Crater Lake run.

Fire up the time machine and go back a month. Elvira pulled duty for the business run to the Northern Oregon Coast during the first part of the week. Sophie got the honor of taking Katie and I to Klamath Falls, deep into Southern Oregon. Here's some words and pictures from that run.

We rolled into Klamath Falls about an hour before sunset Thursday night. A big sport-touring bike has this wonderful attribute of being able to eat up miles in a most entertaining way. What would be a chore in a car is just another fun adventure on a motorcycle.

The main reason for the trip was to conduct a site audit for our motorcycle training program. This was scheduled for Saturday. On Friday morning I had an appointment with a large distributor. This visit was for the job that fuels my motorcycle addiction. Since it was so far away, might as well take advantage of the opportunity. Having never been to the new place where our classes are held we set out on a scouting mission. Katie posed for the obligatory "We were here" photo.

Heat was an issue that weekend. Highs were in the lower nineties. The air conditioner in our hotel room was less than efficient. Friday morning saw us back on the bike and headed for the office of our distributor. Fortunately the office was downtown. I backed Sophie up to the curb and shut her down. Our gear was stashed into the bags. Katie went shopping while I made my business call.

By late morning business was done, a coffee shop duly raided, and we were back at the hotel. I was thinking of lunch, a nap, some time in the pool, and otherwise just doing next to nothing. Katie, however, had something else on her mind. We were about 70 miles from Crater Lake.

Katie's not a pushy sort of wife. Well, mostly. She doesn't nag or gripe about things. Katie's one of those really supportive people. Kind, caring, and nurturing. Together we're like the Angel and the Badman. Yeah, you can guess who's who. I've been married to this Angel for coming up on 31 years. There's a reason we've been happily married so long.

You see, I've learned to hear things beyond the words. I've learned to look into her eyes and see what's really there. There's a certain tone of voice and look to her face when she says she's not really hung up on something and means it. I've come to recognize the subtle differences when she says the same thing but is just trying not to cause a fuss. I looked into Katie's eyes and could see she really wanted to go. The phrase "I love you" means actually taking care of the other person's needs and not just mouthing the words. Besides, who was I to turn down a chance to add another 150 miles to the ride?

Did I mention that this was a Friday afternoon in the middle of July? Did I mention that Crater Lake is a huge tourist attraction?

Surprisingly, the ride up was fairly peaceful. I decided to take an entrance road that was off the beaten path and fairly twisty. The only drawback was that we'd have to use a main highway for a while. There was a tense moment when we got to a passing lane. Tired of being crammed behind slow moving recreational vehicles, I let Sophie stretch her legs to get around traffic. Who should be parked on the shoulder right about where we really got up a head of steam? A Klamath County deputy, of course! I figured it was what it was so kept the throttle steady. The patrol car stayed put and we found some room to run.

Once up at the lake we found all the people. The parking lot was pretty crowded. There was a space next to a Goldwing and some Harley baggers. Guess nobody wanted to park next to the "bikers". You can see the contrast in our gear. We're apparently much more European than American in our approach to gear and riding!

There was a funny moment when I was taking a picture of Katie near a low stone wall with the lake in the background. An older Japanese couple approached me and asked if I would take a picture of the two of them together. The man handed me his point and shoot digital camera. It was a Sony and had more buttons and settings than you could ever imagine. After taking their picture, the man offered to return the favor. I politely declined. He just couldn't seem to grasp why I turned him down. Apparently it was inconceivable to him that we didn't really care about the photo. He probably had no idea about my stubborn streak, either! The man offered several times like he just couldn't believe it. I almost gave in just to make him happy!

About a month ago I promised Bryce that I would actually appear in a photo. Fulfilling that promise, here is Irondad in the snow. Yes, there was still snow in July at this higher elevation. After looking at this picture I renewed my gym membership. All I can say is that it's been a long Winter!

Once again it was reinforced to me that being on a bike makes a person more open to new adventures. One of the many reasons, I think, is that we can't take much with us. I've noticed that the more "stuff" people manage to have with them the more anchored they are. You can pack a lot in a car and even more in an RV. Whether sleeping in the RV or in a motel room, there's a lot of belongings surrounding a person. It's kind of hard to describe so bear with me while I try to get a handle on the words.

When a person has a lot of belongings with them the stuff becomes sort of a home base. People often don't want to get too far away from this base. If something were to go wrong, the base is their backup, as it were. There's some sort of security in all that stuff. People don't want to get too far away from it and the stuff isn't very mobile.

Being on a bike, on the other hand, means we can't haul much. If we're going to travel out and about we become "guests of the universe" by default. Someway or somehow we'll figure out a way to deal with it if something goes wonky. If we're going to live by our wits and the grace of God, then it doesn't matter if we're here or way over there. Our protective base is more universal and is thus less geographically restricted.

That's the best description I can provide on short notice. It's late for this early riser and my brain is getting fuzzier than normal. Time to hit the sack and start anew tomorrow. I want to go play with Elvira in the rain and see how she handles things.

Miles and smiles,

Dan