East.
There was a stop sign before the turn. A mountain to my right and the mountain range to my left, that I was about to travel through. There was only one building as far as the eye could see. A storage facility for road maintenance vehicles.
It was still raining when I approached the first ascent. My visor fogged a little at every breath but was quickly evaporated as long as I kept moving. The water collected on the outside of my helmet and once the droplets were too large to hold on, the wind would whisk them away.
Until this point in the journey, the noise of my motorcycle and the drone of the road were always present and tiring. But a stillness grew in the air and in me the further in I traveled. All around me was a quietness and coolness as the low clouds rolled through the valleys. The brush and trees stood in silence as I rode by.
Up hills and down I traveled and soon I made my way to an open stretch of road. The rain had dissipated into a mist to let me see further into the landscape that surrounded me. An open valley packed with sagebrush and juniper trees covered the ground. That is where the sweet scent of sage, juniper, and fresh rain on the earth first swept into my senses. I don't exactly know how to describe its full impact. I was refreshingly present for every mile of that connecting highway...absorbing the scenery, scents, and atmosphere. Peace, joy, contentment? I'm still not sure. All I know is that riding through there at that time with the rain, the smells, and the beauty...it was almost perfect.
