MyLarry got a 1980 Suzuki 450 for his birthday, fixed the minor flaws right up. We went down and got me a half-helmet (on sale, natch)... matte black with dark flames. Cool.
We rode up Ogden Canyon this afternoon. Sadly, between five years of slow weight gain and my post-surgical landscape changes, my Willy G no longer fits properly. Larry's spare leather jacket is cut for a guy, too narrow in the hip and long of sleeve. My leather coat may have a kick pleat, but no riding split like a duster, besides, it buttons. Sigh. I wore my letterman jacket from Kinnick, the one with Super Sub on the back. I almost looked like Nicholson in Easy Rider with my Waygfarers on!
Riding up the canyon, I could feel the temperature fall and rise as we rode in and out of the shadows of the mountain, as we rode by the resevoir or near the river. I could see so much more than from a car! The leaves were beautiful, but what caught my attention the most were all the scents of fall. I could smell pine trees and oaks, the river, hay near the farms, whiffs of woodsmoke from the cabins. Amazing.
We passed a trailer park up the South Fork canyon; it is tidy and set back in the trees with a fence and swathes of green grass out front. Four deer were grazing there, raising their heads to watch us pass. Smart deer, this is the first weekend of hunting season. You aren't supposed to shoot deer so near the road.
We stopped at Red Cliff cafe near the turnoff to Causey Dam. We were just going to grab a coke, but instead decided on supper. Buffalo burgers, handmade and yummy! Saturday night, so there was live music. One guy with a guitar in the corner, he was very good. We need to go up as a group and have some beers.
The ride home was chilly; the sun had dropped behind the mountains. The curves at the mouth of the canyon made me nervous; on one side was oncoming traffic, on the other were the K-rails along the river. Larry is a good driver though, and my hips and back remembered the passenger swivel and lean with no trouble at all. Muscle memory down to the bone.
Yeah. Like that. A Harley next year once we get a few bills paid this year.
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3 comments:
Man, you and Larry gotta get that Harley! With the awesome description you gave of your trip -- which made me able to easily recall those smells, sights, and sensations -- I'll just have to be patient until you can post more about similar trips that you'll be making, but on a more comfortable ride. And I guess you and Larry will enjoy it, too. *w*
Digging the image of you as Nicholson in Easy Rider. Been about 11 years since I've seen that, but I recall the exact scene you're talking about -- I think... Was that the one that had the song, "Long may my river flow / flow into the sea"? Could have wrong matchup of soundtrack to visuals, but I definitely see Nicholson in his Wayfarers. Reminds me of Don Henley's song, "The Boys of Summer."
Now I can hardly wait for woodstove weather, although the past two days here in central Missouri have been as perfect as fall can be.
sounds like a nice ride.
We used to have Harleys, I want another one so much!
And Boys of Summer was exactly what I had in mind.
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