Passes & Canyons Blog

While I acceded to the logic offered by Brook Reams and my wife, other motorcyclists are sticking with the argument that coronavirus-conscious riding is not a bad thing. For one, even though I have quit going on them, the RMMRC continues to hold regular rides.

Motorcyclists in other places seem to have adopted the same thinking. Here’s a story about a bunch of riders who were ticketed for doing so, and the remarks of one who protested that they were doing nothing wrong.

The guy made the argument that they were observing proper distancing restrictions and were treated unfairly, as in getting profiled. There seems to be some argument on both sides.

First off, they went for a group ride and then stopped for snacks and beverages at a convenience store. When they stepped outside to consume their purchases the store manager told them they had to leave the property, so the went across the street.

Now, there’s no way from available information to know whether they truly kept their distance from each other, unlike with the RMMRC for which I can attest that we/they do keep a distance. But then the police showed up and started issuing tickets. Here’s where the profiling came into play.

Apparently there were not just people on bikes, there were others in the group who were in cars. And some of the riders had passengers. Well, the cops issued tickets only to the riders. None to the passengers, none to those in cars. So what’s up with that? If you’re supposed to stay home except on necessary travel they were all in violation.

The guy quoted in the story cited the fact that you are allowed to go out for recreation and he argued that riding was his kind of recreation. I have said the same thing. But as others have countered, the kind of recreation you get riding a bicycle is physical, while motorcycling recreation is only psychic. You can say it was for your mental health and that may well be true but I don’t think the police are going to buy that.

And what was not cited was the double-barreled argument I got that if you should crash and go to the emergency room you are using medical resources that could be used on coronavirus and you are also much more at risk of contracting the virus in an ER than you are at home.

So I continue not to go for pleasure rides but I’m thinking that at some point, when the trend of infection is dropping and medical resources are not over-strained, I may go riding again and take my chances on the possibility of a crash.

Biker Quote for Today

When you truly don’t care what anyone thinks of you, you’ve reached a dangerously awesome level of freedom!!!

I spoke earlier this week about how the idea that riding motorcycles was a good thing to do to keep your distance from people had gotten shot down. OK, I get it. But I’m not going to let my last such ride go to waste. This ride was on Wednesday of last week.

Figuring that riding motorcycles was a good thing to do while staying away from other people–thank you coronavirus–I intended to go on a ride the RMMRC had planned for Tuesday last week. I managed to let time slip up on me, however, suddenly realized that even if I hurried I was likely to be late. With this group, when they say kick stands up (KSU) at a certain time, they really mean it.

I hustled on down to Performance Cycle and sure enough, there was nobody there. So I just wandered on home; it was a beautiful spring day so it was nice to be out riding even just for a short run. Besides, there was another ride planned for Wednesday.

On Wednesday I did not let time slip by. The meeting place was Sam’s #3 over on Havana and I was there a bit early, playing it safe. But there was not one other soul around. What the heck? I pulled out my phone and checked the notice to be sure I was not mistaken about the date, time, or place. I was not. So I sat there.

Maybe two minutes before KSU Bob and Robert glided up next to me on their matching Gold Wings. OK, it was going to be just the three of us.

Robert was in the lead and he took us on a ride only he could plan out. Which is to say, we headed out east on the prairie and went on some roads I had never been on, and the reason for this route was that he said he likes to periodically go past places he has lived in the past. And apparently Robert has lived in several of these isolated housing developments way out away from anything else out there.

That was fine. We didn’t care where we went, we just wanted to ride.

Eventually we ended up down south at Elbert and kept heading south. Then west to CO 83 and back toward the city. Nothing special about this ride other than it was a great day to be out on a bike. And now it looks like it will be my last pleasure ride for who knows how long. That right there is what will make this ride memorable.

Biker Quote for Today

She loved her brother, I remember back when he was fixing up a ’49 Indian. Told her ‘little sister gonna ride the wind, up around the moon and back again.’ — Emmylou Harris

OK, this is starting to demand more seriousness. I wrote about how the RMMRC has been doing some rides that were “coronavirus conscious” but I’ve gotten shot down.

