Wednesday, March 30, 2005
The Lucky Streak Comes to an End
So I've been riding for over twenty years now, and in that time I've been VERY fortunate to only have one friend killed in a motorcycle accident. It was a long time ago, and he was more of an acquaintance than a close friend, but it still hit home. He was away at college, riding to work, when a car pulled out in front of him. He hit the car broadside, and died of a broken neck.
I've slowed down over the years and don't ride as aggressively as I used to. I'm fairly active on a few marque specific motorcycle boards, and I remember thinking how fortunate us R1100S riders were, since very few of us crashed. Visit some of the other motorcycle boards, and it seems like they lose a rider every month.
Our streak has sadly come to an end. Last fall, one of the senior members of the board was nearly killed when he collided with a minivan. It's now six months later, and he's still in a rehab hospital. There is a chance (albeit a slim one) that he will someday walk again, but his riding days are over.
Two weeks ago another senior board member was in a crash, and it cost him his life. A simple error in judgement, a few feet too deep into the corner; this time there were no second chances. He was 31 years old.
I didn't know him well, had never ridden with him and had never spoken to him in real life. Still, we shared a common interest and he ALWAYS made me laugh. He just knew how to push peoples buttons - even if he pissed you off, you'd still walk away laughing.
With all the news exposure to the Terry Schiavo case, I'll be drafting a living will in the near future. For me, there is one indisputable rule: if I'm on life support, and there is no chance that I'll ever be able to ride again - pull the plug.
Anyway, Shannon - ride on, amigo. Wherever you are, you're making people laugh.
I've slowed down over the years and don't ride as aggressively as I used to. I'm fairly active on a few marque specific motorcycle boards, and I remember thinking how fortunate us R1100S riders were, since very few of us crashed. Visit some of the other motorcycle boards, and it seems like they lose a rider every month.
Our streak has sadly come to an end. Last fall, one of the senior members of the board was nearly killed when he collided with a minivan. It's now six months later, and he's still in a rehab hospital. There is a chance (albeit a slim one) that he will someday walk again, but his riding days are over.
Two weeks ago another senior board member was in a crash, and it cost him his life. A simple error in judgement, a few feet too deep into the corner; this time there were no second chances. He was 31 years old.
I didn't know him well, had never ridden with him and had never spoken to him in real life. Still, we shared a common interest and he ALWAYS made me laugh. He just knew how to push peoples buttons - even if he pissed you off, you'd still walk away laughing.
With all the news exposure to the Terry Schiavo case, I'll be drafting a living will in the near future. For me, there is one indisputable rule: if I'm on life support, and there is no chance that I'll ever be able to ride again - pull the plug.
Anyway, Shannon - ride on, amigo. Wherever you are, you're making people laugh.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
National Parks that can kill you...
I just got back from a few days in Florida, and had the chance to visit Ft. Jefferson (America's most inaccessible National Park). Located on a tiny island some 70 miles west of Key West, Ft. Jefferson is surrounded by....
Nothing.
Water. Lots of water, most of it shallow.
The National Park was established in an effort to protect the fort, which was built around the time of the Civil War, but abandoned by 1874. Here's a view from the air:
Anyway, what's particularly cool about this National Park is that it's quite easy to get maimed, crippled or killed there. Lots of loose masonry, lots of long drops into shallow water (probably bouncing off of rocks on the way down), lots of open balconies with no guard rails. Get hurt, and you are at LEAST an hour or two away from medical care. Think about this for a second: in today's pasteurized, sealed-for-your-protection, sue at the drop of a hat world, how many places can you visit that have ANY element of risk? Not many...
So here's the moral, boys and girls: life is short, so take big bites. Do something that's a little dangerous, a little out there. Without adventure, life isn't worth living anyway.
Nothing.
Water. Lots of water, most of it shallow.
The National Park was established in an effort to protect the fort, which was built around the time of the Civil War, but abandoned by 1874. Here's a view from the air:
Anyway, what's particularly cool about this National Park is that it's quite easy to get maimed, crippled or killed there. Lots of loose masonry, lots of long drops into shallow water (probably bouncing off of rocks on the way down), lots of open balconies with no guard rails. Get hurt, and you are at LEAST an hour or two away from medical care. Think about this for a second: in today's pasteurized, sealed-for-your-protection, sue at the drop of a hat world, how many places can you visit that have ANY element of risk? Not many...
So here's the moral, boys and girls: life is short, so take big bites. Do something that's a little dangerous, a little out there. Without adventure, life isn't worth living anyway.
Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?
I've been gone for a while - haven't blogged in over two months. I'd like to tell you that I was kidnapped by aliens and taken to an alternate world where I was mated with a porn star in a misguided attempt to populate their world (ala Billy Pilgrim). I'd like to tell you that I've spent the last sixty days in rehab, since that's such the chic and trendy thing to do (dry out and cash in selling your story to the National Enquirer, next to the "Couple says they'll keep their three headed baby" headline).
Perhaps I was wrongly imprisoned in a Mexican jail (really officer, I didn't know that was illegal). Perhaps my occasional anger management issues got the better of me (sure, your honor, I kicked the crap out of him, but he had it coming - really).
Or perhaps I've temporarily run out of things to talk about.
Sadly, that is indeed the case. Kinda hard to come up with fresh fodder in the off season, when week days last fourteen hours between commuting and work. How many times can I bitch about how bad drivers are getting, or about how much a 110 mile per day commute sucks? We all have our crosses to bear.
Anyway, it's a dry spell. So what's new with you?
Perhaps I was wrongly imprisoned in a Mexican jail (really officer, I didn't know that was illegal). Perhaps my occasional anger management issues got the better of me (sure, your honor, I kicked the crap out of him, but he had it coming - really).
Or perhaps I've temporarily run out of things to talk about.
Sadly, that is indeed the case. Kinda hard to come up with fresh fodder in the off season, when week days last fourteen hours between commuting and work. How many times can I bitch about how bad drivers are getting, or about how much a 110 mile per day commute sucks? We all have our crosses to bear.
Anyway, it's a dry spell. So what's new with you?
