Maverick ZINE — Tattoo Culture, Art & Artist Stories

All right, what's happening? This is Austin from Support Your Local Tattooer. Super excited here today to be with my man Bicycle Bob. He's been riding his bike across the country and this is not his first time doing it. He was nice enough to stop in with us today. He rides his bicycle, tattoos. Mhm. Camps along the way, occasional Sidi Motel.

Yep. And the better. A lot of characters in between. Oh, yeah. Which is super super rad. Um, so [ __ ] Yeah, dude. Thanks for coming. I appreciate it.

Thanks for having me, man. Yeah, it's good to see you again. Yeah. So, we just got done having breakfast and having a lot of fun conversations about tattooing in general. Yep. And your adventures and then it's all kind of led us here today, dude. Yeah. Yeah.

So, in the making. Yeah. Dude, give me a little synopsis on your trip right now. Like, you you started uh I started out of Denver in beginning of August. So, it's been about oh 10 weeks now. And it was 3,500 miles um through what six states. Colorado, uh Utah, Idaho, Oregon, California, and Vegas. Yeah.

Or Nevada. So, yeah. Yeah. Six days, 3,500 miles. Damn. And we're talking legitimate bicycle packed up all day. Yep. Loaded up.

No electric bike [ __ ] around here. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. No ebikes. You're doing gnarly hill climbs. [ __ ] yeah.

Uh, I mean sometimes what like sometimes walking them up for a couple miles. Really? Yeah. But what goes up's got to come down come down and like to get to the top of a mountain pass and then hop on and you know you're hitting 45 50 miles an hour on a good day coming down, man. Yeah. And the bike jams, dude, with all the weight on it, right? Yeah. But it handles like a Cadillac, man.

It's so when it's all loaded up, it it it rides better loaded. I mean, it's it's built for this, you know. But rides better loaded than unloaded. It just feels super stable and cruisy, man. It's Yeah. Yeah. It's a good time for sure. And And like on average, like how how many miles are you doing a day?

Uh I mean on on good days, I'm hitting 100 pluses. On average days, I would say 70 to 80. On mellow days, maybe 50 or 60. Yeah, dude. 70 to 80 on an incline is completely different obviously like if you're doing some of your like all day climbs. Yeah. I mean just even getting over here the was it yesterday I guess like I went through uh Mojave National Preserve and it wasn't even a steep climb. It was like a like a 2% grade which isn't much but it went on for like 40 miles or something.

So you're riding at like maybe under 10 miles per hour for you know so it's like 4 hour climb man you know. Holy [ __ ] Um but then you know some of them are steeper and hopefully shorter you know and it seems to go like the steeper they're going to be the shorter the shorter it's going to be but um yeah I mean every day is different every climb's different everything's always different. Yeah. I love that dude. It keeps keeps you on your toes. Yeah. Yeah. Every day is different.

I think that's the thing I fell in love with about it is that like you just don't know what each day is going to bring. You don't know what challenges you're going to have. You don't know the people you're going to meet. You don't know what's over the horizon every day, man. And it's that sense of adventure, that newness of like what is gonna happen today, you know, that keeps it keeps the the pedals turning, man. Yeah. And you're always incorporating guest spots for tattooing into these long rides or I mean, I haven't always, you know, my my first my first bicycle tour was not tattooing. And it was uh it was for my 40th birthday that was coming up in 2016.

I rode from San Francisco to New York just to do it um without having any experience of bicycle touring at all. Like I was riding road bikes a little bit when I was living in Colorado. Yeah. Um and had the stamina to do 100 mile days and stuff, but uh this was the first like okay, pack up camping gear and set out and cross state lines and get from one coast to the other and see see what happens. And you got some GPS type units like that help you or like Yeah, I mean I just use Google Google Maps on my phone for the most part. You know, there's more established routes that you could get, you know, maps and stuff like that, but especially when I was first started, I really didn't know what I was doing. I would use Google Maps and just as long as I was going east, I knew I was going the right way.

And I would, you know, make up decisions and make up routes as I I would go and just kind of try and get from point A to point B every day and set a goal and and try and get there, too. Yeah. How often are you scheduling days off? I mean, you can't how how many days in a row can you do 70 to 100 miles a day? I mean, [ __ ] man. That's that first tour I ever did. Okay, so it broke down to I left I left um San Francisco. I think it was like August 5th, right?

My birth 40th birthday was September 21st. I grew up in New York. Uh my family still lives in New York. I wanted to pull up to the house that I grew up in on my 40th birthday. So, I had 45 days to do it. I rode 39 out of those 45 days and I rode 3,940 miles. So, it was averaging 100 plus a day. Oh my god.

Um, yeah. But I was also that was, you know, the goal was to get to the other side. So, it was ride all day. Like I wasn't really stopping to do other things. packing gear and just ride until I was done for today, set it up, keep going, you know, I didn't like stop at national parks and like, you know, stop to sniff the roses or anything. It was just like, I'm on this mission. I'm on a go. Let's do it, you know.

And uh and it was awesome, man. You know, I accomplished a goal. I actually was so ahead of schedule that I added on extra states that I wasn't planning on going through because I wanted to pull up on my birthday, you know. Um, so yeah, so when that was done, um, I was living in Durango, Colorado, and I went back, man, and like I couldn't go back to a stagnant lifestyle, man. Like it it had infected me, you know, and and uh, you know, I had done guest spots and stuff and and not tattooing, not not riding bikes, just doing cat spots. And uh, yeah, it just hit me like, why not do both, man? So I started selling off everything I own. And it took maybe 10 months to slowly purge myself of all my personal possessions.

And uh yeah, and then it came the day, it was in June of 2017 that the only thing I had left was what was on my bike. And I hit the road to do it full-time. And it lasted 3 years and nine days, I think, until co shut it down. It was 2017 to 2020. It was 16,000 plus miles. 32 states. I was trying to do 50, but co shut it down. Oh, and it was like 65 shops or something like that, man.

That was the first time doing a tattooing. Okay. Yeah. So, that was like, okay, we're going to we're going to guest spot. We're going to hop spot to spot to spot to spot. Yeah. Oh my god. And and you see you mentioned kind of earlier is like a lot of your guest spots are just literally just word of mouth and like somebody's connects you with the next person and the next person.

I mean, Yeah, man. And I mean it just you don't have like a tour manager type mentality when you go on getting chops up and and you know in the beginning when I first started you know I was just kind of bouncing around and um you know doing whatever you know walkins came in on stuff like that. But about, you know, by the third year of me doing it back then, uh, my social media kind of grew and I started becoming, you know, known for my my drawings as well as like this dude's riding around and, um, you know, it was right. I at that point towards the end, I would set it up by season. So, I would list like 10 or 12 shops I'm going to be for spring or summer or whatever and hit me up if you want a part of it. And I was fortunate enough that man, people were into it, you know, and and most shops I would go, I was I was had a a pretty decent schedule and I would book for just the days that I needed to be there.

