Passes & Canyons Blog

How great it was to take off on my V-Strom on Monday after getting the all-clear from my neurosurgeon! I had wondered if I would feel unsteady or uncertain but it was just like they say about riding a bicycle–you never forget and it just comes back naturally.

I didn’t have a whole lot of time because I have a piano lesson every Monday at 2:30 and it was nearly noon when we got home from the doc’s. I needed to have lunch and to put up that quick blog post announcing my return. I wanted to go somewhere where I could get a good photo to go with this post so I figured if I headed down to Daniels Park I could get the shot and get to Chad’s in time for my lesson.

The day was a little cooler, in the low 60s, so I dressed warmly and wore my electric vest. That was more than I needed as I headed south but I have found previously that Daniels is about 1,000 feet higher than home and that difference means several degrees cooler. I got near the park and there was a lot of road construction going on so I had to take a detour. No problem, I know my way around here quite well at this point.

Got to the park and stopped for a photo. Yeah, it was darn chilly. Up on this high point I could see to the west and there were storm clouds moving in and it looked like it might already be raining over the foothills. Not a problem, I had my rain suit with me. I also wondered if the chill might just be the cold front moving in.

Needing to get to Chad’s I now headed north and no, it’s not just the front, it still got warmer as I continued north. But I was darn glad to have my heated vest. Meanwhile, the bike was running great and I was feeling great. So good to be back on the bike!

Following my crash I had mentioned to Judy that I intended to spend some money on some new, really good (read: expensive) riding gear. Back in August, around my birthday, Judy asked me if I would like a new riding suit as a birthday gift. I told her let’s not do that just at this time. I really didn’t want her to ask why but she did so I told her how at that moment I was feeling some hesitation and uncertainty about getting back on the bike. I think that’s a fairly normal reaction after you go through what I did. That image of that car headed right at me sticks with me. Well, it occurred to me just recently that all that reluctance and hesitation had just vanished. When my neurosurgeon asked if I was giving up riding motorcycles I told him no way, as soon as I get home from here I’m taking off for a ride.

I got to Chad’s just a few minutes late but not much. After the lesson I came out to the bike and it was spitting rain. Now the front had made it all the way into town. I put on my rain jacket and took off. Even with the jacket stopping the wind it was chilly so I flipped on the vest again. I love that thing. I made it on home without really getting wet and that was my ride for Monday. Soon after I got home it poured. Now I’m going to be watching the weather closely and I plan to get out a lot in the next week or two. I missed the whole summer; I will not miss the fall.

Biker Quote for Today

“The man hunched over his motorcycle can focus only on the present instant of his flight; he is caught in a fragment of time cut off from both the past and the future; he is wrenched from the continuity of time; he is outside time; in other words he is in a state of ecstasy. In that state he is unaware of his age, his wife, his children, his worries, and so he has no fear, because the source of fear is in the future, and a person freed of the future has nothing to fear.” – Milan Kundera

We just got back from the neurosurgeon’s and I am free to resume all activities. Yahoo!

Now I’m going riding. I’ll tell you all about it on Thursday.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if your jeans have a crease.

In the last three days, and in another four, three events have occurred/will occur that should effectively close the book on my crash with a drunk driver. On Monday I finally got the police report of the crash, and Monday of next week I will see my neurosurgeon presumably for the last time and will be free to resume my life in full. And then yesterday I got a report from the Arapahoe County DA on the sentencing of the guy who ran into me. The case is wrapped, and soon my recovery will officially be at an end. Finally.

I had wondered about the sentencing. I knew there had been a hearing at which the judge had rejected the DA’s proposed plea bargain and instead insisted on harsher punishment. I actually had it on my to-do list yesterday to email the person in the DA’s office who I have been in contact with to ask about the sentencing and then there it was in yesterday’s mail.

The recap is that he was sentenced to 24 months of probation, separate on two counts but presumably to be served concurrently, plus 48 hours of community service. Between a long list of fines and assessments he will also have to pay a total of $2,835.50. This list is pretty interesting. If you, like me, have never been on the defense side of a court case you may find this a bit of a surprise. I’m not at all sure what some of these mean. Leaf fine?

Count 2, Driving Under the Influence Per Se (misdemeanor)
$78 — Victim Compensation Fine
$10 — Restorative Justice Charge
$25 — Public Defender Appl Receivable
$25 — Request for Time to Pay
$2.50 — Genetic Testing Service Charge
$90 — Leaf Fine
$200 — Alcohol Evaluation Fee
$25 — Traumatic Brain Injury Fund
$1200 — Probation – Supervision Fee
$5 — Court Security Cash Fund
$35 — Court Costs Prior to 6/6/03
$5 — Rural Youth Alcohol/Substance Abuse Surcharge
$100 — Persistent Drunk Driving Surcharge
$600 — Drive Under Influence/Ability Impaired
$222 — Victim Assistance 37% Fine 050103
$2 — Sub Aff.Driving Data Surcharge

Count 6, Vehicular Assault-Reckless (Level 5 felony)
$163 — Victim Assistance 37% Fine 050103

From here, the DA’s office will keep me informed of the progress of this fellow’s probation and alcohol treatment program. That is, they tell me, the only thing to be reported will be if he fails them along the way, plus the fact he has successfully completed them if he does. I’m hoping he does. On the whole, I’d say he came out of this a lot worse off than I did, but it will really be a good thing for him if this helps him beat that monkey that has been on his back. And our roads will be safer.

Now at last I’m going to be able to ride again and I can get back to my main focus, writing about riding motorcycles. I’m really looking forward to that.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 28. If another bike or car wants to race, you better hold on.

