This afternoon after getting all my paperwork squared away at the DMV, I set off on my first ride on the DRZ. The temperature was hovering around 40 degrees. With not much more than wet roads, I did 30 mile loop.
Being out in the world on the bike when everything looked like it was covered in a layer of powered sugar felt amazing. There is a comforting silence that the snow brings.
Its clear that there are mental hurdles I will have to overcome, namely volunteering to ride through and over things that my years of street riding have taught me to avoid. But all in all, I felt very natural and very much at home on the new bike. I’m looking forward to continuing with the learning process.
For the last few weeks, my honey Kenny has been peppering any talk of my birthday with puppy dog eyes and apologies like ‘ I wish your birthday gift was here in time for your actual birthday.’
$345 Dollars
I really don’t want for much. I am a very fortunate soul. The only thing I’d been buzzing on about for the last few weeks was a pair of shoes. They just happen to be faaaar too expensive and many might argue far too ugly to wear in public.
To me, that’s a lot of loot for a pair of shoes that don’t serve a special purpose like say, a motorcycle boot. I’ve toyed with the idea of buying these stupid shoes for myself. I’ve danced around the ‘add to cart’ button, come to my senses and closed the web browser on more than one occasion. I’m not nice to my things. I don’t covet them or give them special treatment. I break them, I use them up and I ruin them. That’s just my way. So $345 is out of my league.
Surprise!
Gift giving around the Fuzzmop house has often been about getting each other the things we know we wouldn’t buy for ourselves. As Chloe and Kenny exchanged knowing glances with each other over the last week, I settled into a satisfying guilt certain that they’d ordered those expensive shoes for me.
When I walked up to the front door after work today, my daughter Chloe was in the grips of a full wiggle-dance on the other side of the glass. I opened the door and she set off running with the words “Mom, you have to come to the garage!” trailing behind her. I followed her in.
“Happy Birthday, Mom!”
The Best Kept Secret
My family bought me a 09′ Suzuki DRZ 400. Apparently just about everyone in my immediate universe knew this secret plan was in motion. I am amazed at how much effort the people in my life go through to make me happy. I was and am, stunned and humbled by all of this.
So How is It?
I don’t know but I can’t wait to find out! Of course I had to head out for a quick ride just to see what everything felt like. It’s a whole other animal than I am used to. My preliminary ride was across the front lawn and around the block. I’m hoping this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I guess I’ll have to get myself some new boots after all…
I swear, I see a yellow Puch moped every time I am in Manhattan. It’s getting to the point that I can only assume that I am on a collision course to meet up with Captain Moped. Now that I think about it, they may in fact be following me but taking the long way around.
Maybe the little yellow moped is trying to communicate with me? It could be trying to give me a sign. It could also be that I am sitting in my office right now in a paranoid state, reeling from a Carvel Cookie Puss birthday cake hangover.
Sure, lots of motorcyclists like to scoff at scooters and mopeds. But check out this banzai scootering around London. It’s not what you ride, it’s that you ride. Right?
Few things can excite a motorcycle rider like a sign that reads “Winding Road Next 77 Miles“. Living here on the eastern end of Long Island I find it hard to believe that such signs exist out there in the world. Surely they are just the stuff of legend like the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot.
Route 12 in Idaho and Montana is one American road that can boast such claims. Following along the Lewis and Clark Trail through the Bitteroot Mountains of Montana and Idaho, Route 12 sweeps through the Lolo Pass and the Lolo National Forest. It wriggles on alongside the Lochsa and middle fork of the Clearwater Rivers. Where there are rivers, there are wiggly roads.
No traffic, no people. Just you on your motorcycle in the warm glow of the rising sun. There you are just quietly cruising along; left, right, left, right – racing no one but the river running along side you. Can’t you just picture it? I sure can. Put a tick in the “Someday” column for me.
Does anyone happen to know where the ‘Winding Road Next 77 Miles’ sign is located on the western end of route 12? I can’t seem to find it on Google maps. It would be a shame if I had to ride all the way out there just to find it. /sarcasm
While at the Winter Carnival in Lake George, we had a chance to check out motorcycle and ATV ice racing. Riders of this AMA sanctioned event were from the Electric City Riders.
This was the first time I’d ever seen ice racing in person. It was amazing! Seeing those riders flying around that icy oval was exhilarating. They seemed to defy gravity as they skimmed above the surface sideways. When the powdery snow began to fly, riders mid-pack would enter a turn flying blind in a whiteout. No guts, no glory.
click photos to enlarge
It was a real eye opening experience for me. If you have the opportunity to check out an ice racing event, don’t hesitate – do it!
