Long Distance Learning - Lessons from the Road
All week I had been trying to find ways to get out of going to a family reunion in West Virginia.
You all know how it is when it's not
your side of the family. Finally I stated, "I'm not going unless I can ride and if it rains, I'm not going!" Boy, that did it,
he gave
me "the look" and at that moment I realized I'm really not the one that wears the pants in our family.
The
weather map wasn't looking in my favor. No rain in the forecast all weekend and temperatures in the 90's. People I barely knew and no air conditioning. Yea, I couldn't wait.
This would be
my first long distance trip on my motorcycle and the worrying set in. Would my little Suzuki be able to handle it? How comfortable was I going to be spending hours on her? What if she breaks down? What if it starts raining while we're out in the middle of nowhere? Blah, Blah, Blah, I was still looking for excuses. With a trusty mechanic by my side and three cell phones, I really had nothing to worry about.
We hit the road around 5:30 on Friday night, with plans to stay all night after we were at least halfway. It's only about 4-1/2 hours by car, but it was comforting to me to know I had a destination if I was having trouble handling it on the bike.
The bugs were horrible, they aren't supposed to be out that early. Then there was the route we took to get to Rt 35, stop signs every mile and leftover rush hour traffic. My bad attitude was kept intact.
Lesson #1 - Wear leather gloves
We made our first stop in Chillicothe somewhere around 8 o'clock. While we were there we did the usual things bikers do, gas up, sit on the sidewalk and talked about how things were going so far. Future modifications of my bike were being planned for, softer grips and cruise control. Though my hands had the beginnings of blisters, my attitude was changing.
Lesson #2 - Leave the attitude at home
I was doing what I wanted. I wanted to ride and riding we were. Just past Chillicothe, where the hills are big and the road is wide open (and newly paved!), I started singing Country Roads.
No one could hear me but I was belting it like an opera singer. I felt protected by the hills and their shadow that covered my sunburnt skin. I was sailing thru the curves like I didn't have a care in the world. I was in heaven and that's the beauty of riding a motorcycle.
Lesson #3 - Make sure things are strapped down tight
We stayed overnight in Gallipolis and rode Route 7 along the river to cross over into Huntington. West Virginia has a helmet law and Mark's decided it had had enough riding on the back of his bike and took a hop, skip and a jump down the road. It went by me so fast, I didn't realize what it was. It looked like a square flat peice
of rusty steel somehow misplaced in the construction zone we were in. That could have turned out really bad in a large goup of riders.
Lesson #4 - Never forget how wonderful having family really is
We arrived a bit late to the reunion because we over slept, but everyone was so happy to see us. There was tons of great food, a water balloon toss and little kids playing in a puddle. I can still hear their giggles and screeching as they got sprayed by water from a water bottle. We celebrated Aunt Midges 78th birthday and
got reaquainted with cousins we hadn't seen in a couple of years. I can't forget to mention the auction, a halarious event that got some of the biggest tightwads to bid up to $7.00 for a 25 cent garage sale item.
Lesson #5 - Don't worry, be happy!
When the reunion was over, I was sure I could handle riding all the way home instead of staying over night again. West Virginia is a beatuiful state and I wish we would have headed east instead of heading towards home. The ride home was wonderful and I was pumped up. Even after a total of 450 miles, I didn't want to stop.
When we did get back to town, we stopped for a bite to eat and I got to hear about the West Milton Eagles Poker Run. Sounds like there was a great turn out and it was a nice ride. Wish I could have been there to take pictures.
Still, I'm not sorry I rode to the family reunion. I tested my tolerance for long distance riding and realized if it wasn't for family, I wouldn't be where I am at today. I'm at a happy place and that counts for something.
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