“Everything that kills me makes me feel alive” words from the song ONEREPUBLIC – Counting Stars. The song stuck in my crazy Schuberth helmeted head the moment I left San Ignacio town square this morning and hit Mexico 1 highway towards San Quintin, a distance of 350 miles.
The roads and weather conspired to do us all in as we all experienced similar weather. The coastal fog was so thick at times, it even had me doing the posted speed limit. I was forced at times to use my leather gloved fingers as finger windshield wipers.
This morning at the breakfast kiosk while Niria is fixing me a breakfast burrito of ham and eggs I enjoyed the freshly brewed coffee. Her husband Victor Manuez, is a retired garbage collector for the San Ignacio area. He told me he heard on the radio that an American was killed while driving.
Apparently the bridge he was on collapsed from the recent floods. The gringo was committing Baja rule violation numbero uno; thou shall not drive Mexican roads at night. The car entered the missing road section that was now a hole at highway speeds, he next encounters the missing road pavement section at the other end; and decapitates the cab topsides of the car and driver.
And if the fog wasn’t enough. There was now road construction going on. Signage forced cars, semi’s, and me off the highway and onto Baja sandy packed soil. A distance away we were routed back up. God help you if you are not able to handle the loose packed sand. That’s how it’s done here. Minimal fuss or road signage.
David rides a Triumph Trophy, I ride a BMW 1250 Adventure motorcycle and Todd rides a KTM 1290. The rest of the group is on everything from KTM690’s to 890’s. We are all experienced riders. Todd is the master blaster and David and I are “good enough” but Luis, he can almost keep up with Todd.
Yesterday David tried passing me on several occasions but, I wouldn’t yield to him. So what is the big picture here? What kind of person am I? Am I being the kind of person treating others the way that I want to be treated? Did I fill my karma quota sufficiently to last till the end of this ride?
We are a day away from ending this two week ride and Todd has bailed for home. A 690 mile ride for him. David is now nursing his right side ribs and right ankle on account of a slippery water crossing. His bike is damaged and the Mexican appraiser is meeting him in Guerrero Negro.
That last visit to the mission in the town of Mulege also took out two other riders on an algae slippery as snot water crossing. Larry needed to go to the local emergency room for x rays to his left wrist. Tom flew over the handlebars and now has a sore collarbone. And I think Ray on his Dakar to Paris BMW also went down, is a little sore but, otherwise fine.
Victor and I continued talking about garbage and life in general. I was waiting on daylight. Victor now shares a story of two monks walking to the mission in San Ignacio. When they got to the water crossing they encounter a lost prostitute who now asks to be carried across the water, so her nice dress wouldn’t get wet.
The first of the two monks picks her up and carries her. They cross the stream. After crossing, the prostitute continues on to find a trucker so she can continue her journey to back up to Tijuana.
The two monks continued walking but, you could tell one was not happy with what just occurred. “How could you do such a thing!? Carrying that immoral woman. The first monk said to the second monk.
. “I’m no longer carrying her, but you—it seems—still are.”
Our mind is always sending us messages when riding; and sometimes that message like that earlier song, that is now thankfully out of my crazy head; Everything that kills me makes me feel alive” is gone.
I now wonder what song was in that trucker’s head when he suddenly found himself airborne and out of road?
Trawlercat
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