Fred Rewey’s Blog

“Because I have never done it, and it is there.” ~ That was my response as to why I was going to drive my motorcycle across the country beginning July 29th.

As most of you know, I love to ride motorcycles. Whether I am firing up my first Harley-Davidson (Fat Boy), the new Iron Horse 9’ Chopper, or the “Geezer Glide” (a 2003 HD Ultra Classic), it is just great to get out and ride.

In all of my riding, I never have really gone on a long trip. Sure, Tracy and I have ridden to a nearby state and put in 650+ miles for the day; but across county – that is something else entirely.

My actual trip starts in Orlando, FL at 6:00am on Saturday ~ I will work my way across the country (with three friends), stop by the Sturgis Rally in South Dakota, my home state of Wisconsin, and see numerous national parks and landmarks along the way.

Sure, it will be tough. Yes, I am probably crazy for doing it. But like I said from the onset, “because I have never done it, and it is there.”

Talk to you soon.

*****UPDATE 8/13/06*******

Ok, the journey is over and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. We had a great time and with over 9 hours a day on a bike, you have a lot of time to think (maybe too much time). I have new respect for those that do “Iron Butt” rides (over 1,000 miles day).

Other than driving through a record heat wave, the ride was always pleasant. I saw the Badlands, Deadwood, Spearfish Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Custer Park, Devils Tower as well as hundreds of Buffalo, Deer, Elk, and a whole lot of corn.

In the end, we traveled from Florida to Wyoming to Wisconsin and back to Florida. (13 days, 14 states).

It is a great country we live in and I highly recommend getting out there and seeing it!

Turned 40 today.

I have to admit, it was not as bad as I thought it would be - mostly for the fact that I finally believe what (older) people tell you - you are as old as you feel. Of course if you ask my wife or teenager, they may say that would make me around 6.

I am making the most of my 40th year as possible - learning a new language, river rafting, traveling to the Arizona desert to go through a Covert Ops training, and getting on my bike July 29th for a 7,000 mile motorcycle trip across the country. Although I try to always enjoy life along the way (I fully believe in the “life’s too short” quote) a milestone certainly helps get you in gear.

For those of you under 40 (or 30 for that matter), the best advice I can give you is don’t wait. As Dave Mathews says, “the future is no place to place your better days.”

I can’t wait until 50! - well, maybe a can wait a little while…

You know you are in a low interest rate environment when credit cards are just bending over backwards to get your business. I suspect this “cheap money” environment will hold true for several more months but now is the time to take advantage of what they have to offer.

Now before I get too far, I am not suggesting that you run out and charge your credit cards up with things you never wanted to buy in the first place. But this is a good time to acquire a larger item at a low finance rate – or better yet, “restructure” your current debt to a lower interest rate.

Credit cards often offer low rates if you “move your other balance” to their cards. Beware of the fine print, but if everything checks out, you can often receive rates much lower than what you are currently paying. Recently I went to purchase a new motorcycle for what seems to be a growing collection and the credit card company offered me 1.9%. I knew rates were low but wow – even I have to consider having debt at that low rate (especially when the same money can be used elsewhere to earn better than 1.9%).

Again, this is a great time to restructure and move some debt around to a lower rate card. Just keep in mind, this is only good if you don’t run out and build more debt on the (now) free card.

Take advantage of this low interest environment while you can. Remember, half of building wealth is cutting what you have to pay other people – high interest rates certainly come under that category.

“Ok, fine. I will get a BLOG”

That was pretty much my comment after numerous people either accused me of “missing the boat” or simply “not doing a great job of letting people know my thoughts.” So, here it is - the official Fred Rewey Blog. I can’t tell you when I am going to write something here, how often, or even what - but if I do write something, this will be the place to find it!

All the best,

Fred Rewey