For those who don’t know me as well as some, I’m what people might call a motorcycle “enthusiast”. Although perhaps that word is not quite right as I’m less enthusiastic about the machine and more enthusiastic about where it can take me.
I like to ride. A lot. I purchased my currant iron horse in 2020, and I’ve put over 38,000 miles on it since then. Had this summer not sucked so badly, I would have had at least ten thousand more.
One of the rides that I was introduced to some years back is called the Tour of Honor. It’s a military fundraiser combined with long-distance riding. I was determined to get at least one state under my belt this year, and so this last Sunday and Monday I took off and completed Washington. Thanks to the wildfires in Canada there was a blanket of smoke over the entire state. It cleared up a bit near the Puget Sound, but once I got off the ferry the smoke came back. After I had hit my last stop, I rode through a thunderstorm. Apparently the storm and I were going in the same direction because it was two hours of rain, on mountain pass roads, in the dark. By the time I got home almost every muscle in my upper body was locked and frozen into position, not due to the cold but due to the stress of riding dark mountain roads in the rain. I had to unscrew myself from my seat when I got to a dry location. It took me a couple days to recover from that.
That was followed by family showing up for a vacation, and so I’ve spent the past couple of days drinking beer, eating lots of good food, going to the county fair and generally trying to have a good time. That’s not always been successful. I can’t ever remember being an introvert in my youth, but these days if I don’t get some measure of alone time I end up rather grumpy. So there’s been some time where it’s been me, a cigar and a book out in the woods.
All this to simply say I’m not dead, and I’ll be back soon. And if you ride motorcycles, check out the Tour of Honor link up above. I promise that it will take you to parts of your state that you haven’t seen. I’m still hoping to finish Idaho and Oregon this year before the weather gets too cold and snowy.
2 comments
WA. Lived there from ’59-’96. Western side of the hill. Hailed from Sumner, Puyallup and finally Yelm.
If it weren’t for the Californians (and now the lefty’s) that took over the state I’d go back. So much has changed (and not for the better) that going back to see my one relative that still lives there will probably not happen. Too bad. As long as I could live in a place away from the crowds it was great.
Road a bike for a few years until I met up with a porcupine. Lived to tell about it, obviously.
Evil Franklin
Author
I lived in Seattle for a time, then Shoreline which is right on the King/Snohomish county line. I loved the location. I loved the weather. I loved the ocean, and I loved the forests.
I hated the people. We left in late 2004 and I think I made the right decision. The people have only gotten worse. Seattle now is a dying city, and I don’t think it’s going to ever fix itself. It’ll be San Francisco North.
Wait, that’s Portland. Ah hell, who can tell them apart these days?