Motorcycle Ride in the Applegate Valley
We had only ridden about a half mile from the gas station when we turned onto a road I had never been on before. I knew the ultimate goal was Applegate Lake but from that first turn after the gas station until the site of my crash I had no idea where I was. We had only been on the road for about a minute when the group and myself came upon a car traveling the same direction we were. Immediately all of the guys in front of me illegally passed the car in a clearly marked no passing roadway. I was in utter shock at what I had just witnessed. There was no way all of them had somehow not noticed the double yellow lines. It happened on a straightaway with no cars coming from the opposite direction but still, it was a no passing zone! I stayed behind the car as an uneasy feeling crept into my stomach. A couple miles down the road I saw the group of motorcyclists waiting at a stop sign for me to show up with me still behind the car. They turned onto the new roadway and I followed as the car in front of me turned the opposite direction. Not even a mile later down this road and again the group passed another car in a no passing zone with the last few bikers doing this in a corner with very little visibility of any possible vehicles coming from the opposite direction. “What the ****!?” I thought to myself. “What the hell is wrong with these guys!?”
I stayed behind the car as the group raced onward. I’d been called a grandma driver on my motorcycle a few times just because I didn’t speed and some viewed me as overly cautious but to me, that was the only way to ride a motorcycle as I’d avoided several accidents from cars pulling out in front of me, turning into my lane without seeing me and countless other instances where my cautiousness saved me from harm while riding.
Again, as I came up to another stop sign the group of riders was waiting and once they saw me they turned and continued on. As before, I followed after them as the car went the opposite direction. I was still steaming as I thought about what had just happened. “And they did it in the blind corner!” I thought to myself. We made a few more turns as I kept brewing and questioning why I was still riding with these guys when I only knew one of them anyways.
We came up on a road construction crew where we waited in line with several other cars. I’d had enough. I wanted nothing to do with these “idiots”. I decided I would ride with them until I figured out where I was and then I would head home and wait until the next day when I would have a few choice words for my friend as he had also passed both cars illegally.
In hindsight, I wish I would have pulled over and figured out how to get back by looking it up on my phone.
The flagger waved us on and I continued to bring up the rear with the group speeding out of my sight just to be waiting at the next stop sign until they saw me coming once more. This happened a half dozen more times.
I was mad, though I couldn’t help but feel the beauty and peacefulness of the Applegate Valley as I road through the hills and the trees, smelling the fresh air and feeling the wind blow across me. My last thoughts even as I write this now was just how peaceful and wonderful riding in nature made me feel.
The next memory I have is waking up in the hospital.
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