By MARK MEDLYN, guest columnist
As winter becomes a memory that we will talk about for some time to come, a brief recap as to what we just went through.
When we bought our home in Nashville, one of the concerns we had was, “How do we get out of here in a snowstorm?” My fears were quickly allayed when within hours, Helmsburg Road was passable. Even the exits to the valley were clear enough that if one actually drove the speed limit, they could make it down the incline.
Kudos to those who went out in the dark of night in the worst possible conditions to make sure that the roads were open so that the rest of us could get to where we needed to go. For a brief period, Yellowstone (the dog) and I could actually walk down Helmsburg Road rather than going to Deer Run Park. But due to the excellent work done by the highway departments of state and county, I had no worries that my vehicle might have suffered the same fate as PT Cruisers of the past (the Oompa Loompa of the Chrysler world) and find a tree to stop its sliding.
But as the winter turns to spring and to summer, a familiar sound will be back. Not the song of songbirds, nor the bleating of loons as they migrate south. But rather, a sound that has been muffled for some time as they have been hidden in heated garages with blankets over them to prevent them from getting too cold.
Yes, the throated sound of the motorcycle — both the road king and queen and its counterpart, the racing motorcycle.
Soon, the hills of Brown will be shaking with the sounds of these machines and their riders, for the road kings and queens, middle-aged people from central Indiana and adjoining states. But for these bikes and their smaller cousins, a danger lurks, and the pages of The Democrat will cover them.
One of the things that I’ve just gotten used to here in Brown County is roads covered in sand. Due to budget constraints and the friction power of sand, it is used as a road clearing material along with chemicals. In Champaign County, it is not an option, as salt is spread by the ton. But in Brown County, it is. Even for the most skilled of drivers, the sand seems to pop up in the most inconvenient of locations and times.
Riding in Brown County is far more challenging than riding in Marion, with its long sight lines and flat terrain. As an avid bicyclist in Champaign with over 100,000 miles ridden, I refuse to accept the challenge of hills and narrow roads. I will stick to my “can see the horizon in every direction” rides with a minimum of hills. I know my limitations.
Riders from outside the area do not know the risks involved.
Unless one is wearing heavy clothing, the scars of road rash will remain forever. I hope that is the worst of their injuries. But after the sound of the engines stop comes the other sound of a Brown County spring: the sounds of EMS responding to these calls.
So, take your time while riding. Enjoy the scenery and all that Brown County has to offer. Do not make the end of your ride in the back of an EMS ambulance, as your motorcycle sits forlornly on the back of a tow truck on its way to the repair shop.
Slow down and live.
Mark C. Medlyn of Brown County is a new, occasional community columnist. A graduate of Bloomington High School South and Indiana University, he has worked as a police officer and an adjunct college instructor, authored a textbook on the Illinois vehicle code, and became a substitute teacher in Illinois upon his retirement from full-time law enforcement in 2007. He and his wife, a retired university instructor, have been Brown County property owners since 2015.
