Tres Huevos
Scooter
This happened at the start of the summer, a few weeks after I bought my first bike(09Bonnie). At the time I had maybe 6 hrs total of ride time on local streets and no highway experience. Likewise I had not read the owners manual cover to cover like the dealer told me, so I had no idea how much fuel I had left when the light went on. For some reason I thought I had under 20 miles.
I asked Spencer if he wanted to go for a ride last week. He said " sure how about Estacada to Detroit?" Done said I. Somehow the ride ballooned from two bikes to twelve and from 2-3 hrs to 10!
Turns out his neighbor and all of his friends wanted to go and it became a rally. The most fun I have had in ages. Screaming into my helmet and grinning ear to ear.
Thinking back on all the really difficult adventures I have read about like first to North or south pole or source of the Amazon or gold hunting in the Andes, one thing always is the same. The expedition had the most trouble getting home, most did not make it back.
So we are heading back and I take a 15mph turn at 30 and fixate on the gravel on the shoulder. "I'm gonna drop it" flashes in my brain. But then I say NO. I turn my head to the exit and roll the throttle to get my ass out of there. We pull over to take a breather a few miles down the road and I have to do a crap check. Ok So i got the message. I slow down and hang back with Spencer taking my time and enjoying the ride. One last rest stop before the 20 mi to Estacada. Again we let the crowd go ahead of us and mosey on down the road. 5 min ahead and one of the party has crashed. The dude is like 350 lbs. and on a borrowd bike. He was complaining the whole ride how he hated the bike and blah blah blah. He also took off his jacket cuz it was so damn hot. Now he is standing on the side of the road bleeding out of both fore arms and his knukles are swelling up. his goofy chaps are all tangled around his giant gut and he just looks like a damn fool. the bike has several K of damage and now he has to pay to fix two bikes. Ok Spencer has the first aid kit and starts patching the guy up while I direct traffic around the crash site. The guy is stable and the tow truck is on the way. I look at my phone and it is 6
m. I told the wife I would be back by 4 and I have no reception in the mountains. Crap! "hey Spence I have to run" I take off and realize how damn tired and shook up I am from the close call and the accident and riding for hours on end. But I am good I focus on the bike and the technique. Oh what the fuck now? the gas light has gone on and I think I have 20 mi still in the tank. I pass a sign and it says 26 mi to Estacada FUCK!!!! Ok calm down. If you run out then you will deal with it but right now just ride the machine. I pull into the gas station in Estacada on fumes but I made it. A quick call to my panicked wife and another hour till home. Having that beer in my garage with the bike ticking and pinging I realized I rode from 10 am till 8 pm and I made it home safe and sound. That was fucking intense! I am hooked and cant wait to ride past sunset and into the next day.
So I got 3 lessons out of the day.
1 Check your self before you wreck your self.
2 Never lend your bike!!!
3 top off the tank.
I asked Spencer if he wanted to go for a ride last week. He said " sure how about Estacada to Detroit?" Done said I. Somehow the ride ballooned from two bikes to twelve and from 2-3 hrs to 10!
Turns out his neighbor and all of his friends wanted to go and it became a rally. The most fun I have had in ages. Screaming into my helmet and grinning ear to ear.
Thinking back on all the really difficult adventures I have read about like first to North or south pole or source of the Amazon or gold hunting in the Andes, one thing always is the same. The expedition had the most trouble getting home, most did not make it back.
So we are heading back and I take a 15mph turn at 30 and fixate on the gravel on the shoulder. "I'm gonna drop it" flashes in my brain. But then I say NO. I turn my head to the exit and roll the throttle to get my ass out of there. We pull over to take a breather a few miles down the road and I have to do a crap check. Ok So i got the message. I slow down and hang back with Spencer taking my time and enjoying the ride. One last rest stop before the 20 mi to Estacada. Again we let the crowd go ahead of us and mosey on down the road. 5 min ahead and one of the party has crashed. The dude is like 350 lbs. and on a borrowd bike. He was complaining the whole ride how he hated the bike and blah blah blah. He also took off his jacket cuz it was so damn hot. Now he is standing on the side of the road bleeding out of both fore arms and his knukles are swelling up. his goofy chaps are all tangled around his giant gut and he just looks like a damn fool. the bike has several K of damage and now he has to pay to fix two bikes. Ok Spencer has the first aid kit and starts patching the guy up while I direct traffic around the crash site. The guy is stable and the tow truck is on the way. I look at my phone and it is 6
m. I told the wife I would be back by 4 and I have no reception in the mountains. Crap! "hey Spence I have to run" I take off and realize how damn tired and shook up I am from the close call and the accident and riding for hours on end. But I am good I focus on the bike and the technique. Oh what the fuck now? the gas light has gone on and I think I have 20 mi still in the tank. I pass a sign and it says 26 mi to Estacada FUCK!!!! Ok calm down. If you run out then you will deal with it but right now just ride the machine. I pull into the gas station in Estacada on fumes but I made it. A quick call to my panicked wife and another hour till home. Having that beer in my garage with the bike ticking and pinging I realized I rode from 10 am till 8 pm and I made it home safe and sound. That was fucking intense! I am hooked and cant wait to ride past sunset and into the next day. So I got 3 lessons out of the day.
1 Check your self before you wreck your self.
2 Never lend your bike!!!
3 top off the tank.
