vol de nuit
Posted on | June 12, 2007 | No Comments
when i was a young pilot and motorcyclist, vol de nuit, or night flight, by antoine de saint exupery, was one of my favourite books.
tonight i took a night flight of my own.
it was time for a solo night time motorcycle ride across country.
i waited until well after sundown, so i had fewer chances of being surprised by wallabies and large rodents scurrying across open highways…not to mention the massive flying insects we get around here. (one hit me on the collarbone at 100 kph, through a leather jacket, a few days ago and it felt like a bullet).
i am not sure if i would do more damage by swerving or continuing.
anyway, i timed it nicely and didn’t see any at all on this trip.
it was a very clear and chilly night and every now and then i would ride out of an avenue of rainforest trees into open road with fields rolling away on either side of me.
the stars looked magnificent and very close….there is almost no light pollution in this entire area; no street lighting and sparsely populated…….and there was no moon tonight.
it was really one of those sparkling cold velvety nights with very few people on the road.
i didn’t see any other motorcyclists either!
i just wanted some space to think….actually i find that riding the motorcycle, especially at night, demands most of my attention, so it’s difficult to ride and brood on things at the same time.
my troubles seemed to melt away somewhat and i was quite relaxed.
the ride was exhilarating, the stars were beautiful and getting home to a glass of red wine and a hot shower and a roaring fire was just divine.
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