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| The Dow and Beyond unless otherwise noted, photos are courtesy of Tim Robertson from the group's Death Valley Facebook Album |
We made our overnight stay
at the Dow Villa Motel & Historic Dow
Hotel in Lone Pine, a nice place with amazing views of the Eastern Sierras.
The ride in, as reported in my last post, was a windy ride with great views and
exceptional riders. Lone Pine is a census designated place (CDP) in Inyo
County, CA located in the Owens Valley near the Alabama Hills and is a gateway
to the Eastern Sierras with views of the major peaks including Mount Whitney,
the highest peak in the continental U.S. The Census Bureau calls the area
‘frontier’ and the town reflects the designation. The Dow is set up with nice
rooms, easy access to the town and, for our night’s stay, boasted freshly
boiled ‘man stew’ as aptly named by Sue, more on that in a bit.
Regarding
my use of ‘comportment’ in the title:
I confess to feeling a
little pressured having received my motorcycle handle and nickname ‘Shakespeare’ by Tim Robertson. When I remarked that Shakespeare is a tough act
to follow, Tim simply said, “I set the bar high”, just like somebody who likes
sending things to outer space would. Fortunately the bar is so high that I’ll
be able to walk right under it with no problems and I replied as much to Tim.
‘Comportment’ is attributed
to Middle French with its first known use in 1589 and means “to behave in a
manner conformable to what is right, proper, or expected” as defined by my good
friend Webster. I’m quite sure the French stole the term from The Bard of Avon
himself; the timing is just about right. I am equally certain that our behavior
was right, under certain definitions, properly fun-loving, and about as expected
by me based on my all too few previous day-rides with the group. That being
said, not everything that transpired will be published as recorded in my now
infamous pocket composition book – I’ll probably need the leverage at some
point in time.
Comportable
behaviors observed (and participated in) in Lone Pine:
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| Pizza Factory mustachio tribute to Jim Liston |
We ate dinner that night at
the Pizza Factory and became part of their ’30 Years of Awesomeness.’ We wanted
a place with a big table so we could talk and be as loud as needed to be heard. We
only ran out one couple who preferred the MMA bout on TV to our selection of an
NBA Playoff game. The place was better with the game on in the background and
our conversations were animated with tales of the day’s ride. In tribute to our
absent good friend Jim Liston we sported Pizza Factory mustachios and they were
awesome.
We needed to walk off the
pizza and our party stretched out along Highway 395 which acts as ‘Main Street
for Lone Pine. A few of our members were intrepid enough to walk all the way to
the end of town and there discovered a Carl’s Junior. Another pair shortstopped
to a general store and provisioned up with a nice bottle of wine for the
evening and shortly after they rejoined the main body of walkers Tim R and I checked
out a real estate listing that would allow Cindy and me to have a decent place
without a mortgage if we didn’t mind living in the frontier.
Our route back to the rooms
took us by the pool and we were offered a view of the spa which contained seven
or eight men in a bubbling bowl that would be comfortable for six. Sue
exclaimed, “Man stew!” and subsequently was hoisted up the back block wall to
overlook the spa for a photo and to address the men. She reported confused
looks of consternation but their behavior was comportable for adventure-bikers
that go into the deep frontier together.
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| "Man Stew!" |
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| Sue's view of man stew, Vicki aids and abets. I'm the innocent bystander |
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| Taking Notes Photo courtesy of Kevin Shaw |
Once we gathered in Tim T’s
John Wayne room, complete with a bar, stools, and a seating area (that guy
always goes first class), the only thing missing was a campfire. The wine
aficionados shared with all who wanted and we sat around talking and sharing;
about rides in the past, where we’d like to ride in the future, what our first
jobs were and interesting tidbits about them, Vicki’s close encounter with the
bison in Yellowstone, and a host of reminiscences that kept the campfire lively.
Jed afforded Tim R a towel when we talked a bit about the gaming that would be
available the next day in Vegas and Tim salivated a bit much. The room grew quiet
whenever I flipped open my little notebook so I put it away in favor of the
digital voice recorder in my pocket.
These are the times that I
cherish most and I’ve had many and can only use the word ‘blessed’ when I think
of them. This trip was full of opportunities to talk and share; the John Wayne
room, little walks with one or two others, and every meal time. I’ve had many
other times like this; campfires in the wilderness to the west of Lone Pine on
backpack trips, after-game dinners and bus rides with teammates, actual
campfires with my in-laws, parties, road trips with family and friends, times
of affirmation with junior and senior high kids and their advisers, fishing
with my dad or kids. And I’ve known them during times of solitude while walking
along the beach or in the mountains and deserts, and during solo rides. Raucous
laughter, quiet discussion, yelling, whispering, or not, there is something
exciting and exquisite about getting to know someone, even if it’s yourself.
Y’all be comportable whenever possible; when not, have fun anyway
and keep the iron side up.
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| STICKII and Bev's Vegas at the Dow in Lone Pine from my camera roll |
