A Dream Dashed by a Crash

For a number of years now, I have toyed with the idea of getting a motorcycle. The thrill of riding down the road with the wind blowing in my hair (oops- too late- no hair!)… Well the thrill of the open road has been really compelling. My neighbor owns a motorcycle shop and I have been known to hang out there to drool and dream. My brother Randy has a new one. Two of my neighbors own them. They all take these great trips on the open road… real freedom. I often moan with envy as they roar down the street.

During this past year I thought that I had moved one step closer to fulfilling this little dream. Kris and I rented mopeds in Estes Park and loved it. Again on Washington Island in Wisconsin we rented mopeds and toured the island at ease, stopping at various beaches, forests, etc. Wow. Even a moped is cool. We didn’t think we looked too goofy with our helmets, etc. I loved it. Hey, Kris loved it.

I thought that I had a chance. In addition to the motorcyclists in our neighborhood of 13 houses, I have 3 other neighbors when own mopeds. They get over 100 miles per gallon. Kris even went to a moped dealer and priced them out with me.

Again, wow- we can get into 2 mopeds for under $2100. What a deal. Just think of the money we could save in gas (one of my favorite things is saving money). I thought I could justify the moped in gas savings… wrong. It would take over 5 years to pay for them in savings, and that was when gas was over $4 per gallon. Do the math. After all, we live in Missouri where it rains and snows.

But still, the lure is compelling. Or at least it was compelling…

On our way back from Texas from our cruise, we were driving thru Dallas. On I-35E as we rounded a curve on a 4 lane interstate, a motorcyclist no more than 40 yards in front of us wiped out. His cycle went careening down the inner lane, and he lay on the pavement, sprawled out, right in my lane.

Kris is screaming at me not to hit him… but there are cars on either side of us, and I am going 70mph. I lay on the horn and slam on the brakes, and veer off just to the left of him…squeezing between him and the car beside me, who moved over too just in time. I seriously almost ran right over him! As we passed him, Kris said that he was obviously bloodied all over his face, and I as looked in the rear view mirror, he was staggering around in various lanes, with cars swerving all over the place.

Kris called 911. She told the operator where we were and what the cross streets/exits were around us. The operator kept asking “are you in the Farmer’s District”. What the heck is a Farmer’s District? I repeated the cross streets to Kris. Same question in reply. The operator finally asked to talk to the driver. I again told her where we were, and the situation… she again asks me if we are in the Farmers District. I said I don’t know what a Farmers District is, and she said that she would transfer me to a 911 operator in the Farmers District. After 2 minutes on hold, I hung up. I have to simply assume that somebody else got help to the poor guy.

Now, as I writing this, the local news is reporting that a motorcyclist wiped out and later died on Highway 36 and I-229 here in St. Joseph.

Finally, I spent some time watching some moped riders the other day… you know, they really are goofy looking motorcycle wannabes.

Now here are the lessons-

1. If you are in Dallas, look for the Farmer’s District (actually it is an area in the Dallas metropolitan area, but why have your own 911 operator in the first place- and by the way, we were nowhere near the Farmer’s District, as our cross streets would have indicated)

2. If you ride a motorcycle you could die (but we all gotta go sometime)

3. Don’t try to justify buying a moped or motorcycle as a way to save money…can’t be done!

4. You won’t be seeing me on a two wheeled vehicle other than my bicycle. Kris won’t let me get a moped, let alone a motorcycle.

5. I am going to keep telling myself that I am way too cool to be seen wearing a goofy helmet and riding a dinky little moped.