I spend idle time in the garage tinkering with motorcycles. I change out fluids and plugs, tighten screws, recalibrating and fire up the bikes to keep them running smooth. I polish a little here and there but the bikes gather dust. I feel like dust when not riding. Things are set in routine except when snow flies and the wind blows. In winter’s deep is something like “Helm’s Deep” in Lord of the Rings… standing at the edge of the towering mountains you hear the roar of the coming storm. But you are not with advantage, simply a rider waiting to break out at first light.
I think about upcoming rides, do some road planning and get busy with scheduling summer events. I chop a lot of wood. I am saddened by the death of Dan Fogelberg, one of Colorado’s great minstrels. He passed away just before Christmas. Nether Lands in 1977 was a hallmark album portraying the rich textures of mountain living in a tapestry of melodic song and lyric. Dan wrote things like, “High on this mountain, the clouds down below… I’m feeling so strong and alive. From this rocky perch I’ll continue to search for the wind, the snow and the sky.” Or in the song Loose Ends, “Climbing a mountain in darkness, stranded alone on the ledge. Every attempt that I make to hold on pushes me nearer the edge.” We love our mountains in Colorado and the challenges in recreation and living they present. He sang about it.