Floyd's Ride

Iowa City to Coos Bay Oregon and Back on a Triumph Speedmaster 865

By: Jason Smith

Narrated by: Jack Ethan Dye

"There are about a thousand things that can go wrong on a trip like this and that's only counting the motorcycle. If you don't have a tire blow or a fuse pop, you still have to worry about getting run over by a semi-truck or beaten to death by some random act of violence. And yet, if you have to get run over by a semi-truck or die of multiple skull fractures, what better way to go? To die a free man, with my motorcycle, carrying only the things a man really needs."

In the summer of 2011, I decided to ride my motorcycle from Iowa City to Coos Bay, Oregon, to see the mountains, the ocean, my brother Frank, and the two-year-old nephew I'd never met before. I only had two weeks vacation from my job as a janitor in a medical psych unit and was under work probation for my markedly poor attendance record. Coming back late was not an option. I had to go fast. This is what happened.

©2017 Jason Thomas Smith (P)2022 Jason Thomas Smith