Documentary Memorial for a fallen bicyclist

Location
Talent, Oregon (far from the madding crowd)
Name
Miguel Tejada-Flores
In the semi-rural area of Southern Oregon where I live, riding - whether a bicycle or a motorcycle or motor scooter - along the rural lanes and roads that criss-cross the region, can be a hazardous affair. Often there is limited 'shoulder space' alongside the road, and no dedicated bike lanes. Accidents occur. A close friend of mine, an experienced cyclist, was killed in a freak accident descending a mountain trail a few years ago. Stuff happens...

When there are fatalities, the local cycling community mourns by placing an entirely white bicycle at the spot where the cyclist lost their life. As happened a bit more than a week ago, near the beginning of July.

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Flowers, balloons, presents, offerings, messages. We each have different ways of paying our respects. And there is always a grimness, too... and it's hard not to think about how you may have ridden by this spot many a time, unscathed. The randomness, the unpredictability.

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The message is left in a public place, but I don't know what it says, I couldn't (wouldn't) read the words, they felt private to me.

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If you were driving by, quickly, in a hurry, in a car, you might not notice it at all, you might never know.

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Indeed, the first time I came by - riding my motor scooter, from the opposite direction, I didn't notice it, I was too 'dialed in', focusing literally on the stretch of road in front of me, an area where deer often congregate and leap out suddenly and randomly in front of you. My vision at the time was taking in a lot - but missing many other things. Later, a close friend, and fellow cyclist, told me about the spot. I came back. This time I looked... and saw.

These pictures are my way of trying not to forget.
 
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