Rage Against the Cage

So I just completed a two and a half day visit to northern Alabama. About halfway there I realized that taking the bike had been a cursory afterthought whose possibility was squashed by lack of preparation. The sun shone brightly and the air had a pleasant, cool breeze. As I sat in my truck for over 14 hours, I began itching to have the air run over me - not my truck. I wanted to look over my shoulder and see scenery - not my truck's seatbelt. And yeah, it cost a lot more in gas to take the truck, too.

On the return home, I drove through temperatures in the low 20's and shivered madly every time I got out of the truck. (Of course, I was driving at night). I thought to myself that with the little bit of misting I came across, the Ironbutt hotel would have been downright miserable. Despite that, I probably would have dressed for the occasion and left early in the morning with the rising temperatures instead of descending into darkness and the cold of that particular night.

When I passed through Austin, I turned the radio to 101.5 (http://www.101x.com) and listened to Alternative music for about an hour. No, I probably wouldn't have done that on the bike - though I could have if I wanted. But the sickly, mind-numbing feeling of having sat still in a cage wouldn't have robbed my soul of the freedom riding gives me had I taken the bike. I wouldn't have superslabbed it through Austin, either.

Alternative music doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is: different. I really missed that this time around. Riding - even in the nastiest of weather - separates me from all the other cages out there. The cages do not control me when I ride; where I go and how I do it remains my choice. My motorcycle is the instrument by which I create my experience; it does not define me - I define my ride.

Having done this trip and others like it (and worse), I feel more determined to take the bike next time I travel by ground. I can't believe that I let so many people talk me out of even considering the bike. I'm not really going to go into detail about the reason for the trip, but I would have been a lot happier if my two-wheeled companion had been there with me.