MOONLIGHT RAMBLE

As I slowly raised the wooden single pane glass window of my upstairs bedroom, I was already thinking to myself, What if I get caught? My parent's bedroom was directly below mine. What if they hear me or if they find out? They'd kill me.

A few weeks earlier my Dad had bought my brothers and I a new Rupp "Scrambler" mini-bike that we were to share. In exchange, we had to give up on our playing Khoury League baseball which  I had played for more than  three years prior. 
We were told that we weren't allowed to ride it on the graveled county road in front of our house.  Although we owned a little more than an acre of ground It wasn't long before I got bored with the novelty and the limited area to ride it

Once  the window screen was removed, I set it down lightly on the floor. Then while lifting my leg to the opening I nearly fell over backwards.   I lost my balance  but breathed a sigh of relief once I  caught myself.  I can only imagine what it must of looked like standing on one leg.with the other propped up on the window sill.  I then had to crawl through the small opening one leg at a time.

I  failed to notice the distance from the window to the roof was greater then the distance  from the window to the floor from inside the bedroom. It not only made it more difficult  to climb out, but I nearly fell out onto the roof. It made it nearly impossible to keep from making a sound.:

Once out on the roof my eyes had to adjust. There were a few things that I quickly noticed.  One was the total silence. Another was my neighbor's dusk-to-dawn light.  But  what was the most noticeable of all was the full moon that was shining from a perfectly clear night sky.

While stepping across the slanted roof, my shoes kept scuffing the rolled roofing. I had to slow down and be more careful with my footing.

My brother Gary had been the one who had inadvertently  given me the idea. He had shown me that my bedroom window wasn't sealed shut like I had originally thought.  He had been caught by Dad out on the carport roof in broad daylight a few days before. 

Because of his discovery, and punishment it sparked my idea of an escape.. He had also given me a reason and the initial idea for a ride.  I would have to be careful and had started planning this adventure. 

I had gone so far as to having practiced climbing upon the corner of the carport roof and then jumping down to the ground several times. I had to make sure that I wouldn't hurt myself in the six foot drop. Then to know how to make sure I could climb back up for my re-entry.

My heart was racing and beating harder with each step I took.  It was nearly impossible to keep from making a sound.  Suddenly I remembered the neighbor's dogs . If they heard me or started barking it would be all over. Cause once they started  they wouldn't stop or shut up until they had awakened everyone.   I couldn't take any unnecessary chances otherwise I would surely be caught. 

Once down off the roof and now inside the carport it dawned on me. I really hadn't thought this plan through enough. The mini-bike was parked pointed nose first in the wrong direction.  

To get it out now I would have to straddle it while pushing it backwards. There was only a narrow passage from between my dad's car and the wall of my parent's bedroom. 

One of my parent's bedroom windows was right there.  I struggled with the dilemma.  I could have stopped there and then I suppose but no, I kept going. 

 The beads of sweat were now rolling off me while getting the mini-bike out. My legs strained as I wiggled it backwards and forwards maneuvering the mini-bike carefully away from the car and finally out of the carport. It took a lot longer and was a much slower process then I thought.

There had hardly been enough time to have caught my breath before getting it turned around .  I pushed off and started duck walking along with it.  Gradually picking up enough speed to for it to coast on its own as it descended the steep grade down and onto the grass. It was quieter cutting across the front yard than taking the gravel driveway.
I coasted as far as possible before coming to a stop.. Once I crossed the bank and the ditch it would be smooth sailing on the county road.  There was a very long and even steeper hill after that.

Keeping the knobby tires of the Rupp  Scrambler on the packed tire tread areas of the road kept  it rolling smoothly without making hardly any noise.  

As the speed of the mini-bike increased, I was finally able to catch my breath as the cool breeze of the wind could be felt across my face.  I still hadn't started the motor yet. Once down the hill the county road leveled off slowing the mini-bike before finally coming to a stop.  It took a couple of pulls on the starter rope for the Tecumseh motor to start and I began my adventurous ride.

 The hair on my arms and on the back of my neck stood up once the engine started. It was in the darkness of the shadows that were being cast from the large cedar trees that lined both sides of the road that my ride really began.

 Suddenly while moving the road became much brighter.  The full moon was now lighting the way, since the Scrambler had no headlight or tail light.

It was a rather warm summer night, nearly perfect for a ride. Perhaps if I had thought about it I would have taken a jacket, because the breeze made it a bit cool.

I really had no idea of where I was headed.  I was free and I was riding with the wind in my face for what felt like the very first time.  It was as though I was experiencing real freedom and thrilled but at the same time afraid of making a mistake. I couldn't help myself, but I kept going.  It was a  little over a mile later when I came to the crossing of the main highway.  I realized once I crossed  it there was no turning back. I rode on for several  more miles, heading into and around two large lake subdivisions and many of their side roads.

