The Everyday Millionaire Series

The Devil's Backbone - Part 4 of 8

Wednesday – June 6^th

Today was our day to do what ever we wanted.  I was tired, hot and my face was pretty sunburned.  My hand was still sore but I knew that I would be fine to ride on Thursday.  I took a real slow day to myself.  I slept late, wrote a little, read a book and got to wear shorts.  Wearing jeans and riding boots in 90 degree weather takes a lot out of a Seattle guy used to cooler weather. 

I spent some time with Billy talking about his plans for STO and his Anglers Inn Lodge on Lake El Salto just north of Mazatlan.  I guess Billy’s lodge considered one of the top ten in the world for bass fishing.    He also has sporting clays up there which excited me more but we would not get up there on this trip.

Billy explained to me that he is opening another lodge in November of this year south of Mazatlan.  He has his Harley tours and he owns four acres on the ocean that he is going to build a hotel on in 2009.  His plan is to use TV tour shows to draw business to his bass fishing and motorcycle tours.  People can come down to Mazatlan with their families and if the family doesn’t want to go fishing or motorcycle riding they can stay in the hotel and the others can go for a few days to do those events. 

This is really fun for me.  The Everyday Millionaire is based on my helping people to think differently and to think bigger about their money.  I believe that if you have a goal and set a plan you can achieve it.  Billy’s plans are bigger than I have ever dreamed for myself.  It convinced me that I have to dream bigger to help the people that The Everyday Millionaire will help to dream bigger too.

We finished the day with afternoon with a tour around town, a big church, a theatre and a bar.  We headed back for some shooting around the pool and a steak dinner.

The Devil's Backbone - Part 3 of 8

Tuesday – June 5^th

Sammy knocked on my door at 6:30AM with a cup of coffee in hand and said breakfast was at 7:00 and it would be kickstands up at 8:00.  I slowly rolled out of bed and headed for the shower.  Breakfast was whatever we wanted and was made to order. I had some pancakes and some bacon while we all talked about the fun we had the day and the night before. 

As promised, it was kickstands up at 8:00 and we were on our way.  We were high in the Sierra Madres and it was actually chilly.  I put on another shirt to keep me warm.  The temps the day before got me too warm and the cooler weather actually felt great.

We were already used to each others riding styles.  If you are not a motorcycle rider, we ride in packs.  Most of the time on the highways in the states, we ride in a staggered formation.  One rider rides in the left side of the lane and the person behind them rides in the right side of the lane and so on.  You keep a one second buffer behind the rider adjacent to you and two seconds from the person directly in front of you.  If you can see the face of the person next to you in their rear view mirror, that’s perfect because then they can see you too.  It is important in this formation that you stay in your side of the lane and keep your distances.  This type of a pack formation allows us to move as one group and it allows the “cages” (cars) to easily know that we are there.  Having said all of that, in Mexico and especially on The Devil’s Backbone, all of that goes out the window.  We ride single file and spread out even more. 

The ride to Durango would take all day, even thought it was only about 75-80 miles.  It takes longer because we made many stops to film the adventure.  We set up shots and then sometimes we would have to go back and do it over and over to get the shot Billy was looking for.  It was really fun but as the day wore on, we got to lower elevations and the heat continued to build. 

You can’t really count the distance we are traveling in a day and equate that to travel in the US.  We probably average 23-30 miles per hour because of the number or turns and how tight they are.  When you combine that with semi trucks it slows down the travel.  I was really alright with it because you don’t conquer “The Backbone”, you experience it.

We arrived at our hotel in Durango at 4:00PM.  Durango is the capital city of the State of Durango.  We were in Durango, Durango.  Like New York, New York only smaller, and warmer.  We didn’t get to rest for long because we had a really fun event planned for the evening.  There is a western town in Durango that been the location of over 60 western movies like El Dorado and The Sons of Katie Elder.  Both big John Wayne hits.  The town puts on western shows on the weekends but in Mexico, all things are possible.  They opened the town just for us.... for a price of course.

We arrived at the town about 6:00.  We were greeted by fifteen or eighteen people that made up the town.  We had the town Marshall to the everyday folks along with some Indians and dance hall girls.  They gave us all props that consisted of coats, hats and guns that we would use to create a scene for the TV show.  We all got dressed and got back on our bikes.  We lined the bikes up at one end of town.  Several of the dance hall girls hopped on the back and we were going to run through town creating a ruckus like they used to in the Old West, only on Harleys. 

Our first pass was a great.  We stirred up dust, made a lot of noise and felt like we were real desperados.  We went to the other end of town and turned around for a second pass.  As I sat waiting for the second pass to start, I started to feel really hot.  I looked down and saw the reflection of fire in the chrome of my air cleaner.  My long jacket had stuck to the tailpipe and caught on fire.  I was burning.  I laid the bike down and jumped away.  The coat was burning even more.  I had it buttoned up so I grabbed the opening and pulled, jerking the buttons off and getting the coat off before it was completely engulfed in flames. 

