Improv Ride

My friend Webster told me this morning about two words, improvisation and impromptu.

Improvisation is the ‘act or art of improvising’ or ‘something, as a musical or dramatic composition, improvised’. Not so helpful so to improvising which ‘is to compose, recite, play, or sing extemporaneously or to make, invent, or arrange offhand’. Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.

Impromptu is so closely related that he simply says “a musical composition suggesting improvisation.

Improv, ‘of or relating to improvisation’, needs only an ‘e’ at the end for another very cool word, improve.

Let me say this about those words; my impromptu ride this morning has been full of improvisation and has improved my mood and giving me a desire to write.

KSU was before seven this morning with the only two known objectives in place; to ride through Malibu Canyon and then find a remote office to write. I made up the route as I rode and wasn’t sure if I would head north or south once I hit PCH and I was happy with that as I pushed off.

I wanted to avoid the San Fernando Valley freeways during the morning commute as much as I could so I headed up La Tuna Canyon, out of the Crescenta Valley and into the other valley. I let two radar busters out ahead of me on the canyon road and out to the valley streets that I used to ride out to CSUN for class in the mid- seventies and then when I drove in a company car with my partner Steve Worth back in the early eighties. Traffic was okay all the way through but I needed to put down my face-shield to hold off the mist even with the hit of blue skies here and there off to the north. I had the added benefit of keeping the early commuter’s morning nicotine infusion at a minimum, they smoked as they drove and drank their coffees for the morning caffeine hit. Those, and our own personal, ‘ines’ will be the death of us one day or, at least hasten them on.

I rode past the 101 West onramp at Balboa Avenue watching the traffic crawl west as I went under the freeway. Randy Newman was calling me to Venture Boulevard so I took that northwards to avoid the stop and go on the 101 for the stop and go of the traffic signals on the boulevard. I fueled up at Zelzah and Ventura, I love saying that name, even typing it is fun. Go ahead, say it. “Zelzah”.

I fired up my CCR station on Pandora and listened to The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” as I pulled back on to Ventura Boulevard but got tired of the boulevard in Tarzana and I jumped on the freeway to lurch and crawl along while being amazed at the number of people escaping the megalopolis early on a Thursday morning. The traffic had just cleared as we reached the saddle of the pass heading down to my off ramp at Las Virgenes Road.

Riding in the midst of a caravan of cars isn’t the same as riding with a group of biker friends. Clapton’s “Layla” saved the run through Malibu Canyon. There is nothing like a great blues guitar riff for finding a rhythm for the road.

PCH is my favorite road. I love seeing Pt. Dume poking into the Pacific as I turn onto PCH to head north past many of my old haunts from Paradise Cove days. I made my traditional stop at the Mugu Lagoon (see my current FB cover photo). I let the earlier promised sun warm my back as I looked over the brilliant green wetlands dotted with equally brilliant white egrets. The strip of buff sand demarked a cobalt ocean dotted here with a fishing boat, there with a white-sailed yacht.

From the overlook, over the wetlands
toward the point

Just like my front deck, the overlook
needs a little TLC

My breakfast was consumed and my rough draft nearly done, time to head for home. As I write this I only know that I’ll head home via the rural 118 and stop for some impromptu strawberries. I suppose that since I foresee the strawberries they can no longer be considered improvisation. Oh well, I can still improvise some mischief when I get home, there will be strawberries.

 Y’all keep the iron side up and do something extemporaneous today. Improvise, adapt, overcome.

jerry

PS – The strawberries are excellent and well appreciated.