Long brown piles of salt line the sides of the road as a meaningfully mellow ache rolls through my shoulders. Taking a long, slow drag from the last smoke in the pack, I watch as a remarkably denigrated pile of snow slowly vanishes. The water trickling from top to bottom before breaking away, grabbing the hole shot and making a skittering escape across the cracked concrete. No doubt in hopes of finding glory in a cooler, and perhaps calmer, victory lane.

Looking up, I can’t help but stand in awe of the moment as I gaze out at a succession of lush green valleys and then a bright, shimmering Pacific Ocean. Taking another drag from the smoke, it’s hard to imagine a clearer or crisper day is even remotely possible. After what has felt like months of near constant rain, this is the kind of day you spend your winter nights dreaming about. Because this is the kind of day where the sky is standing so tall that it almost feels as if you can reach out and actually grasp the heavens.

A few minutes later I’m settling back into the ride when I look down at the instrument panel and notice the ever-present clock that’s idly ticking away. It claims that I’ve only been on the bike for a meager few hours, yet right now it feels a lifetime longer then that. Perhaps it’s because of the remarkably open roads, or maybe the moderate temps, or quite possibly the beautifully humming 999 that keeps letting me push it just a bit more corner after corner, but this has been a day that feels as if it has lasted forever. A moment in time that has taken the long way home ever since leaving the garage.

Historically I’ve always had a hard time hanging on to the moment. As the pace of life has continued to increase, I’ve found it harder and harder to hold on to the echoes of a great ride or a glorious trip. Yet today for whatever reason that doesn’t seem to be a problem. Instead as I enter the next corner, I keep finding myself grinding down just a little bit more of the winter rust as I round my way back into a riding rhythm and continue this ever-evolving journey.

More picts after the jump

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