On a long winding stretch of California’s Highway 1 we have a tight crew of what can be seen as the finest group of street racers the world has never seen. Tonight we get to take part of their midnight sprint. The group tonight is just three of us, but the company is nice.
We start at the front of the pack, Jeremy "Gearhead" Jet. A tuning wizard is a light term for him, some of the fastest cars in the city were programmed by him. Sporting his “Blue Comet,” an electric blue Civic Si, with a laptop as his passenger, who knows what kind of changes he’s put under that hood of his.
To his side we have Maxwell "Moneyball" Maximo, a hotheaded young racer with lots to prove. While he normally gets his thrills on the track racing in a formula or cup car, we get to see him pull out something more special for tonight. “White Thunder,” a frankenstein of a Lancer EVO put together from race parts he’d been slowly acquiring from the teams he worked with, specially tuned by Gearhead himself, it may be the fastest, most expensive piece of jank in the state.
And here we are, following their lead, it’s me, the guy telling you all this, Dwayne, Dwayne Wraith. You can call me Casper. I grew up around racing, dad owned a small shop and team, brother drove for him, he would eventually pull out and retire and move on to spending time with the family, dad never really got anywhere after the retirement though. He passed a few years later, his shop and team really ate away at what he had left, but he left one thing, a car, nothing too flashy, but something from his time working with the Aussies.
“The Raven,” a hand-built Nissan Skyline pieced together from parts made in house, fabricated like nothing anywhere else in the world. Clad in a Nismo-spec kit, painted in jet-black metallic, tuned and built dad himself. It was his last gift before he left. I guess the posters at home gave it away, huh.
“Kzzrt, hey, y’all ready? We gotta be in LA by morning, let’s get it started!” Moneyball always had something to get to, somewhere to be. “Mhm.” Gearhead. Quiet as ever. He’s probably more interested in the graphs on his computer than listening to either of us. Moneyball set off.
The night was crisp, the crashing of the waves filled in with the sounds of high revving engines, like nests of angry wasps screaming out into the cliff side, pure visceral horsepower filled the air. It was a little past one when we set off and we were approaching two when we got to our first stop.
A small landmark to start with, Bixby Creek Bridge. Connecting us. Standing Strong. It stood like it always did, years ago, and likely standing strong into the future. Moving past we began to pull into Big Sur, as the road slowly got overtaken by trees, trees towering over us, looming over and blocking out the sparse amount of light the moon was giving us. Trees older than empires, wider than buses. Tall and lonesome. Home to many. We basked in their majestic aura for a moment before setting off again.
Now began the sprint. From Big Sur to Santa Barbara, it would normally be a three and a half hour trip, but with the empty road and our machines we would chop through the route like it was nothing. Windows down, we could bask in the night air, the wind beating our eardrums as we blasted down the road, nary a car in sight. Pure Freedom. The ocean on our right, mountains and trees on our left, we would pull into Santa Barbara as the sun came over the horizon in front of us.
The stop for gas was short. The trip had been pretty silent the whole time, it was something sacred to us, something even Moneyball stayed quiet for. After our fill up we made our way back onto the freeway. The final leg of our journey.
With the sun coming up over us as we left Santa Barbara, we headed to our final destination, Santa Monica Pier. We had made this trip so many times, so many memories made over the years. Memories. Cherish Them. We were so young when we first started driving this route. Moneyball didn’t even have his license when we first started. Gearhead had just finished college. So many things ahead for them.
When we finally pulled into the pier, LA traffic had decided to do it’s thing and grind the trip to a halt. After finding their parking we headed into the bar where we always finished the trip. The same booth as always. Names carved into the table under an inscription.
To those that bring us together, those that stand strong and give us a place to be, to the freedom we shared, the memories we cherished, the time we spent together.
Shortshift
Freebird
Apex
Brakecheck
Casper
“Thanks for the trip guys.”
did you know?
know that i'm still here?
did you know?
know that i still care?
do you ever wonder?
wonder if we've stared at the same night sky?
can you hear me?
hear my words to you?
can you feel it?
feel the pull between us?
is it just me? maybe it is. you feel the push you feel the pull directions and ways yet seen before a force so strong can't overcome can't resist you feel the warmth, the embrace, the comfort you feel the heat, the sparks, the passion you feel the cold, the absence, the despair despite it all you crave it you need it all that which it has to offer you won't forget you crave it
all that which we crave
a creative process, well, as it goes,
can't say mine is all that great.
i'm blessed with the fact that my brain constantly thinks.
nonstop.
it never really does end.
so what do i do?
well.
those ideas that never cease to stop?
they get saved.
in the depths of my mind,
in the texts and messages on social media,
in the books and papers in ink,
and sometimes,
a final product comes out.
in poems,
in stories,
in rants,
in characters,
and sometimes,
here
cultivating a process through a course.
that doesn't really feel all that natural to me.
honestly.
i much prefer these streams of conciousness.
they feel much more personal now, don't they?
i think this is the bare minimum amount of intimacy needed.
needed for great works.
not to say these are great works.
but they'll get there.
maybe in this life,
maybe in another,
guess i'll just have to keep creating stuff then.
you know,
you could too,
i'd love to hear what you like.
what's important to you?
what do you think the world needs to hear?
or see?
or think?
go on out there.
start making.
start sharing.
i'll keep on keeping on.
i hope you do too.