One of the craziest jobs I ever had was during my years on the farm. During strong storms and especially hurricane remnants, workers on the game farm I worked at would have to collect dead birds from the outdoor pens, where most of the older birds were kept.
Like any population of animals, some would die for various reasons, and with the cold, rainy weather, they had to be removed so they didn't fester disease among the ordinarily healthy birds. It barely mattered how strong the storms were, you had to go out and get the job done.
I remember one instance during which very slippery ground resulted in me falling up to my stomach in ... well, let's just call it the "collection area." What did I do? I laughed. Others laughed at me. The F-word got thrown around quite a bit. And then everyone helped me out, and we kept working.
Those days are what I think of when I watch quite possibly the best reality TV series in the history of television: "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel. It shows work that is really awful and crazy. But, it becomes a lifestyle that you get used to, and then in a sick way come to love.
For anyone who hasn't seen it, the show follows several crab boats as they navigate Alaskan waters, sleeping little and working harder than any of us ever will.
Others watch too, probably because the most fascinating people in the world tend to be those who do and love absolutely crazy things for reasons even they don't totally understand. And there are few things crazier than going out in the Arctic Ocean to pull crustaceans up from the ocean floor.
From the outside point of view, very weird things can make it into the blood of a human being.
One of the best was Capt. Phil Harris, who died earlier this year after he suffered a major stroke on the boat. I won't spoil the end of the episode that showed his last days for those who haven't seen it. Just go watch it. It is some of the best television I have ever seen, and without the doubt the best reality TV.
But, this is a Harley blog, so let's get to talking about the Harley connection. After the episode aired, a round table discussion was held with Phil's sons, other crab boat captains and others in a New Orleans blues bar to discuss the man's hard-living, hard-loving life.
One of the things he loved most was Harleys. Almost an entire segment of the discussion was devoted to this love. One of his sons recalled trying to bring a non-Harley onto the property once. Needless to say, it didn't go very well, and the son wasn't allowed to set foot on the property until he parked the bike at a safe distance on the street. A Harley was the only real motorcycle in Phil's book, according to the discussion.
Judging from everything else we've set up about the man, it probably makes sense that this would be a passion of his. Harleys can be belching gas-guzzlers compared to other bikes, and they seem really expensive for just an engine clad with some paint and chrome, and put on top of two tires. And all that for something that'll probably get you killed if you hit, say, a Chevy Suburban.
So with all that being said, why would he or anyone want to buy and ride a Harley? Or fish for crabs, for that matter? It's probably because it made Phil who he was, regardless of how much sense any of it made. And sometimes for people, the answer doesn't run any deeper than that. It just got into his blood. And once there, it wasn't coming out.
But then again, how can anything run deeper?
"Deadliest Catch" continues without Capt. Phil tonight on the Discovery Channel. However, on each side the camera, he'll probably always be there.
Like any population of animals, some would die for various reasons, and with the cold, rainy weather, they had to be removed so they didn't fester disease among the ordinarily healthy birds. It barely mattered how strong the storms were, you had to go out and get the job done.
I remember one instance during which very slippery ground resulted in me falling up to my stomach in ... well, let's just call it the "collection area." What did I do? I laughed. Others laughed at me. The F-word got thrown around quite a bit. And then everyone helped me out, and we kept working.
Those days are what I think of when I watch quite possibly the best reality TV series in the history of television: "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel. It shows work that is really awful and crazy. But, it becomes a lifestyle that you get used to, and then in a sick way come to love.
For anyone who hasn't seen it, the show follows several crab boats as they navigate Alaskan waters, sleeping little and working harder than any of us ever will.
Others watch too, probably because the most fascinating people in the world tend to be those who do and love absolutely crazy things for reasons even they don't totally understand. And there are few things crazier than going out in the Arctic Ocean to pull crustaceans up from the ocean floor.
From the outside point of view, very weird things can make it into the blood of a human being.
One of the best was Capt. Phil Harris, who died earlier this year after he suffered a major stroke on the boat. I won't spoil the end of the episode that showed his last days for those who haven't seen it. Just go watch it. It is some of the best television I have ever seen, and without the doubt the best reality TV.
But, this is a Harley blog, so let's get to talking about the Harley connection. After the episode aired, a round table discussion was held with Phil's sons, other crab boat captains and others in a New Orleans blues bar to discuss the man's hard-living, hard-loving life.
One of the things he loved most was Harleys. Almost an entire segment of the discussion was devoted to this love. One of his sons recalled trying to bring a non-Harley onto the property once. Needless to say, it didn't go very well, and the son wasn't allowed to set foot on the property until he parked the bike at a safe distance on the street. A Harley was the only real motorcycle in Phil's book, according to the discussion.
Judging from everything else we've set up about the man, it probably makes sense that this would be a passion of his. Harleys can be belching gas-guzzlers compared to other bikes, and they seem really expensive for just an engine clad with some paint and chrome, and put on top of two tires. And all that for something that'll probably get you killed if you hit, say, a Chevy Suburban.
So with all that being said, why would he or anyone want to buy and ride a Harley? Or fish for crabs, for that matter? It's probably because it made Phil who he was, regardless of how much sense any of it made. And sometimes for people, the answer doesn't run any deeper than that. It just got into his blood. And once there, it wasn't coming out.
But then again, how can anything run deeper?
"Deadliest Catch" continues without Capt. Phil tonight on the Discovery Channel. However, on each side the camera, he'll probably always be there.
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