Someone threw a rock (and hit me) on Hwy 9 today (Warning - blood)

Treehuggers in general are assholes, Peter Pedant. Not
necessarily because of their comportment, but because of
their priorities and worldview. There may very well be
the odd exception, but that doesn't invalidate the gener-
ality -- which is, of course, exactly that.

Perhaps you have your head so far up your ass that the goo
behind your ears won't be shit for three days?



Geoff
DoD 996

 

*boggle*

When a rock is thrown at someone, we can reasonably assume that harm
is the intent.

Several years ago I hit a patch of something -- I assume it was
coolant because I never saw it -- on Hwy. 9. It was in the turn
at the beginning of that long straightaway south of the two large
turnouts below Pee Point and Calamari Curve. My car nearly rolled,
then almost spun. The left wheels were off the ground at one point,
and it went through three oscillations before I was able to bring it
back under control. And no, I wasn't going all that fast; I was
coming out of a turn, after all.

Now, while my car was obviously affected by whatever it was I drove
over, there are two things that should be borne in mind. One, a
motorcycle is inherently far more likely to crash as a result of
hitting a patch of something slick on the road than a car is. And
two, cars on Hwy. 9 are both unremarkable and noncontroversial;
motorcycles, on the other hand, are both far less numerous and (as
your comments demonstrate) far more controversial. Therefore, it's
reasonable to conclude that if anyone pours a slick liquid onto the
road surface with the intent of causing an accident, it's far more
than likely motorcycles he's gunning for.

Why is it that when someone mentions having fun in (or on) a
motor vehicle, there's always someone who brings up racetracks?
Moike didn't mention racing anyone. Speed isn't inherently
dangerous, especially in the case of a skilled driver or rider.
Someone doesn't turn into Pubic Enema Number One the instant he
exceeds some arbitrary (and often artificially low) speed limit.

(You may have lived here long enough, by the way, to know that
the speed limit on the open stretches of Hwy. 9 north of Boulder
Creek wasn't always 45. It was 55 up until a few years ago. Does
that mean that someone who was driving or riding within the law
then is a threat to public safety now?)

Some of the less experienced or -proficient ones are a danger to
themselves, as the weekend chorus of sirens going up and down Hwy.
9 (and the occasional Life Flight helicopter landing at the bottom
of Kings Creek Road) demonstrate. But dangerous to others? I don't
think so. They annoy a lot of local residents because their relative
speed is unnerving to these plodding, roadgoing bovines. A lot of
people up here are real control freaks when they get behind the wheel,
too, and dollars to dogshit the bikers piss them off because they can
pass so effortlessly.

The only motorcyclists who piss me off are the Harley riders. They
ride slowly and refuse to move aside for faster traffic, and they
go out of their way to make ridiculous amounts of noise. But the
sportbike guys? They're kindred spirits to driving enthusiasts like
myself, and I'm more than happy to share the local roads with them.
When one zooms up behind me, I'm delighted to move aside to let him
pass at the earliest opportunity.

What a bizarre, xenophobic thing to say. "Yew ain't from around here,
are yew, boy?" Cue the theme from "Deliverance."

That's strange; I've lived in the San Lorenzo Valley for seven and a
half years, and drive enough to put 30K miles a year on my car. Could
it be that your perception of those situations was flawed, and you
overreacted?

Nonsense. C'mon up anytime.



Geoff
DoD 996

 

Hurl a missile? Shit, it takes 2 guys just to _lift_ an AIM-9 Sidewinder.




Geoff

 

Hmmm. So you mean that a basically nice person could be an asshole for
believing the wrong thing?

Well, yes, it does.

Now that's the kind of thing an asshole says.

 

You know those treehuggers; they might not have car doors. In which
case he'd have to use a branch or something.


V.

 

Nobody has any proof that it was thrown with -no- intent to
harm me.

You sound like someone who doesn't ride a motorcyle in the area.
Or doesn't actually live in the SLV. I don't know anybody who
lives/rides in the area and has not had either firsthand experience
with some suspicious road hazard or heard about stuff getting
hucked at motorcyclists by some of the oddball types up in the hills.

