Sunday, June 30, 2019

THE TALL CROSSES

Yesterday we headed home from Maine. There were tall crosses just beyond the Bowman Inn on Route Two. The Vets were out in force as were the vets on bikes. It was raining as we passed.


I have noticed a sad tendency of the bikers to hawk the yellow line over the last few years. Bikers lose confrontations with trucks and cars. Being right on the bright yellow line isn’t a challenge, it’s death. I don’t get why they don’t understand that.  It’s about mass, velocity and attention to detail. Fail at any and fail at all. The biker appears to assume that all the burden is on the truck driver.  I would never make that assumption. I assume they all want to kill me.

The guy on the bike has failed the test of life when that happens. It’s like riding through fast food alley and just assuming that they will see you.

4 comments:

capt fast said...

surprisingly true here in CO. Many riders and even bicyclist forget to respect the laws of physics in general. city ordinances usually give rights of way to bicyclists who then forget that the rights of way on state highways are somewhat different.
I had to get off the motorcycle after eye surgery and do not regret it. would rather not ride the bike than risk blindness. sort of a fun killer. an acquaintance died when he challenged a OTR semi down in the Sawatch range doing his canyon carve thing. stupid. the assumption that all drivers are out to get bikers is so true even if they do not say so. and bikers are also to blame by challenging others with stylish riding. I like the odds of injury/death driving my 7K lbs of dodge p/u better than what the bike gave.
no body should show up at the pearly gates because they were stupid.

Brig said...

+1 also true here in PNW. My son, granddaughter & her BF all ride (HDs). They have Caution & Commonsense... not so much the drivers around them.

Anonymous said...

Those people aren't bikers, they're just motorcycle owners.
Bikers have spent a lot of time on our machines in all sorts of weather & roads, & are a bit more cautious.
--Tennessee Budd

Anonymous said...

Everyone who lives in white-tail deer country does this because it gives you an extra 7' between you and the closest tree-line.