San Diego to Seattle - Day 2

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!! What the FUCK!!! FUCKER! FUCKER! Cocksucking FUCKAAAAAAR!!!"

I realized instantly that a bee had somehow blown up my pant leg and was stuck inside, his stinger burrowed in my leg, at 80mph. Highway knew I was upset, possibly hurt, because usually he can't hear my voice from the passenger position, but he heard every filthy word of my rant.

I motioned for him to keep riding, don't pull over, as I realized he was easing towards the shoulder. Pushing the pant leg down, the bee was released, and after some intense rubbing, (and plenty of filthy words) the intense pain started to subside.

I grabbed my icy cold water bottle and pressed it against my leg for awhile to ease the pain. Unwelcome tears flowed from my eyes and spotted the inside of my visor. In pain, embarrassed and angry, I rode silent for the next 30 minutes.

Everything I experience on the bike seems more intense. Perhaps it's the danger; lane splitting between semis or taking twisties at outrageous speeds. Perhaps it's just magnified without my Mercedes cage around me; the weather, the scents, the temperatures. Whatever it is, everything just seems more extreme.

On this leg of the trip we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. Until a few months ago I suffered from a debilitating fear of bridges. The Golden Gate was seemingly the worst. But riding with Highway, there would be no way to tell him to avoid bridges on every trip, nor did I want to. My goal is to overcome, grow, learn, expand, breathe, live.

My heart raced as the we approached and I could feel the smile beaming from my face. Hundreds of people lined the bridge, and it's magnificence filled my heart. "How could there be anything this amazing and beautiful, and why would I be afraid of it?" I wondered.

Leaving San Fran left me with a sense of calm, as if the storm had passed. The zeal that had consumed me dwindled away and I felt relaxed and peaceful. Even the bliss seemed sweeter, as if I had never been quite so serene as I was on The Redwood Highway this day.

At 46 I realize how short life is; my father died at 50 years old. I can't imagine dying so young. I have so much to do, so much to see. I'm ready to live every moment.

Let's ride.