Raven's Roads
Living an interesting life: the travels and musings
of motorcycling author Linda R. Moore

Mar 24, 2006

Contrasts

The other day I was on a motorcycle for roughly 11 hours — seven on front, four on back. Perhaps I am a glutton for punishment, but it was a great exercise in contrasts.

Firstly, I rode solo to the coast. The last time I took highway 92 of my own accord, and then highway 1, it was foggy and I eventually crashed. This time, it was sunny and beautiful, the roads seemed less challenging, and I had some much-needed hang-out time on the beach. Little birds visited me, ravens cronked, and I smelled the lovely fresh ozone scent of the Pacific.

Then I came back on a road I had never before tackled–while I had been on it several times “on back”, highway 84 turned out to be wonderfully curvy and delicious. It got harder as I progressed, but never more than I could handle. I stopped for a break at Apple Jack’s (and a state historic landmark–the kind where there is neither a building nor a plaque) in La Honda and chatted to a couple of other bikers who were there. Then I went off, turned onto highway 35 which I had been on before, but never solo, and finally descended highway 9. I did notice an improvement in the way I was handling my bike, as though I crossed a barrier and learned something about going with the flow of the bike. Still, Beastie will never be a twisties bike.

In the evening, Don needed his own sanity ride, so I decided to sit on back and tag along. His style is much different; he rides faster, I pootle. He has lightning-fast reflexes; I figure on more time for reacting as I have less experience. (Given his 40+/- years as a rider, I will not catch up to Don anytime soon.) To my delight, he took us right up to Oakland where we crossed the Oakland Bay Bridge. Readers of my book will understand that this was a “must-do” before publication, and since my night vision these days is very poor, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it myself. I am okay on city streets with lights, but the freeway and all those oncoming lights are very hard, and I find it nearly impossible to merge and switch lanes when I can’t judge who is where and at what speed. Anyway, seeing San Francisco and the shining skyscrapers was just as wonderful and gorgeous as the first time I saw this view, and even though I froze my butt off on the way home, it was a wonderful, magical ride.