First my wife, Judy, pointed me to the state’s website where it details the particulars of the overall order to stay home. It specifically says that pleasure driving or motorcycle riding is prohibited. Oh rats. I mean, it seems like riding a motorcycle is a great thing to do because you don’t come in contact with other people and you’re wearing a helmet and gloves.

Judy replied that yes, but suppose you got into a crash. You would then go to an already overloaded emergency room and use resources that could otherwise be used combating the virus. OK, that has never happened to me in all my years of riding but it could happen today–no one ever knows when that crash will happen.

Then I sat down at the computer to put something together for the blog and I had a comment on my post about that RMMRC ride, from Brook Reams. He basically said the same thing Judy said:

So, if anyone has an accident and goes to the emergency room, they are not only absorbing scarce ER people/time/space/equipment that is needed to treat Coronavirus patients, the person is going to be in a place with a high opportunity for exposure to the virus.

From that perspective, these rides are not “Coronavirus conscious,” they are selfish.

OK, I get it. As I said in my reply to Brook, oh well, it seemed like a good idea.

I had also been getting emails from ABATE members about riding being a no-no. So the word is spreading. There was another RMMRC ride set for Sunday and I was torn about going on it but decided not to. I kept checking back to see if it was canceled but apparently not.

It’s not like we haven’t been taking this isolation thing seriously. Judy has only left the house in the last couple weeks to go bicycle riding. I have only left the house to go to the grocery store and to ride my motorcycles and the bicycle. We haven’t seen our grandson in three weeks and that’s really killing us–we’re used to keeping him two days a week while Mom is at work.

So OK, just hunker down and get through this. One thing though: we are low or out of a number of things we typically get at Costco. I have stayed away from there so far but was thinking about heading over sometime soon. I have huge bags on my V-Strom, and we don’t need anything bulky like toilet paper. When I finally go to Costco I’m going on the V-Strom.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you spend more time polishing your bike than caressing your woman.

We were in Natchez, Mississippi, a couple weeks ago, headed north to Vicksburg. Judy suggested we take the Natchez Trace part of the way, until the direction of the road diverged too much with our objective. Sure, why not. I had never been on the southern end of this road and I was curious.

I had been on the northern end of the road, quite a few years ago now when I was sent by my job to do some work in Nashville. When I bought my airplane tickets I made sure to schedule my return for Sunday so that after I worked all week I would have the weekend there to be a tourist and also to ride some new roads.

Back in those days it was not so easy to find motorcycle rentals but I did find one Harley dealer in Franklin that had rentals. I reserved a bike. They said they had helmets and rainsuits to lend so I needn’t bring mine. Here was a lesson in the making.

I got to the dealership and picked up the bike. My plan was to spend a day riding south on the Natchez Trace, spend the night somewhere, and then take different roads back. There were a couple issues, however. First off, it was raining. And the only helmets they had to loan me were open-face. That might be fine in nice weather but in the rain? I’d just have to make do.

The other issue was that the only rainsuits they had were sized to fit someone over six feet tall weighing 300 pounds. I could have gotten two of me into this thing. Once again, I’d just have to make do. So the lesson is, always take your own helmet and rain gear. But it took me a second lesson to really learn the part about the helmet.

Anyway, I headed out and made straight for the Natchez Trace. I got on the road and started cruising. But after about 50 miles I was bored out of my mind. It was a pretty road, winding its way along hilltops through forest. On and on and on. I’m sorry, but after you’ve seen about a million trees there’s just not a lot of interest in another two million or three million.

I got off the Trace and considered my options. It was still raining. I decided to bag it, and took the regular roads back to Franklin and the dealership. At least the local roads had some interest–I got to see towns and homes and farms and all that. But I turned the bike back in and spent the rest of my time doing other things.

Ever since then I had wondered if perhaps it was only this stretch of the Natchez Trace that was boring. Maybe further south it gets more interesting. So when Judy suggested it I was plenty willing to check it out.

Well, I have to tell you, it’s not just the north end. The south end of the Natchez Trace is just the same: miles and miles of a winding road going past several million trees. Now, it was pretty, and that far south the spring was in full bloom. It was not an unpleasant drive. But I would have no interest at all in taking this road for 200 or 300 miles. Fifty was plenty.

Now I know. My curiosity has been satisfied.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if your Christmas list has no words, just part numbers.