Slipping Away

Slipping...slipping...slipping
The night grows deeper, as the veil of the dark heavy clouds blanket the stars and the full moon. Obscuring it from the view of those lost and slipping away. In burst the nights winds ebb back and forth in a rhythm of there own. Rushing rough past your ears the sound tugs at the soul. Eyes once bright and gleaming in the radiant moon now clouded by the strain of the engulfing rush of the wind. Slowly, uncontrolled the eyes close to keep the one sliver of light beaming through the darkness out. The wind begins to calm ever lighter, pushing less on the world. Again the world comes into view, unsure of the focus...one last vision of life...the wind stops...the flicker of life that yet burned in the eyes is extinguished as the lids close a final time. A short powerful wind rushes past as an electric pulse courses through the air clouds part for a brief moment, allowing the radiant, glowing light of the pale moon the descend upon the world and then fade out of existence. Again the world is calm, its smaller now, yet clearer to those who experienced the bright star fade from their sight...slipping...slipping away into the night.

~Topher

Crazy day...just 4.5 days of work left til vacation...wooohooo...and another Adventure.

The Dragon Inside

I slowly accelerate out onto the road. I can smell the trees and the undertone of the ever decaying leaves from the shaded forest that lines the road. Climbing the two lane road through the enveloping canopy, I begin twisting the throttle, coaxing her to increase the speed as we approach the first curve of this devilish road. It's a hard left, so I roll my weight slightly to the right maneuvering her to the road’s shoulder to provide the longest view around the turn and the deepest dive into the apex. I feel the surface of the road change beneath me, from course level asphalt to a smooth, rounded paint along the right edge of my tires I can now see around the curve and through my heavily tinted lenses, the line we must take appears as rivulets of brilliant golden light, the undulating curves of the road. My mind begins to fade, my heart takes control of her. My weight shifts as my left palm begins applying pressure and moving forward; she begins to lean into the curve, we begin to fall into the curve. Inside my helmet, behind my blue lenses, I see not the road but eyes, a reflection of mine? No, these eyes are clear, not aligned with mine, and they are drawing me into pools of sapphire. I feel the force of gravity pulling us down. As we approach the apex, the pools expand and I no longer see the road. Laid out before us are those long rivulets of gold, strands of energy, that prove to be the line. My mind has relaxed, disconnected itself from the physical plane and my responsibility to the road. I feel the outer edge of the tire touch the asphalt and twist the throttle, launching us back to an upright posture just as the gold line falls to the right and my weight shifts to the right to bank into the next of several shallow rights and lefts; we ever so slowly dive into the curve then accelerate again out of each apex. The eyes appear again behind the shield encouraging an ever-deepening sense of calm. I feel the wind hitting my chest with force and then the sensation of being caressed as the wind wraps around me and pushes against my back, gently but commandingly enveloping me, holding me tight. It then travels through my jacket and up my collar, running its tendrils across my scalp. We lurch forward as the acceleration drops for the next turn. I sense the wind change as another vehicle passes, just inches on the other side of the yellow line. My weight shifts. I am now pushed into the apex as the right peg caresses the asphalt, creating the fireworks of our journey. The curve continues to tighten, my mind begins to panic, the eyes reappear clearer now, and deep in my soul a voice whispers, “Relax, you are committed. Dive deeper.” My skin begins to tingle, my muscles constrict around my eyes, and the rivulets appear. “Relax.” I do. The voice sweet, melodic and comforting, "Give yourself to the light. Give yourself to the journey. . .and you will be who you want to be."

~Topher Wood

Finally...I'm home! What a trial! Tomorrows plan@begin organizing the blog.

I know I found the answer today...now...to ask the right question!

Today has been a series of collamitie...re-routed trip to get pics of the bike with DC landmarks in the background...turns out you can't park that close anymore...got caught in traffic jam in Mannassas, DC, twice in NJ Toll booths, at the GW Bridge, Brooklyn and now south of Hartvord CT. Bike is threatening to overheat...so I am sitting on side on I-91...BTW it's 12:37 am Monday!

The rain started ~4am...it let up long enough to get coffee...now its a monsoon...

The rain has cleared for a bit...checking out vendors...having a great time...really cool bikes

We are officially at the rally...tent is set up and we are going in search of the Beer Garden!

We have Slayed the Dragon! In 321 and crusin!

Picked Up Bruce...got ~150 miles tonight...We're stopped in Cleveland, GA...

In Macon, GA its 100@

The videos and books do a great job of telling you what to do to keep from falling...but they never give tips on what to do if gravity prevails.

Dropped the bike for the first time...I had forgotten about the fesh fesh like sand in GA...and there is alot of it on the last road and driveway of my sister Carly. Instead standing through the turn into her driveway...I sat downand alowed down to turn...this put too much weight on the front tirw so when I turned it dug in...I faught to keep it off from falling to the left by putting my foot down...and I flipped on the other side. My hip hurts a bit today...will keep an eye on it.

Crashing for the night...Manassas, VA is the fnal stop for the day...Waffle House next door for breakfast! WooHooo!

Day One - The Adventure Begins

Date: 07/10/2009
My General Condition: Excited
General Observations: I have everything together but forgot about traffic through NYC. So gonna try to leave earlier than originally planned.
Starting Point: Amherst, MA
Ending Point: Virginia Somewhere
Miles Ridden: 30 so far
General Weather: Nice sunny day
Ride Conditions: clear skies and dry roads
Interesting Events:Hitting the road soon!

One day before the ride

Date: 07/09/2009
My General Condition: Excited about the Start of the ride.
General Observations: Most of the subsequent messages won't follow this format as i will be updating the blog via SMS messaging. All of my gear has been packed and ready to go for two days. I am just sitting on my hands awaiting the start of the trip.
Starting Point: Work
Ending Point: Work
Miles Ridden: 0
General Weather: Overcast
Ride Conditions: OK
Interesting Events: Just getting ready. Had a panic attack today when it really sunk in that I didn't have a GPS I could use and the maps for Florida are crap. Think I am over it...I have a compass...I can buy maps in FL...it'll be OK!

This is my first mobile blog!