i stay hard on the gas, climbing, climbing, roll off the throttle as i crest the hill, off-camber downhill left, downshift twice, two fingers squeeze the front brake, pressure on the right footpeg, left hand pushing left handlebar. my xx blackbird rails easily around this technical corner and before i can get back into the throttle, a right hander, not as tight but bumpier. man, do i love to ride the talimena drive. the talimena drive is located in eastern oklahoma and western arkansas and is as close to deals gap “tail of the dragon” as we can get. not as intense as the gaps 318 curves in 11 miles but the talimena drive is just as beautiful. it’s about 54 miles long, stretching from just outside of talihena, oklahoma to mena, arkansas.
i really enjoy riding alone most of the time and one glorious morning, i was doing just that. i was in the zone, riding quickly and without error, enjoying the beautiful hardwood trees that line the drive, breathing the clean mountain air, feeling the road beneath my tires. i have ridden the drive many times and know to be on the lookout for any of Gods critters that may wander into my path as well as looking out for traffic that may not adhere to the “stay on your side of the paint ” rule. running about 80, i crest a hill and what i see next does take me by surprise. i just can’t believe it. on the downhill side of this asphalt rollercoaster, in my lane, parked in the middle of the road is a teal colored honda accord with an asian woman standing up in the car, her torso partway through the open moonroof, taking pictures. calmly. aim, shoot. aim, shoot. she with no concern that a xx blackbird may bisect her accord. she is completely oblivious to any dangers. tourists! i on the other hand was trying to figure out what to do. i had a nano-second to make a decision. if i hit the brakes, i could scrub off about 1 mph before impact. i scratch that off the list, though hitting them would give me a little pleasure for what few seconds that remained of my life. actually, the only viable escape route was a quick flick to the left, and it had to be done now, without consideration for any oncoming traffic. i brushed the left rear corner of the accord with the right leg of my aerostich. as quickly as this situation had revealed itself, it was over. there were no oncoming vehicles. i didn’t even look back. my heart rate was slightly quicker than before the tourist sighting, but not heart attack level. i rode along for the next two or three miles, thinking. thinking about what may have happened if i had been riding along, out of the zone. i believe i might have been riding slower, but not paying as much attention, and may well have punched through the back end of the accord. my advice is go for a ride, get in the zone, and watch out for those tourists. boyd young
10
Oct
09
Boyd's Kewl Motorcycles 
I really enjoyed your story and am glad for your lightning reflexes. I think you could make a career out of writing and story telling. You should send some of your stories to various magazines for publishing. I don’t know exactly how writers get started, but the freedom of working from anywhere and the opportunity to go and experience events that you are passionate about is a kewl possibility! Not to mention the service you would be providing those that couldn’t be there but through your words enjoy the experience with you. The blog is a good start.
What a great story with a great ending. I never realized you truly “brushed death” (with your leg- or as second graders spell it, lage). I like your BLOG and am looking forward to reading more kewl stories.
Love to you!
Susan
That story needed a wider audience, and now it lives in Blog Perpetuity! Keep those creative juices flowing. Reduce the backlog of experiences that you have accumulated over the years, and keep on sharing those kewl stories with the world!
Long time faithful admirer and friend,
Carol
wow, this is a crazy story uncle boyd.
its kewl to see how people’s personality comes through their writing. now you’re apart of the symphony of blogs! your voice is unique, i think the music of blogs is richer with yours joining in. 🙂
I liked your story. I have enjoyed the Talamena Drive many times. In the early 60’s, Mom, Dad, Ray, Uncle Richard and I were on the drive and it was a gravel road. If you have never been to Honobia, try going that way. Once you get to the 4-way stop, turn right and it is real close to “The Tail of the Dragon.” Jennifer and I are about to make that drive next week!
It looks like your audience is widening. I am about three weeks behind on the christening of your blog. Your dad would get a kick out of it but I imagine you have shared this story with him already. Love, Aunt Margaret
i really appreciate everyones comments. Aunt Margaret, you’re not really 3 weeks behind. carol had helped me put the basic format of the blog together, but it took me a few weeks of playing with it before i felt ready to post a story. even after i had the story ready to post, i became too busy to blog. i may not be able to blog every day but do hope to have new content every 2 to 3 days. boyd
The courts have defined a “safe speed” for ships, where there are no speed limits, such that if one were to have an accident, it wasn’t a “safe speed”. You story sounds like you were just on the edge of safe / unsafe speed. Carol had to show me how to get to it, but once she showed me your blog, I enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to the next one.
You are truly a writer, Boyd. You have us right there with you — we can see it happening. Thanks for taking us along on your adventure.
R-SOME! I N-joy your stow rees. I was going through my key cache and may have some keys to your Beemer. Not sure but they don’t fit the /6. They could be from the K bike. I will bring them next time. Lub yA, Bro.