Maya’s first REAL motorcycle
I say this was my first real motorcycle because, unlike the Honda Elsinore, I could actually ride this motorcycle It was dependable, consistent, solid, and predictable. Because it was all of these things, I could take it out and actually learn how to ride. This was the bike that taught me how to climb hills, and ride across the desert through sand and sage brush. I also learned how to keep up with the boys.
I bought this motorcycle brand new with money I saved from my first job. I owned it for several years and spent my summers crossing the Utah deserts with this bike. It sparked a passion for adventure and travel I never had – one that continues today.
My most memorable experience on this bike was when Michael and I decided to ride the Bonneville Salt Flats aimlessly. We took off from I-80 and headed north for miles and miles. Eventually I slowed down for a break, and I became really disoriented. The ground seemed to bend and bow inwards. The entire landscape was flat (alas the salt flats) and white. It was a surreal image that I didn’t understand. Then I saw the ground starting to crack! Michael and I had unknowingly been riding across a thick crust of salt over water from the Great Salt Lake. We were unaware of how far out we had traveled over water, but the ground started breaking up in large sheets similar to ice on a lake. Michael started screaming for me to keep going and not stop. I gave it gas and was okay; Michael was a different story.
I circled back and saw that his rear tire was breaking through and creating a path of murky water. He was trying to get his tire back up on top of the crust, but it was right on the edge. I kept moving, trusting he would pull it off and be fine. My heart was pounding in my chest like it was going to explode. Michael came along side me. We did not stop or look back or stop until we hit asphalt! Although we made it safely back to the highway, both bikes and bodies were completely white from the wet salt crystals we kicked up.
Shhhhhh! My mother doesn’t know about this story…
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