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The highway was a gravel road at that time. It started in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, continued through Whitehorse, Yukon Territory and on to Anchorage. I went up to Dawson, YT which was the start of the great gold rush. (Dorothy and I would take two rubber life rafts down the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Carmacks, YT.) I rode the bike out to California the previous year missing Woodstock because I had no idea what Woodstock was going to be about. (One of my few regrets in life.) In California, I saw Easy Rider for the first time. My adventures were not as exciting, but were lots of fun. I met people, shared super-salads, went to hot springs, and felt the sting of the rain and the warmth of the sun. I was the proverbial happy motorcyclist with a smile and bugs on his teeth.
There were several people who were responsible for encouraging my wanderlust. The first was a high school substitute teacher, Nate Gatchell. He had a Triumph Bonneville and a Greeves road bike. He told me of his travels to Mexico and elsewhere. My first real ride on a motorcycle was that Bonneville. Another was the television show, Then Came Bronson. Michael Parks starred in the show. He was quiet, bright, principled, and not violent. He was COOL!!! He rode a Sportster with an "all-seeing eye" in a triangle painted on the red gas tank.
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Goin' down that long lonesome highway |
I also read Hunter Thompson's book on the Hell's Angels. I used to love to draw pictures of choppers...
My favorite bikes are the old British twins. They look and sound like a motorcycle... I used to be able to tell what kind of bike it was by the sound. I would still love to get a Norton Commando 750. I have had good number of two wheelers including: a Suzuki 80, a Cushman (it looked like a motorcycle with motor scooter-size wheels and a suicide shift - 2 speed - on the side of the gas tank), a BSA A10 650, the Ducati Diana 250, a Honda 90, and a Lambretta 200 motor scooter.