I don't remember the dream I was in, even though it was only five minutes since I woke. The alarm, set for four in the morning, shrilly called to me. It called to me, insistent. It told me that it was ringing for something important. When it woke me up, I didn't know what was that important. I then remembered, it wasn't my alarm, it was my friend calling to wake me up. I also remember the abuse I gave him, for waking me up so early. He reminded me that I agreed to go for a road trip in the morning (at four in the morning, nothing matters to me apart from sleep). I stretched, careful not to disturb my partner, and felt her pull me closer.
Fifteen minutes later, I was fully awake, and excited for the day ahead, as this was only my second ride with my new bike. I brushed my teeth, made myself a cup of coffee, dressed up with my riding gear and double and triple checked that I had all my documents with me. I kissed my partner awake, told her that I'm leaving, and walked out of my apartment door. I turned my bike on, taking in the sudden burst of sound, eventually letting the engine settle into to a steady rumble as it warmed up, as I went through my before ride checklist, which included checking for all appropriate documents at least five more times. I made sure I connected my phone to my blue tooth headset, and set off.
As I rode through the streets of the city where I lived, I can say one thing for sure; you can feel this city's personality so much more at five in the morning. Empty, cold, streets beckoned to me, rather than the usual blockades of traffic. I could feel the roar of the engine reverberate through the street, past the houses, disturbing the street dogs( who I couldn't care less about). The usually busy streets were silent and deserted, save for the occasional cab and sometimes, the empty buses, who were starting on their daily timetables. All I was concentrating on was the rhythm below me, the thrum of the engine, sending warmth coursing through my body, easily overpowering the cold air which surrounded me.
I reached our designated meetup point, and me and my riding buddies went through the usual greetings as our riding group, which included apologising to my friend who heard my favourite choice of abuse first thing in the morning. We made sure that we were all connected via blue-tooth, we heard the standard rules which apply, and so on, I, as usual, ignored all of that, as I was a seasoned rider by now, and we set off. I was eager to push my new bike to the limits, and I easily overtook the other riders. They didn't mind, the open highway was egging me to push my bike to it's limits, and knew I would let them catch up, eventually. I mean, come on, you have a new bike, and if you don't accelerate so hard that you feel like the bike is going to leave you behind, something must be wrong with you.
The highway was lit up in front of me, shining through the fog, almost blinding me, as we turned off the highway, onto the less traveled road which wound it's way through the hills. This was what I was waiting for, the feeling of leaning into each corner; the risk each corner bought; the hope that I wouldn't feel the bike slide beneath me, not now. The rise and fall of the engine, almost like a live creature, right between your legs, and yet it gave you full control. To me, it felt like I was riding a dragon, as it soared through the clouds, and twisted it's way through the valleys which lay spread out below.
And then, we reached our destination. It felt like no time at all, although in reality, close to three hours had passed since I left home, and two hours since I met my friends. As we parked, we saw the sun rise over the valley which lay in front of us. It was surreal, and as the sun and the fog mixed together, and I smiled to myself, knowing I wouldn't exchange this moment, this magical moment which lay before me, for anything in this lifetime of mine. I also knew that when I returned home, I would feel strangely empty. Empty, because I would not be able to experience what I experienced today for the first time again.