Passes & Canyons Blog

I know I’ve mentioned here a few times the motorcycle writing I’ve been doing for Rum Bum since September of 2009. Well, yesterday saw publication of my final piece at Rum Bum. Not because I’m leaving them, but because Rum Bum is shutting down operations. Presumably the website will stay up, and all the pieces I’ve written for them will remain accessible, but it will, as my editor said, be like an abandoned garden.

Perhaps, for me at least, it was time. Starting out I committed to doing two pieces a week for them, one a personal column and the other an article of some sort, a profile, interview, feature, whatever. Now, coming up with more than 100 topics a year, year after year, is a bit tough, especially if you have to have the idea approved by your editor first. I do more than that on Examiner, but I can choose whatever I want to write about on Examiner. And for the columns on Rum Bum I could choose, too. But the articles required Lauren’s OK.

By the middle of this summer I was running out of ideas. In September I told Lauren I could only come up with an article every other week, but I’d continue doing the column weekly. But then even that got harder to do and I wondered how long I’d be able to keep it up.

And then I got the message from Lauren that the whole thing was coming to an end.

I never really understood the deal with Rum Bum. They seem to have some connection with Rum Bum Racing, and seemed to be an attempt to build the Rum Bum brand, but beyond that I never understood their purpose. Or their funding, which now appears to have run out. What I did understand was that I got paid regularly and their checks did not bounce.

So one door closes and another opens. Writing for Examiner I have become acquainted with Mary Baker, aka “Pinky,” who writes as the Shreveport Motorcycle Travel Examiner. Last week I got a note from Mary announcing that she is starting a new motorcycle magazine, Pinky’s Motorcycle Passion, and asking me if I’d like to be a regular writer. Of course I said yes. The first issue is expected to be out in February or March.

I have a few more possibilities shaping up–maybe–and I’ll announce them when and if they happen. As we all know, the only true constant in life is change.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Book review: There & Back Again To See How Far It Is

Biker Quote for Today

If you haven’t crashed, you’re not riding to potential.

Just a little cross-fertilization here. If you read this blog regularly you know I also write for Examiner.com. What you may not know is that I also write, twice each week, for RumBum.com.

I’d have to say that some of my best writing goes up on RumBum, for the simple reason that they pay me better than some of the others. In case you’re interested, here are some of the pieces I’ve done for them that I like the best.

Heading Out On The Highway With The OFMC – One of the two pieces I do each week for RumBum is a personal column. As such, I write a lot about the trips I’ve made with our group, the OFMC. This piece introduces the guys and tells the history of the group.

The Life of a Motorcycle Demo Rider – The behind the scenes skinny on what it’s like for those folks who manage demos rides for the manufacturers.

Winging It – Tales of the good and bad things that come if you hit the road without a plan.

Don’t Drop the Bike – Some stories of time we did, one or the other of us, drop the bike.

Going Anywhere – Slowly – In a Ural – A profile on my friend, Dom, who rides a Ural sidecar rig. This is the guy I went up Guanella Pass with last week.

The Breaking Point – The story of my most despairing moment on my motorcycle.

Baja Dreams – The condensed version of the story I told at great length on Examiner about the J2 Racing team that ran in last year’s Baja 1000.

They. Are. Here. – A look at electric motorcycles and what the future may hold.

Are Motorcycles Greener than Cars? – Just scratching the surface on this surprisingly not-so-obvious question.

You Only Live Once… – A biker’s bucket list.

So there you go. With any luck something among those should sound interesting. And comments are always welcome. Suggestions, too. I’m always looking for new story ideas. Thanks.

Biker Quote for Today

Here’s to burnt skin, numb crotches, and bugs in your teeth. Ride on!

Note: I wrote this for publication on Sept. 3 and just discovered that it never went out. Oops. So here it is just as it should have been back then.

And the beat goes on.

I started in the motorcycle publishing world by building this website, and then adding this blog to the site. That led to me being recruited to write for Examiner.com, first as their Denver Motorcycle Examiner and then as their National Motorcycle Examiner. The blog is in its fourth year and I’ve been doing the Examiner thing since May of 2008.

My standard line to anyone asking is that Examiner does not pay much but it opens doors. One door it opened is BikeBandit.com, where we have worked out an agreement where they occasionally republish one of my Examiner posts on their website, and pay me for doing so. That’s gravy because it doesn’t require anything more of me.

Now another door has opened. Starting next week I will be writing a couple times a week for RumBum.com, a website focused on fun times and people enjoying themselves. My topic, of course, is motorcycles and the motorcycle culture.

As I mentioned on Monday, I’ll be heading to Utah for this weekend’s Bonneville Vintage GP and Concours, and my first post on RumBum will be a piece on that event. Of course I’ll also be telling you about it here. I’m sure there will be enough that I won’t be duplicating myself.

So I invite you to click on over to RumBum and catch me there. Who knows, there’s probably other stuff over there you’ll find interesting as well.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Demo riding the BMW K1300GT

Biker Quote for Today

When life throws you curves, aim for the apex.