Tacoma by storm as hoards of vintage bikes were greeted in Tacoma by even a greater mass of well wishing people...My field of view narrowed by the closing human gauntlet as i crossed the finish line traveling the two final miles from our hosted lunch stop at the local Harley dealership...Bittersweet sensations as my exhaustion catching up with me...I still claim the bikes are beautiful yet the people make it what it is...I will share a story of what happen with me yesterday...Our last of many many gas stops and these gas stops are not just stopping and filling they are a huge part of what makes this Cannonball so special...They are a impromptu social gathering among us Cannonballers and the happenstance of those who maybe either passing by and turned around to question us about whats going on...Or people who are just at the wrong place at the wrong time when we come rolling in off the rural roads of this great country...The questions and awe varies no different than the people we meet...Some even know we are coming through and plan their day around being in the wrong place at the right time...At the end of yesterdays post i was compelled to share my story of the magpie as it was stuck in my head...Our ride yesterday was filled with beauty and glory as we climbed through the Chinook pass cold yes yet warmed by the experience...My mind cluttered with completion of such an audacious task of this Cannonball/crazy ball ...As i looked squarely at the face of Mt Rainer covered in a white beard of snow i stroked my own goatee and thought of the number of grey haired men reaching to capture the same sensations and experience...I could not even bring myself to unbolt my camera from its handle bar position...I knew any photo i took would fall shot of what i was really seeing before me...A moment to last a life time to conger up while setting alone or tall tailing my ride...The riders that stopped on the down hill side of the pass as we did talked with again hikers and dog walkers and each other ..Hugs around each of us feeling the end so near...Sharing laughs and smiles of what brought us to this high place...so back to the last gas stop before i forget where i was going with this story...The Magpie..I was started and ready sitting on my Indian when i noticed a tall man more a mountain of a mountain man all dressed in leather a long riders coat...He was hard to miss and he was heading my way with a determined stride...As he towered over me he pointed his finger at me and said are you Ron?...i said yes he said i have been reading your blog and following you across the country great stuff...Just then he turned his back on me and dropped his long leather coat from his shoulders down over his back...At first i had no clue as to what he was doing then he said Magpie...On his leather vest there flew with wings spread a club patch representing in some manner the Magpies...I was shocked and could not even focus on what it said or represented he pulled his coat back over his mammoth shoulders this mountain of a mountain man at the base of this snow bearded mountain...We clasped hands as i felt the energy of connection fire through me as i have so many times with meeting people on this road we share...I finished my ride with out missing a single mile plus adding a few over a wrong turn here and there yet never cutting a corner yes ran many many stop signs...Safe and secure with a minimal amount of nightly maintenance you can do all the correct preparation yet still not be as fortunate as i found myself...If you think you can cut corners and complete anything worth while be it a cannonball or life it self you are bound to come up short...thanks for everyone of you followers and well wishes you helped expand this journey immensely
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 13:49:16 +0000
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