Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Ripley.
Craig, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a young man in my 20’s, I bought a motorcycle and rode for a few years, until a bad accident and life got in the way. Like many other riders, I put the bike away to attend school and pursue a career. Then as I was approaching 50 I started thinking about all of the things I still wanted to accomplish, but just never found the time. I literally got caught up in trying to achieve my dreams but forgot to actually take the time to live them. That is when I bought my third motorcycle and started traveling by motorcycle.
In 2011, myself and a couple of friends took a cross-country trip, riding from Boston to Prescott, AZ. After attending a rally, we made our way up through several of the National Parks, eventually stopping in Sturgis, SD for the annual Black Hills Rally. During this trip, I started a YouTube Channel, filming and posting the entire trip. By the time I was done I had a good number of followers and just kept going. I now have more than 13,000 followers from every corner of the world.
Over the years, I have visited Nova Scotia, The Blue Ridge Parkway and many other fantastic locations around the US. Last year in 2017, I joined two great friends and traveled 12,000 miles from Boston, MA to Anchorage, AK and back. This was the trip of a lifetime, but I have just begun and am already planning my next trip.
Why travel by motorcycle? Well, I guess it is one of those, if you have to ask you will never understand. When you strip away the safe enclosure of steel and plastic, you find yourself immersed in your surroundings. The colors are brighter, the smells more intense and rolling over tarmac on two wheels feels like flying. Yes, it is a bit dangerous, but that just adds to the adventure and helps you to feel alive!
I recently wrote an eBook about motorcycle travel and in it, I summed it up like this., “Inside every little boy, inside every man and woman who rides a motorcycle, is an explorer, a pirate or a cowboy seeking the next adventure. Traveling by motorcycle provides that adventure. That is why we do it….”
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Traveling by motorcycle is never all smooth sailing. The act of riding long distances is exhilarating, but it is also tiring and can even be painful. But, when you push through the pain, you find out what you are really made of, gathering strength for the experience.
Riding in the rain is a great example. No one likes it but it is just part of the motorcycle experience. On one of our trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway, we ran into torrential downpours and pea-sized hail. Normally, I would have pulled over, but there was nothing for miles so we just pushed on. Finally we came to a hotel complex know as Little Switzerland, so we quickly ducked inside and found a covered patio to hide under.
I think it was in one of the rooms, but we did not care at that point, we were cold and wet and needed to get dry. Oh, I forgot to mention that the storm came up so suddenly that we got caught without our rain gear, so we were soaked to the bone. We were all in danger of hypothermia. I decided to run back to the bike and get our rain gear. We then stripped out of your wet clothes and put on the rain gear, just to get warm. It worked great and we waited for the storm to pass before continuing on our journey. We probably also gave someone a free show… but oh well. On that same trip, we also got caught in a lightning storm and had to take cover.
Unfortunately, another couple had decided to find shelter under a large tree, that was, in turn, struck by lightning. We passed by as they were being transported to the hospital. Luckily, we found out that everyone was going to be ok, but it was a reminder of the real dangers that exist on the road.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Living Off the Slab – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I call my YouTube Channel “Living Off the Slab.” In motorcycle vernacular “The Slab” refers to the Interstate Highways that crisscross our country. So, living off the slab refers to getting off the of the commercial, fast food lined Interstates and finding the tree-lined back roads that make up the majority of our amazing country.
I create videos about my travels and other motorcycle related topics, such as product and bike reviews or riding tips. In addition, I created an eBook called, “Traveling By Motorcycle, Achieving Your Motorcycle Touring Dreams, While Still Holding Down a Full-Time Job.”
This eBook is about my experience in figuring out how to make motorcycle travel a priority in my life. I give real-world examples and share the little things I have done to find both the time and money necessary to travel. On my website (www.LivingOffTheSlab.com) we also sell t-shirts and of course have a Patreon page, where my viewers can sign up to be Slab Insiders and get additional content.
There are a lot of motorcycle vlogs out there, but I think mine is a bit different in that I try to provide a balanced, truthful perspective. I try to keep the production quality as high as possible, but not so high that the message is lost. My biggest source of enjoyment is interacting with my viewers. I make it a priority to answer every comment and question. Many viewers have mentioned that my channel has inspired them to get out and follow their own dreams, which is exactly what I was hoping to achieve.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My goals for the future are to continue working towards taking my passions for creating video and traveling by motorcycle and using them to make a living, or at least to support my travel plans. This is exactly what I encourage my viewers to do, follow their dreams and make them a reality.
I understand that to do this, I must continue to create great content and provide useful information, be it in the form of videos or eBooks. In short, I have to provide value to my viewers and customers and that is what I strive to do.
As far as my travel plans go, I am thinking about another cross-country trip and possibly follows old Route 66, then up the California coast and eventually back home to Boston. This is still in the planning stages. I also would like to travel across the pond and do some riding in England, Scotland and Ireland.
But we will see… there are so many great places to see.
Pricing:
- Traveling By Motorcycle eBook $9.99
- T-Shirts $24.99
- Sweat Shirts $35.00
- Patreon, Slab Insider Level #1 $4 per month
- Patreon, Slab Insider Level #2 $8 per month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LivingOffTheSlab.com
- Email: craig@craigripley.com
- Instagram: @craigslab
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/livingofftheslab
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
