WHY FLY WHEN YOU CAN RIDE
Over the summer I flew Truckee CA way to visit friends. Intending on flying back. Instead purchased a sweet 78 Kawi KZ 650 from a middle school buddy and motoed across the barren desert in a day n’ half. US 50 most of the haul. Open road, daunting at times, but stunning in its vastness. A piece of pavement I highly recommend. Thanks for getting on that road Z! (long time friend and motorcycle mechanic)
MOTO YOUNG
I grew up riding dirt bikes. Two wheels were my everyday legs. It all started with a my dad introducing my sister and I to the Yamaha PW series. D’s was bigger, but I eventually took over and stuck with it.
Years pass, seat time levels up. To a height of comfort that eased the whim of recent decisions. Thanks dad, for taking me out every Sunday and teaching how to twist a throttle. Deciding to ride across states wasn’t out of sight, I had a past of experiences ready to put to the test. This was going to be fun. :)
STARTED WITH A STRUGGLE TO FIND A RELIABLE BATTERY, ENDED WITH A NEW WAY TO TRAVEL.
IN THE MIDDLE I:
Saw crickets the size small mice, ran out of gas twice, hit about 93 on a 78 650, remembered a time once on the same road, jammed out to metal and more, laughed, smiled, screamed, said my oh shits and yahoos, listened to countless older men tell of a bike that reminded them of mine, dined and dreamt in the Rancher Motel & Cafe, corner room #1, filled up gas every 100 miles 100 times, brought countless bugs to the end of their days, watched the sun set, shivered, feared the night ride, felt alive, saw a coyote, turned around a couple times, wondered if the bike would make it, loved every minute of it, hated the numbness in my legs and above all kept saying “this was a good decision, well done, keep the rubber to the pavement TJ.”
This illustration is an abstract representation of that jam of a journey. That spontaneous flip of plans, laying path to later create from. A story to tell, a trip to remember. Oh and the theme to that story, metal music. A playlist too long to name. Tunes that kept me gripping the bars and focused on the worn road.
