Westside Story – "Braggin" Rights

In the vast majority of my 500 or so articles, the ideas for each and every story came to me on my own. I am blessed with a creative and active mind that has become more creative and observational as I finished 75 years of life experience. My mind is always observing, and working on ideas.

After coming up with an interesting or fun idea, I sit down with my laptop and write the story. Recently when I came up with my Bronze Statue idea, I had to immediately sit down, and write the story start to finish.

Depending on the subject and seriousness of the topic I frequently; not always, ask my wife to help with my editing process for my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, – 12th draft. I subscribe to ABE which is an acronym I invented using Abe Lincoln’s first name meaning Always Be Editing.

Today’s story is; what do you call that phenomenon? Oh yaa, an anomaly. The story is not my idea, but instead Jimmy Howe’s idea. We were having coffee down at Steilacoom’s TCC today when Jimmy said to me, “Hey Joe, you really have bragging rights.”

I said, “How’s that” or since Jimmy is involved I might have said, Howes, that? Jimmy reminded me that Evil Knievel attempted to jump over the Snake River near Twin Falls, Idaho in September 1974. Before making it to the other side of the river and canyon, Evil suffered a horrible crash in his Skycycle X-2 when his parachute opened prematurely causing him to suffer a broken nose on top of having previously broken every bone in his body in other failed motorcycle stunts.

I, on the other hand, can brag that I led a group of 5 motorcycle riding pals (Tom, Jim, Dave, Randy, & Drew) over the same Snake River and was able to cross the river in a manner much more daring than Evil Knievel’s effort. That is right. We made our crossing and yet not one of us wore a parachute for safety. I accomplished my Snake River crossing without a single motorcycle crash and no broken bones.

Of course, we crossed the Snake River using the Freeway and the Perrine Bridge, which back in 1927 at 486’ above the Snake River was the highest bridge in the world.

Now here is the substantial part of Jimmy’s claim that I have bragging rights. I rode a motorcycle to the Arctic Ocean flying over the handlebars at 70 mph. I suffered multiple broken bones and a long list of other medical maladies in the process.

If you want to avoid serious injuries from motorcycle riding like those suffered by Evil Knievel and Joe Boyle, check my photo below to learn what the Tillicum Branch of The International Motorcycle Safety Foundation considers to be the safest motorcycle riding position regardless of age, gender, race, religion, training or skill level.

While he is indisputably a well known public figure, Evil Knievel never rode and crashed a motorcycle at the Arctic Ocean like me.

As soon as this article is published in The Suburban Times and the word begins to spread that I am a more accomplished and daring adventure rider than Evil Knievel, I expect to start making the rounds on all the TV talk shows. Then there will be the book and movie deals.

Just think, all my faithful and devoted readers will have bragging rights too. My readers will be able to go to coffee with their friends and brag, “Huh! I knew Joe Boyle when he was nothing, long before he became more famous than Evil Knievel.”

Talk it up. Joe Boyle, who is now bigger than life, bumps Evil Knievel out of the top motorcycle-stunt-rider spot and becomes a living Lakewood legend.