On The Way Home From A Trip

[Blu]

I went to Tannersville NY this weekend, near Hunter Mountain with my new girl. Had a great weekend, went to the Hudson Valley (not Gilroy)Garlic Festival, thought it would be a joke, but it was great! Did a zip-line tour, fun stuff. Took the Taconic Parkway home to avoid the Thruway traffic . For those who haven't, its a nice road, a little twisty for a highway, but not too bad and the road is also not in great shape, needs to be resurfaced. So moving along at about 65 and I get passed by about a dozen rice rockets moving 90-100. No joke. These idiots were all over the place including passing me IN MY LANE! Scared the crap out me! About 2 min later traffic slows to a crawl. I joked to my girl that maybe one of the rice morons went down. I get closer and I was sadly right. I could see his group on the side of the road holding their heads and just standing there, one was in the middle the road directing traffic to the right lane. The reason was most of his friend was against the divider and several other pieces were scattered around the middle and left lane. Single vehicle accident as near as I could tell, my guess is he couldn't make the turn.

 

I feel for his family and those in cars who had to witness this tragedy. I do not understand how anyone no matter how good can ride like that and think nothing is ever going to happen! I had stop down the road for a 45 min to talk to my girl and explain the difference between the reckless riding style practiced by these foolish individuals and the way I ride that kept me safe for 30 years. I hope I can get her on my bike again and I hope to get that image out of my mind. The Howard quoted in the story is me.

 

The story

 

 

[Brock]

that is a terrible thing to have to see and especially try and explain to a novice rider or first time passenger even.... it is one you will not soon forget unfortunately. The only hope is that his friends will re-evaluate their riding style and why they take certain chances and opt for ones safer in his memory.

[Micmac]

I hate to sound terse, however it is called evolution. I have been riding and shaken out of my skin when one of these "Power Rangers" roar past me and jolting me actually almost making me wreck. I have witnessed these guys doing wheelies on the highway at over 80 MPH in traffic. I feel sorry for his family, the women who hit him and all the people who had to witness the carnage, especially Blu's girl who was on her first ride. When you see something like that, it is with you forever. A bad day all around The words to a famous Doors song evolved from such a wreck.

 

The line "Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding/Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind" originates from his poem, "Newborn Awakening" (and it also appears at the end of "Ghost Song"). The line is born out of "Dawn's Highway", a poem in which Jim describes an event that occurred when he was young. As Morrison described it in An American Prayer:

 

“ Me and my — mother and father — and a grandmother and a grandfather — were driving through the desert, at dawn, and a truck load of Indian workers had either hit another car, or just — I don't know what happened — but there were Indians scattered all over the highway, bleeding to death."

 

"So the car pulls up and stops. That was the first time I tasted fear. I musta' been about four — like a child is like a flower, his head is floating in the breeze,man.

 

 

In no way am I inferring the victims of Morrisons accident are at fault. I am drawing a parallel of how these events stick with you, forever.

Edited September 27, 2010 by Micmac

[BONMYI]

That's sad, sorry that you had to witness that tragic event,

 

hope that vision quickly becomes a blur !!

 

 

Dave

[zoom]

I had to respond to a similar accident on the job. 19 y o in pieces. Friends looking for him after he rounded corner and hit a guardrail. Found his helmet with his head in it.Tragic and totally preventable, so sad. Reconstructionist wanted to put "testosterone, stupidity and speed" as contirbuting causes.His friends will not likely forget their last visual of thier friend. Luckily we were able to prevent his family from getting to the scene.

Reading this article brought it all back like it happended yesterday.

Maybe the riders death will cause his posse to reconsider their riding habits. If not, then nothing will.