" And I got 200 miles to get to the next spot, so I got to go, you know, and um so yeah, it was a trip, man. " you had your bike and everything and it we were just all gathered around and we were just so fascinated with trying to figure out how how the [ __ ] you got everything on there and how it just seems like such a foreign thing like most people there's not too many people that are like grinding out that many miles on a bike and [ __ ] much less like turning it into this cool lifestyle of like traveling and getting to meet new people and it's really cool man. I was like it's combining two passions man that that work really well together man. So after that long ride from east coast to west coast, you that's when you literally were just it just switched for you and you were just I'm not going back to this regular as it took it cuz at the time before that man I was I was definitely had east coast uh work ethic you know where I was working six seven days days a week tattooing.

I was getting a little burnt out, man. And and I took a step back to do that and think about what I wanted out of tattooing and and uh you know, I did kind of come back like, okay, I need to start setting a little bit more parameters where I'm just doing a fiveday work week and I'm not, you know, cuz I always have a great time with clients, man. " And next thing you know, you're giving off most days off, you know, you're at work, you know. So, um I was like, "Okay, I'm going to, you know, go to a Monday through Friday. I'm not going to do weekends anymore. " But there I just missed that adventure, man. You know, like and and yeah, it was probably about a month or two in after I returned that I was just like wheels are turning, you know, plotting and scheming.

All right, let's do this. Yeah, let's go out there full time, man. Yeah. And then like Yeah, I know kind we were kind of talking about too like how like everything that you do have on that bike, like you said at the time was everything you owned and you're you got your coil machines in there. You got power supplies. You got steel tubes. Steel tubes. [ __ ] steel tubes, man.

You're you're literally carrying all of the heaviest old school materials, too. Yeah, man. Yeah. Yeah. How many coil machines are you trying to rocket? Like four at least, I think. Yeah, I well I was probably on on I was probably on rotaries by then. Um but you know like slide rotaries and and uh cubins and stuff like that.

Um yeah, I probably had three or four is kind of my setup. Um the twos were definitely the the heaviest thing, but power unit ink like needles on bars and um yeah, I was I would I would imagine my tattoo gear was 40 or 50 pounds on that bike. Yeah. No, totally. That's so crazy. And you said the bike was getting up to like 160 plus. Yeah, it was 160 pounds with camping gear um and tattoo gear and clothes for different seasons and and cooking gear and, you know, depending on what food I was carrying with me, depending on how, you know, what was available from one spot to the next. Sometimes you got to prepare for two days of maybe not being able to get any supplies.

Yeah, that that kind of brings up like I don't know. I just wanted to know like if there's anything that ever really like you obviously everything is unplanned so and [ __ ] can get weird at any point in time. So you're out there for a couple days like sometimes between I would say like like one night and then Yeah, it could be. It could be, man. Like it could be 140 miles of not being a or 150 depending on where you are. And those areas are usually going to be the desert, right? So like desert [ __ ] man. You better have water.

You better have, you know, like minimal to no like reception too at times. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely, man. Yeah. Yeah. It's it's a total location like dictates and generally there's like always like barb wire or something like running a lot like on private land and yeah I'm not pushing on to anybody's private land like that. Um but you you know it's more so the desert area where you start getting into stuff where you know there's a lot of BLM land.

Yeah. um which is open camping, camping and stuff. And um but sometimes, yeah, if it's just like you're on the road and the sun's going down and a car hasn't even passed in the past 45 minutes, you know, you're kind of out there and just there's nothing around. It's all just open, you know, and and just push off, go behind a shrub, throw up your your tent, you know, get some sleep. I'm going to be waking up as soon as the sun comes up and packing it up and especially the desert's getting [ __ ] hot, dude. It's real cold at night and then you know but I ain't doing that in cities. No, I know. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So you'll jump that's where you'll start jumping into some hotels or trash or you know I mean when I'm working at spots I'm going to do Airbnb motel kind of stuff like that you know or if I know tattoos and you know we've hung out before and they offer me a place to stay I'll stay with somebody. Yeah. Any weird critters trying to get in the tent in the middle of the night? Um man I do remember a squirrel. I was in Alaska, man, and a squirrel popped its head in and uh and I was in this super trippy deep sleep, man.

And it made this crazy squirrel noise that I've never heard a squirrel make. I guess maybe they breed them differently up there. I don't know. And it woke me up and spooked me out where I didn't know what it was at first. And uh and then I thought it was like some weird ancient spirit or something. Oh [ __ ] But other than that, man, I've always kept my my, you know, my my tent zipped up. I think it was it was open just a little bit for me to get his head in there. Um I've never had um a bear encounter at night that I know of.

Yeah. Um but yeah, I mean all those kind of things weigh on your mind, but thank God I've never really had to deal with anything too severe. Do you carry like bear spray or anything like that or no? Uh the only time I think I really did was I was when I was in Alaska. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah.

Yeah. And I I started not, you know, I took the ferry up there and I was tattooing in Juno and there's a Glacier State Park that I was camping at. It's like a 12 13 mile ride back and forth to downtown Juno where the shop was and I was there for like a day or two doing that back and forth. " He's like, "Got bear. " And Oh, that's cool. Um, but yeah, I never had a pullet on anything. So yeah, it but yeah, better to have it and not use it than not have it and need to use it. Is that how it goes?

you you're also mentioning like a lot of u real good positive messages and stuff that people have been sending you over the years which is I I love to hear like that's a really cool thing I mean we're like you know we're in we're living in this um age of social media man and like it could be you know unhealthy at times and it could be you know comparison to all this other [ __ ] and like you know oh I didn't get enough likes on this or that you know so it it you know there's definitely those connotations of social media right yeah um but Then like when I go out and I start doing stuff like this, man, I I do get a lot of people that, you know, write some really kind, encouraging words as they follow me along this trip. And and uh you know, that's the one thing, man, when you're out here solo.

Um it adds a different element where, you know, sometimes you go a day or two with not having a full conversation other than like ordering your coffee or your breakfast and stuff and you're out there by your yourself and you're in your head a lot and that's an element that you got to learn how to deal with. Um, but to sometimes just get a little a little cheer from your corner, man. You know, somebody out there just kind of, you know, rooting you on a little bit, offering you encouragement. It it it's it means a lot kind of, you know, and and I think that's the the positive side, I think, of social media could offer that like, you know, people are they're excited to watch you do it, man. Um, you know, I had a a part in this trip too in the beginning where uh a fellow tattooer got inspired to go ride his bike, you know, um just for a day, you know, and he had tagged me in his his stories.

Uh Mr. Scholtella, I think his name is. He's out in in Pennsylvania. And uh he um he got me thinking like, "Oh, okay. Let's do a week of go ride your bike somewhere, post, tag me in your story and I'll repost you and let's just, you know, make well, let's total up the mileage and see how far we could all get, you know. Oh, cool. And it got, you know, it got people out there riding their bikes and that was cool, dude. You know, it was like a little fun week for people to get involved and and kind of ride alongside of me from like remote riding challenge, you know.

Yeah. Yeah. It was fun. I like the idea of that at the end of the day like when the sun's setting that's just kind of when you just decide like this is where I'm at and I can't you know you can't really push on in complete darkness or anything. I mean I have you know it's not my favorite thing. Yeah I got lights and I I'll have a headlamp and stuff. I mean, I've ridden to 2, three in the morning at times for whatever, right? I'm going to see like the across America journey when I was trying, you know, had this goal um that it happened more on that, you know, where Yeah.

