Long strange trip

While riding home from work today through the Bridgeton/Rosedale area REO Speedwagon’s Golden Country and a couple other songs from their 2nd album came up in my helmet speakers and took me back in time.

In 1972 or 73 I hitchhiked to Terre Haute to see them perform those songs for free at Fairbanks Park. A biker driving a van with all the seats except his removed picked me and a bud up and dropped us off at the park. It was pure mercy on his part to drive us all the way to the park. Since we had no idea where the park was and it was long before cell phones and Google Maps, driving us all the way there is a favor I appreciate to this day.

We were way early and had no idea how we were getting home. Didn’t even know for sure we were in the right place until a much older girl (at least 20) threw a blanket down on the ground beside us and took her top off to work on her tan. We looked at each other and decided we were there. :-) The concert was great and we caught a ride home with some friends.

If someone had told me that day that in 45 years I’d be riding a fuel-injected (what’s that) 6 cylinder motorcycle while wirelessly sending “Golden Country” from my cell phone (what’s that) to my motorcycle GPS (what’s that) to a wireless intercom housed in my helmet… And it would sound better than my stereo with diamond needle turntable I would have nodded my head, backed away and had a good laugh.

You just have to wonder, what’s next?

Hey Frye,
Did you ever go over to the stone quarries around Bloomington in the summer?
Your story brings back similar memories from the same years with bare chested I.U. co-eds working on the tan.
I was riding a two stroke Suzuki Titan 500.
Thanks for the flash back.

No, but I remember hearing it was a great place to ride, and to scuba dive. People used to talk about riding the "fireroads" in the that area too.