the bliss and the blasphemy

The road is never ending. Even if your life is still and your head sleeps against the same pillow every night, your life is constantly in motion heading down the road. You won't see everything you want to see. You won't go everywhere you want to go. You won't always be able to share the experience with everyone you want to. You can whine about it, or enjoy the ride.

I haven't been on my motorcycle for almost three weeks, but my journey didn't end when I got off the pony. I am still out here, rolling away the countless miles and hours. I didn't plan for this trip, but here I am - on the trip. No amount of preplanning can ever really prepare you for a trip. The only reward you get for a job well done is the knowledge that you get to keep on traveling. There are no souvenirs, no scars, and no consequences here, just stories. The road just keeps rolling itself out in front of you.

Two years. Two full long years of my life have gone into this experience. It started with just simple posts filled with outrageous amounts of misspellings, grammatical errors and basic dullness. But it grew and the reading became more and more tolerable. The Danists were few back then, but they were mighty and they kept me involved. If they wanted to read it, then it couldn't be all bad. The readers, it would seem, became the nurturing parent and the writer the needy child. This was enough to feed my ego and it became an addiction. As the Danist nation grew, so did my ego and the addiction. And like all addictions, there was a catch - obligation. I began to feel obligated to the Danist nation to keep this blog going. No matter what. If I was sick, so what. If I was in a foreign country, so what. If I was kidnapped and being held in a computer-free area, so what. Keep the posts comin'! If just a few days went by without a post, I received endless emails, and not "are you okay" emails. Oh no, these were, "Okay, lazy asshole, where is the post?!" emails. Earlier this year I had to step back for a few weeks to deal with an odd health issue that crippled my hands and my brain and instead of concern for my wellbeing, the Danist nation grew impatient and unruly. As a last resort, I called in surrogates and that only enraged them further. It seems that Danists like there Daily-Dan and not a knock-off. I think I got better faster just to appease the Danist nation. You can view this as both a good and bad thing. (I liked the surrogate posts)

I have done. I did it. I am done. It's time for me to move on to other things, which is a nice way of saying that if I am going to spend four or five hours a day writing then I need to get paid for it. I appreciate those of you who stepped up and aided me in my time of financial need and almost convinced me to stay on, but it was asking a lot to beg for the money, I doubt that I can demand money. I can't begin to imagine what that obligation would feel like.

However, to those of you that did pony up when I cried out, I will figure out a way to repay you. For those of you that didn't - get stuffed. Your inability to step up when called upon should show you something about yourself and your relationship to the world around you. For those of you that only use this blog to "keep up with Daniel" in lieu of actually contacting me; I guess this means you'll have to overcome some laziness issues and write me. (stamped mail only - I won't open your emails)

To all of you - the readers, the fans, the Danists, the involved - I do not wish to say goodbye to you. I think I would rather take this chance to say, "Thank you". Thank you for things that I can not express in words. A thanks that is grander in sentiment than you will ever know. This has been a labor of love for me and your involvement, your patience, your tolerance and your sense of humor have sustained me through all of the travel, the addictions, the moves, the lessons, the health issues, and the self-righteousness. No matter what I write in the future or for whom or where, I doubt that I will ever have an audience so greatly assembled and loved.

Before I left for the Invasion of America trip, I wrote a note that was to be published in case of my death. I think it says a lot.

---------

I love you all and continue to do so in many ways that most of you will never truly comprehend. Who I am and what I am will differ for each of you, as this is a truth for all people, so please do not waste your time trying to explain or justify what has passed. I hope that you will take with you the knowledge that this time we spent together has been the greatest honor of my life. It has been my pleasure to have known you and to have been a part of your life.

However things work out, I hope that you see that nothing is ever truly over. If I leave any sort of legacy with you, I hope it is this: I hope that all of you seek out your dreams and live them to within an inch of your own life, for only then will you realize what life is really meant to be. I wish for you only the best that life can be.

"If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." - Thoreau

Whenever imagination becomes reality, I am there in spirit.

Yours,
Daniel Rock

invasion of america - the images....4 of 4

These are the forgotten about - confused little photos that made the cut at the last minute. They are in no particular order on this post. I stopped taking photos on the trip after I made it to Reno. I took over 900 photos total for the trip, but I didn't take photos of the Pentagon, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Deleware, Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, Idaho, Oregon or Minnesota. So enjoy what I have left. If I can find some other worthy shots, I will put them up.

Final post coming in a few days.


Fighting Irish. These are some of the Rennies that didn't want to kiss me. In the background are two very short women that were also fighting. I was pulling for them. REN FEST, KANSAS CITY, KANSAS









Another view of that Kansas Sunset. Hmmmmmm...... KANSAS












Another view from the tower in Kansas. KANSAS












Another view of Penguin Park. Along with the large Penguin there is also an Elephant. MISSOURI
















My house as a teenager. That window just behind the tree was my room. That garage door was my relentless and undefeated Tennis partner... Cause I had no friends. KANSAS










A field. MISSOURI... I think.













Another shot of the cancer bags. I think I posted it already. DC












I thought this was funny. A memorial for Pluto after it was taken off the "real" planets list. SMITHSONIAN, DC
















Oh that sunset. That's the Lincoln Memorial just past the Forrest Gump reflection pond which is just past the foolish looking WWII memorial. DC










Anther view of the torn metal. NEW JERSEY













That funky statue of death in New Jersey. NEW JERSEY.

















