The Hill

Many of us began our love affair with motorcycles by riding in the dirt. Little did I realize what life lessons could be found in that. In 1973, at the age of 15, I was riding a Honda Elsinore 250. It’s hard to believe, but back then, there were a number of riding venues in southern California. One of those was Muntz Cycle Park in the then undeveloped Simi Valley. Muntz had several motocross tracks, hill climbs, and trail riding galore.

One weekend, three of my friends and I crammed ourselves and our bikes into a Ford Econoline and headed to Muntz. After spending the day on the various tracks, we went trail riding. Naturally, due to the impetuousness of youth, we rode until the sun started to set. In the rapidly fading light, we decided to take a shortcut back to the van.