The Legend Of The Lone Rider – Part 1

Part 1 – “Then Came Bronson” Makes An Impression On A 13 Year Old.

Although I have so far successfully been immune to social media, I have long been influenced by radio, TV, and movies. As I stated elsewhere, The Lone Rider is the story of a recently retired IT professional and his quest to fulfill two goals – ride a bicycle from coast to coast and promote mentoring organizations and volunteering.
The inspiration for the ride came to me as an impressionable 13 year old watching “Then Came Bronson” [www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYsztoaU9Ls]. Jim Bronson is a vagabond searching for the meaning of life and seeking the experiences life has to offer. During his travels, he shares his values with the people he meets along the way and lends a helping hand when he can. The premise of each episode is that Bronson enters someone else’s life at a crucial point and acts as a catalyst for change. I thought, some day I’m going to do something like that.

As you can see in the opening for each show, Bronson has a brief conversation with a man who seems trapped in his job. The “9 to 5” guy in the station wagon envies the carefree Bronson. In my dreams as a 13 year old, I was on the motorcycle. Eventually, I graduated from college, started a career, fell in love, got married, and raised 2 kids. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for the world. However, I will admit there were times over those decades when I felt like the guy in the station wagon. I’d wish I was the guy who could ride on 2 wheels and explore the country, see new things, and maybe impact some lives.

Now I can pull up to that stop light and look back at another version of me from the past and say “You hang in there!”

The Lone Rider

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