Wednesday, 4th July

This accomplished, name tag pinned on "This is my first ride-in", we went about our daily stuff. I downloaded photographs into my laptop, this being the primary reason for bringing it (though writing this journal has been good as well).

We had decided to go to the Turtle Bay park in Redding this morning, and it was a good choice. The place is by the convention centre, and we were directed there by the very helpful staff at the hotel. It was opened just this Summer, and not all the features are in place, but it's basically a big old garden with trees and flowers and a couple of notable features. Firstly, there are young staff members dotted all over the place, armed with crayons and things for little kids to do - saving parents from bored children and giving the kids something fun. There was a tree maze that taught you about how a tree grew as you went through it. Then there was a snake house - all manner of snakes behind glass, and a few that would normally be available to touch if they hadn't already been fed. Some time later, we realised that one of the attendants had a black and red snake coiled quietly around her wrist. I asked if I could touch it, and she directed me to wash my hands (to make sure I didn't smell tasty) and then told me how to stroke the snake - they have a right way and a wrong way, just like cat fur. The feel is dry, but soft - all in all very cool indeed. She had apparently come from my area before and was glad to be living up this way now - despite the heat. She was following a dream - to work with the critters she loved.

After the serpents came the butterflies. This was a tropical greenhouse filled with bright flowers and brighter flutterbyes. It was misted periodically and very humid, just like the butterflies would have it. We could see chrysalises and new hatchlings drying out; one of the chrysalises was having a paddy because a new hatchling wanted to hang from it. Eventually, the hatchling found an unoccupied spot and the unborn one settled down. The attendant told us that the new ones would be released when they started to flutter... and would live about two weeks. Long enough to mate, lay eggs and start the cycle over again.

There was a logger's train in the park, and it looked like a bunch more features were planned. For five dollars, it was a nice morning, and we both enjoyed it. The heat was too much, though, and we both headed off to lunch.

This we enjoyed at the Olive Garden: good, plenteous Italian fare, very rich and very delicious.

We came back to the hotel around two, probably, and it was time for more showers and some rest. Then, at four, we wandered upstairs to hear someone called Dee Gagnon speak. She had done a 100 day, solo tour of the USA in 1995 and had slides. We actually found her just arriving outside the hotel, huge amounts of luggage leaving her bike and a huge grin on her face. She looked tired and happy and a little surprised that she was speaking now, twenty minutes after her arrival.

The room wasn't set up, so when she came inside, she ad-libbed a little and then the projector arrived and she could get going.

Despite the fact that she was still road weary, the talk was great. Interspersed with anecdotes and quotes from the book, we were shown photographs and told not just about the nitty gritty of such a trip, but something of how it felt. We laughed and winced as the fantastic story unfolded. I felt something stirring - my long-buried desire to ride. A need, almost. Some of it was the presence of so many bikers and so many willing to encourage and help; some of it was the simple, wyrd reminder that I had done this before; I had even ridden solo; I could do it again. Later, as soon as I heard the next ride-in is to be held in Kentucky, the little seed planted earlier seemed to start to germinate. Can I do that long trip, across the USA, on my own, maybe on a tiny 535 Virago? I don't know. But the seed was planted.

I think it was the simplest thing that got to me. Life is too short to wait for "I'll do it when things settle down." I doubt my life will ever settle down. It is full of doubts and worries. So, I shall just have to bring my own good things to it. I'm sure Don won't mind spending some time riding beside me. He has been waiting for all this time, as well.

I spoke briefly to Dee, invited her to stay if she should ever be in my region, though why anyone would at all want to stay where I live is beyond me. I don't mean my home; I mean my location, Silicon Valley, land of smog and stress and ugly-tempered drivers. There were a lot of people around - so I bought my book and patch and got to reading it in the afternoon. As I did, I started to feel excited and feel the potential of riding again. I won't say that Dee's talk changed my life; but it did give me part of the kick up the backside I needed. I called Don and asked if I could have a bike. He asked if he could have his bike back (it's needed over a thousand dollars of repairs for over a year, and we haven't had that kind of cash spare). But we will find the money. Somehow. I just know that one of the conditions for it is that I will not allow ourselves to go further into debt for it - this is important to me. Those are my terms.

