The Highway

The highway is the ribbon that binds everything together, without the road there is no ride, no story, no adventure to be had and no new sites to see. The highway is your friend, your companion and must be revered, don’t lose sight of it and don’t stray far from it. There are good roads and bad roads and roads to be avoided and if you pick the right ones you will be rewarded. Most bikers will avoid the freeways, the four lanners where the drivers seem to be competing for a pole position or just living their life in a mobile living room.
Most of the things the rider sees occurring in the cars dare not be attempted by the rider and the rider by virtue of being out there in the air shuns these things. Life in the slow lane is a better choice, how better to see the country, meet the people and enjoy the reality of real people. The pace is slower the sites more interesting the interactions more real and satisfying. My reality is the highway, the thing that takes me where I want to go, the conveyance of choice but it has to be the right highway. I don’t like to stray far from the highway when on a road trip, I don’t want to take ten mile excursions off the route to camp or eat and then back track to my resume my riding. Back tracking is a bikers no-no, something to be avoided. If caught in this situation it is better to re-route yourself and follow a new route to get you back on track avoiding back tracking at all costs, then all will be well.
There are so many ways that riders have tried to explain why we ride, all true and have meaning for the rider. Being out there completely encapsulated, not a kinetic energy but a dynamic force hurtling down the road, you are the scene not just a part of one. A throwback to the cowboy era, a man on his horse on his own traveling with not a care in the world. Freedom of the open road, a free rider in a free country choosing where and when to go, which roads to take and in which direction to take them. Control, one man, one bike with the power and authority to hurl and guide his missile down the road.
The biker pounds the pavement in his own reality and passes through other peoples reality only choosing to stop and participate if he wishes. To the passers by he is just a fleeting glimpse, a rider on a motorcycle, here and gone in the blink of an eye.
The route ahead is taking me to a better road, more scenic, more curves, more motorcycle friendly and most importantly less traffic.