Writing Boots

On communication, professional and otherwise.

Riding in a staggered formation

07.27.2009 by David Murray // 37 Comments

IMG_2136 It started raining while we ate lunch in Erie, Pennsylvania
and ripped into our faces and seeped into our boots until we finally slogged into a
motel in Lakeville, New York.

While we sifted through our clothes to determine just how
waterproof our waterproof saddlebags were—about 70 percent, was the answer—we
turned on the Weather Channel to get the next day’s forecast. The guy came on
and prattled ruefully about a massive, stationary low-pressure system that
hovered over the entire northeast of North America and promised rain across the
region for the next week.


IMG_2098


The attachable face shield I'd bought for the trip looked so absurd that I chose to use it only in the most extreme downpours. As I've always said, if you don't look cool on your motorcycle, you've failed to meet your primary objective.

My old college roommate Tom Gillespie gave me a look that said: Tomorrow
morning, it won't be too late to turn around, or change our destination. Tomorrow
evening when we’re in Montreal and at the epicenter of this circling
rainbomber, it will be. Why should we knowingly subject ourselves to certain,
daily misery? This was supposed to be a vacation, wasn’t it?

That’s why I didn’t have to reply: Of course it wasn’t supposed to be a vacation. Vacations are for
married couples and candy asses. Like all of Tom’s and my trips together, starting with a mad car ramble around Ireland when we were kids not long out of college, this was
supposed to be an odyssey. To turn back at the first sign of difficulty would be to turn back at the first sign of an odyssey.

And Tommy and I know travel difficulty when we see it. We
once drove to Las Vegas from Chicago without stopping: 27 hours and a whole
carton of cigarettes. We smashed up his International Harvester Scout while
four-wheeling in a strip mine in West Virginia, and as I went to start the
crippled vehicle to drive to a hospital to get Tom’s face stitched up, the key
broke off in the ignition.

This trip was inspired, at least for me, by a trip west 10
years ago, on which we bought that Scout, in Albuquerque. Actually, we bought
two Scouts, one for each of us. And we took two motorcycles. And returned to Chicago in two days, a
two-man caravan, one Scout leading the way (it had no brakes, so it was the
natural pace car) and a pick-up truck following, with two motorcycles in the
bed and another Scout on a trailer, behind.

There was a logistical improbability to that story that I wanted
to recreate with this motorcycle trip. And the rain, discouraging as it was, contributed to the built-in insanity of flying thousands of miles holding for dear life onto motorized bicycles.

Were we still capable of doing the
impossible?

After dinner at a roadhouse across the street and a fast six
drinks with an entertaining and equally fast-drinking young local couple, we borrowed
hair dryers from the front desk and went to sleep with them blowing into our
boots.

IMG_2102

Soaked to the bone in Lakeville, N.Y.

Forecast, hopeless.

 

Unexpectedly, the next day was perfectly sunny and we were
off at 9:00, roaring over hills and cheerfully buzzing through the green towns
atop the Finger Lakes. The vistas grew vaster as we approached the Adirondacks,
and I thought of the crass entrepreneurial bumper sticker, “If you ain’t the
lead dog, the view never changes.”

Yes, it does, if you’ll only back off a little, and slide over.

Tom and I ride in a staggered formation, developed over a number of trips, that
has Tom in the left third of our lane, and me in the right third, one man ahead by anywhere from a bike length to 50 yards, depending on the terrain. No matter who's leading, we hold the lane positions, so that the follower can
briefly slide up beside to communicate.

Usually,
Tom is ahead to the left and I'm behind to the right, in a
comfortable slot that lets me see how fast he’s taking a turn or how hard his
bike bounces on a railroad tracks. He’s the more experienced rider, so it makes
sense he’d usually be in the lead. But sometimes I take the lead. And sometimes the lead switches back and forth in a way that, mesmerized by the road and the sound of our engines and the goings-on inside our minds, we hardly notice.

It doesn't matter who's leading, because it's not a race.

Riding side-by-side—that's as taxing in
friendships as on motorcycles. There’s no room for error left or right, and
you’re always having to adjust your speed to stay perfectly even.

No: If you know where you’re going, lead
the way. If I know where I’m going, I’ll lead the way. We’ll pull side-by-side
only in order to notify one another of urgent needs: we need fuel, we missed the turn, your bungee chord is dangling dangerously close to your rear spokes, how about let's stop for a beer at this lodge by this lake.

