Tragic Day Under the Big Sky

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blueblood

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2005
Posts
1,082
I was in Park Clinic in Livingston, MT yesterday when info came in that a death had occurred on I-90. I left a few minutes later to go to Bozeman when I came upon a police car blocking right lane at MM318 and then the body of a motorcyclist lying on berm at MM317 and his mangled white with lots of chrome ride. I seen lots of death on highways over the years and especially way back as a volunteer on highway patrol and sheriff posse.  So, I was some what surprised to be hit by a sense of tragedy that I hadn't experienced before. I think it was the realization that here was a 60 year old man out riding with the wind in his hair (no helmet) under a really beautiful light blue immense Montana Big Sky. One minute he was full of life - next gone. 
 
I was sitting in my van one fine day and a car pulled out to make a left hand turn and crash. A motorcycle hit the car. The car was going no more than 3 miles per hour and the cycle was going 25. He died on the spot and he had a helmet on. Young guy about 30. If he would have been in a car he would have gotten a scratch at the most. You could not pay me to get on a motorcycle, or a bicycle for that matter.
 
Think about it! I should be so lucky as to pass on doing what I love. In the wind, beautiful ride, beats the hell out of
a hospital bed pumped full of drugs withdrool down my chin.  Now I'm in the mood for a ride, thanks :D
 
Will and Howard, I'll bet Jane and Jo find your sophomoric comments a real turn on.....
 
Foxysdad said:
I'm with you Catblaster  ride onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Me too.  It would be a lot safer on a motorcycle if there weren't any cars on the highway.
 
I love to ride my motorcycles. We Know it is more dangerous but we try to reduce the danger by dressing properly with a helmet and riding gear but at the end of the day it is down to individual choice. Those that choose not to often end up dead. Whilst there are plenty of bad bike riders the proportion of of car drivers who think they can drive while on the phone, putting on makeup or eating their breakfast with a knife and fork off of the passenger seat amazes me. I used to think I was one of those "special" drivers but not any more.
As bikers we know it's about as much fun as you can with your clothes on lol ( if that is too rude please delete it) but it has its drawbacks.
"Think  bike, look twice"
Steve
 
Some folks smoke, some drink too much, some eat too much and some folks ride bikes.  What's the difference?  It's those that don't do "stuff" with any kind of risk that I worry about.
 
I knew where this would go when I made my first reply.

I've ridden motorcycles, gone 50 miles out to sea in a 21' boat (still do), swam in the middle of both major oceans and jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, but ALL with at least a modicum of concern for my own safety.  I fully understand that there are bigger, badder and bolder men than I, just not racing across the desert on a Harley with their hair on fire. ;)   
 
Lou, I understand going to sea in a small boat and swimming in the ocean, but jumping out of a perfectly good airplane?  Are you nuts? ;D
 
[quote author=Ned]
Lou, I understand going to sea in a small boat and swimming in the ocean, but jumping out of a perfectly good airplane?  Are you nuts? ;D
[/quote]

Well, I always made the assumption that the parachutes were perfectly good as well.

I always liked that quote that goes something like....  "If your parachute fails, you have the rest of your life to fix it..."
 
And if you can't fix it, return it for a full refund.
 
Ned said:
And if you can't fix it, return it for a full refund.

If the original package remained "unopened", there should be no problem with the warranty.
 
I told my best friend that I saw no reason to jump from a perfectly good airplane, his reply...there is no such thing as a perfectly good airplane, they all break down. He died last year at he young age of 42..heart failure. He lived more in his short time than I have in all of my 62 years. Died in his prime by going to sleep, my condition will take me in a way I do not wish on anyone.
 
30 years ago (my gosh, was it really that long ago?) I was riding my motorcycle along Hwy 37 on the north edge of San Francisco Bay.  I was following a car and when the road narrowed from a divided highway into a 2 lane road, he sped up at the last minute to pass a slow moving VW bus.  I decided there wasn't enough distance to safely complete my pass, so I stayed behind the slower vehicle.

15 miles later the road returns to a 4 land divided highway and crests a hill.  As I got to the top of the hill I saw an accident happen about a mile ahead - a car came across the center divider and slammed head on into another car going in the same direction I was.  When I got closer I found the car that was hit was the one I was following 15 miles earlier.  There were no survivors.

If I had passed that VW, I probably would have been in the middle of the carnage.
 
blueblood said:
  So, I was some what surprised to be hit by a sense of tragedy that I hadn't experienced before. I think it was the realization that here was a 60 year old man out riding with the wind in his hair (no helmet) under a really beautiful light blue immense Montana Big Sky. One minute he was full of life - next gone.

A real tragedy.  I think most of us begin to get a stronger sense of our own mortality as we get older.  I know I have.

Rick
 
Lou Schneider said:
30 years ago (my gosh, was it really that long ago?) I was riding my motorcycle along Hwy 37 on the north edge of San Francisco Bay.  I was following a car and when the road narrowed from a divided highway into a 2 lane road, he sped up at the last minute to pass a slow moving VW bus.  I decided there wasn't enough distance to safely complete my pass, so I stayed behind the slower vehicle.

15 miles later the road returns to a 4 land divided highway and crests a hill.  As I got to the top of the hill I saw an accident happen about a mile ahead - a car came across the center divider and slammed head on into another car going in the same direction I was.  When I got closer I found the car that was hit was the one I was following 15 miles earlier.  There were no survivors.

If I had passed that VW, I probably would have been in the middle of the carnage.
And thats kinda the point.
You never know.
 
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