There wasn't any traffic and it was way after midnight. There was no one to show off to,. No one would know. I had already ridden for more than an hour all over the place, before realizing it would just be a private moment. One that I wouldn't really get to share with anyone.. That's when the novelty of the ride started to wear off and when reality started to set in.

After leaving the paved roads of the subdivision  I returned to the graveled ones on my way back.  I began to think of the next task. returning home and deciding what to do next. I hadn't gotten this far along with my planning.  Now I was thinking how to get the Rupp  back undetected?

My mind began short circuiting with what ifs? I started to worry and then began to panic the further I rode.   It was just beginning to dawn on me that I had not checked or added any fuel to Rupp. There wasn't any fuel gauge, and no real way of knowing how much gas was left or if it was enough to get home on..There was no way of knowing. What if I ran out of gas before I made it back home? 

 Pulling off to the shoulder near where I had crossed the highway seemed like a good place to stop and check.  Pulling off the cap to the gas tank to have a look inside didn't help. It was so dark nothing could be seen. I poked my finger into the opening and felt nothing. Shaking the mini-bike from side to side only a little spec of gas popped up when it splashed. There was hardly any fuel left in the tank. Now what? 

My mind wouldn't shut off and kept asking questions. Would there be enough gas to make it back? Perhaps, but I would also need to be just as quiet while returning it as when I had taken it.  I sat for awhile mulling over my situation. Contemplating what to do next.

Taking the highway back meant riding more than a mile mostly uphill to the other end where the county road crossed the main highway. If I could get it there, I could simply coast it since it was downhill most of the rest of the distance home.
The longer I sat there the more clear that it became that returning the same route home ws now completely out of the question . Realizing that there really wasn't any other possiblities to consider.

While turning onto the concrete pavement of the highway my senses were immediately heightened. To even try to attempt this was beyond anything I had ever done. It meant going for broke. My mind went into hyper drive. Had I become delusional?

The questions kept popping up in my mind. What if I were caught? What if a cop saw me? Or more importantly what if I wasn't seen at all and had a car come up from behind me?  Or worse was there a chance that I could get run over?

Twisting the throttle for all it was worth,  The Rupp Scrambler sped up while at the same time  it climbed in elevation on the highway. I was now riding it faster than I ever had before. It was thrilling. But since it was the longer way home, I also had more time to think and for even more anxieties.

I kept telling myself that all I would have to do was just make it to the top of the hill and it would all work out.  It had a calming effect as I repeated it my mind  If I could just make it there I know I could make it back unannounced.

A few cars had passed by heading in the opposite direction. Their headlights were blinding.
My nerves were on edge. My heart continued racing but I had to remain focused with the task at hand. The thrill of this ride was taking a toll and was draining me of all of my adrenaline.

It was a real relief once I  made it to the upper end of the county road.  Even though I had finally gotten off the highway there was still a ways to go. There were a few flat spots before starting the homeward downward decent. 
 As I was making my way down the last hill, I mistakenly shut the motor off prematurely to start coasting which caused the bike to come to a stop much earlier than I had anticipated. 

It forced me to push it further even though it was on a long and straight mostly level grade. I would then have to push it the rest of the way home. The longer I pushed the more I began to realize that I wouldn't be able to get it up the driveway and back into the carport.

The thrills of this ride had exhausted me and I began to re-evaluate the situation.  The intensity of everything had drained me of all of my energy.  I made it back  to the bottom of the front yard undetected.  As I tried to push it up the front yard in the grass I fell over with it, exhausted. I couldn't pick it up much less push it any more.

 I was drained. I did all I could do, but it was of no use. It's weight was just too much. I left it there laying down in the grass of the front yard and snunk back in using the metal barrel I had used to practice with.  I climb back up on the roof and then climbed back though the window to my room.

I can remember the next day my Dad yelling at my brother who got blamed for leaving the mini bike out overnight since he was the last one to have ridden it the evening before. I don’t know if anyone ever really figured out or knew anything about my daring Moonlight Ramble.   It was just the start. It was what made me…me.  I have been addicted to riding in the wind ever since.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of freedom and the wind in your face.

Stepping out on the edge and taking chances must of been embedded in my DNA.  It was in my blood. Riding alone in the wind meant something even way back then, but doing it late at night and at the age of 12 was an experience.  It was a moment I wouldn't trade now for the world. 

What amazes me is all of the things I should have thought about BEFORE going on such a ride.  I was lucky because there were so many things that could have gone wrong. What if I had run out of fuel, broke down or had an accident?
What was I thinking...

What ever I was thinking has stayed with me to this day. I still enjoy the wind in my face and that feeling of total freedom. 
May all your days be full of sunshine and your nights all have full moons...