I think I did my biggest day I ever rode was 26 miles in a day and I rode to like probably two in the morning to do it. No way. Damn. Yeah. Damn. It It seems like very peaceful, but at like you said, at sometimes I'm sure you kind of deal with some loneliness creeping in or something or just like an The idea of being disconnected though sounds beautiful. Yeah. I mean, it's everything.

It's both sides of it, dude. Like with anything else, dude. There's pendulums. And one day it's you're having like this amazing epic experience, man. And you're also, you know, you're riding an endorphin high of exercise. Yeah. Um you're seeing beautiful things that you wouldn't have seen if you were in a car or whatever, you know. And then the very next day you could be dealing with, you know, headwinds that are de debilitating.

Oh yeah. Long climbs, cloudy, gray, sometimes rainy weather, all this kind of stuff that like, you know, that kind of creeps into your psyche and it starts man. And you know, you try to block out the complaining in your head that could happen sometimes. This isn't fun today, you know. Um, but the next day is going to, you know, it's there's never been a day that at the end of it, I just didn't want to be doing it. It was like, okay, today's over. We got through some [ __ ] Uh, we feel accomplished. Tomorrow is a brand new day.

Let's see what happens tomorrow. And the more you do it, the more you know that those things will go through. And it's just constant. And it's a muscle you exercise that you get better at dealing with. And that that's been one thing I've noticed, too. when I take a break from from from the this bicycle touring, usually the first couple of days that if that negativeish mindset starts seeping in, it's harder to push it out and ignore than when you're doing it all the time. You get better at not listening to that naggginess in your head sometimes, you know, and you start thinking about the better times while while you're pushing through it, man. And yeah, but it's a muscle.

It's a muscle that you need to get going again and just like you got to get your legs going again. You got to get, you know, all of those stuff going with it, too. " Yeah. Yeah. " Yeah. I mean, I had it on this trip, dude. The stretch from San Francisco to LA kind of started getting me beat up. Uh, you know, Highway One by Big Service was shut down, so I had to go inland.

Oh, okay. Inland brought in cloudy days and gray overcast. And just riding through through farmlands isn't the most scenic, you know. Um, and I definitely hit the wall of like, man, I'm homesick. Uh, I kind of want to go home. I know I'm not going to call it and I had to work through it. And I got to LA and tattooed in LA. And then like, I'm so glad I left the desert for, you know, the final chapter or final stage of this tour.

Um because coming out the past four days through, you know, through all the desert, desert's my favorite area in the country, man. Either you know, California, Nevada, um you know, you southern Utah, northern Arizona. I just love desert. Um the sun's bright and strong and sunny and blue skies and it's hot and it'll get you, but like there's just something bright and sunny and happy for me in the deserts. Um, so yeah, the like this stretch from LA to here was a complete 180 of that where I almost don't want to go home now, you know. Um, but yeah, I think it's it's time to go home and um I think this is going to be a yearly thing. Yeah, that's awesome. I'm super excited about that.

Like I said, I want to help you like in any way we can. I think it'll be really cool. I've just always been a big fan of what you do. Yeah, I keep thinking about those like the sunsets, too. I just keep going back to like it just seems like such a peaceful like sometimes in the morning is there like a little mental hurdles you got to get yourself over you're like uh I mean to get on camp sometimes you know sometimes I'm a little lazy and yeah uh you know if it's a little chilly in the morning it's going to take me a little bit more to go but um but no you kind of you know get on it and and get it done. There's parts that like sometimes you want to like you're like okay I need to start before the sun gets up um because there's you know certain elements I'm going to have to deal with today.

hot sun or you know I was in Colorado there was days that I knew it was going to be straight on headwinds at like 20 25 miles per hour but they come in the afternoon so it's like uh I remember hitting the road at like 4:00 4:30 one morning just to get as many miles covered before those winds started picking up yeah and that's just kind of like okay let's do this let's see where we get and hopefully they don't get too bad I love it though are so are you drawing ever like out there I mean you know just kind of And I wish I I wish I had more time for that. I mean, there's there's been times where okay, like if I'm going to take a day off, I might get a motel and and get into my sketchbook, but what the actual ride days um are tough cuz they're riding all day long business that day, get get it done.

And at the end of the day, I just don't have the energy to sit and draw. Um you know, with this tour, uh you know, it's it was planned probably six months in advance. um where I had my clients booked and I did all the drawings pre leaving for the tour, emailed the drawings out, got them approved. Um because everything had to be ready to go. Yeah. You know, you walk in, you got four hours or five hours of my time cuz as I'm breaking down after we're done, it's a good chance that the next one's walking in. So there's no like we need to make last last minute adjustments. " Yeah.

Before I get there cuz it's crunch crunch time, man. You know, like, yeah. Bang out this one. No one's coming in. So, yeah. I mean, it's been a while since I've really had the the pleasure of just kind of diving into a sketchbook with a cup of coffee. And I think that's what I'm looking forward to to getting home and getting back to like having fun drawing now, man. You know, is there any I don't know why I was just thinking about like how nice it would be at the end of the day when you finally find a place where you get a hotel and you're like, you know what, I [ __ ] want like a chicken fried steak or something like eat some [ __ ] that you normally wouldn't eat, but you've been riding your bike all day long, you need to catch up, like you said, on the calories and stuff and feel no guilt about just eating the most epic meal.

So funny you said that because my meal of this trip was was chicken fried steak and for breakfast, dude. I was reviewing them around the country. Oh, that's so fun. I had posted a couple on my stories of like this this is the new number one. That's great. Yeah. Yeah. For some reason I mean I try to eat, you know, pretty sensibly at home, man.

You know, like I try to I don't eat processed food and I I try, you know, sometimes I cut out sugar, like any type of sugar. Well, I guess not fructose and and and fruit and stuff, but like all added sugars for like, you know, a good month or so, which I'm going to do when I go back home. Yeah. Um, but this has been like donuts, [ __ ] fountains, sodas. Like there was one and it's it's crazy, man, because there was one day where I'm like sitting outside this little convenience store and I got myself a cream soda, like maybe A&W cream soda, right? Oh, okay. And it was just hitting so good, man. Really?

God damn, why is it so [ __ ] good? And then I label around and it was like, it's got 146% of your daily sugar. Oh, wow. One bottle. Whoa. Yeah, that alongside side of doughuts I've eaten and all that kind of stuff. And um it's like, all right, well, you know, you're burning it, you know, like I'm burning, you know, four or 5,000 calories someday. Um, so I do it, but I also don't want to go home addicted to sugar where I'm going to be like, you know, on the sugar kick and not burning the calories, you know.

Um, so yeah, there's definitely I allow myself to cheat a little. Yeah. Yeah, I would imagine you learn a lot about your body, too, when you're going through these things. Like, you know, when you're out there, you're like learn how to how far to push yourself and when you need this or when you need that. Yeah. I mean, there's days where you kind of hit the wall sometimes. It's like, all right, we're only doing 50 miles today, you know? Really?

Yeah. You know, and there's been a couple of spots like I think when I got to Portland, man, I got ended up getting there a couple days early and uh I ended up sleeping like 10 or 12 hours a night for two nights straight, man. Just for whatever reason. My body has needed that like catch up on catch up on some rest, man. Heal itself a little bit. Yeah, that's cool. I mean, I don't know. It just sounds like you're you obviously learn so much about yourself mentally and physically.

