I've been riding for about 8 years now and have about 15,000 miles under my butt. We ride on the weekends all summer. A 200 mile ride is about perfect for me. I went on my longest ride ever summer of '12. I think growing up in Alaska made me a little tougher than I would have been had I not endured 60 below zero winters, mosquitoes and lack of great fresh fruit. A long day on the bike can really tear up the body. When you're out there, a hundred-plus miles from home you just gotta make your mind over-ride your body and push on. I try to pace myself. We make it a habit to stop every 50 miles, even if it is just for 5 minutes to stretch. My favorite rides are when we pack a lunch and stop somewhere along the road to kick our feet up. We have been all over eastern Washington and some of Oregon. The closest I've been to riding in a big city is Vancouver, Washington. I'm not crazy about city driving, even in the car.
Most of our friends have Harleys. We are budget riders so I bought a used Honda and my hubby has a Kawasaki and a Yamaha. So far, I've only had to replace tires.
I'm not a religious person but I always say a little prayer to the motorcycle gods to help keep me focused and safe from distracted drivers while we're out on the road. So far, so good.
There are a few things that will keep me from getting on my motorcycle to ride:
Having too much on my mind (sad or pissed)
Inclement weather
Too tired
Holiday weekends
It's spring now and my motorcycle brothers and sisters are on the roads now. Please take extra care and watch for us on the road. Please give us space. Please don't text and drive.
Do you have a summer thing you've been waiting all winter to do? Leave me a comment if you feel inclined.
love, susan
I really adore women who ride motorcycles. And I was amazed after reading the 600+ mile ride of yours. You go girl.
ReplyDeleteHappy blogging :).
bugs in teeth...wind in the face...bees in helmet ...all worth a great feeling riding in the open..smelling the great country...how I miss the smells of the road going past. RIDE ON GF..
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! I've always wanted a Harley three-wheeler. I don't think I'd do well on two wheels. I'm too clumsy. But three could handle me... :)Have a fabulous riding season! And be careful out there...
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness, I can't wait to get into my garden and get covered in dirt. I'm in Chicago, and our growing season is so much shorter than where I grew up in California. So my "gosh I can't wait til Winter's over thing" is digging in the dirt! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is A. Catherine Noon, visiting from the Noon and Wilder blog at http://noonandwilder.blogspot.com for the A-Z Challenge, #1554 on the list. I saw your blog on the list of under 100 followers like ours and so I figured I'd swing by and share some bloggety friendship.
Happy blogging!
Motorcycles scare me quite a bit. But riding through the country sounds like so much fun and I'm glad you enjoy it. I've always loved Alaska, watching shows on it, researching the Iditarod and learning as much as I can whenever possible. It's a beautiful place, though I'm not sure I could handle those sub-zero temps.
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What a great thing for your hubby and you to do! Plenty of adventure out there! I honestly do watch out for the motorcyles and the cyclists on the road; whenever I pass a bike I always look in my rear view mirror to make sure they are still pedaling along. The motorcycle riders here tend to like to weave in and out of traffic a lot which makes it challenging, but we do the best we can to share the road responsibly.
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