Safety Contemplation

With the week full of rain, and Saturday even more, I contemplated not going to this Chopper Fest on Sunday, thinking this event wouldn't be on. Then, on Sunday, I drove there instead of riding, as I felt the freeway would be slick from the rain and oil.

As I neared the event, I felt a little bad that I didn't ride instead, until I pulled into the lot, and found it full of cars and trucks, and not that many bikes. A truck in front of me spilled out four guys, and I asked them if they were riders and why they didn't ride instead, like me, and their response was the same. It as a safety issue. Riding a day after a hard rain, is not the wisest move for a rider!

Journey vs. Destination

I've come to realize through riding, and most probably due to living in Los Angeles, I'm more about the destination than the journey. More about the arrival than the ride.

While riding is about the ride and the enjoyment and freedom of it, at least for me, the ride is enjoyed but there is extreme caution during it which is obviously not a bad thing, it's a smart thing. But, it also lessons the enjoyment of the ride.

I remember hearing about an extreme parasailer's thought process while gliding in the air, saying he was so focused on getting to his destination safely, that he couldn't enjoy the sail.

And that sticks with me while riding, especially on the freeways of L.A. which I try to avoid whenever I can - and that for a motorcyclist, is not compatible. But the freeways here are very fast and quite dangerous. On the 405South yesterday while heading to the 2009 Int't Motorcycle Show, I observed a Harley rider ahead of me suddenly having to very sharply switch lanes in order to avoid being hit by a car next to him. The rider shook his fist at the car for a little while, and narrowly avoided going down. That was only a few cars in front of me, on the edge of Long Beach.

I hate riding the freeways here, and especially, the 405. Whenever some little voice tells me not to go on a ride, or even, take the car instead, I listen to that. After seeing this rider almost being hit in front of me, I was glad I took the car!

My rides are comforted by getting to the destination safely, vs. the journey of the ride. I'm sure the journey, for me, would be a greater ride, away from this city.