just watched the trailer for the bridgeit looks like it was assembled beautifully
it looks like a moving piece
early I mentioned paul hawkins
a number of years ago
roughly a year after I graduated from college I decided to ride my motorcycle across country
there had not been nights of sweating over a map with a compass and a protractor
I did not pull out a calculator and factor the distance, travel time, my per diem
no... I just packed some pannier bags and threw my leg over my motorcycle and rode
well... it was not that simple
but... in hindsight it was that simple
life in itself was that simple
it was a rainy sunday morning when I left my group house at 1211 Girard
yes... it was raining and I could have waited another day
but I decided to go anyway
I pointed west out of Washington
headed for San Francisco by way of Washington State and many states in between
those days on the motorcycle could create a book of short stories
but it is my arrival to san francisco that I am recalling right now
I can not recall
but I think that I drove straight from Seattle to San Francisco
with some meandering and lots of secondary roads along the way
there was a glance at the coast and all of its greatness
but maybe just enough time to smell the salty air
then back on the bike
as I am from the east coast... some much of travel is ruined by the effort to make good time
this was an age before cell phones
and I was a person without much planning
so I arrived in the bay area without offering much warning
in my mind I knew I had a few couches to choose from
I had the number of a friend from high school handy
when I came through the tunnel just after Sausalito I saw the Golden Gate Bridge
it was unlike anything I had ever seen before
the greatness of a man made structure surrounded by the element of fog created an emotion
I turned my motorcycle back towards Sausalito so I could call my friend in Berkley
there was relief when I learned that my trajectory would take me over the Richmond Bridge rather than the Golden Gate
it was like the high dive
I backed off at first
I approached slow
but when I finally made contact
I was sold
I ran across the bridge, I walked across the bridge, I drove across the bridge on my motorcycle, and I rode my bicycle across that bridge
not sure why
but being on that bridge creates a bit of energy for me
riding across the bridge in the darkness with the fog was something like the movie Lost Boys
this was an age before helmets and lights
I was young and stupid
instead of now when I am old and stupid
it was a short pass through the bay area on my motorcycle
but long enough that I had a bike sent out and I had to take a job when I arrived
the job was for a construction company doing work for Smith and Hawkin
for a short while I lived with a friend who was painting one of Paul Hawkin's houses
let us just leave it at that
it was a great time of my life at the base of Mount Tam
meeting up with strangers at The Depot for a ride
getting lost on those fireroads and finding myself in Corta Maderia or doing loops spinning the road up and taking the trails down
Tenderfoot was always my favorite
but I think that level of single track was made illegal shortly after I left
it was a good few months
a very intense few months
maybe it was several months
either way... I was slacking... but it was time well spend
((I saw the film Slacker at the Mill Valley Film Festival while I was out there)