In the early summer of 1978, Kevin and I rode to Montana on my 750 Honda motorcycle.  Since Kevin was only 14 we rode double.  This was a month-long journey and we covered many of the western states - we had several adventures but this is the story that always comes to mind when I think back ......

We started the day in Pendleton, Oregon - it was a very hot morning.  As we traveled West across Oregon, the weather got hotter and hotter, and the going was slow, since we took every opportunity to rest in the shade.  Eventually we found ourselves on the crest of the coastal range about 60 miles east of Florence, Oregon.  As we descended the ocean side, the temperature got cooler and cooler.  I turned to Kevin and hollered: "Are you about ready for a jacket?"  He replied with a wise crack: "I'll be ready when you're ready, you pansy."

Pansy? Me?  As we got lower, the coolness turned to downright cold.  We were soon in fog, the temperature was in the low 40's, and we two tough guys were still wearing T-shirts.  Neither on of us ever gave in and when we finally arrived in Florence, Oregon we were both very, very cold.  As we approached the city, I found it difficult to make my hands and feet work the clutch, gear shift and brakes.  Kevin was unable to unfold his arms when we attempted to dismount at the first motel we ran into.  When we went into our room, we turned up the heat, turned the shower to "steam" and basked in the humid heat for hours.  While we recovered, we laughed about how stupid we both were and vowed to never again let testosterone run amok between us - we were largely successful.