Home for the Holidays

   Traveling on the road full time means missing a lot of holidays with my family. It has been 3 years since I was home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. This year I planned my winter not in Hawaii or Southern California but right here in the blurgrass state, Kentucky. That is where I was raised and all my kenfolk live. 

   Back with my family has been wonderful. I do miss them and it is a sacrifice that I have to make but they enjoy reading about me on the internet and keep up with me better then if I was in town sometimes.

    The ultimate gift I got though on Thanksgiving day was my mother who is 75 years old went for a ride on the back of my motorcycle. I have never been able to get her to go with me before. I think my book may have inspired her a little to live a little and take some chances. She was scared but she took a chance and now she loves it and is looking forward to another on very soon!

Eight-year-olds, Dude.

                               

Bean're Claus is here with a Scratch & Dent Sale

Scratch & Dent is my game, man!

Each year at this time, David offers the framed pieces from the gallery and shows throughout the year at tremendous prices.  The prints are in perfect condition, but some of the frames have a few scratches and dings.  For more information, please contact Greg Rhodes at 303-913-4840 or email him at greg@uhlstudios.com.  Happy Trails. Happy Holidays.

Phone's ringin', Dude.

                                                              

                                                                y Holidays!!!

Did you get your sticker?   Everywhere I go, I am handing the out and I sure go a lot of places but just in case you can't wait, all you have to do is send me a self addressed stamped envelope to;
Kevin Bean're
PO BOX 17067
Louisville, Ky
40217
It really is JUST that easy! and did I mention the best part- FREE!

No, look. I do mind. The Dude minds. This will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man.

Last will and testiment

There has been a lot of deaths lately in my life. It seems that every time I turn around I am going to another funeral. The latest was a friend of mine that I grew up with and knew for 35 years. I was at is house with his parents and 2 other brothers more then I was at mine. He developed cancer about a year ago and after aggressive treatment and surgery he was given months to live. I was able to get up and see him. We talked about old times and hung out with some other old friends. We also made some plans that we both knew would never happen because time was running out. Well just the other day, that end came. Because we had the time together and the fact the he was in alot of pain and his quality of life had deteriorated so much, I was almost relieved for him.
When I got to the funeral it was like a reunion for friends that I hadn't seen in 20 or more years. It was good to reminisce over the good times and even some of the bad times. for 2 days this went on then came the service and the burial. Well the service was very religious. My friend was a good person and a good provider for his family and friends but he was never much for organized religion. The Music they played was hideous funeral music that was so generic, the funeral home probably plays the same tape at every funeral. The preacher did a sermon in which he said that death is a payment for our sins. We all sin so we all die. I think we all die because we are all born. That's how life works.
I don't want that kind of going away so I thought I should list my last will and testament just in case life for me ends and I travel down a new highway that many of our friends and family are on now.
First of all I don't want an organized religious funeral. I want a priest and a Rabbi and a Hara Krishna sitting in the front row with a Monk, a Buddhist and a shaman. There will be no sermon but I want everyone to tell stories about my life. I want everyone to share the good and the bad. I think we could have a few laughs. I also want music playing during my viewing. Good music. Audioslave and Zeppelin. Jackyl and Grateful Dead. I want everyone to bring a CD with the song that reminds them of my life and give it to the DJ just like a stripper before her set. Yea I want a DJ too.
I want lots of pictures of me with friends. I have always been a photo whore so lets all bring pictures. This should help inspire some stories to tell also.
I want my bike there and everyone to take parts from it so everyone has a part to run on their bike and keep my memory in the wind. If you aren't at the funeral, you don't get a part. This should make for a good turnout since everyone will be there and fighting over my Baker 6 speed. I got some other cool parts too so enjoy.
I don't want people to dress up in black suits and dresses. I always wear my Hot pink tie at funerals now. That's not as disrespect for the passed but as disrespect for death itself. F*ck death! I am sure when I go I won't like death anymore. Everyone knows purple is my favorite color. Lets go with purple and pink as the color of the day. The funkier the better. Everyone MUST wear big funky sunglasses too, even funkier then I wear!

