A Roadtrip To Remember
It's Thursday morning late October in southeast Tennessee. The weather is cold but the sun is trying to shine. My heart is racing. I'm going to Texas. I haven't been there since I was a little girl but I've wanted to return for about 20 years. We made our journey south on familiar roads. Moving into Mississippi the sky turned dark and the wind began to rage. We pulled over, put on rain gear and ventured on. We had looked at the storm on the radar over the net. It was a big one with lots of red and orange. Oh Boy!! We figured we could make Shreveport before night fall. Wrong. We cut it short in Monroe Louisiana and parked the bikes for the night. As we pulled into the hotel the rain stopped. Isn't that just the way it goes but we were physically spent. The next morning the air was cool but clear. With the roads still wet we headed out. After we crossed the TX state line I saw a lone little oil well on the side of the road. It looked strange to be there all by itself. I had to giggle. I'm in Texas. I watched as the landscape changed around me. The smile was getting bigger behind my mask and the bike felt my urgency and moved on. We were making good time cruising around 80 to 86 mph. When traffic cleared I saw two bikes ahead. As I often do on the road I tried to imagine what these two folks were up to and where they were heading. We fell in behind them for a bit but I felt edgy. I think Lane did too. I wanted to open it up. Ride hard and get to where we were going. Lane pulled around the 2 riders and I followed. I glanced over as we passed by. The second rider was a lady but she was looking ahead. I laughed at myself and thought maybe I should too since I had no clue about road conditions. I followed Lane forward pressing towards Fort Worth Texas. We arrived to meet up with lots of friends. We made it. I'm in the great state of Texas.
After spending the weekend partying with old friends and new we were on the road again. Now we were going to Stillwater Oklahoma. I saw new country, new road. As we rolled on the landscape continued to change. I kept thinking it's all so pretty in it's own way. I watched the black bike move along ahead of me and I had such a feeling of total contentment. As we moved into Oklahoma again the sights around me started to change. We crossed so many bridges with streams and rivers. My thoughts went to those who first setteled this land. How they traveled and what they must have endured. I was greatful for my RoadKing and the road before me. HeadDoc met us on the road and we journeyed on to his home. The food was delicious, the brews cold and the laughter lasted into the night. The next morning HeadDoc took us on a cool ride to Pawnee. Land, wide open land, it was all around us. I saw several big hawks flying over, cattel and horses along side of the road. It felt almost mystical. This was the land of the Indians. Once again my mind wondered.
We woke up the next morning to 39 degrees in Oklahoma. I had to laugh. What was I thinking heading out on a motorcycle in late October? I was looking for adventure and I found it. HeadDoc gave us directions to Tulsa then pick up the Indian Nations Turn Pike. What a cool road. Again the vast lands were all around us. There was no traffic leaving us alone on the road. We rolled down 108 miles of pristine scenery at 85 to 90 mph. I saw the black bike again carrying it's rider. How can I ever explain to him how grateful I am for sharing this life with me. I knew at that moment I could be totally content to live out of a small bag on the road never looking back only forward following the black bike and it's rider where ever it led.
At the end of the turn pike we traveled back into Texas. This was a different Texas than what I had seen. We ran back roads and two lane highways towards Louisiana. It was beautifull. Then time to get back on the big road. A short burst and we were hanging out in Shreveport looking for Pathfinder. We met up on the road and traveled to his place. Some gal is gonna get a great catch when she hooks that boy. Man can he cook! Again we ate drank and laughed until I could take no more. A good sleep and it was time to ride again. The black bike pulled out ahead and I followed. It was cold but it was perfect. The road was familiar. I was going home. I felt mixed emotion. We were 650 miles from the house and I was out of time. Work called for me the next morning. The weather held and we made good time. I still kept glancing at the black bike. I wondered does he really know what this means to me, how grateful I am to be a part of it all.
2,370 miles later I am restored. Ride safe my friends. I hope we meet again on the road.
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10-30-2009, 01:05 AM
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