In the scooter’s dream, this is the road it rides…
How much does danger factor into the thrill of riding? When my spirit soars is it because I feel I’m flying or perhaps because subconsciously I believe I’ve left danger in the dust?
While I don’t intentionally ride in a dangerous manner I do accept that being on two-wheels inherently has more risk, more danger. It doesn’t mean bad things will happen, but they could, and chances are whatever does happen will probably be more intense that if I were strapped in the cage and surrounded by airbags.
Danger, or perhaps more specifically, risk is seductive and at the heart of a living game of chance. At least that’s what passed through my head as I watched the video of the Atlantic Road in Norway — Atlanterhavsveien in Norwegian. In the dark gloom with a pounding ocean I could sense the risk, the danger, and imagined traversing the windswept expanse and the quickened heart rate. It’s the same feeling I have when snow is falling on the road, or the temperature drops below zero — me against the elements.
Seems a screwy draw to riding a scooter or motorcycle. But it could be worse. I could be scrambling up the north face of the Eiger, or diving off a precipice in a wing suit.
I suppose each is just another dangerous and beautiful road…
I’d ride it!
I could see you plowing through that and upon getting to the end you would turn around to do it again.
Holy awesome road! Oh, what a bracing ride it would be.
As for wingsuiting: Given the chance, I would sooo do that.
You probably have already picked out your wing suit. But if you haven’t then TonySuit Wingsuits might be worth a look.
WOW! That is spectacular! I have to say I would ride this in perfect conditions, if it ws stormy it would be by car. There are amazing roads out there. I follow a Notwegian fellow on twitter and google +, he is a motorcyclist and vlogger his name is Rune Holten, great pics as well.
So here is the danger side of me saying if you had the chance DO IT, then the cautious side says only in good weather. But if I had the chance I would ride this, but I think I would be so awed by the magnificence of it that my attention and concentration would be so far gone it might be a huge challenge, thank you for sharing!
Hard to keep the logical, informed riding instructor out of the equation I bet. You know too much to venture forth in something that could sweep a motorcycle aside. Hard to tell from the video whether actual conditions are better or worse than they appear. You can’t trust images or video in making decisions about anything. It’s always out of context. For me I couldn’t make a decision to ride along that road until I was face to face with it. Same with riding in winter or snow here. Each ride is different and decisions are made when they need to be made.
And you’ve raised an issue that I’ve never written about though I have experienced it — that lack of attention and concentration that comes from being overwhelmed by what’s being viewed. I’ve only experienced that a couple times and never on two wheels. But it is sort of frightening. Some of my male friends joke about it when they ride through town and campus here because of what they see. Hopefully it’s not really the case that they’re so distracted by a student walking down the sidewalk that they are risking a collision of their bike with a bus.
I’ll have to look for Rune Holten. What a perfect name!
I’d love to ride/drive that road and then get a bumper sticker that read: “I brake for waves”.
Brake indeed!
Focus truly is the key. I would definitely ride that road in those conditions if it were between me and my destination. I would stop and observe until I felt I understood the rythm of the surf. I would travel at a slow speed that let me thread through the surf, avoiding the largest surges. Then I would go for it.
That would be thrill enough and I would be very focused. I think the risk would be calculated, not hare- brained. If I couldn’t see a safe path through, I would wait until I did see one. After all, it would be about an amazing road trip in Norway, not merely braving that short stretch. If you got swept off your bike, that could end the trip.
I know what it’s like to ride without sufficient focus. It happens when the joy of riding is highest, when bliss is carrying my mind to a happy place…. I know I have lacked focus because the damn turn indicator is flashing a mile after the last turn.
You’ve got the focus aspect of riding down David and would easily navigate the Atlantic Road. And maybe lack of sufficient focus could cause a Vespa rider to travel with the throttle wide open on a hot day and find an anti-freeze leak. 😉
I think a bit of stark terror now and again is what keeps me riding. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy scooters over bigger bikes. Sure, big bikes offer higher speeds and such, but I never feel quite so alive on them as I do on a little bike or scoot weighing half as much.
I try to avoid stark terror and stay just below exceptional concern. I’m with you though — I feel a bigger rush of life on the scooter than anything else I’ve ridden.
Cool video! I’d ride it…
It’s everyday riding for an Alaskan.
Wow!…another exciting road for the bucket list. AMAZING & ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. I hope we all get to travel that road someday and some great videos of the ride will be posted. Ahhhh, dreams.
Dreams are good though I’m not sure I want to stress myself out with a bucket list. For now I’ll let the days unfold largely unplanned…