The shock has finally worn off enough that I can talk about it. After a long and drawn-out period of denial, I finally said a sad goodbye to an old friend this week.

We met in late 2002, and almost from the beginning were inseparable. Whenever time would allow, we’d sneak away on an adventure, sometimes nearby, other times venturing further away, camping in Kentucky, to Virginia for my brother’s wedding, to name a few.

But as time progressed, we grew apart. As it tends to, life happened. Work and other obligations always seemed to get in the way. My circle of friends grew, and my old friend and I had less time to do the things we used to enjoy so much. I started hanging out with a faster crowd. Sadly, my old companion just sat around, pretty much never leaving the yard.

A few people tried to make friends with my old mate, but those tenuous friendships always seemed to fall through. Life passed by at an ever accelerating pace, while my former partner in crime sat, doing nothing, growing older.

Finally, just this past week, my old friend moved on to a hopefully better place.

That’s right, after more that two years of procrastination, I finally sold my old, faithful Suzuki Katana 600, better known as the ‘Nip-Cycle’.

Farewell Nip-cycle, you will be missed.

Author: frenchy