I want people to have a good time. I want to inspire people to go out and live. I have truly lived my life and This is a good day to make the commitment to "live" not just exist. Go out and do something you have always wanted to do in my honor. That would make me happy.
I am not through living yet but we never know what tomorrow brings so just in case something may happen to end my journey know that I will be waiting on the other side with our other friends and family.

Donny was a good bowler, and a good man. He was one of us. He was a man who loved the outdoors, and bowling, and as a surfer explored the beaches of southern California from Redondo to Calabassos. And he was an avid bowler. And a good friend. He died as so many of his generation, before his time. In your wisdom you took him, Lord. As you took so many bright flowering young men, at Khe San and Lan Doc and Hill 364. These young men gave their lives. And Donny too. Donny who loved bowling.

                                                                    

seems like only yesterday!

I got my first Harley in 1989. I owned many other bikes but never a Harley. The high cost of low living kept me from affording a Harley. When I stopped drinking and drugging, I could afford one. This was me in the late 80's. It started as a 1980 FXWG- I bought it from an ex- meth head. He had totally destroyed it. I paid 2500 and rebuild everything. I ended up putting 2500 just into the motor.I was constantly working on that bike. It was always something. This picture is what I looked like everywhere I went. One year Myrtle Beach I had the transmission out 3 different times, but I still made it on the cover of the Sunday's paper, pulling a weighted sled at the local rodeo.

Now this bike goes back to the mid 80's. I had just gotten out of the Marines. I was a Kawasaki W1- 650. Everyone thought it was a BSA pre unit. It was an exact copy Kawasaki made. I sold the bike when I bought a triumph ( that didn't run) to a friend. Now this is where the story gets interesting.

As the legend would have it, I borrowed the Kawasaki from the guy I sold it to and rode it down to a weekend party with the KBA ( Kentucky Biker Association). I entered it in the dirt drags and ran the heck out of it all weekend. Sunday morning i rode in the rear of the pack with a bunch of Harleys on the way home and we were running about 100 miles an hour in the hot summer sun. The bike just wouldn't take anymore and broke blew the motor. Everyone kept going and no one ever came back. I pushed the bike in a ditch on the side of the highway and covered it with weeds and brush. I hitch hiked home. A week later i rode down with a truck to get it. A highway crew's bush hog had hit it and they were trying to sue me to get the money for their damaged equipment.

Now that is how the legend went. I can neither deny or confirm the exact facts but I can say one should always be careful who they lend a motorcycle to!

Big Mountain Run and Miami sun

I left California to be at the Big Mountain Run in my town of Reliance, Tenn. The Cycle Source Big Mountain Run is held 2 miles from my house. I, however, was over 2500 miles away. I rode back and arrived the day of the event. It was a good turn out with all the happening people enjoying the activities and this year there were some good ones.
One of which was the Scooter Tramp triathlon. The contestants had to come out of a zipped up tent, put on their boots, run across a field to their motorcycle, race down to the river, STOP, take their boots off and swim to a boat in the middle of the river. There were several close calls in the race but everyone seemed to come out OK till it was my turn. I really got caught up in the moment and came blazing in towards the river much too fast. I knew I was in trouble with no traction in the mud and gravel. I came sliding in sideways and just as I thought I might pull it off, the bike dug in and high-sided. I knew to abandon ship so as the bike flipped, I let it throw me and landed on my feet but I was going too fast and did a cart wheel before coming to a rest on the concrete boat ramp. I felt my thumb throbbing and thought it was broke, then I looked and my crumpled heap of a motorcycle and decided to continue on with the race. I swam out to the boat and of that day had the best time and got first place.
The next couple of days my thumb hurt but I could move it so I thought maybe it was a sprain or a jamb. I continued on the next couple of days at the event competing in the rodeo games, riding with everyone across the backwoods creeks and even reaching under a tree stump in the river and pulling out a big snapping turtle. There are videos of all this on my facebook profile or search "Bean're" on youtube.

