Bee Behind Bars

You know that feeling you get when the road opens up in front of you and there’s no one else around? When you get the urge to roll on just a little more and suddenly you’re a child on your first swing chair ride at the carnival again. It’s not fear you’re feeling, its elation, and you never want it to stop…
330 from San Bernardino to Rim of the World starts out mild mannered as it meanders through the canyon. The road ahead pokes in and out of view as you crest and fall, like a mother trying to rock her baby to sleep. You barely notice the climb through the foothills with its long sweeping turns and gently sloping shoulders. The wildflowers dominating the hillsides entertain your eyes while they sweep the pavement in the distance. 

Before you know it, the temperature has changed. Suddenly you’re carving up the mountain switching back and back, up and around and back and up again. The road is narrow now and the shoulder is steep with rocky walls just a few feet from the road on both sides. It’s steep now and your throttle is happy to respond to the extra twist. Then wham! You’re at 8000ft above sea-level and it’s over as quickly as it started. Things up here are so much different than they were just a few short moments ago.

Those first 15 minutes? Those are the calm before the storm. I welcome them as much as the chaos and the thrill and the rush.