Motorcycling the American Highways. The path is the place.
Summer of covid is still alienating for so many. The pursuit of equity and inclusion is also challenging us all. With American culture on the cusp of serious change like we haven’t seen in a half century, Vince and I kept riding to find inspiration. The highways helped us learn how to be a part of the change around us. Over the past 18 months, we’ve met an unusually high number of folks in the towns and campgrounds we travelled through. We’ve never had the kind of engagement we’ve had in the past ten years of riding. The insightful conversations that we’ve had during this time of stress was a surprise. People seemed to want to connect, to talk about motorcycles and to hear about where we come from. I bet it’s really that hidden desire to find that sense of humanity that seems to be missing from our lives.
- An older white American couple seated at the next table in a roadside diner in Utah, turned to say hello. They saw our license plates from Oregon and Washington, and chatted us up about our travels.
- A long time camp host in British Columbia started talking about her mixed race son. And how the different provinces had unique cultures and challenges of racism, similar to different state in the US.
- A couple of middle-aged women sitting outside a cafe in Montana engaged us as we pulled up and took off our helmets. One started to talking about her son who recently moved to Oregon, and how she loved it there.
- A young houseless woman asked me for a cigarette as we waited out a thunderstorm in Colorado. She sat down with us and shared how she was learning to farm and to make pottery. We ended up talking about capitalism, government bureaucracy and universal health care.
- A young Black man on a break from his long Greyhound bus journey from Las Vegas to St Paul, Minnesota, tells us this is his first trip out of his state. He’s invigorated but uncertain about what this big country holds for him.
There was a longing for comfort, at the same time, the thrill of anticipation for what the future holds. People really wanted to connect – to have conversations in real life – with complete strangers. Perhaps it’s the isolation we are all experiencing. Perhaps it’s a collective need to counter the negativity on social media with a friendly word to someone’s face. But I think folks want to check and see if we are all right as a community of people. I’m glad we are still talking in person.