The coat was destroyed, but the bike was fine.  I burned my right hand so I would be out of the rest of the evening’s events.  I sat on the sidelines keeping ice on my hand so I would be able to ride the next day.

They used the rest of the guys in a little skit about the bank being robbed and the good guys showing up to save the town.  It was fun and we got most of the support crew involved too.  What a blast.  We got back to the hotel about 8:30 in time for a late dinner.

The Devil's Backbone - Part 2 of 8

Monday – June 4^th

I got a knock on my door at 7:15.  Sammy, one of the STO staff handed me a cup of coffee and told me breakfast was at 7:30 in the restaurant. We ate and talked about the trip ahead.  We took 30 minutes after breakfast to shower and get our stuff together.  We loaded into a van for the 15-minute trip to the Steel Thunder Outfitters office.  When we arrived, they had 7 motorcycles lined up for us.  Our names were on the bike we would ride for the week.  All of the bikes in STO’s fleet are Harley-Davidson’s.  This week, I would be riding a red Road King.  They wanted to make sure we were going to be comfortable on our bikes so J-Mac, who is also  the technician for STO had me sit on the bike and made sure that pegs, handlebars and mirrors were adjusted for me. 

It took about an hour before we were ready to leave.  When we pulled out into the Mazatlan traffic I felt a little nervous.  I have been to Mexico many times but I have never driven a car, much less ridden a motorcycle in their traffic.  I was a little nervous at first but it didn’t take long to get into the swing of things.   

On this adventure we travel with a pretty big group.  There are 7 motorcycles, a van, a jeep, and a truck with a camper and a semi with a big 5^th wheel trailer behind it.  In those vehicles, is a crew of nine.  We have our own chef, masseuse the camera crew and several others that are there to make sure that everything we want or need is there before we ask for it. This all seems like little overkill but as I mentioned, Billy is a promoter. 

It was really hot in Mazatlan.  We left about 9:30 and the temps were already in the 80’s and going higher.  When you combine that with protective clothing and the heat from the bike, I thought it would be a really uncomfortable trip.  We were headed for the mountains where I knew it would be cooler so I just had to gut it out. 

We stopped just outside of town so we could re-equip ourselves.   Every time we stop, Sammy would hop out with handfuls of cold water and Gatorade.  He wears a tool belt full of anything we could want, sanitary cleaner for our hands and treats.  He is always offering us something and seems to anticipate our every want.  The entire staff of STO is very well trained.  They seem to know what we need before we need it.  I made a mental note of this so that we can get better at it for the The Everyday Millionaire and Old West Mortgage too. 

We all shedded some clothes and our helmets and hit the road again.  I was surprised, but Joe and Chris from American Iron wore jackets the whole time while Sam just wore t-shirt.  Mark likes to wear his leather vest and I like a sleeveless shirt with a long sleeved wick away shirt underneath. 

We stopped several time for photo opportunities and to set up shots for the show.  I had never been involved in any of this before so it was a learning experience for me.  It was fun too.  The best part was riding through some beautiful country on roads that were surprisingly good.  I knew that coming to Mexico to ride would be an adventure.  As much for bad roads as anything.  I was wrong.  The roads are pretty good. 

We stopped for lunch and our Chef Giovanni cooked up some carne asada with onions and vegetables.  They pulled out the canopy of the trailer and set up a little restaurant there for us to eat.  They found some shade and set out cots so we could take a little siesta after lunch.  I thought that this must be the way rock stars get treated.  After lunch and before the siesta, Gabby, the masseuse gave me a fifteen minute neck massage.  I laid down on the cot and I was out.  We napped for about 3-45 minutes then it was time to tackle the backbone again. 

The Devil’s Backbone is an old road that goes from the Western coast to the Eastern part of Mexico.  It is the only way to get over the mountains so it is a very heavily traveled road.  There are lots of big trucks, tour buses and everyday traffic.  That in itself is not a big deal but you add in that the road is one lane in each direction with a sheer rock wall on one side and a very steep cliff on the other.  Combine that with the fact that it has over 900 turns in the first 60 miles and you have the makings of a challenging adventure.

We spent Monday night at a group of cabins high in the Sierra Madre Mountains just outside a little town called Mexiquillo.  There is nothing much there but we are traveling with a whole crew, we were treated by the STO staff like rock stars.

We settled into our cabins and we were treated to mojito’s, which is a Cuban rum drink and my wife’s favorite.  If you haven’t tried a Mojito before, we are having them at our Old West Mortgage Customer Appreciation Party on August 4^th.  Oh yeah, The Beatniks will be there too.

For dinner, chef Giovanni made us a seafood feast of shrimp, bass and Lobster.  Joe from American Iron doesn’t like seafood so Giovanni made him a filet that Joe said was exceptional.  The food and its presentation would not have given away the fact that we were in the middle of nowhere eating next to a campfire. 

