Road Trippin on Two Wheels

Ah, the road trip! Sometimes called by other names; excursions, diversions, wanderings and even phrases like secret journey have been used but these phrases are used only to emphasize that this is no simple trip to the supermarket. This will be an adventure. Whether planned weeks ahead or hurriedly and courageously undertaken at a moments thought, a road trip is and should be something special. Some of my most lasting memories are of places suddenly discovered on some back road in some place I had never seen or even knew about. Riding at a leisurely pace 'gently rolling the throttle to compensate for the gradual increase in grade I found myself slowly climbing into and between the ancient mountains of North Carolina. Feeling the cool mist that hung in the air I could smell the evergreens and flowers that surrounded me and felt some pity for folks driving in their climate controlled cages talking on cell phones oblivious to the wonders around them and to my alarm, oblivious to my presence as well. I watched with amazement as the driver ( who I could have easily rapped on the nose with my riding glove had his window been down) casually apply his left turn signal and begin to drive his shiny cage to the left in an apparent attempt to join me on my motorcycle. Disbelief quickly turned to alarm when I realized that due to opposing traffic I had nowhere to go. I remember thinking that this is a ridiculous way to die albeit in a scenic location. I hit my horn button with my left thumb, feeling some satisfaction that I had checked it and every other device on the bike{ my Machine, ally, companion for the last 1200 miles) and it responded with something similar to a trumpet blast. This had a decided effect on my new friend, who was close enough by now that I could see that he was getting low on gas. Eyebrows shot up, mouth dropped, wife stopped talking and he jerked the wheel to the right while looking at me as if I had just slapped his grandma. I wonder if he still remembers me as much as I do him.