Greetings from the Tundra – Wish You Were Here

On Saturday, my town declared a state of emergency banning all non-emergency personnel from even being on the roads. We had over 2 feet of snow and howling winds. It was a wee bit blizzardy.

I was supposed to take part in my first fatbike race on Saturday. That was cancelled because of that whole “state of emergency” thing. It’s probably just as well because I had no business entering. The race was rescheduled for this coming Saturday. I still have no business going – I’m not anything more than a recreational rider. But, I figure I’ll make everyone else look good. The only thing I need to care about here is that I’ll have a good time.

[I started writing this post on Saturday in the thick of the blizzard and got sidetracked doing… something… important?]

I’m sitting in my living room watching the snow swirl on the wind. It’s a good time to knock out a couple of the Daily Page prompts I received last week.

How are your goals for 2016 going thus far?

They’re still in daydreaming status. With maybe just a pinky toe in the water.

I did buy a Kriega US-30 Drypack. With its universal mounting I’ll be able to use it both on the Bonneville and the KTM. And the Kriega bags can also connect to other Kriega bags, making luggage sets. So that’s kinda nice if I find for some reason I can’t carry what I need in the 30. If I’m not camping, my needs are small. I’m a fairly light packer but I could go lighter still.

And the packaging has both a Triumph and a 690 on it, so it’s surely a sign of good things. Right?

So, I guess you could say that my goals for 2016 are moving forward-ish.

What’s something you’ve been excited about lately?

Shit, it seems like I’ve just been excited about everything, lately. I don’t know if it is in direct contrast to having been in the dumps for months – but lately it feels like there are a MILLION things to be excited about. I’ve been filing all sorts of inspiration and day trip ideas away. I’ve got to start writing them all down again so I don’t forget them. I just keep cramming more in to my head.

I find Instagram to be inspirational. The photos that people post help jumpstart your own ideas.

With regards to motorcycles? I keep getting drawn in to these daydreams of exploring dirt roads and out of the way spaces. Granted the phrase out of the way differs when you live on the edge of New York City versus living in an expansive place like the west. But all things considered, I want to find myself out there, somewhere.

What’s a belief you once held that’s changed over time?

That the word ordinary sums you up as a whole. Within each of us there are depths to be plumbed. We see the world with the sum of all moments and experiences that lead up to this very second. As a result of that, our view can be unique. I think we get scared, ashamed or inhibited by daring to think that maybe, just maybe we have something that is anything but ordinary to send back out in to the world.

I’ve come to believe that the trap of toeing the line and embracing our “ordinary” is a lie that we tell ourselves so that we don’t venture out, try something new and fail. Stay within the safety in the herd! If we don’t try, we can’t fail. Not failing is the goal, right? I would’ve probably said yes at some point but this is wrong. Simply “not failing” sounds awfully apathetic, like coasting through life with no fire in your belly. There may be more value in a spectacular crash and burn.

Maybe it will take 40 years to find your own spark. Maybe, not. Maybe other people will help you see your light. Maybe not.

Just keep looking. Don’t be afraid to try, to fail, to rise and start the process all over again.

What’s the biggest challenge you currently face?

Taking my vitamins and not eating cookies.

Talk about your 3 most memorable moments from this past weekend.

Well, we did have a blizzard. That was kind of memorable. With a blizzard comes the need to move lots of snow from area A to area B.

But aside from snow relocation, I got to do two of the things that I actually love about snowstorms – I went out walking while it was coming down. And then I went out walking the morning after when the world was still silent and there were no other people around. After a storm, the way that the light reflects off of the snow makes the sky seem extra blue. The snow glistens on trees and there is muffled silence but for the shuffle of your feet. Glorious.

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...

10 Responses

  1. Krista says:

    Your part of the world currently looks like my part of the world. Glad to hear you made it through the storm safe and sound. I agree with you that the stillness after a storm is absolutely blissful…the silence broken only by the rumble of a city snow plow as it fills the driveway with snow the consistency of semi-cured cement. Ahhhh winter.

    Good luck with the fat bike race! Sounds like a blast!

  2. RichardM says:

    When the snow is still falling, I love the silence that it brings. All the other sound such as sounds from the roads are damped out. And it turns your world brilliant white the day after and covers all of the junk that seems to always be lying around. The world feels clean and tidy.

    I still enjoy the snow! Even several feet of it. Time to go x-country skiing!

