April 20th, 2007

So, I'm taking a few days off work. And this mini vacation is All About Motorcycles.

First off, yesterday I went for a glory ride out to Hope, where I sat by a river and ate a picnic lunch. I haven't Just Sat for so long that I almost forgot what it is like to have your own thoughts, unamplified by electronic devices and unhindered by the noise of -um- electronic devices. Just me and the river (and my sandwiches).

And, you know, that is part of what I enjoy so much about motorcycling: No stereo to listen to, no cell phone to talk on (I mean, when it is set to vibrate I can sometimes feel that someone is phoning me, but I can't answer when I am riding). It's me and my thoughts alone where I can roll them around and taste them in exquisite detail. The noise of the wind and traffic make the perfect isolating white noise barrier between me and the rest of the world.

And the big one: The bike and I are acting as one complete unit. In a car your control and steer, but your Body English doesn't do anything for its movement. You can lean and gyrate all you want—heck, flop around like a fish if that's your thing—but the only time it means something is if you are fighting acceleration or turning forces ... and that's hardly in harmony with your car either; in those cases you are just fighting the effects of its motion.

But on the bike my body and my mind both must steer the bike. And the feeling of the bike gives its own feedback to me; we are in synergy, we are communicating. And, believe me, when I flew out the highway to Hope yesterday, it was nothing short of religious—what with the corners and wide open clear roads and the beauty of Spring unfolding alongside the roadway. And then, to top it off, the aforementioned sojourn by the river alone with my private ruminations.

And, as I type this, I am just waiting for a couple of hours until I call the taxi to take me to the airport. I'm flyin' to Vegas, baybee ... and when I get there I am meeting some folks whom I met online, but also are enthusiasts of the same kind of motorcycle I ride. I'm renting the same kind of bike and we are (hopefully, weather permitting) going to ride our motorcycles around Las Vegas and frighten the wildlife.

But I'll write about that next week when I get back.

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