Monday Ride

Being in the middle of the jungle alone is an eerie feeling. You start off blind to all but the endless greenery surrounding you.

Then after you allow your mind to slow, you catch a flash of movement out of the corner of your eye.

Next your ears adjust to hear more then just the sound of the wind. Soon varied smells make themselves apparent to you. With your body acclimated and your mind open the world changes its pace.

You are now in natures' world. Just as you would not step into traffic as it sped by, you now must watch out for the banana spiders web and the Habu underfoot. But that’s the thing; if you cross when the crosswalk is green you will not get run over. And so it follows if you watch for the spider webs and make noise and you walk, neither the spiders nor the snakes will harm you.

A steep, muddy, rutted road lay above me. With my hand wrapped around the throttle I pushed fear and doubt from my mind. If the bike and I kept up the pace, we would make it up the hill.

Then a slip to the left as my back end lost traction. With cool reaction my arms and butt gently twisted, bringing the bike back under control and to the top of the hill. 

I found myself in the jungle again; this time looking into the cool water of a flowing river. From its depths a large shrimp and a crab stared up at me. When I stuck my camera into the river the crab retreated under a rock, while the shrimp carefully approached my camera. Just as its claws reached out to see what my camera was I took this picture.

Darken skies and drops of rain told me it was time to go. After battling an enormous horsefly I snapped this picture, then mounted my motorcycle and sped towards home as drops of rain sliced into my face

Okinawa, Japan