For example, that gas station back there you probably should not have ridden past without topping off the tank; that essential item for long road trips you would have sworn you packed—but didn’t. You get the drift—and there are many others. He also writes about family, friends, living your life and loss. There is poignancy and power in his narrative, as well as comic relief.
The Afterword also sets the stage for what the rest of the book also deals with—some serious thoughts, meditations, if you will, on whether or not to take one more ride and maybe one more ride after that. What risk factors in his life—our lives—could even make that a question to ponder? After considering the mechanical factors that affect the motorcycle itself, he draws an unflinching bead on himself as he has aged, saying:
“The rest, the mental, psychological and physical parts, is largely up to me.
“Most important are the reactions—do I still have them? Are they still equal to the tests of the road? Can I still keep my focus, be aware and anticipate? Do I still hold that edge?
“I won’t belabor. Let’s just say that we all have some damn thing or other, crosses to bear, and the older you get the more likely they are to befall you.
“On the whole, I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to ride, to live and to come through it all as well as I have.
“There are still a few rides left in me. Granted, the perils of the road have become far more intimidating, even more than that since I’ve written this book and taken the time to sit back, review it all and contemplate. I am more keenly aware of the risk factors now, the close calls I’ve personally experienced, than ever I admitted before writing it. Perhaps it is nearing time to retire.
“But no, not quite yet.
“One More Ride, mebbe a few more than that.”
Riders of a certain age will relate to what he has to say on a very personal level, but every rider will find his thoughts both enlightening and entertaining.
In addition to being one of those riders of a certain age, I was drawn to the book by the fact that much of the territory Milverstedt describes riding in the Driftless Area of southwest Wisconsin is my home turf where I ride daily.
Let’s hope Milverstedt has kept taking one more ride—and another after that—and then taken the time to maybe write one more book.
Book Data:
- Title: One More Ride—Fred and the Craft of Motorcycle Meditations
- Author: Fred Milverstedt
- Published: 2013 paperback, 163 5.5” x 8.5” pages, B/W images.
- Publisher: August Publications, 7600 Terrace Avenue, Suite 204, Middleton, WI 53562
- ISBN: 978-1-938532-06-1
- MSRP: U.S. $14.95
