BeastieGirl
Well-known member
I was in West Virginia this long weekend and when I went down for breakfast at the Super8 where I was staying in Elkins, I met a fellow early riser at 6:00 a.m. He was an older man who asked me how I liked WV - I told him as a motorcyclist I loved it and was surprised to see his eyes start to tear up.
Then he told me he was there that weekend for the funeral of his grandson, John, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in Colorado. John's parents also lived in Colorado, but they had his ashes shipped back to West Virginia to be placed in the family cemetary there. For close to an hour we spoke of John, of motorcycling, and of a life cut short way too soon.
I obviously don't know John, but his story touched me and I felt a connection, maybe because I had actually ridden to Colorado in June of this year.
According to his grandfather, John was a shining star. Just graduated from university, and at 21 he was offered and accepted a position paying six figures a year. John lived hard, played hard and worked hard. Along with his R6, he bought a Corvette - the kind of toys you would expect a young man to buy. His concerned parents apparently convinced him out of the motorcycle. It was being sold - was supposed to be delivered to the dealer the following day.
John went for one last ride - his grandfather thinks he just couldn't resist that one last rush of adrenaline on the bike. He passed an off-duty cop, who said John was going at least 100 mph - lost control, went into a barbed wire fence, hit a fence post and died instantly of a broken neck.
I met John's grandfather again as I was loading up the bike to head out. He begged me to be careful and all I could do was say I would.
But I'm not posting John's story as a warning of what can or might happen. I am not in a position to be judgmental - a few years ago I lost control on a winding mountain road, low sided and slid into a tree, breaking my shoulder blade. A few inches and I could have easily hit head first instead shoulder first.
But John's grandfather took some comfort in passing his story on to me, and in some way I hope to continue that comfort for him by passing John's story on here. Logically it makes no sense - but I wanted John's story to be known.
Then he told me he was there that weekend for the funeral of his grandson, John, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in Colorado. John's parents also lived in Colorado, but they had his ashes shipped back to West Virginia to be placed in the family cemetary there. For close to an hour we spoke of John, of motorcycling, and of a life cut short way too soon.
I obviously don't know John, but his story touched me and I felt a connection, maybe because I had actually ridden to Colorado in June of this year.
According to his grandfather, John was a shining star. Just graduated from university, and at 21 he was offered and accepted a position paying six figures a year. John lived hard, played hard and worked hard. Along with his R6, he bought a Corvette - the kind of toys you would expect a young man to buy. His concerned parents apparently convinced him out of the motorcycle. It was being sold - was supposed to be delivered to the dealer the following day.
John went for one last ride - his grandfather thinks he just couldn't resist that one last rush of adrenaline on the bike. He passed an off-duty cop, who said John was going at least 100 mph - lost control, went into a barbed wire fence, hit a fence post and died instantly of a broken neck.
I met John's grandfather again as I was loading up the bike to head out. He begged me to be careful and all I could do was say I would.
But I'm not posting John's story as a warning of what can or might happen. I am not in a position to be judgmental - a few years ago I lost control on a winding mountain road, low sided and slid into a tree, breaking my shoulder blade. A few inches and I could have easily hit head first instead shoulder first.
But John's grandfather took some comfort in passing his story on to me, and in some way I hope to continue that comfort for him by passing John's story on here. Logically it makes no sense - but I wanted John's story to be known.