For the second night, I got to spent lots of time with the American Iron guys.  They have incredible stories about their travels, their lives and some of the famous people they have met along the way. The thing I didn’t realize from reading the magazine is how much these guys know about motorcycles.  Not just the superficial stuff, but their inner workings too.  They ride bikes sure, but they build them too.   We have become friends and already we are talking about having them out to the Northwest for a ride sometime. 

Can’t wait for Tuesdays ride to Durango…

The Devil's Backbone - Part 1 of 8

Here is the first of a eight part series on my trip on what many people say is the #1 motorcycle road in the world.

Sunday - June 3, 2007

My adventure got started really early.  The alarm went off at 3:30AM for the trip to the airport, my flight didn’t leave until 7:00AM but I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t late.  I was so excited that I didn’t sleep anyway.  I can always sleep on the plane.  Mark Reeves of Reeves Custom Motorcycle Accessories got to my house a little after 4 AM.   Mark and his wife Pam live in Stanwood.  I met them four years ago in an experienced rider’s class.  We have become friends and we run into each other around town and on bike events all the time.    We left for the airport about 4:30 and to my surprise, by 4:45 the sun was coming up.  Who knew?  I am never up that early so I had no idea. 

I am usually pretty good about packing for trips but this time I was packing for a motorcycle trip.  I didn’t have to take my bike but I did have to pack all of my leathers and jackets, protective clothing and of course copies of the “The Money Thing Made Easy”.  It took up so much space that I had to take two suitcases. I felt a little embarrassed, but I brought both of them anyway.

The flight was great.  No problems with anything even though we left 40 minutes late.   We arrived in Mazatlan at 3:30 and were greeted by JMac of Steel Thunder Outfitters.  It was about a 30-minute ride to the Holiday Inn on the Ocean where we would spend our first night.  We went right out to the pool by the ocean and met Billy Chapman Jr., the owner of STO and the three editors of American Magazine, Chris Maida, Sam Whitehead and Joe Knezevic.  They greeted us like we were old friends and handed us a cerveza.  What a treat is was for me having been a reader of American Iron for years.  I get to meet the guys that put the magazine together and have had countless motorcycle adventures with some of the most famous people in the motorcycle world.  I get to spend a week with them and ride the best motorcycle road in the world, The Devil’s Backbone. 

Billy is super promoter.  This trip is not just about the ride, we will be traveling with a film crew that will film the adventure for a show that will air this fall on the Men’s Channel.  The Men’s channel is available on the dish network and Direct TV.  You can find is by the moniker MOR as you are surfing channels.

We hadn’t been there for an hour before Billy takes us down the beach to where they had a couple of wave runners for the American Iron guys and a parasailing adventure for Mark and me.  Since Mark had not been parasailing before, he went first.  You should have seen the look on his face as he took off.  He said the trip was great but when he landed, he landed a bit hard and twisted his ankle.  It didn’t stop him though, we got him some ice and he has kept up well. 

When I was coming in to land, I was flying over the top of a beachfront hotel.  I got so close that I thought I might end up there but suddenly I turned slightly and made a soft landing on the beach.  We filmed all of it and some of it should make the show.

We went to our rooms and showered and got presentable. We met in the lobby and went out for a great Oceanside dinner of shrimp, lobster and of course a couple of Corona’s.  At dinner, I gave each of the American Iron guys a signed copy of The Money Thing Made Easy.  I have to admit I was a little nervous because these guys are all educated, well read and write for a living.  As hard as I worked on the book, I was nervous that they would not like the book or my writing style.  This was my first real test of the book with professional journalists. 

Do you have your eye on the wrong ball?

The other night I sat down to watch a baseball game. I follow the major leagues but I don’t sit down and watch a whole game on TV all that often anymore. Having played and watched hundreds, maybe thousands of games, it still amazes me how hitters can decipher a pitch and make the adjustments in the blink of an eye to hit it. They can do it because even thought the pitchers are doing everything they can to fool them or overpower them, the good hitters all have one thing in common. They don’t get distracted. They keep their eye on the ball.

Companies in America try to fool you or overpower you ton order to get your money. They try to distract you to get you to focus on something that is less important but maybe easier to compare. In the mortgage business, the trick is to get your focus on the interest rate. At first, you might think that the lowest rate on your mortgage should be the main factor to consider. They truth s that the interest rate is only one of the many factors that create the best mortgage solutions.

A low interest rate on the wrong loan, especially a bad loan that is not structured correctly for your financial situation, could create a financial disaster. Many times if you take a higher rate on a better loan for you, you will see financial benefits every month. I know it sounds odd, but if you have followed any of the news stories lately you have heard about the many people who are loosing their homes to foreclosure.

Money is tight today and we don’t get as many at-bats with our money as we used to. I created the Everyday Millionaire to help working Americans take a better shot at the at-bats they do get.