  3. Dar says:

    This is going to sound crazy, but I envy your snow! I know I can’t believe I said that! After all living in lotus land with perpetual green lawns all winter has a few perks, but it usually involves grey days and torrential unceasing rain and the rare sunny day. Its hard to get excited about that. I think I miss the quiet after the snowfall the most and I can remember brilliantly sunny days up in Northern BC where 10 to 20 feet of snow was the normal for winter with temperatures usually between -25 and -40 for a goodly part of the winter. But the sunny days were spectacular with the sunlight dancing across the snow making it sparkle as if it were fairy dust. I miss those days and those were the days when I actually went out and played in it with cross country skis, downhill (not many times for this as it scare the bejeebus out of me), hiking, broom ball, skating and of course shoveling. The shoveling part isn’t one of my favourite things, but hey you live in snow you cope with it and I could always say I survived winter!

    I was out looking at rack systems for saddle bags on the weekend and I think I am getting hard bags and a couple of dry bags for my beastie. I also sat on a lot of bikes and I can say I am completely besotted by the Ducati Scrambler 400, as well as a few others the BMW RnineT was singing a little to me as was the GS650, but the littlest beast that caught my ever roving moto eye was the Honda CBR300 in hi viz yellow and black, I can’t even tell you why I liked it so much. Then there is the mighty Africa Twin – that is one beautiful bike, but completely out of the running for me due to its height, I’d need a trampoline or an elevator just to get on and off that thing and landing gear so I could make a safe steady stop. So I was at a motorcycle show dreaming of all the possibilities and looking at all the farkles I could buy. I have decided though I am still in love with my current bike and if I was going to add anything to nest amongst the inhabitants of the moto lair it would probably be a Honda CRF250 or a Suzuki DR, something light and nimble. I tried a BMW GS650 off road and it was a lot of work and very tiring standing on the pegs fighting that bike on rough ground, it offered an incredible ride on the street, but its just too darn big for boonie bashing. So someday I might venture off road, but not right now, I am content to be as my husband says a “tar eater”.

    Stay warm Fuzzy!

  4. Erin A-L says:

    We in VT are also jealous of the amount of snow you guys got. Oh, well. I finally lowered my new-to-me KLR250 so I could at least get my toes on the ground – good enough for me. Winter is fun and all that, but now I’m really looking forward to Spring… 🙂
    I like all the positive thinking! Hope you are staying warm, Fuzzy!!

  5. Hi Rachael – My name is Allison. I would love to talk to you about writing for a site on behalf of my client for a paid opportunity. Can you email me? (Apeltz at hellocle (dot) com

  6. Same things right here. We are going through blizzard years to years in every winter and this became a part of our life. I’m quite like your positive thinking. If you wants to start the rides, keep warm and take care! I’m going for snowmobiling at this time, you can give it a try 🙂

  7. Chris says:

    “I still have no business going – I’m not anything more than a recreational rider. But, I figure I’ll make everyone else look good”

    Ahh, but you will likely have more style! 🙂

  8. I often get a chuckle from your posts — an image, the way you turn a phrase, perhaps a word. Today the picture of the snow covered car with YOUR portrait. That’s you.

    And on top of everything you mentioned Daily Page. Had no idea what that was but once I looked I cursed as I realized it’s the sort of thing I can get sucked into. Like cookies.

    So thanks for the chuckle and damn you for Daily Page. Hope you get lost in the snow…..;)

    Steve Williams
    Scooter in the Sticks

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      😆 Thank YOU for saying such nice things 🙂

      “YOUR portrait. That’s you”

      It’s true 🙂 Isn’t every piece of our “art” us in some way?

      The Daily Page can be hit or miss. Sometimes their topics are strangely too specific… which i’m sure you’ll find out soon enough 😉

  9. Kathy says:

    I love the snow art! I’ve been in daydreaming mode, too. Got a European vacation in September to plan! Not sure yet if we’ll rent bikes for part of it. We’ve got lots of people to visit, most of who are not riders.

    I love the post-storm blue skies, too, and walking in the quiet of the snow-blanketed world. It’s so nice to see you excited about stuff again.

    By the way, I did read this about a week ago, but am only now reading by computer, which means I can comment. The stupid phone is so hit or miss with comment capabilities. And I can find no rhyme or reason with the issue, meaning I have no idea WTF the issue is! Sigh…

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.