In The Beginning

 In the book "The Best of Peter Egan," a book I highly recommend, Jay Leno wrote in the foreword, "motorcycles are emotional machines."  We all tend to have those quintessential moments that are with us forever. Getting married, oh dear, your children being born, OMG and for me, my first adventure out of town on my first motorcycle. I don't think I made it to the end of the block before I knew, I was hooked on motorcycle touring.  For me, it is a quest to see what is at the end of the road I am on.  Even today, one of my favorite type of rides is to just go and when you're not sure where you are, get out your map, find your location and go some more.  In 45 plus years of riding, I have never gotten tired of a motorcycle ride. Are some better than others?  Depends on your attitude.  At the age of 67 there is a bucket list, and it started in 1975. 

                                              Me (I had just learned how to use a razor.)                 Biker Chick (Wife hated that.)    

I was 18 in 1974. My journey began on this Honda CB 360. When I first rode it, I thought it was coolest thing ever.  It was a typical Japanese bike, a very capable machine running about town and on short trips.  In my early experience, read being young and stupide and it's all new, you really don't notice how barely adequate the machine is for what you want it to do. 

These photos are from my very first ride past the stop sign on the street my wife and I lived.  It is 1975, the Vietnam war is over, Nixion has resigned, and Baby Boomers are about to take over the world.  We are in Mena Arkansas having just ridden the Talimena drive starting on the Oklahoma side.  Of interest, everyone who has ever toured with me, eventually I drag them to Talihina Oklahoma, and we ride the Talimena Scenic drive.  It's like a rite of passage.