Personal Narrative: My Trip To California
California Coastal Experience
I am sure it happened as easily as this: We were sitting around the garage shooting the bull during a cold winter snap. Thoughts turned to motorcycle rides and things spring and summer. For once, it wasn’t me. Mrs. K was the one to mention going to California. We hadn’t taken a trip the summer before, and she said, “We ought to ride to California and take the PCH along the coast.” Probably, no one jumped up and started packing, but several certainly starting thinking. One mention leads to another mention which leads to final plans. For me, it was a dream I have had since I watched Then Came Bronson and spent my time reading On the Road. For all of us, we researched the trip and found places and things …show more content…
We stayed in Monterey, and our goal was to reach the KOA campground in Petaluma, CA which is north of San Francisco the next day. Monterey to Petaluma was far from the longest stretch of the trip. The stretch from Monterey to the Golden Gate was longer than the stretch from the Golden Gate to Petaluma. We had more time to anticipate the crossing than we did in reflecting on the crossing. The bridge, as all bridges are, is a choke point. The traffic builds and tightens until you cross; your anticipation does the exact same thing. It builds and tightens as you approach and cross. Then, just like crossing your mind frees to consider the experience you just …show more content…
I wanted to stop right in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge, put my kickstand down, and get off my bike. I wanted to stand right on the bridge and pump my fists in the air like I was Rocky after making it to the top of the stairs. That was the moment of the trip that signified the entire thing. Everything before lead to that moment; everything after was homeward bound. I thought it might be the Bixby Bridge; it wasn’t. It was the Golden Gate, and the traffic, the view, the ocean, the people, my friends, and my bike made it the special moment it ultimately became. It was, as Joe noted, “an iconic
I am sure it happened as easily as this: We were sitting around the garage shooting the bull during a cold winter snap. Thoughts turned to motorcycle rides and things spring and summer. For once, it wasn’t me. Mrs. K was the one to mention going to California. We hadn’t taken a trip the summer before, and she said, “We ought to ride to California and take the PCH along the coast.” Probably, no one jumped up and started packing, but several certainly starting thinking. One mention leads to another mention which leads to final plans. For me, it was a dream I have had since I watched Then Came Bronson and spent my time reading On the Road. For all of us, we researched the trip and found places and things …show more content…
We stayed in Monterey, and our goal was to reach the KOA campground in Petaluma, CA which is north of San Francisco the next day. Monterey to Petaluma was far from the longest stretch of the trip. The stretch from Monterey to the Golden Gate was longer than the stretch from the Golden Gate to Petaluma. We had more time to anticipate the crossing than we did in reflecting on the crossing. The bridge, as all bridges are, is a choke point. The traffic builds and tightens until you cross; your anticipation does the exact same thing. It builds and tightens as you approach and cross. Then, just like crossing your mind frees to consider the experience you just …show more content…
I wanted to stop right in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge, put my kickstand down, and get off my bike. I wanted to stand right on the bridge and pump my fists in the air like I was Rocky after making it to the top of the stairs. That was the moment of the trip that signified the entire thing. Everything before lead to that moment; everything after was homeward bound. I thought it might be the Bixby Bridge; it wasn’t. It was the Golden Gate, and the traffic, the view, the ocean, the people, my friends, and my bike made it the special moment it ultimately became. It was, as Joe noted, “an iconic