The Native Iowan

I am south of Las Vegas by about 25 miles. I am only about 3 hours from “home” in Pasadena. What a journey.

I’ll talk about riding. Riding the way I ride.

It is all about the ride. The symphony of man and machine…

It is all about the road. The landscape and the weather and towns and truck stops… the experience…

Each day’s road is different. Cold in the morning at 4500ft and sweltering in the afternoon, through Vegas. Some roads are real fast. There is one stretch of 100 miles from Green River to Salina…

This streach offers nothing to help a motorist. It is 100 miles of harsh nothingness and beauty. For 2 wheels it is a great ride. Loads of 55mph corners with the speed @ 75. So I cruise these at 80. Switching right n left on empty roadways. Very little traffic. Cranking it to a ton is not difficult. For a cafe racer this is a wet dream with heaps of vroooom.

Some of the ride is flat and boring and, at times, real fast. Some stretches are posted at 80 so I ride @ 90mph/ 144 kph. There is a lot of road-works so some stretches are slow, hot, stinky and no fun for a 2wheeled maniac….

Today’s average speed was…

About 76mph avg. Not bad for a pretty easy day.

I do ride quick. I ride at the head of traffic. If traffic builds up I ride through it and get away from it. If traffic runs too fast I ride along side. I do not like vehicles close behind me. My experience of 2wheels is “death comes from behind.”

I literally ride “on my toes”. My boots are in the stirrups and its the stirrups that control the hoss. I don’t get to be “still” very often. Today was a very, very windy day. My neck n shoulders were in play all the time. My saggy back side shifts as I ride. It is a symphony of man and machine… a tilt of a knee or a shift of the head can change a lane at speed. Too much of anything is bad.

Being light makes it easy to be quick.

Traffic is traffic… world-wide. Most drivers simply suck. Most drivers are over occupied and distracted. I have daily been run off the road by semis that decide to change lane without any signal or looking in their mirrors. I can wind it up and get past. I am quick. And I watch closely. My attention rarely falters. I can’t recall the last time I stomped on the brakes. I normally hit the throttle to get out of trouble.

I shot past a semi that was pulling into the fast lane. He decided he could have his way and probably knew I could jump out of trouble. But the car behind me ended up off the road. I watched in my mirror as the brown sedan braked into the knee-high grass in the ditch.

If someone wants to pass me I make it easy for them. I need a slot between me and any traffic in front and behind me. Today in Vegas I found a nice slot I rode through most of the city. Speeds varied but my slot held good for a long while.

The ROAD is a living being. All travelling on it are parasites; some more worthy, than others.

I have listened to the “HIGHWAY” as I rode these past 3 to 4 thousand miles. I hear it as I ride; the wind, the machines I share the lanes with. I have had one “sport rider” zipp by me with a thumbs up. I ride past most other motorcycles. Most have trailers, or 3 wheels. I saw a Ural with a side car today… way, way cool.

I saw a trailer throw some tread from a flat. I ride watching for faults in the road. I have missed pot-holes that almost threw me. At speed you need both hands on the controls and all 7 senses at play and functions to high levels. I watch my mirrors all the time. I watch the wind in the grass. I watch way, way ahead; looking for trouble, brake lights, pot-holes.

It is an interesting balance of man and machine. One I enjoy. It makes me strong.

So, a few more days n I’ll be riding in the UK.

More later