Today I rode a Harley. Note I said rode and not drove. Riding was excitement enough. Our friend Rick was the driver and his wife Denise graciously relinquished her seat behind him so that I could have the experience of being a Motorcycle Mama for an afternoon. She also loaned me her leather jacket, gloves and helmet.
Rick and I mounted up and headed south. We were followed by Chuck, Denise and friends Andy and Saunders, all present to bear witness to my adventure.
It was a perfect summer day. Temperature in the mid 70’s and a bright blue sky dotted with beautiful white clouds. The clouds occasionally filtered the sun a little keeping the temperature in the perfect comfort zone as we drove through back country roads.
Seeing things from a motorcycle is an entirely different experience than seeing them from the safe confines of a car. The road is a lot closer for one thing and you see and feel every imperfection in the road as the lines pass by in a blur. Once you pry your eyes off the pavement, the view is spectacular. Everything is more vivid. The trees, shrubs, farms and small towns are like pictures from a catalog of Oregon scenery. On a motorcycle, you smell the countryside. All the growing things conspire to tease your senses with familiar yet indefinable scents. Passing a lumber mill, the smell of raw wood was strong and distinctive. On the freeway, there is the noise and wind created by passing cars and the smell of diesel. The freeway ride isn’t as much fun as the country roads but the rumble of the bike and the wind in your face creates a different kind of excitement.
We stopped for a late lunch of pastrami sandwiches at the Oakland Tavern. While this may look like a bit of a dive, the sandwiches were outstanding and even the non-bikers, ate with relish. After that we drove north a bit and stopped at a drive-in for ice cream cones. Not that we had room for more food, we just wanted to do it.
It was a giddy experience. Exciting and at least a little scary at first but I now understand why people love motorcycles and convertibles. Not that I’m ready to make the switch but I do appreciate their passion.
(Apologies to son Jim who was forbidden to ride a motorcycle—not that he obeyed, of course.)
I can cross another item off my bucket list now that Rick and Denise kindly provided a Make-A-Wish experience for me. Can sky diving be far behind?
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