Oh, absolutely. And you're pushing yourself to limits that like most people aren't doing it, which is really cool consistently, too. Which make you stronger and more, you know, putting in your reps. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You feel like you're healthier than you've ever been in your life? I would say as I'm getting older, I am.

Yeah. I mean, I just turned 49 on this trip and I feel pretty damn good about it. You know, it's not what I thought I would be when I was younger. Um, you know, but I, you know, like a lot of tattooers, man, I was a partyier when I, you know, I started in the late 90s and tattooers were definitely parters back then, more so than now. Um, and I put my body through a lot of [ __ ] man. You know, alcohol, drugs, all that kind of stuff and Good Time Charlie [ __ ] you know. And then, uh, yeah, as I'm getting older, you know, I have the less desire to for any of that. I feel like I've been there and done that.

And I started, you know, getting more into health consscious kind of living and and realizing the overall mental health and clarity of mind and all this kind of stuff that comes from taking care of yourself better. Yeah. Um and you just don't bounce back as easy on start pushing 50, man. You know, you just get to the point to where it's just not even worth it. So, I'm not interested in it. Have fun anymore. Exactly. Love to get drunk, you know?

And I if I catch a buzz nowadays, like I don't even enjoy it. I'm like, me. Yeah. Um, so yeah, everybody changes, everyone grows in different directions, and I think it's a healthier direction that I'm kind of proud to to be going in that direction for sure. Yeah. Yeah, that's great. Where did you start like get into tattooing? You were on the East Coast.

Yeah, I started in New York, man. Um, yeah, I apprenticed in started my apprentichip in 1997 at Peter Tattoo and on Long Island and Eric Desmond. Um, and started tattooing in 98. Um, yeah. So, that was my my start out. And you spent a lot of time, you were saying, just kind of in one place. Uh you weren't really traveling earlier in your career, right? You're Yeah.

Not so much, man. Um you know, this is also the the era of tattooing pre-social media. Yeah. Where like I mean guest spotting was different, man. " You know, like it almost like you had to be invited, you know? You had to know people. You had to be invited. Yeah.

Um, I mean, I don't think I did my guest spot, first guest spot until 2003 maybe where a coworker was friends with a dude that had a shop on Maui in Lahina and he needed somebody to come help with some shifts and he ended up setting me up with that and like so yeah, I had been tattooing for fiveish years and uh, you know, my first experience with it was to fly to Hawaii, get picked up at the Maui airport by this dude that I've never met before, you know, and I spent a month with him. He put me up with his his his family and I worked for him and all this kind of stuff. And I actually visited him on this trip. He's up in Eugene, uh, Oregon. Shout out to Felix. And stayed with him again, you know. Um, so yeah, he and that was the trip, man, because it was like he opened up my eyes to this possibility of like, oh [ __ ] you could go work anywhere.

Anywhere. Yeah. Yeah. And there's a community sense and you know, people going to help you out along the way. Um, so yeah, that was the first ever guest spot I ever did. Um, that's a nice spot. Yeah, that'll definitely, dude. I went back every year for I think through, you know, the 2010 or something.

Yeah, I went back almost every year. I might have skipped a year here and there. Um, but yeah, that was what was that shop? Uh, it was called Atomic Tattoo, which I'm not sure if it's still there. Like I said, Felix is in uh is in Eugene. Maybe somebody else took it over or something like that. Uh, well, actually, no, it's not. Yeah.

Yeah. Uh, the tragedy in Lahina, which was sad cuz I was, you know, that was a magical place for me to go for a month every winter, man. And and you know, I still keep in touch with people I met in that town. And um, yeah, it had a great vibe to it, for sure. That's cool. Yeah. and you've uh man you were dropping so many names today that I was just like oh [ __ ] I they haven't these days you know things get out of your algorithm or whatever and you just don't get to hear all these great names and um it's cool that you consistently now are getting out there and and probably doing more guest spots than anybody I [ __ ] know. M yeah, I mean I go on my streaks.

It was definitely, you know, the full-time thing was was a thing and then um I feel like when I settled back down in Colorado after after co co It's kind of slow like I slowed down a little bit on it. Um, but I'm I'm trying to like get back out and have fun with it and um yeah, and just go meet people that I have never met before that I've always, you know, looked at for inspiration or, you know, search their stuff for to reference, you know, do cool [ __ ] tattoos, man. So, yeah, to go sit in sit with them and work in the in the same room with people like that is is definitely where I'm I want to be right now. You're extremely good at pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. That's for damn sure it seems. You know, or maybe this is like your new level of comfort zone, right?

This is the comfort zone. Yeah. For me to sit in one space then and stay still is the the the non-comfort zone. Yeah, that's interesting. Which I guess Yeah, I guess there's something to say about that. It's like coming off a tour and uh you know, I don't know. I've always heard about that like that. You don't know how to readjust you know thing when co shut it down.

For sure. Yeah. I went through his so like you know I was I was before I was full-time traveling I was in Durango Colorado COVID hit I didn't know what to do so I ended up back there you know to post up for a year it's a small little mountain town where I have this you know community of friends still there and uh you know I just kind of post up to see what happens with with the whole pandemic and all and uh it was definitely something I struggled with where I went from constantly on the move to boom stagnant what the [ __ ] do I do with myself I would pace around my apartment like Oh, man. You know, and and you know, it's kind of the way I I ended up in in Denver is uh my buddy Dave Rean, he uh he spent, I don't know, three or four years tattoo like traveling and tattooing himself.

He was all through America and then Europe and Germany and Iceland and all this kind of [ __ ] And he was he was, you know, settled down in Denver before this and he was out till death. And uh I just called him up to be like, "Hey man, did you go through this cuz I'm this is a more of a challenge than me can't constantly moving. He's sitting still. " He was up and down. " I just got to Durango. I had only been there for like a month or something. I was losing my mind. And I was like, "I don't know.

" All right. you know, and I ended up, you know, that was the first time I went to Till Death for for a guest spot. And then I just started kind of going up there regularly and and uh yeah, just kind of wedged myself into that shop then year later or something like that. So I've been up there for four years now. Dang. Yeah. And then and until death. Yeah.

Yeah. So you're right in like was it the Rhino District? Yeah, it's Rhino District. Yeah. It's a really cool area in Denver. Yeah. It's it's got some some good ass food down there. I had some stellar tacos at some little spot that was it was like a fancy taco spot.

Green chili is my favorite thing in the [ __ ] you know, country that a lot of other states don't know what green chili is. Yeah. Is it different? That's different than the New Mexico the hatch chili. It's the hatch chili. Okay. The Colorado I mean I'm sure the in New Mexico people would would not agree with this statement. But it's similar.

But like yeah, there's a fight over who's got better green chili. But it is the the hatch green chili kind of stuff. But like you start getting outside of that, you know, southwest territory and you know, I mean, say you're in, I don't know, Maine, like people think green chili is like what you mean? A jalapeno. Yeah. You know, or or whatever type of chili just that happens to be the color green, you know, they don't they don't know what hatch green chili means. Yeah. The uh the amount of characters that you met too over the years and like the in these guest spots, like I don't know, you had like you have any advice for like younger tattooers?