Who knew it takes months before the police report of a crash is available to be seen? Following the incident on June 29 when I was hit head-on by a drunk driver while on my old Honda CB750 I quickly filed to receive notice when the report became available. I received that notification today, four months later.

My primary interest in seeing the report was because I have almost no recollection of the event and I wanted some detail. Now, after all this time, I really only got two details that I didn’t already have. I was unsure as to where the guy was coming from. Was he heading east on Belleview and just drifted over into the oncoming lane (where I was) or had he just gotten off Santa Fe and was turning east onto Belleview and turned a bit too sharply? It turns out he was heading east on Belleview. Also, the police estimate he was going 35 mph.

The DA had told me he moved into my lane because he thought, in his drunkenness, that it was a lane open to him. To hit me he had to first take out a sign telling him to stay to the right and then his right wheels had to bounce over a concrete median that rises about 18 inches above the road. That impediment was probably responsible for slowing him down enough that his impact with me was considerably lessened from what it might have been if he had struck me unimpeded. Thank you very much median.

What I had hoped the report would tell me, but didn’t, was what happened to me. Did I go flying off the bike? How far? How did I hit the ground? What was my state immediately after? Was I unconscious? Was I alert? Did I immediately sit up and try to get up?

None of that information is included in the report. Dang. I wonder if the ambulance crew filed a report that might have that sort of information. I do know there was a witness who told the police what he or she saw. That’s the person I’d really like to talk to. And if there had been a trial I’m sure that witness would have been called. But there was no trial, just a plea bargain.

I’ll probably never get answers. Oh well. At this point I’m just focused on the future. One week from today it will be 12 weeks since surgery and presumably I’ll get my life back and be able to drive and to ride my one remaining motorcycle. That meeting with the neurosurgeon will be in the morning and unless the weather is terrible I’m going to be out riding that afternoon. Yahoo!

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if you think fringe is a mandatory accessory on your leathers.

My apologies to anyone reading this who is not in the Denver area; this is a local event only.

You may recall I have written about Octane Alley, an area up on the 2800 block of Walnut Street where there is a tight concentration of motorcycle shops. Erico Motorsports is the original shop to open up there, long before the area got redeveloped and gentrified.

Perhaps because it was necessary to draw customers up to that then-unlikely part of town, Erico has always been a little different, taking uncommon steps to bring folks in. That process continues with the establishment of a small park-like area next door where Erico has been promoting community events.

As one of those community events, this Friday, October 17, “@sofarDenver is transforming Erico Motorsports into an intimate live music venue. Expect an unforgettable night of local artists, great vibes, and a little mystery because you won’t know who’s playing until they hit the stage!”

Doors open for this event at 7:30 with the show slated to begin at 8. The music will continue for up to three hours.

Here’s the rest of the info.

BYOB: Feel free to bring your own drinks, including alcohol. Remember to pack your own cups or bottle openers.

Snacks Welcome: Small snacks are permitted to keep you fueled during the show.

Seating: Mostly floor seating or standing —bring cushions or blankets for added comfort.

Parking: Limited spaces may be available in our lot; public parking available throughout the streets.

Tickets: Secure your spot now and use our exclusive friends & family discount code: ERICO at checkout to receive 20% off!

Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind experience—grab your tickets today and join us for an evening where motorcycles and music collide!

Sounds like it could be fun. Judy and I have been trying to catch more live music lately so we might go–can’t say for sure just yet. Maybe this will be right up your (octane) alley.

Biker Quote for Today

If you want to live a happy life, don’t teach your wife how to ride a motorcycle.

I ran across an article with a catchy, poetic/symbolic header: Street, motorcycle: a motorcyclist is 70 times more likely to die than a motorist and science says so.

OK, that’s the sort of thing to catch your attention. I had to read it.

It’s not an anti-motorcycle piece; the writer acknowledges all the issues we who ride are intimately familiar with. It just lays out the statistics from the study, which was done at Northwestern University. (A chuckle: the piece is British and the writer mistakenly refers to the school as the University of Northwestern.) Although it does use some wording that you and I might take issue with. I’ll quote part of the article.

Parents have always told their children that motorcycles are dangerous. And for once, statistics prove them right. A large study conducted by the University of Northwestern in the United States has just demonstrated it: driving a motorcycle is 29 times riskier than driving a car, for the same distance traveled.

Also:

The study drew on 1,6 billion kilometers traveled to estimate the risks associated with each mode of transport. The verdict is clear: motorcycles cause 212 deaths, dwarfing all other modes of transport. Bicycles come in a distant second (44,6 deaths), followed by cars (7,28). In contrast, airplanes only have 0,07 deaths – 3,000 times safer!

That last one is one of those points where we would question the wording. I mean, “motorcycles cause 212 deaths.” No, I’m sorry, the motorcycles don’t cause those deaths. In fact, usually, it is the total opposite–the deaths are caused by drivers of other vehicles. This is where an editor was needed to revise that statement to something along the lines of “212 motorcyclists died.”

Discussing the study, the writer noted, “Far from wanting to demonize motorcycles, this study puts things into perspective. Motorcycle riding isn’t a crime; it’s a choice. But a choice that requires rigor, humility, and lucidity.” He then added that training and awareness of the risks is all important. I don’t think any of us would contest that.

So where does that leave us? Oh, pretty much where we were. We know we take risks and apparently we’re OK with that. Next.

Biker Quote for Today

Getting a motorcycle right after my divorce didn’t make me a walking cliché. It made me a much faster cliché.