I started off the ride fully geared and fully zipped because it was cool—high 60s.  I even added my neck scarf to keep my neck warm, and I needed it.  But with the right gear, the ride was pleasant though I can feel the need for my turtleneck coming soon.

            As I mounted my motorcycle, I noted the odometer was at 1998.4, so I planned on stopping in 1.4 miles to snap the big 2000 shot.  But as we set off cruising on this beautiful day, my mind wandered, and I totally forgot to get the picture!  Instead, I was feeling the road beneath my wheels and the wind against my body.  I was looking for more change in the foliage spotting some more bursts of red and yellow among the green leaves of the trees.

            But for some reason during this ride, my mind wandered to the Tim Allen movie Wild Hogs.  If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it as a funny glimpse into the yuppy trend of buying Harley-Davidsons and becoming riders.  Tim Allen’s little group of four call themselves the Wild Hogs, and they head out for a weekend ride to escape their daily grinds.  That’s what my mind was musing on—the healthy escape and spiritual recharge riding motorcycles provide.

            I’ve been dealing with some health issues recently, yet I won’t let them keep me off my motorcycle.  Luckily, my health hasn’t curtailed my ability to ride, and I’m grateful for that.  I can forget about any pain and feel the joy of my body and my bike working together in the ride.  So I really leaned in on the counter steers during my turns, but I realized during my U-turn practice that I have not been using my body fully.  I haven’t been applying pressure with my foot on the outer peg from the turn, so I haven’t made that a habit of my ride yet.  More to work on.

            I did spot a cabbage white butterfly during our ride, and there was even a small flock of ducks sitting near the lake where it comes up close to the road.  And the Canadian geese gaggles are getting larger.  There were tons of squirrels out running in front of us and running off on the grass as they gather their winter stores.  Bill had a near run in with a mockingbird flying low and in front of him, but the roar of the Rocket chased him off.  All in all I needed this ride to escape the worries of the week, and I look forward to next week’s ride that lets me escape those worries.

            As for the title of this piece, early into the ride (probably around mile 2000), I thought of great title.  But by the ride’s end, packing up the gear, running errands, and getting home, I no longer had that amazing title in mind.  So one negative about riding is it isn’t great for writing down brilliance (ha!).