I had a deck to build in Miami so after the BMR I put the bike in the back of my truck ( I hate doing that but needed my tools and truck to do the job) and headed south to Miami. I got down there and was suppose to have the job finished that following weekend. It was sweltering hot and my thumb was really hurting and the first thing I had to do was demolish the old deck and load it into my truck and haul it away. I worked a couple of hours but gave up and hoped to do it the next day. The next day arrived and I began only to bump my thumb and the pain was excruciating. I decided to go to the emergency room. They x-rayed it and said it was broke in 3 places and that I needed surgery. They put me in a temporary cast and sent me home. In the cast, they pulled my thumb back and it was that night I really painful. Later that night I removed the cast since I was going to have surgery anyways.
The emergency room visit was on a Friday and I wasn't able to make an appointment with the surgeon until Wed. I worked everyday on the deck pacing myself and slowly getting a little done at a time. By the time my appointment came my thumb was heeling. The doctor said I needed the surgery. I explained it was getting better. He said it was serious enough that maybe I would have trouble riding my bike even after his surgery AND rehab. I then informed him that I rode my bike to see him that day with no problem. He said I shouldn't be doing anything till it heeled. I told him I was building a deck everyday and in 2 weeks had mini bike races at the Smokeout that I had to attend. He stared blankly at me then said " Well I guess evil Knievel had some broken bones that he had left to heal on their own so maybe you will be ok." I now wonder if that means I can start wearing a cape?

I continued on my own route but many people said I should seek a second opinion. I decide to hire a professional ( a private nurse) and even at her rates ( hourly) she was still cheaper and the rehab techniques was much more enjoyable. I am well on my way to a full recovery and am feeling very confident about the mini bike races.

Hope to see everyone at Rockingham, NC and cheer me on as I blaze through yet another race!

Cross country photos and commentary

I worked all week and on the last day I worked till noon then put on a new back tire and packed my bags and left KY for California at 2 pm. I rode almost 400 miles when I passed Big Creek Sucker Punch Sally and saw they were having a rock show in the parking lot. I pulled in to say hi and received a big welcome and Bug took this picture. I like that even after a really long day, I'm smiling but really its because I'm looking forward to the adventure that awaits down the road.

Having made it the next day to Amarillo Texas, I finished the day with a meal at the Big Texan. Every trucker that has ever driven across the US knows this place. I seldom pass it with out stopping. Its also about the midpoint across the US on I 40.

In New Mexico, I 40 runs parallel with route 66 and here on the Continental Divide is a great spot for a photo opportunity. I stopped here with my family years back and still have the photo. I also passed JW smoking here on the side of the road but didn't recognize him so I didn't stop. All good memories.

Being on a budget I was looking for a cheap place to crash for the night. Without having reservations though, places like this camper in AZ go fast so i kept riding till I made it to Phoenix.

I found this place on the side of the highway. The sign said it was the cheapest in Phoenix. It was 24.95. Then they gave me 5 dollars back for my key deposit. No extra charge for the chalk outline of the body on the heavily stained carpet.

I got to stop at the Hippie Killer party in California that Lisa Ballard helped put on. It was an awesome good time. This was just the parking lot. Nothing but the hippest cats around. I'm going to have to make it back next year for sure.

After just crossing the Grapevine from Los Angeles on I 5 north, it rained which turned to hail and fog and ice and snow. On the other side I came back into the valley where the weather was nice so I pulled over and contemplated where to go from here. The snow is behind me now and the sun is shining. Yea, My life sure is a precious gift and I'm not wasting another second waiting for life to go by. I'm back on the road and smiling still, big as ever!