I I I I think that there's a huge value in the guest bot, you know, absolutely practicing guest bots. Yeah. Even though I admittedly don't do them and haven't ever done them. A lot on your plate. It is, man. I imagine that would be hard to get away and do them, but it's my goal is to get back into it. Like I want to get back into tattooing as soon as I get a a chance to level some things out and stuff, you know? But uh I don't know, man.

It's like I I feel like it's such a healthy thing to put yourself in those uncomfortable positions, be around people. kind of pushes you to perform. I think they're inspirational, man. You know, and and uh and I, you know, I mean, I think there is something to say that like I don't want this to sound like an ego stroke or something, but like if I'm going to work with somebody I haven't met before and I look up to their work, I'm going to try and throw down, man. You know, like um not that I don't try to throw down at home, but it's like it gives you that little extra like, yo, I want to show you what I can do, too. you know, like um so yeah, I mean there's there's something about that. There's something about just, you know, being around and being inspired by other tattooers.

Um yeah, I think it's beneficial, man. I think I think everyone should try and get out there a little bit and and go work outside your comfort zone and you know, if you h if you're not used to it, it's definitely a thing that like if you're only used to sitting in your station where everything you know where it's at, man, it's going to be a [ __ ] cluster [ __ ] of like what's going like, you know? I remember going through all those growing pains, man, that if I wasn't at my station where I didn't have to look to grab stuff. Yeah. Damn, dude. I would start sweating, man. You know, but I mean, I could tattoo on a [ __ ] porta potty right now, right? I don't think it would be hygienically, you know, sounds delicious.

Yeah, totally. But I mean, I could set up anywhere and just be comfortable now because I've I've worked at so many different stations and Yeah. Um that's doesn't doesn't kind of put me off anymore, which is cool. And the exercise of just being around like all these unique characters too because you're picking up on a probably every single shop you walk in, you're picking up on kind of some interesting vibes, some positive, some negative. You know, we talked about that earlier today. Even on my own shop experience, you know, it's it's Oh, you guys were great. It's adventurous, you know. Yeah.

I didn't I didn't know you guys when I came through and it was walking into, you know, you're walking into somebody's living room. Yeah. of everybody that's been living together and knows each other well and like has, you know, connections and they're all sitting in the recliner around you like, should I get up and talk to this [ __ ] I'm pretty I think I'm pretty good at it nowadays, man. As soon as I walk into a shop, I got I go introduce myself to every single person, shake hands, and like I'm going to be with you. Kind of like shows your like respect for the space and, you know. Yep. Yep. And yeah, I'm here to, you know, I'm here for the whole experience, man.

Yeah. And you probably met some people in like one little like for us like you just popped in. Uh I think I only I don't even know if I was in town. I was in town, right? I don't know. I remember being there for like a day. Uh yeah, you were about to go out of town. So when I came through in 2017 on my bike with you guys.

Um I I feel like I just was like researching shops and you guys had outstanding like reviews. like there wasn't a bad review and and that's why I think I reached out to you and I remember you getting me back to me on an email and I think we chatted on the phone and you were super excited about what I was doing and and it was cool and then um but yeah when I rolled through I met you at the shop early in the morning before you started your day just come and say what's up and then I think you bounced to go somewhere I don't I don't know where you went um but yeah everybody else of your crew was was super welcoming and rad and I got your studio 21 shark tattoo. Yeah, we used to throw those on anybody and everybody that came through. Dave Teanol, I just saw him this weekend and he was like [ __ ] throws it out there.

Right as soon as he walked up, he didn't say [ __ ] He's all blessed. Boom. It was cool. Yeah. But I love those moments of like where we get out of our comfort zone. We we talk to each other. We just, you know, connect with people. And then here we are today.

Like that was, you know, that's a long time ago, dude. And you know, and we maybe only like texted or talked through social media a few times. Well, I think I got to ran into you like at Van Shop at that Denver art show, man. Which Yeah, it had been a while since since I mean I think I've seen you since I was out here in 2017. So, what like eight years or something like that? Seven, eight years or something. Yeah, that's always been like one of my favorite parts of about tattooing and that that community and um just you know, we we'll just like r if you start doing a lot of conventions too, you forget how you even know each other or where you're even from, you know? You just kind of start you just run into each other and you're doing the thing back.

But have some funny ass stories, especially when you were like partying back in the day. Yeah. But that's cool. So, you've been keeping motivated and you're going to do uh you're working at Heritage Tattoo this weekend, which is Aaron's shop and awesome shop. Yeah. And you what projects are you working on this weekend? You uh I got a namakubie head. Um I got a a client that I've, you know, done a few tattoos on his arm.

She's got like a a tiger cobra on one thing, a devil head, and I think we did a wolf in Flames on the other. We just got to do the background and fill out the sleeve. Um, and my third appointment is going to be bummed that I don't remember off the top of my head right now. Uh, I did have a cancellation. Um, so that's that's a bummer, but she I have this client that has gotten tattooed by me probably four or five times, but never in the same location. That's fun. She's followed me around a little bit. Yeah.

Um, so she was going to come out. She lives in Austin and come out to Vegas to get another piece in a different location. Um, unfortunately woke up with a fever the other day and didn't want to get people sick. So, she's just going to reschedule for Denver. Um, but that means we would have tattooed her twice in Denver. But I need to plan a guest spot to meet her somewhere before we do do that. But, um, but yeah. Yeah, it's going to be a good weekend.

I'm excited to to meet some of those guys and hang out. And yeah, and then that's the end of the trip, man. And then renting a car. My buddy Cody came down from Till Death and we're going to work in the shop this weekend. And then we're renting a car and we're just belowing it back to Denver. Feel good. Do you look forward to road trips after in a different way? I mean, I don't know.

Sometimes I honestly, dude, I haven't had a car in 20 years. No [ __ ] Okay. Yeah. I guess I didn't ask you that this morning. You were talking about rent and stuff, man. Yeah. I just I don't know. When I moved to Durango, it's such a small town, you didn't need one.

Um and then I just never really thought about it, you know? So, like I'm okay when I'm driving, but sometimes when I'm in other people's cars, I get a little a little woozy. I don't wouldn't say car sick, but like Oh, really? When I Yeah. I Man, I remember hearing this like story fable thing about like this Buddhist monk that was traveling on a plane and wherever his destination was, he got off the plane and he went and found the quiet place in the airport and he just laid down. And he was laying there for so long that finally somebody came up to him and said, "Are you okay? " And his response is like, "I'm fine. " And that's how I feel when I when I go now that I kind of I get I get done, I'm a little disoriented like I got to wait my for my soul to catch up with me.

Dang. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, it should be a cool road trip, man. We're going through Monument Valley and up through Moab and then uh Yeah. up and over the Rockies and shoot down the Denver. So, yeah. Yeah.

What are some What are some of your favorite spots you I mean, I know you mentioned you really like the desert. You like like riding through the desert? Everything west of the Rockies, dude. Really? Yeah. Yeah. And maybe just cuz I you know, I grew up in the east and it's new, but there's there Well, no, it's just more open land, man. You know, like Yeah.

