A trip into the past

Gail and I took a trip down to Central Oregon over the weekend to spend time with family.  The route took us over roads that we had last rode over 20 years ago.  Most of our trips through this part of the country back then were usually to the Fossil Run, or to Weiser or Council, Idaho.  That was many years and many friends ago...but it brought smiles to both our faces and we thought good of all those we rode with and wondered how everyone faired over time.

Some, we suspect, didn't make it out alive.  Bob (shown in the picture participating in a Slow Race at Fossil in '84), was one of those that we doubted made it.  Of our group, he was the one that drank the most, smoke the most weed, did the most coke, and eventually got into shooting up crank.  At that time we knew he was well on his way to a bad outcome but we never hung around to find out.

The scene back then got heavy with folks cooking crank in the hills and some ending up doing hard time.  There was also a string of drug deals gone bad that led to shootouts and deaths.  We knew some involved on both sides and that hit too close to home.  We figured it was time to move on.

Over the years we've lost touch with all those we rode with but we still have their pictures hanging up in our house and we talk of them from time to time and even though our paths may never cross again, we wish them well.