First I need to pour a little bourbon out for all those bugs that gave their all to decorate the windscreen and top of my helmet with their colors - looks like a kid broke a bunch of crayolas all over and splattered everywhere. rest in pieces bugs :(
The Uly was awesome to ride with the exception of not having fun after getting through the light snow and cold of Snoqualmie Pass where I was thinking I may need to turnaround as the bike lost power and was kind of doing hiccups - I stopped, checked the oil, did a few restarts and it's been fine. Can always grab a handful of throttle in any gear and hear and feel the torque and power...did I mention it likes to cruise at 80+ mph and takes corners like it's on a rail?
Leaving Seattle a dude in Renton rolled down his window and asked me where I was going and gave me best wishes for a great trip - so awesome when people feel good and want to spread the goodness to everyone. I saw numerous people on their way to go skiing and boarding that just stared at me and smiled - if I didn't have a helmet on they would see that I was smiling right back at them - good feelings toward others should be the way it ALWAYS is =]
I think love of the motorcycle and guitar is all based on feel - you have to feel to play guitar and you have to feel to ride a motorcycle. Feeling the engine roar and the the wind blow as you lean into a turn is only done with feel. Also feeling a crosswind hit you and try to move you into the next lane requires enough feel to respond and keep everything rolling - then just from feeling the bike and road you can tune into everything else like the dirty air and turbulence off trucks, or the roadkill in the middle of the road and even track the lines birds are flying, totally connected to the bike, road and environment seeing things you can't see or feel in a cage - the feedback of riding is like the feedback of a sweet note on the six string - a great feeling you don't want to end.
Although most of today I slabbed it east (90 to 82 to 84) I did jump off for a bit and stopped for fuel in Huntington, OR and as if it was like a chapter out of a book, stopped at a sign that had 'Gas' written on it that was in front of two old-school pumps that seemed to be in the middle of no where. A few seconds later a dude with greasy hands comes out of a house next door and asks if I need premium because if I do he doesn't have any, but will next time I roll through. I really just wanted to stop and get gas at a place like this so we talk about the weather and he tells me the gas station burned down right after they put in the new tanks so he bought some pumps so gas would be available in the area and took it over. The sign said he accepted credit & debit cards but I asked him if he preferred cash and he said he makes more from cash transactions, which I assumed. After he lets me pump & pay him $8 (just like in NJ you're not allowed to pump your own gas in OR, but so far I have found if you gas tank is located in weird place they prefer you break the law and pump your own) he tells me if I take this road east it will save me about 16 miles off the highway. I thank him and wish him well and continue down this two lane narrow road which was part of the original Oregon Trail and the Uly got to meet some off-road dirt. It was a bit of a handful loaded down but so much fun and I took some pics.
Talk about scattered thoughts from so much stimuli - I think I should finish the other half of that pizza, it's really good, & play some guitar...oh yeah and figure out what/where/when i'm going to do for tomorrow :D
"You can hang in a left or hang in a right
The choice it is yours to do as you mightThe road is open wide to place your biddin'
Now, wherever you turn, wherever you go
If you get it wrong, at least you can know
There's miles and miles to put it back together"
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