Uh I mean, everything from going up over the Rockies and the desert and then the California coast, man. Um, you know, even when you look at a map like, you know, there's all these roads and congestion and stuff like this, you know, on the east coast from like Mississippi over Mississippi River over, you know, and then all up here is fewer roads. Um, so, you know, as a as far as doing it on a bicycle, you want, you know, more open space and less congestion, less traffic and all that kind of stuff, man. Yeah, that makes sense. You're never Are you not You ride on the interstate ever? I have. Yeah. I mean, I rode on interate yesterday, man.

15 for a while. Yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Generally, the rule and laws for interstate is that if there's if there's a alternative, it's going to be illegal, but if there's not an alternative, you could do it. And you're probably most likely going to be in a really rural area when you can. Okay.

Um, interstate riding is a different animal. You do have plenty of shoulder. It's like a lane and a half wide, so you have plenty of room. It's not you're not worried about, you know, the traffic. Um, but you have a lot of debris. Debris and Yeah. I was just wondering about the winds too of like a big rig cruises by. It'll push you around a little bit.

Yeah. Um, but the the I think the bigger challenge is you have a lot of shredded tires. Yeah. From trucks that has this like wire belts kind of hanging out there. They will get give you a flat, glass will give you a flat, all that kind of stuff. And then it's tricky coming up to exits or on ramps or exits, right? Where you got to if if it's an exit, you got to keep your eye on your mirror and if there's somebody that needs to get off, you got to make that decision. Do I have enough gusto to get the [ __ ] out of the way before they need to get off or am I going to back off and let it go?

So, it's this like elegant dance of traffic that you're dealing with. And uh and yeah, and the on-ramps you got to check and make sure where that person is coming on and get back over to the shoulder. So, I mean, it's, you know, it's not the worst, but it's not the most peaceful. It keeps you on your toes more. You But again, man, you're in that moment right then and there. Nothing else matters that you're just [ __ ] dialed in, focused, man. you know, and there's something to be said about that, like being like in the moment, you know, not wandering because, you know, sometimes I'm thinking about something completely different when I'm on a a road that's got no nobody on it, you know? Yeah.

But in that sense, dude, you're living that moment right then and there. Damn. That's a cool experience. Yeah. Are you listening to a lot of books or music or anything while you're out there? I got music. Yeah. Music, podcast stuff.

Uh, you know, I got a a Bluetooth speaker mounted on my handlebars. Oh, okay. Cool. So, you'll you'll keep your ears open and then just have Yeah. Yeah. I wouldn't want headphones in or anything like that where I can't hear stuff coming up. Yeah, dude. No.

Yeah, it's no good. But, you know, I mean, you do it you do it long enough that even sometimes the music is just like I go back and forth. Sometimes I just want the peaceful quietness. Yeah. And then music definitely helps me uh on through the harder times to focus on something else. Yeah. And sometimes you get in groove, man. You know, you start dancing on your bike to the music, you know.

Yeah. Yeah. You start having fun. Well, yeah. you're entertaining yourself like, "Yeah, man. " [ __ ] cars had had see me coming down like literally dancing on my bike, singing along, you know? That's fun. That dude's having a great time right there, man.

I wonder if it's inspired anybody else to go do it. Yeah. And then al like I was I don't know why I was just thinking too about like emotions like welling up every once in a while or something, you know? Like I sometimes like if like this I don't know if it sounds weird like if you do like a hot I do like a good amount of hot yoga and and sometimes like days you go in there is like it's really [ __ ] emotional experience dude and you just feel like you know if you're overwhelmed or anything like that that stuff just comes out of you and I'll just feel like you're like tear up randomly or something. Yeah. I just wonder if you're like just riding along in the middle of nowhere and just sometimes you just go down those rabbit holes in your head and you're like Yeah.

because you have nothing but time to think about stuff, you know, or even just pure happiness, too, you know. Absolutely, man. And I think there's a therapeutic quality to it that like I think that's when I first got into road biking, man. Like I was living in Durango and and uh you know I would wake up super early in the summer like you know five o'clock leave the house at 5:30 and I would go climb some you know mountain pass and you know you're waking all these animals are waking up herds of el crossing fields and it's you know it's it's super beautiful and and then you come bombing down you know back into town at like 40 45 miles per hour and there's just something really therapeutic to it man and uh yeah I could bring up emotions. Um, you know, I think there's something to be said about endorphin highs.

Yeah. Um, they're real for sure. Like runner's high. You hear people talk about that. Um, and Yeah. Yeah. I think it's there's there's something cleansing about it for sure. Yeah.

But sometimes also too, you could start revisiting old things that you're like, man, I thought we I thought we were done thinking about this, man. Really? What the [ __ ] going on? Why Why is this coming back? Why is this popping my head again, man? Shut the [ __ ] up already. Oh, yeah. That makes sense.

So yeah, but I guess maybe in those senses I hadn't worked through some of those things. I don't know. You know, the psyche is a weird thing, man. Yeah, that's a trip, dude. I don't know. I just I just think being alone is is a really tough thing, but really like fantastic at the same time. Just like any I wouldn't say it's for everybody, man. I feel like I have a little bit of a higher tolerance um just in general.

I think like, you know, I've always, you know, as a younger child, I was I was more of a introverted um shy, quiet character that, you know, I' I've experience a lot of time, you know, by myself, you know, working on artwork, doing this, doing that, and the other thing. Um, so I think I just over my life, I've built up more of a tolerance for for, you know, being being solo and being alone sometimes. Um where I know people that are the exact opposite that like man they would lose their mind if they were you know 6 hours by themselves you know so it's yeah everybody's different right you yeah I think as an artist I don't know I spent a lot like we spend a lot of time by ourselves drawing you know so it's like I've always felt very comfortable with that and actually admired that I do enjoy that time alone but I'm also a very social person and I do love talking so I find that balance and but sometimes when you're pushed into those like twoday rides I'm where like you said, you just like don't talk to Well, I mean, but that brings in the the great balance of of the rides and the guest spots, right?

Yeah. Um I, you know, I consider myself a, you know, a pretty conversational tattooer when I get my clients on my table, man. So, it's like, yeah, I go through these couple days of kind of solitude and then when I hit these spots and I meet, you know, these clients for the first time and then it's like, all right, let's tattoo you and let's have a good [ __ ] time doing it, man. You know, and, you know, I'm like sometimes I kind of look around and everyone else is like just doing their tattoos and I'm like, am I annoying everybody? I'm not shutting up, man. You know, I feel like I used to be a little bit more boisterous about it. It's been a conscious effort for me to dial it in and not be so rambunctious sometimes when I'm talking in shops, you know.

Yeah. Uh but I'm I'm the whole time, man. We're we're talking about any everything from like food recommendations to, you know, what what shows have you been binging to like, you know, whatever. Just the basic fun. Yeah. Yeah. Just getting to to know people and and having a good time, tattooing them and all that. How often do you walk into a shop and you're just like, I don't know if this is my vibe.

Oh man. Um, you know, it's like I feel dude not much. Um, I mean, there's one or two shops that will remain nameless when I was full-time that I was just kind of like, what? Like, yeah. Just the weirdest environment ever. Yeah. Just unwelcoming and like, you know, just kind of blow you off. It's like, okay, whatever.

