The Gal Who Fell In Love with a Bike

This is how I found the bike of my dreams and fell in love with a bikergo at Burning Man 2009.

I know–There are soooo many grreat bikes at Burning Man.

Take this bike, pictured. I love the contrast of the octo ferns in Maxwell’s bike basket with his hot pink outfit I sooo want that outfit! and the bike! and do you see his bike baskets in the back? !! Maxwell, you must bring this bike on a First Friday ride soon! I know I know, this First Friday you’re sitting the Artists Union Gallery which is showing some of your very HOT blacklight artwork!

But really, folks, this post is NOT all about Maxwell and his awesome Burner self and really cool bike.

Not at all. This post is about the BEST BIKE I have EVER ridden in my life.

Really. No kidding. And I rode it at Burning Man this past year.

See, after one of the wine tastings I hosted on the Playa (I know I know I need to write THAT post!), I rode off on my 1986 hot pink 3000 pound mountain bike to join my family to watch the Rocket blast off.

You know–this rocket–the Gothic Raygun Rocket, my son’s favorite artwork out there? In fact you can read his post about it here–and watch a video of it blasting off with plenty of fireworks! (Please do! He loves to check his stats!)

So I was riding around on my pink bike with our 12′ high tie-dyed Ganesh on a bike banner on the back, wearing Nila’s purple cowboy boots and who knows what else fun funky and sparkly, looking for them. My son was in a Superman outfit riding in the Burley behind the Big Monkey on Toni the Tiger’s tiger furred bike.

Turns out there were probably 10,000 people there also waiting and watching. Or more–maybe 20,000 people. It seemed like EVERYONE on the playa was there.

Quickly I realized the futility of my exercise. There were so many people I couldn’t even ride my bike. So I stopped. Straddled my bike and walked around. And looked around.

Two guys were standing by their bikes and we struck up a conversation. They are both REALLY into bikes, and a wind storm came up so I gave them both bandanas with Ganesh on a bike, which they appreciated. I admired Deacon’s blinking star necklace and Deacon offered me one but they were back at camp. He then gave me some bee lip balm he had handmade.

I told them I was looking for my husband and son. Believe it or not, they described them both to a T saying they were both wearing their bandanas and they even said the boy was wearing a Superman outfit!

I knew then they were my true friends, in the way that you know certain truths on the playa, and that it was meant to be for us to hang out together that night.

So there we were, hanging out on the Playa, waiting out the duststorms, waiting for the rocket to launch, talking about biking and all kinds of crazy stuff.  We were laughing hysterically all the time about totally silly stuff. They were a riot. I totally love these guys. They are my brothers. And they loved me too, they kept saying they were hanging with the coolest mama on the playa.

The other guy, Matt, had this crazy lemon yellow bike. I didn’t get it, get why, but he made it out to be something special. Then some other guy came up, introduced himself, and they talked about this bike, and he went for a ride on it. I guess he’s some seriously famous cyclist guy, but I had no clue who he was even after Matt and Deacon tried to explain.

He came back with the bike and raved like he’d never been on a bike before so then I had to try it. “Promise you’ll bring it back!” Matt said as I rode off.

“Of course!” I yelled back. But by then, honestly, I had  a serious case of the giggles.

This bike was soooo much fun to ride I couldn’t stop laughing and giggling to myself!

Really. I have never ever ever been on a bike that felt so good, moved so smooth, made me feel so joyous and happy inside

I never ever wanted to get off this bike!

Riding this bike felt like fooling around–no kidding. Cruising around felt like those long, fun kisses, full of life and love and longing to let loose and roll! Oh, I was soooo in love with this bike!

But I didn’t want Matt to worry, so I figured I’d better head back. Except I had been so enamoured, so infactuated, so darn right in love with this bike that

I lost my head!

That’s right–I lost my sense of direction–I had no idea where I was!

Now that’s saying something. I have an incredible sense of direction. I don’t get lost or turned around. I mean, I backpacked all the way from Mexico to Canada and really, we never–I never–got lost. It’s an innate gift I have–and which my son has also.

But here I was, not sure where I’d ridden from, not sure which direction to go to return this bike.

Not that I really wanted to return it. No.

I wanted to keep this bike forever. I was lusting after this bike. I won’t go into the dirty details. I am sure there are fetish magazines about that. But I’m not going there. Suffice to say,  I WANT THAT BIKE!

I’m not that kind of gal–run off into the night with another man’s bikergo. So somehow I did it. I didn’t let myself giggle, or laugh, or be distracted in my new found love. I knew I had to return this bike. I did, I really did have to return the bike. As much as I wanted it,  craved it, it wasn’t my bike to have. I would have to earn one on my own.

So I found Matt and Deacon, and returned the bike as the Rocket fireworks went off. They weren’t worried; turned out I hadn’t even been gone that long at all.

But you know when you’re in love how time takes on other dimensions? That’s how it was with me and that bikergo.

That bike.

I love that bikergo.

And I will do just about anything–ANYTHING, universe do you hear me?? –to make one of those bikes–a BIKERGO– of my very own one day.

Well,  a few weeks after I wrote those words, I did become the proud owner of a bikergo! And here on this blog, I’ll share with you my stories!

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