The Church of the Open Road Press

Narratives about motorcycling on Northern California's back roads; Reflections on the history and geography of the North State; Memoirs and early recollections of youthful visits to towns and forests and mountaintops. Also middle-of-the-road takes on current issues in politics and education. Middle of the road? Isn't that dangerous?

Sunday, May 3, 2026

THE AUTOMOBILE IGNITION KEY

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The Automobile ignition key , long a staple of purses, front pockets and key hooks in so many households, has been replaced by the ‘remote,’...
1 comment:
Tuesday, April 14, 2026

CHARLOTTE

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I’ve named her Charlotte . I can’t say why. She lives in the housing behind the mirror on the driver’s side of the Subaru Outback. I don’t t...
7 comments:
Wednesday, April 1, 2026

MOM'S ACCORD

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  “You just never know what might happen.”   Mom’s last car  was a two-door Honda Accord LX. A ‘78. Manual transmission. She wouldn’t own an...
1 comment:
Friday, March 20, 2026

CONVERSATION WITH A RATTLER

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           “Hey! Why’d you bite my ankle?”        “You just stepped on me!”              “I didn’t mean to.”        “How was I ‘spozed to kn...
Tuesday, December 30, 2025

2025 – CHURCH OF THE OPEN ROAD YEAR IN REVIEW

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    …coulda done better;  coulda done much, much worse…   Escaping discordant discourse  seemed challenging this year. But for a few gloriou...
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Saturday, December 20, 2025

INCIDENT WITH A DOE

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She dares me to stare. I return her gaze but blink   And she vanishes. © 2025 Church of the Open Road Press
1 comment:
Sunday, December 7, 2025

Café Music

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Shaking off a dripping, deep autumn fog,      I enter.   The dining room is nearly silent:      No talk-television      No talk-jocks      N...
Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Motorcycle Dealership Mojo

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…and the lack thereof…   Disclaimer: The opinion I am sharing is based upon my limited experience visiting and dealing with motorcycle shops...
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Bumpa
Maps. Some of the best stories one encounters one encounters by reading a map. A map is the framework - the outline - upon which both history and fantasy are crafted. Just as two people can witness an event and come up with entirely different recollections - each completely true, verifiable and accurate - two people can travel the same mapped route and come up with entirely different stories. But without the map, perhaps they'd have no story to tell. Some of the best anthologies in my library are stuffed in my map case.
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