Heaven

Watching the sunrise, I was taken to another place, as my thoughts drifted.

I had ridden through the outlands of Hell for most of the night. Lightning strikes were close, and looked like demons shaking their long fingers at me. Every now and then, one would waggle his finger in my face, the flash and thunder simultaneous. For most of eight hours, I was bathed in the tears of lost souls. At one point, hailstones rained, as I tried to protect my hands from their crushing sting.

The wind had literally slid my bike across my lane of traffic, giving me an uncomfortable view of the ditch. And somewhere out there, there lurked at least one beast, twisting violenty and destroying all in it's path. Fortunately, I never met up with him.

I was cold, wet, and tired... no, exhausted as I turned towards Knoxville heading out of Lexington. As I rode, I shivered and waited for dawn, only an hour or so away. Soon, I entered heaven.

The darkness slowly gave way to an ambient light as I rode through the mountains, revealing scenes that gave me goosebumps upon my goosebumps. I was one of only four vehicles on the road, so we didn't have to share the pictures with many others.

Fingers of smoke drifted across the road, though no smoke could be detected. The Sun, an ominous red eye, could be seen trying to force it's way through the haze, and over the mountain tops. Our path was well lit, while in the valley to my right, the lights of a small town twinkled in the darkness. To descibe the scene in a word: ineffable. I know. Lame description, but it truly could not be described properly... at least not by me.

This is where riding a bike is so cool. While the other vehicles on the road got to enjoy this scene, I was part of it. I was it. Out in the open, on the bike, you become one with all around you, and it is one with you. Nearly god-like.

Now, I'm not saying I'm a god, ' least not in this instance, but should the Big Man Himself choose to buy me a beer in a moment like this, He could never be accused of fraternization.

Posted by That 1 Guy at August 29, 2005 07:10 AM | TrackBack