The Party's Over!

Well, the day has finally come, the trip has ended. I made it home safe and sound. It would seem that I brought back some warmer weather then had been in residence before I arrived.

The trip was mostly uneventful, no issues with traffic or mechanical problems. Just the typical mindless American drivers, camping thirty yards behind you in the left lane at night, using you as their cruise control and the lunatics in Chicago, doing thirty miles per hour faster then traffic and weaving back and forth.

The unpacking of the car and getting rid of the dust that has settled over all parts of the vehicle is still under way. I have managed to get the Yakima box off the roof and the majority of the bugs and dirt sprayed off. Its raining and forecast for tomorrow also so it will remain dirty for a day or so more.

I did manage to get some riding in after I made it home. On Wednesday, I went for an "Old Guys" ride with some of the gang from our usual Thursday and Sunday rides at Rock & Road. We tried to do an easy pace out on some of the lesser used roads of the area south of Grand Haven. On Saturday, a couple of friends and I did another ride casually cruising around Grand Haven and parts south to near Pigeon Lake.

This ride resulted in some unwanted attention from one of the more unreasonable drivers in the area.

Unfortunately, this incident has some history attached to it.

Last year, we, a R&R Thursday night group, the exact number eludes me but I think it was about 10, wer riding south on Lake Shore Drive just south of Wildwood. As we rode down into the gully where a pond is behind the fence of the east side of the road, a large, very large, blue dump truck came down the hill around the corner from the south heading north. As it approached us, it pulled over the double yellow line to cover at least two thirds of the south bound lane. It was an obvious move to threaten us as bikers on the road. This section of the road has no paved shoulder.

I noticed the very obvious large lettering on the sides and rear of the truck as it went by and I turned to look at it afterward. Bark & Chips 786-9786. I think the letters and numbers are at least 12 inches high if not more. So, unmistakable.

Saturday afternoon, two other friends and I were having a delightful ride south of town. Easy miles in hopes of not being too burned for a longer Sunday ride. We went south on Hiawatha and proceeded west on Croswell to Lake Shore. At the top of the overpass hill we stopped then turned left going south toward Sandy Point. We had pulled out to go around the storm grates on the side of the road as usual after checking traffic. Immediately pulling back in to a single pace line formation with me in the lead. We were riding on the west (right) side of the white line on the right side of the road heading south near the entrance to the RR repair yard for the coal cars at the Campbell Consumers Power plant. This section of Lake Shore Drive has an approximately 3 foot paved shoulder.

Then, an extremely loud truck horn started blasting behind us. It was obvious it was closing on us at a high rate of speed. I knew not to look back as I did not want to risk weaving around on the road. While the horn was still blasting, the truck roared by within a foot of my handlebars. I was not on the road surface, I was on the right side of the white line. The horn had started blasting well before he got to us and continued well past us. No one was hurt or thrown from their bikes.

The reason I am documenting this is because it was the same truck, Bark & Chips, 786-9786.

His business is noted in the GH Yellow pages as Hardwood Bark & Chips. 13433 Bingham Road, West Olive just east of US31 across from the West Ottawa Golf Course.
Business phone numbers:
616.786.9786
616.836.4088
Fax 616.786.9090
Truck Phone 616.240.2824
Nextel 130*40*1153

Otherwise, I would ask that if there are others out there that have had similar experiences with this truck, who advertises who he is while he is in fact committing assault, which in my mind demonstrates he feels he is above civilized behavior, that we gather these reports for presentation to the authorities.

This type of behavior, threatening, intimidating and the obvious use of force, against other citizens, that are otherwise acting well within their legal rights, is uncalled for and reprehensible. I am not fully aware of how the other two felt I was riding with but I thought I was a dead man. There was no question of "reasonable apprehension of imminent harmful or offensive contact", I truly thought I was a goner.

Michigan Legal Definition of Assault: "The threat or use of force on another that causes that person to have a reasonable apprehension of imminent harmful or offensive contact; the act of putting another person in reasonable fear or apprehension of an immediate battery by means of an act amounting to an attempt or threat to commit a battery.

I am truly sick of this type of treatment while I am traveling the roads of this country. It is not limited to while I am riding my bike. There is a cowboy mentality that exists in many activities in this country. It is in boating, motorcycling, general driving, and other cultural type activities in public places.

Boating and motorcycling tend to fall into similar categories, noise and speed. Why is there such a need to be so unnecessarily loud?

Driving needs little explanation, speeding, running red lights, disregard for courtesy, such as turn signals and proper lane use, are among some of the issues. Need we mention disrespectful behavior toward others such as bikers?

The last thing I will complain about in American cowboy society is the public arena behavior. Screaming, unneeded trips out of the seat, lack of control of ones intake of alcohol are only a few of the behaviors inflicted on others. There are times and places for behaviors, such as when the big points are scored but not during an entire musical concert. The screaming at the concerts I do not understand.

I guess I have been affected more negatively then I thought by this latest run in with the big blue truck. I think I have been sensitized to the nuisance because I got to spend so much quality time enjoying the outdoors on my own terms in the wilds of Arizona and Utah. I enjoyed the solitude of the mountains and desert and did not have to listen to the "rolling thunder" I will soon have inflicted on my from the land and sea.

I hope to return soon.