[superbikeplanet.com] - Ryder Notes: Do The Timewarp. Again.

[Ninjette Newsbot]

The helmet visor has been faux painted with enough insect innards to keep an entomologist busy for weeks. The leather jacket desperately need an extra long deep-tissue massage session. And the bike… ahhhh, the beauty of the bike… It looks, and smells, worse then a survivalist student after six weeks in the outback without running water… Yet all of that brings a smirk and a smile to my face… Because I was there. I saw it. I savored it.

Looking at the screen while pondering the next words to choose, there’s a residual sense of ‘peace’ that’s so blatant, and so calming, and so carefree right now that it’s scary just how relaxing it feels. Every ride ought to end this way. Shivering somewhere between the reward for an I-can’t-believe-I-just-experienced-that mecca moment and the long, slow burn of a lengthy workout that leaves you feeling completely spent but smiling.

Glancing at the clock, it’s somewhat stunning, perhaps even startling, just how fast the hours can pass when you’re enjoying jockeying in the saddle amongst the grandeur of a vibrantly living, breathing and blooming desert.

I have to admit that I had no concept of how fantastical this part of the world could be during this time of the year. Twelve months ago we were running around the globe shooting Twist The Throttle and I completely missed the spring season in the Southern part of Southern California. Yet after today’s ride it’s clear to me, that was a scheduling mistake to the nth degree.

Because I missed out on a masterpiece of living artwork.



There is something surreal and yet quite riveting about blasting through an endlessly scenic sketch where the landscape looks as if someone has painted directly onto nature itself. From the kaleidoscope of flowers that are roaring to life to the brilliant depth in the greenery, there’s a remarkable image at work here - a picture that captures so much of California - and it’s begging to be seen, asking to be cherished, and perhaps wondering if you’ll remember it because of its limited shelf-life.

In a month or two around this part of the world it’ll be a hundred degrees outside and what looks like it’s living today will surely perish - at least visually. Yet this feeling, this moment of imagery needs to remain. I have to remember it. Because it’s so remarkably luminous, so immense, and so meaningful in all its glory that to forget it would be to lose something truly special. A part of the greatness of California.


More Picts after the jump…





More Photos in the Gallery…




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