If you want me to start rolling out facts and proof... I can. I've got
more than enough firsthand accounts of malicious attempts to harm
a motorcyclist on Highway 9. But you sound like an individual who
things like facts and logic would be wasted on.

No, I use my local racetack as my personal racetrack. What
part of -I respect the road and the people who live on it, so I don't
go full bore- did you fail to comprehend in my follow up to Barbz.
I roadrace motorcycles with the wife -on the track-. I do track days
-on the track-. Myself and my fellow club members do not use
Highway 9 as our personal race track.

Just because I'm on two wheels, don't assume I'm Johnny Weekend
Squid from the Valley.

Man, back to grade school for you. Your reading comprehension
skills leave little to be desired. Maybe you're the Mommy/Daddy of
Johnny Rockhucker... Where abouts in the SLV do you live anyway?

I got pegged with the rock because of three things...

- I was the lead bike out of 5.
- I wear a highly visible bright day-glo orange helmet.
- My Ducati has a nice throaty rumble that makes it audible from about
a mile away when you're standing around on the shoulder of Hwy 9.

My past presence with the 'regular' folk in the SLV lead me to beleive
while they may dislike Johnny Weekend Squid, and hate the traffic
snarls his regular accidents cause as the BCFD hose the blood off
the road... None of them would ever go out of their way to do Johnny
Weekend Squid harm, they're good folk...

You're front yard will do nicely... Gimme an address and I'll start
passing it around as the new place to be. I just threw new knobs on
the XR, this'l be great.

Your Friend,
-Mike-

 

My guess, too. Had they built a platform on his bike and refused to
vacate for three months, afterwards writing a book about the experience
and enjoining all the world to just get along plus use ceramic coffee
mugs instead of disposable, then it might be a treehugger.


On the other hand, the scream of a loud bike in full go is also enough,
given repetition, to drive otherwise sane folk over the edge. A rock
tossed isn't a particularly effective way to start the conversation,
but if suspicion immdiately veers to an environmental beef rather than
simple hooliganism, p'rhaps the opener shouldn't be ignored?


V.

 

Speaking of which Geoff, when would you like to get together?


--
PC Paul
89 PC800
77 R100RS

Trip pics at: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/paul1cart/my_photos

"To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to
society" - Theodore Roosevelt

 

Hey, just thinking...could we mount those on a C-130?


--
PC Paul
89 PC800
77 R100RS

Trip pics at: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/paul1cart/my_photos

"To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to
society" - Theodore Roosevelt

 

Certainly. An _amiable_ asshole, perhaps, but an asshole
nevertheless.

I know that many treehuggers agree, considering how quick
they are to get nasty and insulting with anyone on Usenet
whom they identify as a right-wing conservative, a Bush
supporter, a Hummer driver, etc.


: There may very well be the odd exception, but that doesn't
: invalidate the generality -- which is, of course, exactly
: that.

That's the trouble with you liberals (well, one of them): you
just can't wrap your brains around the concept of generalities,
or distinguish them from unqualified absolutes.

And it isn't difficult to understand why that is. You people
instinctively resist generalities because they're uncomfortably
close to stereotypes, and liberals hate stereotypes almost as
much as they hate Republicans. (Unless they're stereotypes _of_
Republicans, of course; those are okay.)


: Perhaps you have your head so far up your ass that the goo
: behind your ears won't be shit for three days?

Hey, my mother loves me. And so does yours, by the way.



Geoff

 

You're the kind of tool that buys a house next to Laguna Seca, or at
the
end of Reid Hillview's runway... Then bitches about the noise of the
races
or the planes taking off.

You (And I for several years) live next to the one big connector
between
the Valley and the Beach aside from 17. There is going to be noise.

That's why myself and others in my motorcycle club try to speak
to those who abuse those local roads in such a manner. We tell them
to tread lightly, and behave. But hey, you wouldn't know that, with
your broad generalizations and assumptions about myself and those
I choose to ride with.

And that attitude right there is the problem...

Why do you assume I'm young? There you go assuming again.