Categories // Murray Cycle Diaries

Comments

  1. Tina O. says

    July 27, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    I had to laugh when I read the ‘crass lead-dog bumper sticker’ line. Taped to my monitor at work is a ‘fortune’ with that phrase on it. I stuck it there in hopes of boosting myself up about being the boss. Frankly, after all these years I have realized, the lead dog is the first to be smacked in the face with adversity, and ticked off customers. Maybe it’s better to be staggered-to the side and back-and have a buffer. Being where the buck stops is overrated.
    I assume I will not be your typical Writing Boots reader, but I am happy to see the story of your trip. And I will check out the other non-politico posts. Brian, I am sure will be an avid follower. And by the way, the face shield was not awful. I would think seeing is important. Tommy on the other hand, I made fun of him in his helmet before he even left.
    Can’t wait to read the rest. You are inspiring me to get started on my own plans!
    Tina O’Malley

    Reply
  2. David Murray says

    July 27, 2009 at 3:09 pm

    Tina!
    Next post is about dads. Might make your roof leak. Maybe you can wipe your tears on the stupid “lead-dog” thing.
    Glad to have you in Writing Boots. They fit.
    Dave

    Reply
  3. Eileen B. says

    July 27, 2009 at 3:26 pm

    “If you don’t look cool on your motorcycle, you’ve failed to meet your primary objective. “That needs to be cross-stitched somewhere on a pillow in your house, David. It’s profound.

    Reply
  4. David Murray says

    July 27, 2009 at 3:34 pm

    Don’t know if profound, but definitely true, Eileen.
    And we’ll take true any day.

    Reply
  5. canada goose jacket says

    January 11, 2013 at 11:25 am

    canada goose jacket

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  6. vuitton luggage says

    January 27, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    vuitton luggage

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  7. Oil Painting From Picture says

    January 27, 2013 at 8:41 pm

    Oil Painting From Picture

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  8. visit the up coming post says

    January 29, 2013 at 4:34 am

    visit the up coming post

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  9. ティファニー ネックレス says

    January 29, 2013 at 5:12 pm

    ティファニー ネックレス

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  10. ティファニー says

    January 29, 2013 at 5:32 pm

    ティファニー

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  11. red bottom shoes says

    January 30, 2013 at 12:00 am

    red bottom shoes

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  12. ティファニー ネックレス says

    January 30, 2013 at 8:51 am

    ティファニー ネックレス

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  13. コーチ アウトレット says

    January 30, 2013 at 9:03 am

    コーチ アウトレット

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  14. ティファニー says

    January 30, 2013 at 11:52 am

    ティファニー

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  15. calvin richard klein says

    January 31, 2013 at 12:45 pm

    calvin richard klein

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  16. visit the up coming site says

    January 31, 2013 at 5:47 pm

    visit the up coming site

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  17. モンクレール 通販 says

    February 1, 2013 at 9:26 am

    モンクレール 通販

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  18. ray rice jersey womens says

    February 1, 2013 at 10:08 pm

    ray rice jersey womens

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  19. ティファニー says

    February 2, 2013 at 1:18 am

    ティファニー

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  20. Canvas Painting says

    February 2, 2013 at 10:13 am

    Canvas Painting

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  21. christian louboutin says

    February 2, 2013 at 11:43 am

    christian louboutin

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  22. Christian Louboutin says

    February 2, 2013 at 7:28 pm

    Christian Louboutin

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  23. Clarisonic Pro says

    February 4, 2013 at 7:35 pm

    Clarisonic Pro

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  24. Clarisonic says

    February 5, 2013 at 8:31 pm

    Clarisonic

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  25. Clarisonic PLUS says

    February 5, 2013 at 8:33 pm

    Clarisonic PLUS

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  26. RayBan says

    February 6, 2013 at 4:34 pm

    RayBan

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  27. chi hair says

    February 7, 2013 at 3:01 pm

    chi hair

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  28. farouk chi says

    February 7, 2013 at 3:57 pm

    farouk chi

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  29. Ray Ban Uk says

    February 8, 2013 at 2:56 am

    Ray Ban Uk

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  30. Ray Ban Sunglasses says

    February 8, 2013 at 9:44 am

    Ray Ban Sunglasses

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  31. コーチ 財布 says

    February 8, 2013 at 12:11 pm

    コーチ 財布

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  32. シャネル 財布 says

    February 8, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    シャネル 財布

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  33. シャネル 激安 says

    February 8, 2013 at 2:58 pm

    シャネル 激安

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  34. mac brushes says

    February 8, 2013 at 3:57 pm

    mac brushes

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  35. Ray Ban Sunglasses says

    February 9, 2013 at 3:04 am

    Ray Ban Sunglasses

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  36. Ray Ban Uk says

    February 9, 2013 at 7:53 am

    Ray Ban Uk

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply
  37. mac brushes says

    February 10, 2013 at 12:58 am

    mac brushes

    Writing Boots: Riding in a staggered formation

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Now Available

An Effort to Understand

Order Now

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE BLOG UPDATES

About

David Murray writes on communication issues.
Read More

 

Categories

  • Baby Boots
  • Communication Philosophy
  • Efforts to Understand
  • Happy Men, and Other Eccentrics
  • Human Politicians
  • Mister Boring
  • Murray Cycle Diaries
  • Old Boots
  • Rambling, At Home and Abroad
  • Sports Stories
  • The Quotable Murr
  • Typewriter Truths
  • Uncategorized
  • Weird Scenes Inside the Archives

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

  • Preorder An Effort to Understand
  • Sign Up for Blog Updates
  • About David Murray