~ Part 2 ~ Bandera, Texas - March 2010 "Thunder In The Hills" Biker Rally

~ Part 2 ~
































To be continued. Check back for more.......

Thank you, Jack Kerouac.

Simply, thank you, Jack Kerouc.
- Mary Ann









Jean-Louis Lebris de Kerouac
Jack Kerouac was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1922, the youngest of three children in a French-Canadian family. He attended local Catholic schools and won a football scholarship to Columbia University in New York City, where he met Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsburg, and William S. Burroughs. He quit school in his sophmore year and joined the Merchant Marine, beginning the restless wanderings that were to continue for the greater part of his life. His first novel The Town and the City, appeared in 1950, but it was On the Road, first published in 1957 and memorializing his adventures with Neal Cassidy, that epitomized to the world what became known as "the Beat generation" and made Kerouac one of the most controversial and best-known writers of his time. Publication of his many other books followed, among them The Dharma Bums, The Subterraneans, and Big Sur. Kerouac considered them all to be part of "one enormous comedy," which he called The Duluoz Legend. "In my old age," he wrote, "I intend to collect all my work and reinsert my pantheon of uniform names, leave the long shelf full of books there, and die happy." He died in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1969, at the age of forty-seven.

Town and the City, the (1950)
On the Road (1957)
Dharma Bums, the (1958)
Subterraneans, the (1958)
Maggie Cassidy: A Love Story (1959)
Doctor Sax (1959)
Tristessa (1960)
Lonesome Traveler (1960)
Big Sur (1962)
Visions of Gerard (1963)
Desolation Angels (1965)
Satori in Paris (1967)
Vanity of Duluoz (1968)
Pic (1971)
Visions of Cody (1972)
Orpheus Emerged (2000)
Mexico City Blues (1959)
Scripture of the Golden Eternity, the (1960)
Scattered Poems (1971)
Old Angel Midnight (1973)
Heaven & Other Poems (1977)
Book of Dreams - Definitive, Unabridged Edition, the (2001)

"you pay through the nose for short-lived shows. . . ."
- Jack Kerouac

You Didn't See Me

Motorcycle Awareness
Over two-thirds of car-motorcycle crashes are caused by drivers, not by motorcyclists. The driver either does not see the oncoming motorcyclist at all or does not see the motorcyclist in time to avoid a crash.

Tips for Drivers:

Why Didn't I See That Motorcycle?
Drivers tend to look for other cars, not motorcycles.

Because of its smaller profile, a motorcycle is harder to see and you may find it more difficult to estimate the motorcycle's speed.

The motorcyclist's riding pattern is different from your driving pattern. Different actions may be needed for the same driving or highway situation. For example, you may ignore a piece of road debris as a driver; however, that same piece of road debris may be deadly for a motorcyclist.

Traffic, weather, and road conditions require a motorcyclist to react differently than a driver, thus it is more difficult for you to judge and to predict cues that may require the motorcyclist to take an evasive action.



What Are Some Situations When Crashes Are Most Likely to Occur?
Car making a left turn:
You are attempting a left turn in front of a motorcycle operator.

Riding in your blind spot:
A motorcyclist is riding in your blind spot and you may not see the motorcycle. Additionally, you may fail to adequately check blind spots before changing lanes or making turn.

Hazardous road conditions:
Potholes, wet leaves, railroad tracks and other road obstructions may dictate that a motorcyclist take an action that you may or may not.

Obstructed line of sight:
Large vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles, delivery vans, and large trucks may block a motorcycle from your view and the motorcyclist may seem to suddenly appear.



How Can I Become More Aware of Motorcyclists?

Respect the motorcyclist:
Remember the motorcycle is a vehicle with all of the privileges of any vehicle on the roadway. Give the motorcyclist a full lane of travel.

Look out:
Look for the motorcyclist at intersections, when a motorcyclist may be making a left turn, and on the highway, when a motorcyclist may be changing lanes. Clearly signal your intentions.

Anticipate a motorcyclist's maneuver:
Obstructions that you do not notice may be deadly for a motorcyclist. Predict evasive actions.

Allow plenty of space:
Don't follow a motorcycle too closely. Allow enough room for the motorcyclist to take evasive actions.