Work has been insane and one of us has been out of town or sick quite a bit, but I've still managed to get up to 3,000 miles on my seat. I passed 3,000 just yesterday, actually, coming down PCH around Encinitas. Lucia and I are getting to know each other better, and I'm settling in as a biker.
Last weekend was the best ride I've had so far. We picked up a friend from Capistrano Beach and went up the freeway the back way to Cook's Corner to hang out for a little bit. The first time we went there--this was time #2--Nick teased me mercilessly about not hitting the other bikes and not stalling when I pulled out. It wouldn't do to look foolish in front of the other bikers, and when I saw this looooooong row of bikes pulled up out front I was a bit scared. I mean, here I am on this huge badass bike, and it's just little timid me controlling it, and I barely even know what I'm riding (VStar 1100) much less anything else about it! But everyone there was really nice. Or, at least, no one noticed me at all, so it wasn't an issue. I was up for a second visit.
We came in the back (winding) way, unfortunately behind a VERY. SLOW. Minivan. Ugh. Who would think that I'd ever complain about going SLOW on my bike? But really. As I've gotten a bit more comfortable I can handle a bit more speed, and I think greater than 20mph is generally safe. Sheesh. We finally got to the bar and just hung out for awhile, listened to the band, watched the other riders, and chatted about various and sundry topics. Then we realized how late it actually was and headed out the "fast" (direct) way down El Toro.
El Toro, as far back as we were, is 2 lanes in each direction and wide, swoopy turns. There are trees, which for Southern CA is noteworthy. It was around 6, so the sun was low and we were getting long shadows. No heat, but not cold yet. At the bar I set my Chatterbox to my Favorite Country playlist, and just when I hit a stretch without any stoplights it started playing Highway 20 Ride by the Zac Brown Band. The high, sweet, mournful fiddle played as I glided down the road through the shadows. I was comfortable and completely at home on my bike. I felt like I was in complete control and Lucia and I were symbiotic. Nick has talked a lot about feeling like he was free and happy on Fezik (his VStar) but as a new rider I hadn't yet felt anything other than fear and an overwhelmed sense of impending mayhem. But for those few miles, listening to that high, sweet fiddle, I felt a complete sense of joy in where I was and what I was doing. Everything worked. I was in control, the evening was glorious, the road was my friend and Lucia and I were partners. It was a beautiful ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment