+2 more
posted on Jul, 19 2017 @ 11:48 PM
My best friend, Stu, and I were riding out of Rock Springs one night, on the way to Flaming Gorge (national reservoir). Stu was riding his Yamaha 850
Virago, I was riding my 1100 Honda Gold Wing, both of us highly experienced bikers, having ridden desert racing on dirt bikes for 10 years. With us
were a couple of lesser experienced guys on bikes, two 750's. We'd be riding down through the canyon to Flaming Gorge, a fun ride, but not for
novices.
Hard cornering, hot brakes, my bike's saddle bags were loaded down with beer and ice. Stu's Virago was just clean, no fairing even.
We turned off the highway up above and set down the canyon road. It was just after sunset, the road still warm in the August night. Tires good and
sticky, we were running hard, leaning hard over into the corners...probably too fast. About halfway down the canyon I began to think about my other
friend who was behind us on his 750. He really wanted to keep up, but he was inexperienced...we were crazy. I slowed down, and so too did Stu in
front of me, seeing me fall back.
There were no words spoken, we just rode 'slowly' down the rest of the way to the Gorge.
We had a really great night that night, by the bonfire, drinking a few beers and sleeping on the beach. The next day we rode home, all without
incident.
A couple years later I sold the "Wing", giving up road-biking forever. It was just too dangerous. We'd played the odds and won; no sense in
tempting fate.
Fast forward 10 years...Stu got into Harley's...really nice Harley's (he worked in the oilfields).
Fast forward 20 years...I'm driving to work one morning and my one buddy (the one on the 750 that night on the Gorge ride). He calls me up and says
"Stu crashed last night....and I don't think he made it"
"You don't "THINK" he made it?????" I exclaimed! "What is this "THINK" stuff???".
"Bob...Stu's dead, he died last night in Casper"
I drove my truck into the ditch right in that moment. Just skidded off the road, right into the ditch. The best friend I ever had just blinked out
like a light switch. He was my brother.
I always thought he was immortal! I thought we all were!
I'll always just remember...."how fast can we go?"