I wrote Most of this up the day it happened. I’ve been busy since then and got Kinja’ed where it deleted most of the story when I added a photo. I am now saving it to drafts so I can finish it later.
My wife and kids were out on a Sunday so I took the chance to go for a ride. I wanted to replace the trail camera SD Card at my uncles place, and my dad needed the belt put back on his riding mower.
I headed to Fletcher, MO.
Put up the trail camera I took down a couple weeks ago. Apparently it has 9,999 images and 7 second videos in .avi format that my chromebook won’t play. I swapped cards as I haven’t skimmed over all the pictures yet.
So my dad has a lawn mower and he takes it in the areas my brother-in-law doesn’t mow with his zero turn, but he gets it off camber and the belt slips off. Then he waits, sometimes weeks for me to put it back on.
As I’m heading to his place from my uncles, the 30 minute ride is more like 20 through some twisties.
Pull to my dads driveway and slow down to turn in, turn Left, and boop, my handle bars max out left, and I pull them back, max out right as I kick my right leg out as start to go down. TUCK AND ROLL!!
FUCK!!! When did they lay dawn frost gravel??? And he knew I was headed here and didn’t mention it Damnit I was so pissed at the moment and remover my helmet.
Reach over and flip the kill switch and notice gas is leaking from the top of the tank! I probably just removed my helmet after this to help assess the situation.
I recall a petite gal ina YouTube video lifting a fully dressed Harley and assumed a similar position. AND my feet are slipping on the loose gravel as I’m straining to keep footing, lift the bike enough not to push it back over to the other side.
Ok, it’s up and I’m on the right side of the bike, the kickstand is on the other side. DAMNIT again!! Try and keep balance as I shuffle around the back of the bike (luckily I didn’t have the passenger seat and the extended truck). Get around an kick the stand down, start leaning the bike towards me and it keeps going and going... again I was lucky it settled down enough and was upright and stable.
I probably paced around for a minute to let where events of the last 2 minutes soak in. Text my dad asking when was the gravel put down.
Clear my head, get my helmet back on, jacket, saddle up, head down the rest of the gravel road that isn’t fresh and more compact. Park on the edge of the driveway, as seen above. Walk down to the shop and start on the mower. I’m here I might as well get it done and not rage quit.
Text from dad: “Thursday, why?”
Then I had to explain what happened, I’m fine, the bike is fine, everything is friggin fine. Yes I put the belt back on, I’m leaving.
Suit up and head to my sisters and hope they are home so I can enjoy a beer and reflect on what just happened. They aren’t home so I head to a near by State Park.
state park and Geocache
Drove along a bit of Route 66 on the way home,
Took a longer way home, because the family was still busy.. stopped at a wildlife reserve:
Headed home, bought some steaks, Ate and worked on my LEGO Porsche a bit with my wife.
Overall not too bad. I would think about when I’d go down and how bad it’d be. I still think about it every time I get on, but it won’t be my first, and I’m not going to live in fear, I’m going to enjoy what there is.
I wrote the rest of this at the DMV and I am almost to the entrance!! Yay! New plates for the motorcycle.