DV Ride '15 - Lone Pine - After Ride Comportment

    

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:

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.

"Man Stew!"

Sue's view of man stew,
Vicki aids and abets. I'm
the innocent bystander

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.

STICKII and Bev's Vegas at the Dow in Lone Pine
from my camera roll