Where's the Petcock: A Lesson in Riding

There was always a good reason to pay Marty a visit. I loved sitting in his shop, watching him create beautiful body art. He'd recently began sketching an idea I had for some ink and I decided to head up to Auburn to pay him a visit.

At this time, I was learning how to ride. In California, the restrictions of riding with only a permit include riding only between dawn and dusk, staying off the freeways, and no passengers allowed. I'd only had my permit for a short while. My bike was my only mode of transportation. I had a big ride coming up to the Redwood Run with my friends from the Devil's Horsemen so I was determined to master it as quickly as possible.

Well, I've never been very compliant. However, I learned a very valuable lesson this evening...

I took my usual route up through the foothills from Folsom into Auburn, California. This road was absolutely perfect. Not only was the scenery just breathtaking, but the road had enough curves and gently sloped hills to get a good practice ride in. It seemed like I was always building up my riding skills along the way.

The ride up to Rebel Ink was gorgeous and watching Marty work his artistry was always amazing. What a gift!

Leaving his shop I realized it was just about dusk. This was not good because I was not supposed to be riding after dark. I figured I could just jump on the freeway, rather than taking my same route back home. That would get me home faster, right? This was my first mistake.

Well, the next mistake I made was thinking I had enough gas in my tank to make it all the way home. I did not even think to take the gas cap off to check the fuel level. Not very smart, huh? I just hopped on the freeway and hurried on my way home.

Riding close to 80 mph in the fast lane, the bike started making a funny noise. Sort of a sputtering sound. What the heck? Then the bike started to slow down...

I moved over to the middle lane and tried to accelerate but the bike was slowing even more. I had no idea what was going on. My speed was slowing to a dangerous point and it was now completely dark. When it dawned on me that I was running out of gas, I reached for the petcock (gas reserve switch). My problem was I couldn't find it!

Finally realizing I needed to get the hell off the freeway, I made my away across the slow lane. The moment I did this, I cut right in front of a big rig! He layed on his horn and scared the life out of me. My heart just about jumped out of my chest as he flew past my rear tire!

An angel was flying with me and I was certainly reminded to never ride faster than your angel can fly!

It took me a few minutes of sitting alongside the freeway to gather my bearings. Once I reached a state of calm, I flipped the petcock. Fortunately, there was a gas station at the next exit and I made it safely all the way home. All the way, I was feeling pretty stupid.

Once I parked the bike in my garage, I sat there on my bike in the complete darkness, reaching for the petcock over and over again. I'm pretty sure I practiced for a good half hour. I sure never forgot where the petcock was again!