I’ve Returned From My October Road Trip – There’s So Much To Think About

Last Thursday after tidying up the last of my pressing tasks at work, I set off on my motorcycle. With a week worth of vacation time blocked off on the calendar, I had a few things scribbled on the notebook of my mind to visit.

Sightseeing, that’s what I would be doing. But maybe not in the most traditional sense. The way I envisioned it was more like just floating in the world until it was time to come home. The idea was to see part of America that doesn’t look like where I live.

It is now Friday morning and I have returned home. A lot happened while I was away doing nothing.

  • I completed a 24-hr Motorcycle endurance Rally (The VOID 10)
  • Rode 4,000 miles through 10 states
  • Hugged people who are more important than they know
  • Rode through blinding rain and cringed watching lightning
  • Worried about unnecessary things
  • Rode in temperatures ranging from 40-85 degrees
  • Made new friends
  • Talked to strangers
  • Felt scared
  • Basked in the glow of serendipity
  • Dropped my motorcycle
  • Sang out loud in my helmet
  • Saw amazing sunrises
  • Took byways, back roads, highways, Interstates
  • Shivered
  • Watched fields roll away to the horizon
  • Felt far away from home
  • Ordered a pizza to my hotel room and ate 1/2 of it
  • Wondered why I live where I do
  • Was never more sure that I don’t know anything about anything
  • Was hypnotized by wind turbines
  • Felt my heart break for a woman who wept while talking to me
  • Didn’t know if I made the right choice
  • Saw Superman
  • Contemplated buying Underoos
  • Looked ugly
  • Came to understand that I don’t know what half of those machines on a farm do
  • Wore the same shirt for 6 days
  • Didn’t drink enough water
  • Had chapped lips
  • Took in the tremendous-ness of the landscape
  • Missed my family
  • Saw Santa Claus
  • Was surprised
  • Thought and thought and thought all day long

My trip was tremendous on a personal level. I don’t think I’ve ever been more in touch with or at least grasping at parts of myself that seem like they’re often asleep at the wheel.

Travel is a gift. It’s rewards are felt long after you’ve stopped moving.

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

You may also like...

22 Responses

  1. Minna says:

    I LOVE reading your blog Rachel!!! You have an amazing way of transferring your thoughts to the written word. You could make the most awesome coffee table book with just excerpts from your blog and wanderings! I would buy it in a heartbeat. And you are so right, travel is a gift and the rewards stay with us for a long time – as long as we allow them too. I often go back in memory to a moment from a trip. It can be a happy, sad, amazing, normal, strange – whatever type of a moment, but for some reason it spoke to me at that very moment. Those stay with me. I also love looking back at photos I have taken and it brings me back to where the photo was from. I can relate to your thoughts while out on a trip. Please don’t ever stop blogging. I would miss it, tremendously! Glad you are home safe and hopefully some of those thoughts will lead to other good things. Be well my wandering motorcycling friend.

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      Thank you, Minna 🙂

      It really is amazing how you can recall something you experienced while traveling at the most unlikely times. It’s like your mind goes – “i’m going to need this later” and sticks it in a big filing cabinet until the right time to use it comes along.

  2. bob says:

    Thanks for sharing both your physical and mental journeys. You are far from alone

  3. canuk_guy says:

    That was the best opening to a ride report I’ve read in quite a while. Beautiful summary of what riding brings. Looking forward to more.

  4. Krista says:

    You are so right…travel is indeed a gift. I think we all need to just “float in the world” from time to time.

    Your recent trip sounds just incredible. I love where I live, but I often feel trapped and isolated here on this island. I wonder what it would feel like to wake up in the morning and jump on my bike with an entire continent in front of me. I hope to someday find out.

  5. Chris says:

    4,000 miles in a week and you are not an LD rider?

    Sounds like a memorable trip. I’ve experienced most of what you listed and agree I wonder why I do some of the things I do. Glad you made it home safe and in one piece

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      Nope! Don’t I “need” some type of certificate or something? That will never happen 😆

      As a matter of fact, on the last push home I kept thinking – how the hell do people knock out the kind of mileage you need to do each day for the IBR/Butt Lite. I can’t even imagine doing it day in, day out.

  6. Trobairitz says:

    Sounds like a great trip. Love that photo.

  7. Shybiker says:

    So happy for you! You journeyed not only over land but into your soul. Those are the best trips. That way wisdom lies…

  8. Rosie says:

    Instead of Wonder Woman Underoos, your’s would say “Wander Woman” !! Hahaha!

    I love what you listed, I can relate to so many. Even wearing the same shirt for days 😉
    I feel like when you’re exploring by yourself you see things differently than if you’re traveling with others. You can really take it all in when you have your own agenda or lack there of. I really appreciate your post, it remind’s me to stop and smell the roses. 🙂

  9. I followed your ride on social media and here and tried to imagine what it’s like to chew up so much road in such a short time and more importantly, what you take away from it all. Your list speaks volumes to that.

    Riding through America. It’s a unique experience isn’t it.

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      It is. I feel like there are so many secrets it’s spaces hold but we’re too bogged down in the hustle and bustle of suburban life to hear what it’s whispering. I need more time out there…

  10. RichardM says:

    Wow! That is quite the road trip! You saw Superman and Santa Claus (that must’ve caused the bike drop incident). Looking forward to the ride report series…

  11. Kathy says:

    I’m glad you enjoyed your trip, but I missed your tracker map and more-frequent picture posts. I guess you really were trying to get away from it all.

    This list item made me laugh — Came to understand that I don’t know what half of those machines on a farm do — since I recently watched the American Giants episode where Neto was so out of his element at the huge agricultural expo in Kansas. The DO have some intriguing machines.

    As for — Wore the same shirt for 6 days — colder temperatures make that more acceptable. 🙂

    I never didn’t drink enough water. My poor lips are horribly chapped after only three days in the cold.

    This is such a beautiful world we inhabit. Too bad it’s filled with so many crazy people and thank goodness there are so many more GOOD people, which one tends to notice/realize more when traveling solo. I’m not sure if its vulnerability or folks not wanting to intrude when someone is traveling in a team/group, but it always amazes me how people chat it up with me when roaming alone.

  12. Michael says:

    Travel really is a gift – thank you for sharing this post as a gift to us!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.