Well, I mean, we don't have to, you know, be besties or anything. " Um, but yeah, I mean, and honestly, most shops are like that. You know, most shops are pretty welcoming. Tattooers are tattooers and there's camaraderie amongst us all and there's community amongst us all. But yeah, every now and then you hit an odd duck that you're just like, "All right, well, I'm just going to do my tattoo. Yeah, I'm just going to do my tattoo. " So, That's good though. I'm glad it's a lot less.

Obviously, I think I think overall it is like both people are [ __ ] you especially if they already like somehow linked through you with a friend of a friend or something like they're already they're in that circle. They're I mean Yeah. Honestly, I I've probably with guest votes and all. I mean, I I imagine I would be pushing like somewhere close to 80 to 100 shops I've been through, right? And like like I said, it's like one or two. Yeah. You know, so one or two% I guess. Exactly.

That's not That's not bad. Yeah. Dang. Well, oh, I'm excited, too. You were you were mentioning earlier about this bigger uh ride that you're potentially trying to like do next year, right? I mean, the the wheels already turning, no pun intended, um about next year's tour, you know, like I feel like it's going to be a yearly thing. Uh so yeah, there was um it's the 50th anniversary of of bikes bike bikes centennial and most people probably won't know what that is but in 1976 um to celebrate the bsentennial year uh a couple of cyclists um organized this route across America that starts in Atoria Oregon and goes to Northwork Virginia and it's around 4,500 miles long. and it's called the route bicycle route 76 and um they organized it and there was over 4,000 people that participated in it that year.

Um not the whole thing but sections. Yeah. Um so it's the 50th anniversary of it in 2026. I'm turning 50 years old. It's my 10y year anniversary of doing of getting into a bicycle touring. So yeah, I think that's going to have to be the one, man. and it's going to be longer than this one. Um, I would like to do 50 tattoos and tattoo in every state that I go through, hit 50 tattoos along the way.

Um, and encourage people to come out and join me, man. You know, I know there's other tattooers that do cycling stuff and do some touring here and there. And maybe they haven't combined the two, but I want to encourage people to to come out and join if you want. You know, no, nobody's going to have to do the whole thing. Like, if you want to go, hey, man, like I want to hit like, you know, a week with you. Yeah. And hit some shops together. I mean, that would be super rad.

And I think it would be cool to have that experience of of going through it with other people and and even if you don't tattoo, you know, like I like I said, a lot of people watch from afar and encourage like you want to come out and ride for a couple days if I'm coming through in your state or whatever, come meet me. You know, I think I'm going to have to start like really because this this one's going to take a lot of plans, especially if there's other people involved. There's a lot of moving parts. Um, so yeah, I'm going to go home, relax for a month or so, and then I think I'm going to have to start figuring out the logistics of how to make that happen and start letting people know where they could get in touch with me about getting involved in it and um and just see what happens with it, man.

Yeah, I think it would be take it to the next level, right? Yeah. and and just promoting, you know, healthy behaviors and cycling and cool tattoos and seeing the country and, you know, Yeah. turn people on to some different things if they're into it, man. And and uh have some company, man. Yeah, I think we'll be right. Do you usually shoot like uh with your iPhone or do you ever you ever been motivated to bring like along like a decent camera or anything? Uh I've always done just iPhone stuff, man.

I'm not the most technically advanced person um with everything. Um, but I I've kicked around and I've never used the drone, but I've I've looked at some stuff, man. And like the drone technology keeps getting better better and like, you know, I definitely follow other cyclists, you know, that do bicycle touring stuff and that utilize drone footage [ __ ] man. And like, you know, you could launch it and have it follow you follow. It's so cool as you roll through this epic scenic, you know, and it just captures it all, man. And they're smaller now, too. And they're cheaper and they're packable and all that kind of stuff. So that might be kind of fun.

Yeah. Yeah. I think I think to have that footage, but then some part times, man, I'm like, you know, I don't want to another thing to [ __ ] Well, I don't want to focus so much like I I don't want to focus so much on the documentary part of it. The main thing is focus on what's going on, man. And you know, there's certain things that I see sometimes just being out on the road that I just kind of, huh, like you'll be, say you're riding the most scenic, epic part of Highway One, you know, in in Oregon or something, you know, and you're coming down the coast and I see these people driving in their cars and it's always the person, you know, sitting in the passenger seat and they're filming everything with their phone. Yeah. and they're staring at it through their screen instead of and it's right there in front of them, but they're watching it on their screen, which you could pull up a YouTube video and see that aspect of it.

And I just wonder how after that day is gone, how often do you actually go back and watch that footage? You don't. So you just missed out experiencing something IRL as the kids say by staring at your phone and experiencing it for your It's just it's just it's mindboggling sometimes. It's right there, man. Yeah. Like take it in pull over. Smell the air like like don't But we're we're in that culture of everything staring foam. So I mean like I don't know.

So there's the there's a both sizer, right? drone footage would be cool, but then how how much of my day am I [ __ ] dealing with this drone and editing the footage and and it and not just being like I experienced it and I'm going to let that live in my memory and and if I need to experience again, I'm going to go back there. Yeah. So, there's that aspect of of the duality of, you know, what you want to do stuff. Yeah. Yeah. It kind of reminds me of that show Alone. I don't know if you ever seen that where they they they claim they like film it all themselves, but I'm like, I don't really understand how that works.

like, you know, you're just out in the middle of nowhere. Like, I know how much work it is to always like get everything put up and put together and make sure the angle's right, you know? I'm like, yeah, maybe they take lessons before they go on the the producers like give them a little, you know, but it adds like this whole other thing. I mean, that's a like a challenge in tattooing right now, right? Where we're all of a sudden we all feel I guess not. Yeah. You know, in tattooing, we we all feel like now we have to like document everything and like share it and and it has to be good and likes, man. You got to be a director and a light lighting technician and a [ __ ] editor and Oh, get it gets exhausting.

Skits. Yeah. And all that. Yeah. Yeah. I' I'd never been that good at any of that [ __ ] No. No. And I guess, you know, maybe it works for some people and um but I don't know.

You know, sometimes I see those skits and some sometimes they're funny, enjoyable, but I mean, sometimes they're cringey and like Yeah. I don't know. Like, why don't you How many hours did you spend doing that today where you could have been like drawing and like coming up with something cool to tattoo instead, man? Like, you know, like I don't know, but that's that's that's where I just it's what I want to do, I guess. I don't know. Yeah. Everyone can do what they want to do and have fun with what they're doing regardless of what it is. And um yeah, that's the uniqueness of it.

I like your pictures of you in front of the every state sign lately. Oh, yeah. I mean, yeah, that was when I was doing it full-time, man. I was trying to collect all 50. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How many So, have you done all 50?

No. Yeah. What are you lacking? Where where you want to get to? Um, [ __ ] So, I feel like I got So, there's two different things going on. " Right. Um, so as far as tattooing and riding, I've done like 32 or something like that. Okay.

Um, but as far as just riding through, I think it's like 38 to 40. There's two major chunks I haven't tackled and one of them's the middle of the country north. Oh, okay. North Dakota, South Dakota, um Michigan. That'd be like a summertime ride obviously, right? Like Yeah. Yeah. Um that whole area, which you know, I mean, parts of those those places are not the most exciting.

