Spontaneity

© Ken Bingenheimer / RumBum.com

Although I’ve always loved just riding motorcycles, it was motorcycle touring that really set the hook for good. Travel can be a wonderful thing in nearly any type of vehicle but travel on a motorcycle is the best you can get. You take the back roads, you stop and literally smell the flowers and everything else, and you see all of the country you’re passing through, not just some rectangular portion of it. I’ve already written about a lot of that so I’m not going to rehash it here.

In addition to the sensual aspects of traveling on a motorcycle, in the beginning of the OFMC when it was only John, Bill, and me, there was the intoxicating joy of being free to do whatever you wanted. We used to decide what day to leave, at what time, and we would pick a destination for that night. That was the extent of our planning. We would arrive at wherever we were headed and then pull out the map and start kicking around ideas for where to go tomorrow.

But even those spur of the moment plans were subject to change. Once we spent the night in Jackpot, NV, and intended to ride the next day to Idaho Falls, ID, but we went 45 miles to Twin Falls, ID, and were stopped short by what we saw. There was the Snake River with its absolutely spectacular canyon, and down in the bottom of the canyon was a golf course. Oh my goodness!

Forget Idaho Falls, we rode down and made a tee time and then quickly found a motel. Then we rented some clubs and played golf in one of the most amazing settings imaginable.

We had a similar experience a few years later coming over Cuchara Pass in Colorado, southwest of Pueblo. The pass was gorgeous and we passed by the very picturesque town of Cuchara with some regrets, but then we came to the golf course. That did it. Yes we could get on the course, and sure, they’d be happy to call the motel in Cuchara to reserve a room for us. Once again it was time to get off the bikes and spank whitey.

Of course it wasn’t always golf that led to these in-the-moment decisions. We stopped to spend the night in Salt Lake City with a friend and found the setting so idyllic we stayed three nights. We left Deadwood, SD, headed for Red Lodge, MT, only to find Hulett, WY, just 60 miles away, too irresistible to pass up. We spent the night in Cooke City, MT, and rode the Beartooth Highway the next day, rather than pressing on to Red Lodge that day as planned, much to our good fortune.

This all started changing, however, as the OFMC grew. From the original three we have added in brothers, sons, friends of sons, and a brother-in-law. This year when the full OFMC heads out there will be 10 of us and with a group that size you have to plan. Whereas three guys can roll into town and usually find at least one room, counting on five rooms would be foolish. So we plan. We make reservations. And it doesn’t matter anymore how desirable a change of plans might be, it isn’t going to happen.

But with that many guys, another alternative has opened up. Sure, we’ll still take the one big trip every year, with everyone along. But why not take more than one trip, those of us who can, and with fewer people perhaps we can regain some of the spontaneity.

So it’s going to happen. This coming week as a matter of fact. John and I are taking a trip, just the two of us, leaving Wednesday. We have a general idea of where we want to head, down into New Mexico before it gets blazing hot. But at this moment we don’t even know where we’re going to spend the first night. And we’re thinking it may be four days, but it might be five. I’ll send you a postcard.