If that's a natural and expected reaction to that problem? Would a
natural and expected reaction from the Bay Area Motorcycling
Community be to start a few major forest fires in the SLV to get rid
of this menace? So a few people who are not part of this problem
will lose their homes and probably die. At least the Bay Area
Motorcycling Community might get the bad guy in the process.

Does that kind of statement make much sense? Does it sound
logical? Does your 'natural and expected reaction' statement
sound sane?

Whoever did this to me was probably looking to take out a
weekend warrior or a squid, but had no idea who they actually
nearly killed with their well aimed rock. Even if they had got
Johnny Weekend Squid, that still in no way makes it anywhere
near right.

Let's fast forward 15 years... And some lugnut in the hills hucks a
rock
or stretches some wire between some trees while he was out trail riding
and clips your kid real good? Your tune change any, or you going
to wear those rose colored glasses and pretend that could never
happen?

What about the 50 year old and up set who've been watching lots of
American Chopper these days, buy a Harley, and bolt on Straight Pipes.
They think it's hip to ride into Boulder Creek or Ben Lomond... Get
loaded
up on booze, and then try to make it back over 9 on a bike they can't
handle on a road they hardly know...

Before you stick your head any further up your ass, you may want to
drop your zipper and read some of the recent findings that show the
aging baby boomers are hurling themselves into ditches around the
Bay Area on very loud HD's usually while DUI. So let's not leave out
that
key target demographic. And just for clarification, I'm into older
bikes
these days... My Ducati has no plastic.

Man, you obviously don't do the same Monday Morning Commute on
Highway 9 or Bear Creek Road that I had to do. The cars and trucks
were usually double the limit nose to tail NASCAR style. It wasn't
uncommon for me, on my BMW, Ducati, or Hayabusa, to pull into a
turnout and wave cars by that wanted to travel much faster on 9 then
-I- felt comfortable riding on Highway 9. And my AFM license said
'expert' on it. So please, continue with the Janus statments.

Go right ahead... Legislation instead of Education. There's your
campaign slogan.

Shove it up your ass sideways dry... May our paths never cross.

Your Friend,
-Mike-

 

Oh, it's not "gratuitous" at all. I know people who like to hike, who
think they are the only people who should be allowed to use the
outdoors, because other recreational activities annoy them. At least a
couple of them probably wouldn't hesitate to hurl a rock if they thought
they could get away with it.

Incidentally, the clothesline people pled 'not guilty' to assault
yesterday. Perhaps they were only going to hang some laundry?

--
--
Spidergraham
Chaplain, ARSCC



"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

 

I read a good one last night, "I'll shove your head so far up your ass,
you'll smell yesterday's breakfast!" hehe

--
--
Spidergraham
Chaplain, ARSCC



"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

 

Not when its mouth is full of cranium...

--
--
Spidergraham
Chaplain, ARSCC



"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

 

And I've known some who rode motorcycles. Also, highway 9 isn't
exactly a wilderness experience except perhaps to those deeply
clueless folk who occasionally wander in from San Jose.

Like I said, if we're making wildass guesses based on suspicions
alone, I'll put my money on bored teenagers. In that area, they
probably outnumber the treehuggers several hundred to one.

 

There's no arguing with people like this. He's self-opinionated,
arrogant and ignorant. Just like the treehuggers I was talking about, he
thinks he's the only person on the planet that matters, and everyone
else is just spoiling his fun. "Speed limit for motorcycles," what an
asshole! We'd all be rear-ended by every cager on the road who thinks
he's Mario Andretti. (and there are way too many of them)

Hey, Jerkface, if you don't LIKE it, you can always move, instead of
whining like a baby and sharing your narrow view of motorcyclists.
"Local hooligans..." lol. I can't believe he actually said that!

--
--
Spidergraham
Chaplain, ARSCC



"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

 

That'd be a good guess, considering that this is an area where any
vehicle left at the roadside _will_ be vandalized, if not actually
stripped. The little mutants hereabouts don't have enough to keep
them busy on more constructive matters, it would seem.



Geoff

 

The intent doesn't matter. The utter and total *disregard* for the
consequences -and potentially human life- is what is indisputable. And
punishable.

....pablo

 

Try a Sparrow then.

 

I'm sure it's already been done.