the jail

[Stig / Major Tom]

MARRIOTT


In the open air of riding I smell: dryer sheets, cow poop, wood smoke, bread rising, hay cutting, mowed grass, warm diesel over I-70, rain coming, skunks, coffee brewing, meat grilling, bacon frying, etc. (never, here in rural Ohio, the smell of NYC or LosAngeles city streets!)

I also ride in the dark past the jail and the Marriott hotel every morning. I smell breakfast cooking each time I ride past both places.

Sometimes, while waiting at the light, sitting on my scooter, going to work or just off into the countryside for coffee with friends - I'll notice a head or two looking down at me from the jail.
So I think,  "don't look smug" - though I don't know how one does "not-smug" - knowing that those guys are in a cage while I'm on a scooter.

I figure, some of them probably just did something dumb.

Like I've never done anything dumb.

Stig
yeah, I don't take photos of the jail

MARRIOTT

[Neil955i]

It's been a while since I rode through a warm summer's night and then smelt the odours dawn seems to unleash, but I do recall a night back in the 80's when I rode from Denver to South Dakota on a big old Honda - we call them Pan Europeans (ST1100), not sure what you called them Stateside.  Began the journey at about 2am as I was jet-lagged and couldn't sleep, so thought I may as well head up to see the last bit of that year's Sturgis Rally.  What a ride and what smells!  The strongest of which (decaying carcass) I couldn't narrow down until dawn, when I could at last see the dead moose (road kill) which seemed to be at the side of the interstate every few miles!  Phew.

A much happier experience was the herd of bison which roamed freely across the road near Mt Rushmore as I stopped the bike to film them.  Magical.  Wonderful scenery in SD and what a joy to find some twisties after the long interstate run.