Dee's trip is taking the wyrd to its absolute core - trusting that things will just work out, despite the obstacles that are thrown your way. Thinking your way through, or making decisions based on your gut instinct. It's how I ran my trip to Cornwall and back; one mile at a time, alert but enjoying. I found that setting out was always the scariest part. Figures.

For some time that afternoon, I read and wrote. A bit later, the "mixer by the pool" was on and we went down there, listened to announcements and news as best we could (pools don't make for good audio, even without lots of chattering bikers). Two women had been biker vs deer in Nevada, and there was a collection to help them get their wheels back home. Both survived; one was worse off than the other, pretty bashed about, but the other won her argument with her hubby and they both turned up about a day later. I sat and talked for several hours with a bunch of really nice people from Colorado, and there was a lot of chatting and joking all evening. One of them, Andre, was a doctor and was still quite new to riding, so we half arranged to mentor each other as soon as I got my bike. And I got to chat with Dee for a good while as well - while she is a biker who happened to become a celebrity, she acts like and is a biker. And that is just fine by me.

We played a game designed to help people get to know one another, and I got to talk to a bunch more people that way, heard a bunch more stories. There were even a couple of women from Switzerland, two more from Alaska who'd actually had the time to ride here, and many others who had come two thousand miles, or more.

The sun began to set, a glorious flame red - almost crimson. Barb and I went to admire and photograph it, then slowly got ready for the fourth of July fireworks. We were not planning to go down to the park and fight through thousands of people; we had been told that the show could be seen from the hotel, and so it could. Other riders joined us, and we chatted and the time passed until it was ten o'clock and the first rockets started to fly.

While distant, I still got the buzz of other people enjoying what I was seeing, and the show was spectacular. It must have gone on for a good half hour, with new fireworks I'd never seen before, including a truly fun butterfly shaped one... no smileys, but they made butterflies. It was great.

Once again, I was tired out when we got back to the room. I called Don, read a little (Dee's book is instantly captivating) and out went the lights. Happy Fourth.

Thursday, 5th July

We had breakfast just outside the hotel, at an Italian place. I don't suppose that the olives in the omelette really helped, either, but the breakfast was very good. Afterwards, Barb drove us in search of the very handy round-the-neck money cannister that everyone was admiring. We did find it in the catalogue for a local boat place, but they didn't have stock and by shortly afterwards, I absolutely had to get back to the hotel room. ;-)

I stayed in awhile before joining the others to watch the bike and rider games because I felt that by then it was probably "safe". The heat was huge - later we found out that it was 120°F (48°C) out there in the car park. Riders picked pegs off a line, or plucked tennis balls from cones, or threw water balloons. Later, there was a demonstration of how to pick up a motorcycle - something which made a penny drop in my mind. The technique I had been taught just wouldn't work with Arnie, which is a huge and heavy bike when flat on the ground, and this was always a worry with me. This method, using one's backside and legs to push backwards, would work just fine. If I can pull it off, at home, I will be able to ride Arnie with just that small amount more confidence. We also watched a motorcycle cop demo the anti-locking brakes on BMWs. Pretty impressive, but the BMW bikes just don't appeal to me, and most are way too tall in any case.

On one occasion, I came out of the hotel on the wrong side, and ended up walking round the whole building, checking out the cool bikes and sort of smiling to myself. Sometimes being lost can be kind of rewarding.

In between this stuff we chatted to different people - some already known, some new. Barb had met Diana from Massachusetts, and invited her to dinner later that evening. I interspersed with some rest time in the hotel room - I was feeling a bit battered because of the heat and my tummy. However, by dinner time, everything had settled; I just had to wait it out. We walked over to Chevy's again and this time I ordered a plainer, less spicy, sizzling fajita platter. I had no ill effects and would not need to eat again for many more hours.

Diana was pretty cool, and we talked bikes and stuff while periodically jumping as balloons popped. Where there were birthdays or children, a waitress would make balloon animals - but way too many of them exploded.

