The transmission winds itself up into a whine as I kick the ST from fourth down to third, and coast into a tight, but sweeping 20mph switchback.Riding the inside edge of the lane, I keep a straight line for as long as I can until the curve leaves me hitting the double-yellow. And then I make my move, dropping my shoulder, bending my elbow, pulling my foot back, and taking a hard lean to the right.
There isn't any time to think, only to do.
The painted lines along the road, along with the wooden posts of the K-rail, are all that I see ahead of me, streaming by like being in a rollercoaster on a 360 degree loop.
Just follow the lines.
Slingshotting out across the lane and over to the outside edge, I've only seconds to prepare for yet another tight turn to the left.
Thought processes in my brain calculates the approach velocity, the body positions itself again, and I make the next move.
It's like I've done all this before in video games as a kid, except this is real. The adrenaline is real, the dangers are very real, and the variables are so many. It's a mental exercise that leaves you feeling exhausted and satiated.
"Ahh!" the sip of a cold Oatmeal Stout inside a darkly lit cafe in the middle of a desert oasis, helps relax the body. The smell of burgers and french fries cooking up in the kitchen, creates a contrasting ambiance from just minutes ago.
After evaluating curves and calculating approach velocity in a relentless assault on the cerebral cortex, I sit back in my chair, close my eyes, take in a few deep breaths, and smell the aroma wafting out of the kitchen. Everything here is sitting still.
It's no wonder why so many riders along Montezuma Valley Rd choose to stop at Carlee's.
I take another swig of the stout.
The meaning of all this I wonder?
The road and the rest stop are inseparably joined. Perhaps Montezuma Valley Rd would not be as great of a road to ride if not for such a relaxing place like Carlee's to unwind, and Carlee's would be just another struggling hole in the wall if not for such a great stretch to road to ride.
To be, at this place and moment in time, in this mood and with this sense of awareness, because the road exists to be ridden, and Carlee's exists to put it all into perspective, is why we do this.