When
I turned 50 I decided I deserved a midlife crisis, so I bought my own Harley
Heritage Springer and learned some beautiful backroads.
This Harley impulse was fueled by my first ride that had launched my love
affair with motorcycles. Sixteen years old, I was invited to Florence, Oregon,
to celebrate my friend’s birthday with her family. We went to a high school
dance and had a great time; then her cousin and his friend invited us to ride
on their dirt bikes. At 11 p.m. we were flying through Oregon woods and back roads, having a heart
pounding, terrific time.
By 2:00, the boys decided we needed
to go see the quicksand pits. Having
spent my youth watching Saturday afternoon Tarzan movies, I was already
convinced that quicksand was a significant threat in adult life,
but I
swallowed my terror and rode along. Once there, the boys started running across a large
pool of quicksand, causing the earth to roll in giant concentric waves from the
impact of their footsteps. They could only stop in several spots where grass
tuffets grew and the ground was firmer, so it became a game of base running on
a dare. First and last time I have ever experienced quicksand. Got back to the
motel after 4 a.m. and sunrise. 50 years later, I still remember the scolding…and
we didn’t even tell her parents about the quicksand.***One
day I was climbing a long road through a state forest. The sky was wide open
and blue, not even a hint of clouds; the road was lined with trees that were
cut back from the road, so visibility was clear and there was no sign of people
or life of any kind. With no warning, out of the proverbial empty blue sky, SPLAT. Somebody
dumped a gallon of water on me. Not raindrops, a big slap of water that hit once
and disappeared; no water before or after me on the road, just an abrupt glop
of water in the face.
It
happened so fast, I didn't have time to react; I didn't even swerve or brake.
But what the hell? I rode on, slightly in shock, wiping my face. What hit me?
From where? Less than a quarter mile
down the road, I had the answer.
From 200 feet up came a helicopter over the
trees hauling a big canvas bucket full of water that had evidently slopped over.
The firefighting helicopter was scooping up lake water and dumping it on a
forest fire...after baptizing me first.***It
was sunset and the sun had slid behind the mountains, leaving the western sky glowing.
The air was soft and lovely, the perfect temperature for riding. Luckily for
me, I had just crested a hill and was on a long straightaway doing 40. The
darkness was settling in, when suddenly a vast cloud of white moths engulfed
me, their albino white wings reflecting my headlights and blocking my view of everything
else. I throttled back, but for almost a block (it felt like a mile) the white fluttering wings engulfed me
utterly, reflecting the headlights and blinding me completely.
The hatch stretched on and on until I was
terrified that I was running out of straight road; but I knew I couldn’t stop,
someone might rear end me in the endless cloud. Oh God, when was it going to
stop, I couldn’t see! Then came an experience that is seared into my memory. It
happened in a split second, but I can see his face to this day. Cutting right
through the moths and screaming up to within an inch of my helmet came…
a bat.
His sonar kept him from smashing into my face.
Luckily he was there and
gone so fast, I could not react--which would surely have left me spread across
the asphalt.
I doubt he remembers me, but I can see his black, shiny eyes even
now. No doubt he thought I was pilfering his snacks.
