As many of you already know, on May 14 of this year I succumbed the cumulative effects of several days in the high-desert and drove my BMW1100RT off the road with horrific results.  That is old news to anyone who knows me or follows this blog.

What is less known is the amazing experiences I had on that ride prior to the crash.  I haven't written a lot about my experience of that journey, instead I went back to my old art form of music and made an effort to express those experiences through that medium.

This podcast features full-length tracks from the entire album with explanatory material during the intros and outros.  Nevertheless, I would like to take this opportunity to add some more information about each composition.

Lines in the Sand

1)  Sunrise in the Mirror.   That particular phrase is one of my favorite pieces of imagery from Neil Peart's book Ghost Rider.  For me there is nothing like heading west into the desert at dawn with the day rising up to meet you from behind.  I would like to thank my long-time friend and ace musician Michael Ferenci for contributing the guitar and bass tracks to this tune.

2) The Red Road.  I was firmly on my way east on I-15 marveling at how far out the hype for Las Vegas begins.  The slab outlines the northern edge of the Mojave National Preserve for many miles, and I desperately wanted to visit, but I was commited to making Durango, CO before nightfall.  I thought I had made it safely past the preserve when at the last moment I spotted "The Red Road."  The road was literally bright red from the local materials mixed in the asphalt.

I simply could not pass that up.  Once on the road I saw glimmering at the top of a small desert hill the dot of a town.  "I will go only that far," I told myself.  It was as far as I needed to go.  I had discovered the delightful little town of Nipton, Ca. and I was hooked.

3)  Under Stars.  If you have ever spent the night in the desert you will understand this tune.

4)  Among Giants.  The next day, after a late breakfast, I pointed the Beeemer even deeper into the desert to explore the Mojave National Preserve.  It is high-desert, almost alien terrain created by both volcanic and tectonic forces.  The remnants of ash-cones and the upthrustings of rock are truly remarkable and huge.  One feels as if one has entered the land of the giants.

5) No Mans Land.  After exploring the desert sanctuary I headed east along  one of the more barren stretches of Route 66.  It is truly a "No Mans Land."

6)  The Ravening Sun.  This is a very different and strange tune.  My attempt at musically creating the detrimental and hallucinatory effects of extended desert exposure.  For me this signals the beginning of the end.

7)  Off The Edge.  Due to an egregious navigational error I ended up that night in Page, AZ rather than Durango, CO.  The next morning I succumbed to the heat and at 100 MPH drove the big BMW off the road into a rocky field.

8)  Beemer Babe.  Many of you will recognize this as the them music to Road Show.  It was originally composed for my lovely wife, "The Wrench Wench,"  and is dedicated to her for sticking by me through a long recovery 

The Picture Book

As an experiment I put the photography and story of this journey in a picture book/comic book format available for free viewing at.

http://www.highslab.com/lin...

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Thank and ride safe.

Beemarman and crew