For much of the day, we had an unusual visitor to our room: a praying mantis had got in through our open window and just sunned itself there until I had to close the patio doors and helped him on his way. I had never seen one of these critters in the non-zoo world and was fairly impressed. He didn't do any harm and after I made sure he would not be crushed by the closing doors, he wandered off to do whatever such beasts so do. No harm is not true of the mosquitos which took a chunk out of my leg and knee yesterday evening; today I am itching.

In the evening, I just chilled out and relaxed. I was pretty tired and drained. Not unhappy, just physically challenged. Halfway through most holidays, you hit a point where you realise just how tired you were before the holiday. This was my realisation day. I just acknowledged it, did quiet stuff, and by the next day I was just fine.

Friday, 6th July

A little before nine, I bumped into Dee before her second talk and gave her directions to home on a piece of paper. She gave me a hug. :-) I was quite touched. I later went to her talk and as there were only a handful of people there, this time, met some more new faces. One in particular gave me a chuckle; her name was Carolyn and she had vivid, electric blue hair. Not only had she just completed her first major solo ride and had the glow that comes with it (I remember!) - she lives in my own home town. Maybe we will get to play together when I am once more With Bike.

We helped out with distributing leaflets and stuff and hanging a banner up. I felt useful - part of a team. It's funny how it's been a long time since I had that feeling, living and working in a virtual world. Not that I don't love my virtual world... but still, there are some minuses too. I was very happy when the WOW emery boards were produced; I had been in need of one to file a breaking nail, and lo my need was fulfilled.

Dee's talk was much the same as her first, except that she was not zonked and we stuck around chatting for quite some time after. I missed the bike show, more or less, but it didn't seem to matter as I'd taken a quick tour to look at the entries before the talk.

After the talk, I caught up with Barb and an impromptu late breakfast or early lunch was arranged with Susan from West Virginia. This turned out to be great as we wandered over to Applebees and I had a melty cheesy sandwich. Susan is a safety course instructor and had a whole heap of stories to share. And a great sense of humour. She rode solo all the way here - over three and a half thousand miles. She also told us that the 2004 rally will be in West Virginia; the 2002 will be in Kentucky and the 2003 in Arizona. I found out that Barb and Art had wanted to train as safety instructors and bring the class to Kenai; now that the course is going to change, they have another shot at it.

All destinations to dream about; all adventures in the making.

More reading and writing and some sleeping too after that; I seemed to be missing several hours of sleep, oddly enough. I was restless last night. Barb had a meeting of WOW directors to attend and I got to write a long overdue letter to Mira, my "aunt" and the person who introduced me to the esoteric world so many years ago. I also called Dad to give him a quick "doing okay" and update.

Barb came in after her meeting, and we both got ready to go to the banquet. I did a dry run of packing and it will all fit - with some squooshing and considerably more weight. No big deal.

It seems like longer than the five days that I have been away from home.

In the evening was the culmination of the three day WOW event; the banquet. We moseyed on there early, and got a good table in front of the stage and off to one side. Barbara, Susan and I were there, and a bit later we waved in Carolyn, the blue-haired girl whom I'd met earlier, from Sunnyvale. She reminds me a lot of Tigerlilie, one of my long-time Net friends... she later won a prize for the youngest person to ride here to the Ride-In. (The oldest person was 75, and got a standing ovation, very well deserved!)

Our table was one of the first to get nosh, as well. If I had known we were only going to get one go at the buffet, I'd have piled the food up higher, but I'll know for next time. It seemed an expensive "do", but the atmosphere and strong feeling of togetherness, seeing all those people together in the hall, rather made up for it. I was actually sort of high on the energy by the time I got out.

The banquet "festivities" started with a guitarist lady singing a Very Serious Song to the tune of "Yesterday"... called "Helmet Hair". I suppose I probably don't need to go further into detail ;-) After that, there were announcements, another hat passed around for the hurt bikers, and awards - prizes from the bike games, the bike show, and a bunch of other stuff. The state with the most visitors, aside from California, was Massachussetts - good for Diana and her pals!

At the end, there was a group shot for the host chapter of this event, and I was pulled in as an honorary future member. I got to chat to people, and traded emails with a few more (including one who might sell me a bike - though I'm not sure of the money side of that). We talked, and everyone drifted out, and that was the end of the event. Many of the riders would be gone early in the morning, if they hadn't left already.