They're just a lot of corn fields and stuff like that. Um and then the other section of the country is the is the southoutheast kind of section. Um so like Georgia, the Carolas, uh Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, which in bicycle touring communities is kind of known as not the most bicycle friendly areas. Um where you will deal with people throwing [ __ ] at you. That's what I was wondering. Yeah, too is like how many how often you got in a weird [ __ ] situation where you're like I mean nothing too too crazy. You know, one of the the things that stick out is if you know I love Oregon, it's a beautiful place, but god damn, man. You got the most um highest percentage of kind of douchebags and diesel trucks that like to coal roll you as they pass and blow smoke on you.

See, I wouldn't expect that from the Pacific. I guess I think Pacific Northwest. Yeah, exactly. Everyone thinks Oregon is nothing but Portland, but it's not, man. You get outside of that, it's very rural. Um, everyone's got a diesel and it's like you almost the coal that's so [ __ ] up, dude. And you almost like you could hear those coming up and like it's going to happen and guarantee it's going to happen, dude. And like, you know, I've learned to not give satisfaction to it.

Yeah. So like I just keep my head down and let nothing happen because that dude that just did that is watching his rearview mirror and he wants to get his shits and giggles by watching you be like you [ __ ] [ __ ] and like look how mad he got. Y and then you know another aspect of me goes, "Man, you know what? " Yeah. that I kind of feel a little bit sorry that that's how he gets joy in life is to just randomly [ __ ] with somebody that he has, you know. So then I'm like whatever that's that's his life and if that's what he needs I that sucks man, you know. Um, you know, it's definitely something that you have to practice on not getting frustrated on, you know, and yeah, the go throwing [ __ ] at you or like squirting you like I've been sprayed with [ __ ] something, you know, and all these different kind.

I've never had [ __ ] thrown or or sprayed. Um, yeah, I feel like I might have had like a car or two like buzz me intentionally, come really close. That's what a weird [ __ ] up sense of humor, too. Yeah. I mean, accident you hit somebody, it's a whole different thing. Yeah. You, you know, um, but I've also gotten into the mindset, man, that like I'm not one of these people like, you didn't give me three feet. Um, I've definitely Yeah, you can't expect that, right?

No, cuz there's also times I'm riding where there is no shoulder and you have to become nerves of steel and you have to get comfortable with a car being inches away from you and that you're focusing on where you are and what you're doing and you're hoping they're doing what they need to do and you can go coexist and everyone just does what they need to do and it's going to be fun. You know, you have to put your faith in that and you can't get worked up or rate because you're the one who's ideally going out to play in traffic. Yeah. you're going to lose. Like you're my decision is, hey, I'm going to go out and play in traffic. Yeah. So, I can't get, you know, worked up when it gets uncomfortable cuz this is my choice to to do so. Um, so yeah, I'm I'm pretty comfortable with close encounters.

I've But again, I've never been hit by a car, man. Um, which Yeah, knock on wood. Um, you know, and uh, yeah, um, I'm out there doing my thing and they're doing their thing and and the universe works the way the universe works. And if it's meant to happen in a disastrous way, so be it, I guess. I don't know, man. Yeah. You ever end up in just like rolling through some sketch ass neighborhoods, too, though? Then they'll they kind of probably more look at you like you're a [ __ ] alien.

Yeah. Like all bagged up and everything and tan. What the [ __ ] is this guy going? Tired. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, yeah. That's also the one thing about following uh Google Maps sometimes on the bicycle, right?

They could give zero [ __ ] about like the neighborhood. They just tell you how to get there, man. " And then like you go, "Okay, well, I'm going to stop. " And yeah, um and just trying, you know, but the the thing is too is you don't know how if you're going deeper into a sketchy area or you're like on the outskirts, how long is this going to go? And you know, but you get through them and at the end of the day, we'll see what tomorrow has. [ __ ] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

I get, you know, that's what keeps you on your toes, keeps you alive, keeps you rolling, dude. Damn. Well, dude, I'm so excited to have you come by, man. I I just Yeah. Like, I want to just thank you for taking the time and Oh, yeah. Dude, we get to reconnect, man. For sure. Really really love everything you're doing.

And I I don't know. I've always been like excited and stoked to watch it from a distance. It's cool. And I like I said, you did inspire me. I got a bike. I was riding there 25 30 miles a day in the morning pretty consistently. Year to get in shape, man. maybe hitting that trail together.

Yeah, I noticed there's a lot of great trails like up in Montana. We spent some time up there and u just stunning like scenery and [ __ ] I can't imagine like spending the whole day like doing that would be so beautiful. Yeah. I mean the the the organization that established that Route 676 um is in Missoula uh Montana. It's called Venture Cyclist. Yeah. um or a bunch of cycling and they have their offices there and that that route goes through Missoula and you go visit them and they give you some some soda and ice cream and stuff and give you a little tour. Uh they're good people out there doing good work.

So that's rad. Yeah. Well, damn, dude. I hope you have a great weekend in Vegas tattooing and uh we had a fun breakfast this morning. It was Yeah. Hit the pepper mill. It was like a old school like Vegas on the strip breakfast spot with some fake trees and neon lighting and [ __ ] Yeah, it was good, man. I honestly from passing it because it's compared to everything around it, it's so like uh I don't know.

It's just no glit as glitzy and glamory as everything else. Like odd little tiny onestory building in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard. The [ __ ] They do breakfast, right? Yeah. Well, see, um you know, like so how can we find you? How do we get a hold of you and everything? Uh, I mean my Instagram is is bicycle bobs tattoo t- and the number two with uh hash underscores in between the bicycle bobs and the tattoo. Um, and uh, yeah, I mean mostly my stuff's on there.

I'm not the best with um, checking the DMs on there. It even says in the bio, you know, please no DMs. And uh, you know, but my email information is on there. you could, you know, link to the email email button there and shoot me an email if it's, you know, something you need to get in touch with as far as getting tattooed or, you know, getting involved in the trip. But I'll be announcing more info on that as it comes to fruition. Um, yeah, and that's where I'm at. Yeah. Tattooing, riding your bike.

Yeah. You don't have much free time to text anyway. You either got bloody gloves on or you're [ __ ] riding across the country. Yeah. And I don't have a a secretary as a lot of people are these days, man. Maybe I need to get one of those. Yeah. Um but yeah, I do like the hands-on approach of responding to people um personally and starting our, you know, tattoo relationship together from the the first contact to the wrap of the bandage type of deal.

Yeah. Well, you're a very talented tattooer, too, man. I watch your stuff and you're It's fun. And I'm a I'm an like a fan of and a nerd about just illustrators these days and it and it seems a little like few and far between these days for people that are really pushing to do unique different stuff and you've always like pulled that. Yeah. I mean I like to take iconic imagery and just put a different twist on it, mash things up and uh you know do something like people like oh I know that but I've never seen it done in with that take on it you know and classic stuff and you know the whole nine and I like all the wizard biker [ __ ] too. Yeah. Yeah.

That's I love it. Well, thank you again, dude. And you guys definitely like tune tune in to everything Bob's doing. He's [ __ ] Bob Lackard, right? Lackner R. Lackner. Yeah. Yeah.

Um Yeah. And thanks for listening, guys. And we'll see you around. Support your local tattoo. Peace.