heading south @ sunset

Credit: self portrait

There were a few times that i cried on that motorcycle.

One time i was driving, where was it? ... from Portland OR to San Francisco. I'm not sure if it was the same time i almost had me a little blond lab...that's another story.

I was traveling south on Hwy 101 and it was a gorgeous day. In fact, i was quite warm, and probably wearing a tank top, it was so warm. I began to think of the coastline. The Pacific Ocean in its glory...besides the coastline is so superb. It was a 30 mile or so drive to Hwy 1. At the next crossover, i took the western road, and headed for that refreshing, open water. Sadly, however, once i reached the coastal Hwy, the sun had all but disappeared behind a haze of clouds. It was cooler though, and for the first few minutes it was refreshing. But after them few minutes, i was damn cold. I stopped and put on more layers: my chaps and my leather coat. I drove on. Dang it all, i was still cold and the clouds were getting thicker. I stopped again, and slipped on some long underwear, a sweater under my coat, and a rain jacket over it. At the next gas station, i purchased the local paper, and slipped that under my Leather jacket. I fashioned some paper mitts to fit over my gloves, and once again, drove on.

The next cutover road was still miles away, and i could no longer feel my toes. My fingers ached and yes, my nipples were eternally hard. In fact, they hurt the most. I cried like a little kid who's hurt them self a little or had their feelings hurt. At the next cheap motel, i pulled over - all of 3:30 in the afternoon, and got me a $39 room.

I suppose the smartest thing would have been to run a bath, or take a long shower, but i was so traumatized that after taking off the leathers, all i could do was crawl into bed under all the covers and cower from the cold for the next 2 hours. I was all of 24 or 25, still getting used to this Life on the Road.