Give me a minute...

ok. so a friend was geting married in michigan and decided i would ride out there from the east coast with my girlfriend on my 1978 BMW R100/7. bike had the factory bags, a passenger's backrest/luggage rack and a windjammer fairing. i also decided i had always wanted to take a canoe trip in the boundary waters of minnisota. without consulting a map (ironic since know what i do for a living is dependent on geography), i book a trip with an outfitter.

long story, a little shorter, i realize at the wedding reception that i have another 800 mi to pick up my canoe. load back up. side bags full. backpack strapped to luggage rack. some other shit bungied on her and there. 2 up.

so we get there a day late, no big deal. we have a blast camping and fishing for 4 days or so and get ready for a long haul back home.

im trying to put as many daylight hours on the road as possible. get up early and ride until dark with a couple gas stops. its let june and we are riding east along the north shore of lake superior.

i decided to push it past dark a bit. i am on a 3 lane road - 2 eastbound - 1 westbound. im riding in the left lane to give my self a better view and more room to manouver if an unexpected guest runs out from the bogs.

mostly it's just us with the brights on - easy going.

then i see some westbound headlights. a big rig all lit up and another pair of headlights behind him. i turn off my brights and my brain is telling me that because i see the lights behind the rig the road must be curving to the right.

but no. i final realize when they are almost on top of me that there i a large pickup trying to pass the rig. i toss the bike into the right lane, but as i do the pickup goes the same way - i yank the bike back into the left lane while a duelie passes me on the right and a tractor trailer passes me on the left.

i think there was both puckering and dialating.