Episode 30: Motorcycling in North Park - Think like your dog
My dog, Sally, doesn’t know that it’s Wednesday. She has no plans for tomorrow. She doesn’t even have plans for today. She’s just in the moment.
Right here beside me, right now, life is good. And to her, that’s what matters. Living in the moment. It’s not that she doesn’t care about what’s going on in the world, she’s just unaware, and maybe that’s normal. Maybe you and I should learn something from that when we take our next motorcycle ride. Stay tuned!
OPENING MUSIC
As I mentioned in the previous episode, I recently went for a 5 day ride through southern Wyoming and most of Colorado with my brother-in-law, Jim. That’s where we met a guy named Fred in Durango. If you want to learn about Fred, check out Episode 29. On that road trip also, we stopped at a very remote and beautiful campground called “Kebler Corner” in Somerset, Colorado. What a beautiful setting where we had a very nice conversation with those running the campground.
Another side trip that we took was across an area here in Colorado we call “North Park”. Colorado has North Park, Middle Park, and South Park. As for North Park, the valley gets its name from being the northernmost of the three large mountain valleys (or parks) in Colorado on the western side of the Front Range. They say that these areas, although sitting in the middle of huge mountain ranges, were made flat by glaciers during the ice ages.
North Park in particular is very popular with moose because several slow moving rivers run through the area. Moose like marshy, slow moving water. Here’s a safety tip for motorcycle riders. A moose can stand 6 feet tall at the shoulder and can weigh as much as 1400 pounds. They are fast too. I say all of this as one motorcycle ride to another to keep you eyes open out here. Ha ha.
So, in North Park, between county roads14 and 125, you’ll find two country communities. One called Gould and one called Rand. It’s county road 27, between those tiny towns, that we rode.
County road 27 is a dirt road and relatively smooth. Riding east to west, it cuts through the forest, past small ranches with cows both inside and outside of their fences. Then, it suddenly climbs then just as quickly levels off, to reveal an expanse like I’ve seldom seen anywhere else. Looking to the north and west, you can see for about 40 miles.
It was up on that ridge where Jim and I stopped to just take it in. It was not only the view, but the silence. Not a car in sight for miles. Now, you can drive to that destination in a car or Jeep, but there is something really special about arriving there by motorcycle. Maybe we are more a part of nature when we are exposed that way.
An uncluttered view and silence. That’s what you experience on that unnamed ridge between Gould and Rand on county road 27. This is serenity. This is peace. And along with having some degree of confidence that your motorcycle will start and you’ve got enough gas to get you to a town, that’s comfort and maybe even joy.
I say all of this because maybe things today are not the way they are supposed to be. May we’re not suppose to live the busy and stressful lives that many of us live. We all know the quote “there is nothing new under the sun”, and I may be misinterpreting that here, but I would argue that there is something new. The Information Age. With TV’s in every room and computers in our pockets, connected to the world 24 hours a day, we can know what’s happening in the world at any given time, and usually it’s the bad news that we’re exposed to because bad news gets our attention and then we watch more advertisements and spend more money. We’ve become addicted to staying informed. To staying connected. I think that is something new under the son, and I’m not sure that it’s good for us.
So, maybe I can’t live in the moment all the time like my dog Sally, isolated from the overwhelming connectivity that bombards us in this Information Age. But I can start my motorcycle and go back out to North Park, or somewhere like that. This time, I’ll strap on my bike the little portable chair that my wife gave me for my birthday. Then sit on that ridge and once again, take it all in. That’s serenity. That’s peace.
Thank you for listening today! I wish you peace. I wish you love.
Music by Alexi Action from Pixabay
Music by PineAppleMusic from Pixabay
Music by Yoav Alyagon from Pixabay
Music by Olexy from Pixabay
