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Copyright © 2000 by M. Hilton Taylor. All Rights Reserved by T.A.M.S. It ain’t rocket science . . . is it. |
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Riding a motorcycle can be a fun and exhilarating pastime. All you have to do is to learn how to enjoy it. What could be better than the wind in your face and you are a part of the environment. Riding a motorcycle gives you the feeling of a wandering soul. Capture that feeling in your mind and you can be on the journey of a lifetime. While you are on that journey it is great to capture the moments to remember in the future. Many will be captured by your heart and mind and never be forgotten, but for some others you may need to have a back up plan. Take pictures and keep a dairy to show your friends. A lot of people can tell you where they have been but few actually can tell you about much between their house and the destination. Ask any motorcyclist that has been riding for years and they can relate stories to you for hours. Most times they don’t even remember where they were going but they remember distinctly the events of the ride . . . because it is not about the destination but all about the journey. So now you own a motorcycle. Where do you ride? Pick a destination and start your ride and hope you have so much fun along the way you never make it to the destination. I have started out many times to go somewhere but somewhere along the way things changed and I decided to go somewhere else. My wife and I planned for long time for a trip out west. We knew exactly where we would stop and what we would see. In the end about half of what we planned we saw and the best parts we never planned. Sometimes it happens that way. It did not ruin my trip, but actually made it much better. Be friendly with people you meet on the road. Don’t be afraid to talk to them. You may find out there are some very nice people on the road that are on a journey similar to yours. That scruffy looking biker you meet could be a school teacher or a bank president. Who Knew? It can make for some interesting conversations. Sure there are some bad people you need to avoid but there are far more good people in the world than bad ones. I am not suggesting you go to dinner or divulge you family secrets, but a little conversation in passing can be fun. Most of these people you will never see again, or not even know their names, yet remember them for years. I have visited most of the well known sites that exist in America and done my obligatory oohs and ahs. I have seen the picture on Stone Mountain, the Mississippi River, the Washington Monument, and Mount Rushmore. These places have been visited by millions of people. Have you ever been to Interior, SD and ate breakfast in a mud building. It was far more interesting than Mt Rushmore. Can you believe that in a town that has 53 houses and a population of 77 people and one restaurant they serve veggie burgers. You may not find this too interesting, but my wife who is a vegetarian was real happy. If you are not familiar with this t
Interior, SD the entrance to the Badlands in the Black Hills.
Highway 34 (Trail Ridge Road) in Colorado near Loveland, CO
Have you ever been on Highway 34 (Trail Ridge Road) in Colorado and looked out from the overlook at 10,700 feet up. This is the highest continuous paved highway in America. It is one awesome sight. What is the point? I did not purposely go to either of these places . . . I just passed them along the way to somewhere else. I can tell you all about both places but I don’t remember much about Mount Rushmore that I could not read on the internet. When you pick a destination, pick one with a high probability of seeing America along the way. I am not talking about tourist America as you can do that on your next plane ride. I am referring to the part of American that is best seen from a motorcycle seat with the wind blowing on your face. Take the time to document where you have been each day by writing it in a dairy. You can write it down when you are taking a break and relaxing. Take some pictures of the things you see along the way. You can get pictures of the tourist places off of the internet. Don’t be in too big of a hurry or you might just miss something interesting along the way. Like the old expression “Take time to smell the roses” or ride somewhere so you can really smell them. What makes a good ride? It is different for different people, but I think most would agree that a good ride always includes good friends. For me a good ride is to meet up with some friends for a good breakfast while we laugh and have fun talking about places we’ve been and things we have done. Then getting on the bikes and riding out somewhere hoping to see something interesting along the way to create more memories for our next breakfast meeting before the next ride. After all you don’t want to keep talking about the same things so . . . you create new adventures and new stories.
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own it is the entrance to the Badlands in the Black Hills.