My travel companion in New York, Joshua Sankey. This is his moment in Times Square. NYC











The rural New York countryside. Yeah, it looked like this for two full days of riding. I would still be there if I could. It was that perfect. UP STATE NEW YORK










Another perfect view in Upstate New York. NEW YORK












The Sun setting over Lake Superior. MICHIGAN













The Missouri river. I camped at Fort Mandan in North Dakota. This is where Custer spent the last few years of his life. NORTH DAKOTA











Dusk on the Missouri River. I camped twenty yards from this spot. NORTH DAKOTA













First night of camping. The pony at rest. NORTH DAKOTA

















Lolo Pass with a smoke film covering everything. IDAHO












Day one's view when everything looked like food. MOUNTAIN PASS, WASHINGTON












The fire line. This is how close the fire came to the Ponderosa. WASHINGTON












Patricia Winden, Body Tech Bad Ass. SALT LAKE, UTAH












The center stone that is the heart of the Mormon existence. Kill this rock and they all die. Patricia was using it as an ashtray. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH










Foolishly trying to take a night time photo of the brutal rain storm. Idiot me. Classy joint, eh? UTAH











The rocks of Moab. They look like raw meat in a good photo or in person. MOAB, UTAH












Little Miss Lacey, Tattoo Specialist- Bad Ass. All women should be so cute. LUBBOCK, TEXAS












The same chain link fence memorial that has been up since the Oklahome bombing. Those are the same trinkets and photos. OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA










The side view of the lighted chairs in Oklahoma. OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

Okay. That's it. That's all. I shall answer any questions that you might have and then I will post one last time. Then.... POOF! So get it in gear and let's do this!!!!!

invasion of america - the images....3 of 4

It's not over yet...


The Oklahoma Memorial. Each chair has a name of a victim. The smaller chairs are for the children. Each row is a different floor where the person was located. This memorial is in the exact spot where the building used to stand. DAY TWENTY-SIX, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK








Most of the midwest looks like this: Indiana, Illinios, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and here... Texas. There is no way to capture my view. This is just four square inches of what I saw in complete panorama. DAY TWENTY-EIGHT, RURAL TEXAS








Buddy Holly. Here is the man that gave you rock and roll. Lubbock has Buddy Holly and Natalie Maines as famous Lubbuckians or Lubbocktocks... DAY TWENTY-NINE, LUBBOCK, TEXAS









The F-holes. Ouchy. Ouchy. Ouchy. Oh, aahhh, Eeee, oooohhh. Ouchy. DAY TWENTY-NINE, LUBBOCK, TEXAS











Billy the Kid's famous grave. The legend goes that someone broke in to the cemetery and carved PALS in the tombstone. This PALS was professionally done. It would have taken a bit more than a simple night to do it. AND you would have heard the Dremmel whirling as it carved. Even in death, Billy is upstaging his friends. Perhaps they didn't think much of him, then what? DAY THIRTY, FORT SUMNER, NEW MEXICO




The actual headstone of Billy the Kid. Chained down because people keep stealing it. Odd thing to steal, and somewhat ironic. DAY THIRTY, FORT SUMNER, NEW MEXICO














The Four Corners. Rain kept most people from laying across the center point like most visitors do. DAY THIRTY-ONE, UUUUUUHHHH, THE DESERT.










The actual tiny teeny four corners. Utah actually is creeping a bit into Colorado, but who cares...
DAY THIRTY-ONE, THE DESERT











The vast wet desert. DAY THIRTY-ONE, RURAL UTAH












The rain did allow for some rare sights to be seen in the desert, like this waterfall. DAY THIRTY-ONE, MOAB, UTAH















Self Portrait. A sort of "WOW" look. Rain in the background.. DAY THIRTY-ONE, MOAB, UTAH












The day after the big rain. The creeping winds have brought in a fog that you can see coming into picture. It was a good day. DAY THIRTY-TWO, PRYCE, UTAH










Wounded Pony on her way to the doctor. It was odd riding the pony without gear on it. Very odd.
DAY THIRTY-THREE, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH











Celestial Jesus. The way Jesus would like us to remember him. Floating around in a world that resembles a Sci-Fi book cover. DAY THIRTY-THREE, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH










Adam and Eve. The most accurate depiction ever. Fully clothed, White, and praising indoor lighting. Notice that the hem lines are perfect and modest. DAY THIRTY-THREE, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH









The Prophets of Utah. With J-man; their meal ticket. Who among you is frightened by this photo???? DAY THIRTY-THREE, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH










"This is the Place!" said Bringham Young boldly. This valley leads us home. And the Mormons were filled with joy. Their name tags had been digging into their chests for the last two months and they were ready to be home. (cause the Utah Jazz were playing a home game that day) DAY THIRTY-FOUR, VALLEY, UTAH







I like this shot of me. DAY THIRTY-FOUR, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
















Not a great shot, but why not post it anyway....
DAY THIRTY-FOUR, SALT LAKE, UTAH
















Ah, ooooooooo, eeeeeewwwwwww... DAY THIRTY-FOUR, SALT LAKE, UTAH
















The Bonneville salt flats in western Utah. That mountain is twelve miles away. The reflection is a new lake where land speed records are set. DAY THIRTY-FIVE, SPEEDY, UTAH










My tour guide, Denise. She had a thing about licking things. DAY THIRTY-FIVE, YUCK, UTAH
















Ah, Reno! It was completely empty, like a strange video game. DAY THIRTY-FIVE, RENO, NEVADA











Tour guide in her favorite pose. This is the coffee house that is closing down in spite of it's great food. DAY THIRTY-FIVE, RENO, UTAH

One last day a comin'....