Passes & Canyons Blog

Accommodations on one of the early OFMC trips.

The story continues as I continue to key in my journal. With a lot of really bad stuff going on in my life my motorcycle was the one thing that brought me pure, unadulterated joy. I was already becoming very attuned to just how great motorcycles are. From January 21, 1989: “Today is supposed to be the world’s most gorgeous day so I’ll be out on my bike.”

Then, in my journal entry for March 20, I remarked, “The motorcycle continues to be one of the few things I have to live for.” That tells you a lot about my state of mind at that time.

Bill was in a bad place at this point, too. His wife had thrown him out and he considered moving in with me. On April 11 I wrote, “Bill said he won’t be moving in. He should be getting his motorcycle Saturday. The weather better be nice because we’re going to want to ride.” Unlike the old, used bikes John and I bought, Bill got a brand new Honda Shadow.

Before I started riding motorcycles I flew hang-gliders. Between the two I chose the bikes. April 26: “Thought I’d sell my glider but the guy found another. Too bad. I need the money to cover the $250 my motorcycle is going to cost for a tune up and a tire.”

In May I told my parents about using money I borrowed from them to buy a bike: “I told them about the motorcycle. Mom was not happy. Dad was cool.”

Our first trip anywhere was over to visit a friend. June 7: “John & Bill & I are taking the bikes over to Fruita this weekend, weather permitting.”

July 12: “John & Bill & I had a wonderful three days on the bikes. Spent one night in Steamboat and the next at Rifle Falls up Rifle Gap. Very nice place. Loved being on the bikes.” This was the first of the annual OFMC trips, which are now in their 34th year.

Then this on July 21: “Our love affairs with our motorcycles continue to grow. Bill & John & I took a three-day trip through northwestern Colorado a couple weeks ago and we were in heaven. There are times when, cruising down the highway, I laugh out loud and throw my head back and scream ‘I love my motorcycle!'”

There were other things to be learned about riding a motorcycle. On August 20 I wrote, “One reason I have time today is that I have a flat on the bike.”

And of course I had to make the bike mine. September 4: “Put a case protector on my bike. Now I need to attach the highway pegs. Learned a bit of motorcycle mechanics in the process.”

Yeah, I’ve done a lot of work on my bikes over the years but mainly I let the pros handle it. I just do little stuff.

So by now I figured I was a real motorcyclist. A status sadly postponed by more than 20 years. But I was only getting started. Will I pass along more from the journal? Depends on what I find that I had to say, and when I get to those parts. Keying this journal in is a multi-year project.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if you take your bike into the shop for oil changes.

I still have that bike, and I still have that jacket. I don’t still have all that hair.

I’m a writer, always have been, and so it should be no surprise that I have kept a journal most of my life. Of course, for the greater part of that time it was all on paper. Paper is nice, it’s durable and all that, but it’s a real pain to search through if you want to find something in particular but don’t know the date.

In the last couple years I have been keying my journal in on the computer. This will make it more searchable and it also has taken me on a trip down memory lane. Recently I got to the point where I bought my first motorcycle, my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom. I figured I’d share a little of what I wrote about it back then.

The first mention is from June 22, 1988. My friend John had recently bought an old Yamaha Virago 750 and he would come pick me up and we’d go ride. At this time I noted, “I need to simultaneously finance a rollover of my 401(k) to my IRA, buy a motorcycle, and get a computer, although the computer will probably wait if I’m learning more on that at work.”

The next mention is July 16. “So how do I pay off the $3,000 I’m borrowing from Mom & Dad, how do I get a computer system, how do I get a motorcycle—how do I pay at all for any emergency like a new refrigerator or furnace or even some modest landscaping? I have got to find a better job.” Jumping ahead here I’ll note that I bought the bike with money from the $3,000 I borrowed from my parents, which I considered sweet justice because of how my mother quashed my dreams of getting a bike at 15. “You’ll never own a motorcycle as long as you’re living in my house,” she said, and now I was using their money to get one.

Then on July 24 I wrote, “Went out with John on his cycle the other night. I’m definitely going to get a motorcycle, sooner rather than later. After I get my next paycheck I’ll have enough money.”

September 11 it still hasn’t happened. “John & I had a good time Friday night. We rode his motorcycle up to Richard’s and the three of us sat & drank coffee and smoked dope. We stayed pretty late & then had a real nice ride back.”

Then September 21. “I finally did it. On Saturday I bought a Honda 750 motorcycle. It leaves me broke but I don’t care. Today I went to get a learner’s permit and tomorrow I’ll pick it up. Boy do I need something fun and exciting in my life.”

September 26. “And on top of that, I picked up my motorcycle that day. I was ecstatic. I was way up in the clouds. . . . After getting my bike Thursday I rode it about eight miles very cautiously and came home to get warm. Dressing warmer Friday, John & I went riding about 30 miles. Then Saturday we went about 120 miles, through Lyons, up the St. Vrain to the Peak to Peak highway to Nederland and down into Boulder. I got a windshield and we put that on and tonight I took it out and the difference is tremendous—so much warmer and much more comfortable. I like this. I can’t wait to ride it over to drop in on Dave. But between bills and the bike I’m broke. I’ve got about $50. Talk about scraping by. But Friday is payday.”

October 25. “I bought another helmet and Lynne & I went out on the bike Sunday. She loved it.”

And then November 4. “Got my motorcycle driver’s license yesterday. Flunked the test Wednesday & passed yesterday.”

So my riding career was launched. More to follow.

Biker Quote for Today

It’s Valentine’s Day in a few weeks. I wonder what to buy for my motorcycle this year.