Sometimes the sun shines on you!

Sunday was one of those days that was created with motorcyclists in mind. The sun was emerging from the field of knee-high winter wheat, out behind the school's ball diamond. Even though it was still cool outside, it promised good things to come. I opened the door to the garage & I could tell by the first glint off her mirrors ... Big Val was thinking the same thing I was. I toasted her with the remains of my coffee & thought “You & me today old girl”. Mother had a day of gardening planned for herself & she was already muttering & puttering with her pansies, kale & compost. Helmet, jacket, wallet, sunglasses, couple of cereal bars for later – check. The garage door rose to release us to the freedom of the open road … better pee first.

Big Val was eager to show off. Cool nights in the garage had got her a nice shine. She had a fresh belly of 15-40 topped off with a full compliment of Shell's finest mid grade. We set a mental course to the west & we'd see what the day brought our way.

I'm not much for highway driving. I prefer the paved 2-lanes that smell like first-cut hay & where everyone waves. Unfortunately, the roads around our place a pretty straight & grid like – so it can be a bit boring. We were both in our happy place. Big Val hummed along & I enjoyed the scenery slipping by. To keep my mind occupied, I tried remembering the words to old country songs from my trucking days. I was chuckling to myself as I recounted the perils of Wolf Creek Pass by C.W. McCall. Envisioning 2 cowboy truckers flying down a mountain side – one with his sock on fire. I should have been paying better attention to my situation, as we zoomed through what used to be an old 4-corners community. The kind of place that once held a gas station where the guy would automatically check your oil & fill the washer fluid, while the gas was pumping. The gas station was long gone, but the gravel parking lot was still there - complete with a black SUV. Moments later I notice him in my mirror, charging fast with blue & red lights aflash. Stupidly I pondered “Wonder where he's going in such a hurry?” …. then I looked down at the speedo. Oh Sh*t.

Even though the gas station & post office & general store were gone – the speed limit signs were not. Id' blown through there like gas through a funnel & eggs through a hen. I reined Big Val in & pulled to the shoulder with the menacing black box pulling up behind. License, insurance & ownership are all in my inside jacket pocket. Do I reach for them? Probably not a good idea … hands on the bars is best. After a minute that lasted an hour, he walked up … young guy .. crisp, clean shaven … cop sunglasses. I babbled an apology & explained that I'd had a “seniors moment” & didn't see the speed limit sign.

“License, ownership & insurance please.”

“You can use your cruise control to keep your speed down, you know.”

Respectfully I explained that Val was probably close to his age & didn't have cruise control. He checked the ownership again & was amazed that the bike was 21 years old. The he looked closer. “My God! How big is that engine? Is that a 6? Is that a car tire on there?” All the while I'd been doing the mental math of calculating my fine – I'd put 2 & 2 together, added 12 & carried 5 – well it was going to be really big. I stuttered through the relative merits of darkside tires and the lineage of the flat 6 power plant trying desperately not to wet myself, as the dollar figures mounted in my head. Then it happened. He mentions a recent purchase of an SV650. We talked bikes for 20 minutes at the side of the road. I grabbed my phone & show him pics of my 77 Electra Glide in various states of disassembly, at home. He show me pics of his ride & the house that he & his new bride were renovating.

A tractor passed by with a bailer in tow, that seemed to bring us both back to the moment. He handed me my papers back & said “Enjoy your ride, but slow down & pay attention”. I thanked him, promised I would do so and wished him good luck with that old plumbing. Away he went.

Lately every time you look at the world – it's more crap, more negativity, more sensationalism. Then this happens & it reminds me that there are good people, doing good things out there. We just have to decide if we're going to be one of those people or not … or you might just slam into the side of a feed store in downtown Pagosa Springs (it's part of the song).