All Hat & No Cattle
Thoughts are like arrows: once released, they strike their mark. Guard them well or one day you may be your own victim. - Navajo Proverb
People get funny ideas, about what they are or did. They can’t see what they can be.
- Annette Bening as Sue Barlow, Open Range; 2003
Visually seeing / witnessing different cultures & markets is fascinating.
In 2024 this small Ronin Purchased a KLR650 to ride across North America to my best friends place in Meredith, New Hampshire. The initial leg of this endeavor is documented here…
Returning west in a 2003 Toyota Highlander was like riding luxury compared to the enduro style bike.
Friends & Family along the way thru Ohio… Cousin Tracy in Westport, CT was a treasured surprise… so cool she and Thomas [nephew] had the time and a killer spot to crash….
Pat & Ruth Purcell in Altoona, PA. USNA93 family. Their renovated home on he edge of PSU campus is surrounded by natural farms [actually real food production away from the cartel] in old Amish / Mennonite country…
Eric & Kathy Schlachter - mom’s side of the family and always there for an incredible time. Unconditional Love. Beautiful day in the rains to run the streets… the history of Akron is intense around the old tire companies… Goodyear & Firestone…. Some very interesting architecture & old heritage. Ohio continues to impress… my aunt & uncles home is kinds timeless Americana - well renovated with a beautiful place to sleep. Pretty cool seeing some family to move on… go west …
Pictures from the first leg of the trip on the past post… the next run to St Louis was fairly easy… historic St Charles was the provisions / starting point for Lewis & Clark. The heritage of the endeavor is well documented but the current status of the natives on my trip looked as if a long walk around town would be challenging.
No intentions to lecture. Not the arbiter of the truth. Just observations.
During November 2024 thru March 2025 > a first real New England winter since I was a boy > a primary goal was to address the concept of chosen suffering. Goggins speaks of using physical pain to address his weak mind [past]. Many lessons learned…. Also helped calmed an already too excited mental construct.
The ability to relax and work on cleaning up my own garage in life assisted greatly with this transition.
Past hard industry experiences & challenges also help create some type of tenacity- new outlook leading to gratitude & humility.
Many of the humans walking around in different parts of our world seem much more affected by the rapid repetitive content pulsated out via ‘smart devices.’ [1]
Departing St Louis / St Charles for Colorado was the working leg of this trip. Possibly a 12 hour drive thru Missouri, Kansas and into Colorado.
One can see after the rivers of the middle country Kansas is a series of steps continuing higher where the deciduous Forrest gives way to the high plains.
Many observations were noted on the way out east thru Kansas along a state access road to the rail line just south of the i70 highway going west during this leg… more on heritage later…
In the spirit of saving capital the location of Bennett, Colorado was chosen as their was another Choice Hotel platform location there next to clean truck stops outside the Denver Airport… safe place to camp for all kinds of reasons. The air was cold. REI North Face quality sleeping bags… as they say in the Coast Guard… Semper Paratus [always prepared].
Only 4-4.5 hours of sleep achieved but a nice warm hotel awaited in Moab, UT. Cruising thru Denver on a Sunday morning ensured little traffic along with a wild trip up into Vail [highway construction]. A quick stop there for a look at a man made town adding perspective… all seen before but provided some excellent input on why we chose specific towns for investment & lifestyle… past actions in historic mining towns like Jerome, Arizona offered something more akin to Aspen with a wild / artistic edge… the world is changing fast and all this plays into a former idea / business plan within the old European towns in the pampas far south….
Colorado is a beautiful place…. Kinda part of the new technocratic world with the ski resorts now populated with many who have benefited from the ‘Tech II’ bull market in what appears to be mostly surveillance technology/systems. Thematic statement around centralization of humanity and the silent devaluation covered late but only to say it’s our view of the macro leading the new optimism amongst those who are taking action.
Moab UT is a nice playground in the rocks. Quick review of this place may be different from others as my 3 years in Arizona [city life as well as rural Verde Valley] helped considerably… conceptual …
Sedona, Arizona continues as a beautiful place with a manufactured feel… incredible hikes…. Loved the time here but another life back in this valley.
Eventually this blog is not to be intended for personal ramblings… documentary of the crossing….
The financial mania here in North America has left behind much of the middle class with others seeking safety in pensions..
We are always fighting the last war. The mal investment by pensions / institutions around private equity / credit may be revealed in 2026… or 27.
Hence from a view above there appears to be many experts … big hats… with little comprehension of value or anti-fragile collateral.
Numerous past experiences with investment banks to wire houses and sales / hard industries / travel aid with this conclusion. Gold over $4,000 displays the producers of the world are fearful of the consumers [numerous here in USA Inc.].
Numerous opportunities within a crisis.
Carpe Diem,
Christopher
[1]
Be gentle as the spring winds,
Keep the warmth of the summer sun in your heart,
And the Great Spirit will always be with you.Navajo proverb
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