I think it's the wind that whistles insistently in your ears, and its the sound of your feet crunching on gravel or dried mud, cracking twigs accompanied only by the big silence all around. You could easily be in Big Sky Country.
But wait! That isn't Montana, it's Eastern Washington, south of Spokane, an area I'd never heard of before I came across the "Two Wheels and and Engine" blog whence came this picture. It's called the Palouse, this piece of Big Sky and the author took a ride in third gear and came home with a story, published on the Third of May (I think; the gray font is a little indistinct). The blog is in my web list: http://thevampireduck.blogspot.com/.
The essay caused me to think about the sense of openness one finds not only in open country wherever it may be but also when one isn't caged by a roof. Many people go camping (which is where I am today actually) to find that Big Sky, some of us ride a motorcycle. Me? I boat and see open horizons, I bicycle and find myself in it five minutes from home.
I manage to make myself small even without the help of the gorilla pod, a bicycle flat on it's back makes a crude place to perch a camera:
I like my big skies over water which is not apparently possible in the Palouse...
...a place that is highly suitable for an enduro style motorcycle like the author's KLR650. I thought about the popular single cylinder KLR until I stood alongside one and started laughing at the prospect of getting into a saddle that came up to my chest. Besides I don't have any proper dirt trails to get lost on.
I noticed also on another blog I read occasionally written by a cyclist in Juneau, how expansive her life became when she took a road trip south. Suddenly I saw how cramped and hemmed in Juneau appeared, even from the tops of the mountains surrounding the city-on-a-fjord, compared to the wilderness of Oregon and even Northern California, which, when I lived there seemed not so vast. 
Sometimes all you have to do is take a look over your roof to see the big sky. -------------------------------
On the subject of blogs I noticed with dismay in "Scootin' Old Skool" by Orin O'Neill that he has been left scooterless. After years of dogged determination he found his old school two stroke Vespa 150 was inadequate for modern road speeds and sold it. At that moment his modern Vespa GTS 250 died repeatedly from some electronic malady and he put it up for sale. He took this picture of two scooters on a trailer to mark his black vehicle's ignominious return to the shop:
My GTS developed similar symptoms; it was a relay next to the headlamp they told me, while unable to explain why it kept blowing. I sold mine. Orin didn't sell his because his dealer offered to get it repaired for free. That must be nice. I got berated by Vespa Fort Lauderdale whose chief mechanic accused me of abusing my scooter to cause it to break down ("This hasn't happened to any other Vespas"). I'm still sore about how they, and Piaggio, treated me and my $7200 scooter. This new episode leaves me feeling bad for Orin O'Neill whose blog is about riding a scooter in Seattle and now has no two wheeler at all in his garage.
My GTS developed similar symptoms; it was a relay next to the headlamp they told me, while unable to explain why it kept blowing. I sold mine. Orin didn't sell his because his dealer offered to get it repaired for free. That must be nice. I got berated by Vespa Fort Lauderdale whose chief mechanic accused me of abusing my scooter to cause it to break down ("This hasn't happened to any other Vespas"). I'm still sore about how they, and Piaggio, treated me and my $7200 scooter. This new episode leaves me feeling bad for Orin O'Neill whose blog is about riding a scooter in Seattle and now has no two wheeler at all in his garage.My wife's carburetted ET4, 150cc runs just fine but I know now I would not buy another GTS. Indeed I wouldn't touch any of Piaggio's motorcycles- Gilera, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, none of whom are backed by a company serious about customer support. I spoke with the former Vespa dealer in my hometown in Italy and he said he dropped the franchise because he couldn't get spares from the factory 200 miles away. I hope Orin gets back on the road soon.
4 comments:
I live in Big Sky country. Bozeman, Montana, to be exact.
It is about 30 +- miles north of Big Sky (the town and resort).
I moved here from Wisconsin 4 years ago. I have to say honestly, the sky does appear bigger here.
I can't explain the phenomenon, although maybe it has something to do with being in a 50 mile wide, 50mile long valley, surrounded by 10-11,000 foot peaks.
You look across the valley and it doesn't seem that far.
Just thought I should chime in, as a reader from Big Sky Country.
Mr Conchscooter:
Your opinion of any machine with limited parts availablity with suspect quality control and limited customer support resources is on a par with mine. This includes other makes and models not specifically limited to Piaggo et al.
I once had two Alfa Romeos; a Veloce 2000 GTV and a Guila Spyder 1600 TC. They were in the shop more than my garage (carport, actually) . I said to myself, never again will I not own a mainstream vehicle
A few years ago when I belonged to photography clubs, members were always entering photos of the Palouse in competitions. It was such a beautiful area so we travelled there on the way back from Hell's Canyon, OR (the deepest canyon gorge in the continental USA, yes, larger than the Grand Canyon) . The Palouse is not confined to just one road, rather it is an area which takes time to explore. Your Triumph would feel right at home here, gentle rolling hills, greenery, long sweeping curves which can be seen miles ahead, and little traffic, unlike your Ocean Highway.
ship your bike up here and we'll go for a ride
bob
bobskoot: wet coast scootin
Joe: (via Conchscooter's blog)
We had the pleasure of spending a weekend in Bozeman a few years ago. I remember a lot of trendy restaurants in the old section. I think we took 89 south to Yellowstone and came out at West Yellowstone and looped north on 191. On the 89 stretch there was a restaurant (about half way) on the right where we had a good meal. a lot of good memories from that trip. We must have gone right past Big Sky, must have missed it (there's always next time)bob
bobskoot: wet coast scootin
Dear Conch:
Following I-80 through Iowa yesterday, I was compelled to take a side road through the town of Walnut, where Aunt "B's" eatery has been skating on its reputation for fine coffee.
Three or four miles south of Walnut, the side roads turn to gravel, which makes a very Norman Rockwellian cloud of dust behind cars speeding along at 40mph. It was here I turned into a lane that led to a pasture, surrounded by clumps of trees.
In this flat country punctuated by few rolling hills, the gray sky ran uninterrupted from horizon to horizon, and the wind, blowing at an agreeable 40 miles an hour, had a rare voice, though common in those parts, free from the intrusion of traffic. It was in that moment, I heard from my soul.
Very interesting piece you released today... The commentary on the big sky has left me bereft of a smartass remark (which do grow tiresome), and your statement about the sky being different over water is so true... Though I suspect it has someting to do with the viewer always being in some degree of motion... And the ending, a strong moto finish, was very pleasing.
See what you can do when you apply yourself?
(Drop me a line sometime at JPRiepe@aol.com for less public exchanges. I was afraid I had insulted you a while back, but fortunately, the feeling passed.)
Fondest regards,
Riepe
Twisted Roads
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