The Graham trail

Graham and his Yamaha 250, Belgium, January 2017.

The Graham trail

It was just after a break up. Alone on the road. Like a standing K.O., facing the unknown. Lost, two steps away from letting it all go to pot. I needed to track down who I was, and figure out which path to go on down. I stopped for gas, stopped to think. First, I saw the bike, on its own, on its kickstand. A lightweight trail bike, 250 cc, with minimal baggage. I don’t know why I took a photo of it. Its rider came out from the station. Graham. He had come from the “Elephants”, a biker’s meeting held every January on the ice and snow in Bavaria. He was on his way home, to Birmingham. At 77 years old. He spoke to me with his fingers curled round his hot coffee. Then, he got back on his Yamaha and went on his way. And I understood. Graham had stopped there to reveal a path. One of adventure, independence, audacity, and of the refusal of the comfortable way. One of life.