asked not to be named, said the madrassa was a training center for the Taliban and belongs to Baitullah Mehsud. That official put the death toll at 14, but said the number of dead could rise.

The U.S. military routinely offers no comment on reported drone attacks. However, the United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the ability to launch missiles from drones, which are controlled remotely.

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How it is possible for these lunatics to continue to enjoy the support of any of the local Pakistani populace, is beyond the grasp of my understanding as a human being. This is certainly a part of our world that merits to be 'sanitized', in the most extreme meaning that word can possibly possess.

Not bad for a Thursday...

Had an interesting start to the day, this morning. I was heading in along Innes Road when some young fella in a dark green, late model Chevy pick-up, decided he was gonna cut me off. He didn't signal his lane change, he didn't even look... Now, anyone who rides knows that these instances occur on a daily basis. I was able to avoid him but that of course is not the point.

The last time some asshole did that, I wound up being reconstructed in the Ottawa General Hospital. Had he cut me off inadvertently and actually showed some sign of embarassment or regret, I might have been able to let it slide and chalk it up to an experience lesson for him. No way... We locked eyes in his rear view mirror after I had used my horn and illuminated him with my passing lamps. The look I got back was nothing short of a smirk. A real: "Fuck you... what you gonna do?" look. That pretty much settled it.

He then proceded to lane hop back into the right-hand lane, no look, no signal, almost clipping a smaller car that had decided to head there as well. By this time, I had committed his plate to memory. I was not going to let this little bastard get away with this. We hit the lights at the intersection of Innes Road and the turnoff for Blackburn Hamlet. I pulled even with him and and called him out. "I'm fixin' to report you ass, little boy! You done fucked with the wrong man this time!" "Wh-what??", he asked lamely. The light changed and he sped off, 'bravely' waving his middle finger at me. I'd like to say that that motion sealed his fate right there, but I had decided some time back that he was gonna pay.

He rolled up his window as I passed him, but I was done with him. He wasn't going to overtake my morning ride in. I had all the info on him that I needed to report him to the authorities. I enjoyed the rest of the ride in, chuckling at the thought of his surprise upon receiving the summons for a court appearance in the mail. Upon arriving at work, I phoned the incident in to Ottawa's finest in, providing the Call Centre agent with all the information she could possibly need. Vehicle description, Ontario truck plate (900 7VT), driver description, time of day, location, direction of travel, my particulars, etc... I will definitely attend a court hearing, if it is required of me. I might even sue for my day's wages to attend the hearing...

We all suffer moments of inattention in traffic. I am no exception. But not when conducting a manoeuvre like changing lanes, merging or overtaking. If we do something stupid, it is only expected that we make the other driver realize that it was not done intentionally. The type of arrogance and foolhardiness displayed by this young boy, is something that should be greeted with an absolute zero tolerance. I for one have had enough of it...

Work itself? Wonderful as usual. Good people around me, weather getting warmer all the time, sunshine... How could the day not be a good one. And hey, I get to ride home when I'm off too. Now... if there was only some way I could avoid all those young assholes...

Daddy won't sell the Farm...

For as much as I was born and raised in a large, metropolitain city (Montreal), I do not think of myself as being 'citified'. I don't feel comfortable or at ease in a large urban centre. Never have, never will. They're alright to visit every now and again, but I don't like the thought of living there. I much prefer a small town or hamlet. I prefer country air to city air, hands down. Ocean air is the absolute best...

I'm not a big fan of urbanization on a large scale, as is evident everywhere you look here in Ottawa and it's surrounding areas. No place is safe from the developers' reach. What used to be verdant farmland only a couple of years ago in Cumberland, Rockland, Kanata and all points of the compass, has now been bulldozed under and has multiple sub-divisions sprouting from it, complete with those shoulder-to-shoulder, cookie-cutter homes.

It's a sad thing, to my mind. So this one particular song by Montgomery Gentry, hit home with me. I can remember living 3 or 4 years on a farm in Quebec's Eastern Townships, during my younger days. At age 10 I was not only driving an old Ford tractor along the side of a country road, I was also swinging a Homelite chain saw out in the bush. We worked the land, cutting fields, fanning, bailing and stacking hay. We felled trees and barked as well as corded the wood.

We fed and milked and herded the cows, slopped the pigs and cleaned their sties. We stoked the fires for the boiler that would render gallons of the purest, sweetest maple syrup you have ever tasted. We learned very early in life, that work was required of you if things were to go as they should. We learned that we all had chores and responsibilities to tend to and developed a healthy work ethic. It was simply how things got done...

Artist: Montgomery Gentry
Song: Daddy Won't Sell the Farm.
Album: Tattoos & Scars


His cows get loose and run right thru the fast food parking lots
And Daddy gets calls from the mini-malls
when they're downwind from his hogs.
When his tractor backs up traffic, the reception ain't too warm.
The city's growing around him, but Daddy won't sell the farm.

You can't roll a rock, up a hill that steep.
You can't pull roots when they run that deep.
He's gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm.
Daddy won't sell the farm.

He worked and slaved in '68, he bought these fields and trees.
He raised his corn and a big red barn and a healthy family.
He learned to love the woodlands, he can't stand to do them harm.
There's concrete all around him, but Daddy won't sell the farm.

You can't roll a rock, up a hill that steep.
You can't pull roots when they run that deep.
He's gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm.
Daddy won't sell the farm.

One day he's gonna leave it all to me
and I'll start my own branch of the family tree.
They'll get the message written on the roof of the barn,
Daddy won't sell the farm.

You can't roll a rock, up a hill that steep.
You can't pull roots when they run that deep.
He's gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm.
Daddy won't sell the farm.

We're gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm.
Daddy won't sell the farm.
Oh you know a country boy can survive...

How can you define "Wanderlust"...?

Wanderlust is described as a loanword from German to English that designates a strong desire for or impulse to wander, or, in modern usage, to travel and to explore the world.

Etymology.

The word came into English in 1875 or 1902 (what's a 27-year disparity between friends?) as a reflection of what was then seen as a characteristically German predilection for wandering that may be traced back to German romanticism and the German system of apprenticeship.

The term forms from the German words wandern (to hike) and Lust (desire). The term wandern is frequently misused as a false cognate, it in fact does not mean "to wander", but rather "to hike". Placing the two words together translates to "to enjoy hiking", although is commonly described as an enjoyment of strolling or wandering.

In German the term has become somewhat obsolete. A more contemporary equivalent for the English wanderlust in the sense of "love of travel" would be Fernweh (literally "an ache for the distance").

The initial of the term is always capitalized in German ("Wanderlust") but usually written in lower case in English ("wanderlust").

*******************************************

So yes, I have recently been looking up the definition of the term 'wanderlust'. I have to admit that the results have been less than stellar. I mean, yes I can find the literary meaning of the word and even the etymology, but it just doesn't seem sufficient.

How can such sparse, clinical and uninspired descriptions possibly capture the realities and the effects of the condition itself? Or maybe it's me...

Maybe what I'm really looking for is something that would describe the wondrous experiences of giving in to this wanderlust. Yeah... Maybe that's it. And in this case, I would have to agree with the more contemporary interpretation of "Fernweh". Because God knows that I do sometimes get this "ache for the distance".