Musings from the Dragon’s Back is a collection of stories and a rider’s thoughts gathered from times on the road, times in the wind.
Musings from the Dragon’s Back
I’m Carl, Willow to my friends on the road. I ride a 2001 Honda Valkyrie Standard. It’s my primary means of transportation. I do also, these days, own a somewhat abbreviated Honda Valkyrie Interstate. I ride from home to where … Continue reading
Hard to Swallow
I first noticed them as they were darting across the road ahead climbing and swooping down as if riding some invisible roller coaster, surfing the waves of the wind their wings spread wide, their movements laughing the cry of carefree … Continue reading
An Accident of Time and Space
We had chosen for the first half of our ride on Saturday to spurn the computer generated choice of two interstate highways and opt for a diagonal route across West Virginia on US routes 50 and 250. Being a … Continue reading
Nostalgia
We got another load of snow this past weekend and the temperature remained cold enough to keep it on the ground and streets. I was sitting in traffic behind an older pickup truck when I caught a faint hint of … Continue reading
The Intruder – a Work of Partial Fiction
We got into bed later than we should have. Lori had been busy helping bail me out of a commitment that I had made far beyond my abilities to complete and we didn’t move to the place of nocturnal … Continue reading
The Horse
I rode along a rural blacktop in the dim light of the early morning passing farmers’ fields and flowing patches of forest green. The morning air was crisp and clean; the sun just beginning to rise over the horizon behind … Continue reading
Lights
I was riding home from work on one of those pleasant evenings of that time of year when I would leave work in the light but arrive home, sixty miles later, in the closing dusk. It was a nice evening … Continue reading
Funerary
I entered a room in which people were still milling about some conversing in quiet voices. The room was full, almost crowded. That surprised me a bit considering the short amount of time that had been available to get the … Continue reading
Eighteen Days
Eighteen days she has been confined to her lair by January’s wintry wizard, but today she will be emancipated. Even now her nose is nuzzled against the cold restraint of the tracked barrier. She leans impatiently upon one elbow, but … Continue reading
Ride to Poteau
Saturday a friend was to be in Poteau, Oklahoma promoting his books. You may have seen some of his work. He is the author responsible for the squirrel and motorcycle story. Well, I checked the distance and the weather. Poteau … Continue reading