April in Montauk – Where Tigers Roam
When my eyes popped open on Saturday morning, the rest of the house was fast asleep. All week long the weatherman had been calling for sunshine and temperatures in the 50s. It was my day to head out for a ride.
After spending a lot of time off of the bike, the natural rhythm and routine of getting yourself dressed and on the road is a little… rusty. It is an act I’ve completed a million times, but I nearly dropped my Tiger as I rolled it out of the garage. It was a reminder that being complacent after a long layoff isn’t such a great idea.
For no reason whatsoever other than just because, I decided to head east. All the way east, to Montauk.
By the time I’d finished my journey out to The End, the wind was gusting. I think they were a little aggressive in calling for mid-50s. I was positively chilled through. That feeling stayed with me long after I was home again and then into the night.
With no timetable, no plan, no place to be – I stopped at the IGA market and picked up some turkey, an orange and a bottle of water then moseyed over to Theodore Roosevelt County Park to sit and eat.
There was a nice view of the horses at Deep Hollow Ranch. I talked to them for a few minutes and they just looked at me like I was nuts. The story of my life.
Feeling cold, I worked my way over to Spring General Store for coffee. They’ve got a nice, sunny porch to sit on.
As soon as I swung my leg over to dismount my bike, a guy pulled in on a Versys. He join me on the porch and we sat talking bikes and life for about an hour. A really nice fella.
When I left he shook my hand and said ‘you’re the real deal.’ Not sure what he was expecting when he first sat down with me but I guess I’ll take that as a compliment 🙂
One of the great things about motorcycle riding is meeting some nice people on the road. Thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear about your day. And, yes, you ARE the real deal.
I’d take it as a compliment. He was probably impressed by a few things: You’ve certainly proven to your readers that you can talk the talk, but more impressive than that–you were out riding early on a Saturday morning in wanna-be-at-least-50-degree temps that weren’t quite. (Hell, I know that I’m impressed with my own commitment when I make it out early in sub-comfy temps.) Keep representing, Fuzzy. Prove to the generations that, yes, women do ride. They ride for their own reasons. They ride beacuse they love it.
*because*
Oh, and don’t worry about what the horses might think… Begin to worry when they start talking back.