This is My Favorite Way to Travel

There is something very special about riding with your life partner.  I enjoy riding with other people as well but riding with him is extra special.  We work well as a team in our day to day life and those skills are heavily used and strengthened every time we go on the road together.   The fact that we are on rather compatible bikes now makes it even sweeter.  In fact, my big bike has done wonders for my road confidence so our riding ability is that much closer also.  OK I’m on a sidecar and he isn’t and that always brings the spiked punch to the church social but we are used to working around that.  There is also all that time we get to spend together.  Right now with my work and his work and my lymphedema and, and, and…that time together is even more precious to us.  Beyond all that though (well maybe not beyond the glory of uninterrupted time together but close) is the reassurance that comes from being with someone who absolutely has my back and absolutely having his.  It makes me willing to ride farther and harder because he will be there for me.  I don’t even have to ask, it’s just a reality of my life.  If I push myself past my endurance he will be there at the end of the day to help carry my stuff into the hotel room and help me off with my gear when I don’t have spoons left to even untie my boots.   If a sudden storm causes us to change routes I will be there to get things packed up and loaded while he consults the radar and the maps.  He doesn’t have to worry about it.  If he’s with me, I’ll go anywhere.  If I ever go around the world, I want to do it with him.

Having said that, there is something equally special about riding solo.   The freedom is absolute and I do mean absolute.  You make plans for six months.  You route, you research roads and hotels and gas stops.  You highlight maps.  You get three days in and find out that there is a folk music festival in town.  No one else you know has much tolerance for lap dulcimer music but you love it.  Guess what?  You can change your mind and stay in town for three days for the festival if you want.  The only person you have to consult is your own self and no one is there to judge you no matter how many banjo CDs you buy.  Are you riding down the road and see a turn off that leads to a much more exciting road?  You can take that road at the last minute, no one cares.  Beyond the freedom there is also the thrill of accomplishing something on your own.  The confidence I’ve gained from solo travel is pretty amazing.  It also helps me understand my traveling style so I can express my needs when traveling with others.  Sometimes it’s nice to ride with no competition or comparison.  Even when I’m riding with Mr. Man who I know supports me and everything I do, when I’m tired sometimes I feel inadequate.  I feel like less, not good enough to ride with him.  It’s not true but that’s hard to see when you’re exhausted.  When I’m alone, I don’t get that as much.  It’s easier to concentrate on what I did accomplish rather than what I didn’t.  One of the neatest things about solo travel is the excitement I get when I think about coming back with Mr. Man or with our riding group.  I get this “I saw something awesome and I can’t wait to show it to you!” mentality that is exciting.

And having said both of those things, there is something really special about riding with a close group of friends that you trust absolutely.  You see each other’s beauty and each other’s ugliness and you still like them.  It helps you realize that you also are lovable when you are at your most unlovable.  Riding in groups creates energy unlike anything else and that shared energy can be intoxicating.  The shared memories and laughter you have around a dinner table after a great day of riding is just about the perfect way to finish a day.  I love seeing someone in my group succeed at something they’ve been working on like tackling a difficult road or increasing their mileage or understanding how their bike is geared.  There is also an awful lot of security in riding with a larger group of people.  The very first big group trip I ever took was with Mr Man and Zippo and Spyderman.  My transmission blew up on day four outside of Roswell, New Mexico.  We turned and were limping the bike back towards Ft Worth where my mechanic was at the time when it really gave up the ghost in Anton, TX just outside of Lubbock.  As I sat at an abandoned gas station waiting for AAA to come, I remember thinking that should the need arise; we had the collective credit to just buy me a new bike if we had to.  Of course, we would never do that but it was nice to know that I wasn’t alone trying to deal with a dead transmission and no working toilets.  Everyone brings a different strength to the group.  Everyone contributes.  Spyderman is one of my favorite folks to beta a plan with.  That man will find holes and problems you didn’t know existed.  The Billy Goat Gruff is my first choice to help manage a scene should an accident occur.  As a former Mr. Man has at work prevented that from happening.  OK, I thought, I’ll just take a solo trip instead.  I started working on that project when one night we had an idea.  What if, we said, the weekend before Labor Day we went out into the Hill Country together with me on my bike and Mr. Man in his truck with my off-road tires?  What if we spent some time on dirt roads?  We love riding like that together and we don’t get the chance to do it often.  He has to go back to work so he would head home to Austin and I would head out to get some solo riding done.  I decided to head to Alpine, TX for a few days.  I won’t do any dirt riding since I won’t have Mr. Man with me but I’ll do some road riding and spend some time exploring the small town of Alpine on my own.  Then I’ll head back to the Hill Country where Mr Man and my riding group will meet me for two days of group riding around Labor Day.  We should have everyone:  Sidecar Adventures (me), Mr. Man, Zippo, Spyderman, Union Jack, The Billy Goat Gruff, and our two new riders who at this moment are called Valkyrie, and the Curvy Bavarian (names subject to change).  That’s going to be a lot of bikes on twisty Hill Country Roads.  Hijinks will ensue!

So stay tuned readers.  Road Reports from that trip should start happening soon.  Oh and 2016 looks to be a Big Group Ride year.  Apparently, I’ve finally forgotten how stressful Colorado is.  We are looking at touring parts of the Deep South in what we are calling The Hotter, Deeper, Stupider Tour.  Highlights might include the Barber Motorcycle Museum, The Blue Ridge Parkway, the Cherohala Skyway, and Dollywood.

In Just Spring

IN Just-

spring when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame baloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old baloonman whistles

far and wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

the

goat-footed

baloonMan whistles

far

and

wee

-e e cummings

Ah Spring!   Warm weather, then muggy weather, then rain, and then a few glorious days of sunshine when it’s not as hot as the surface of the sun.  The time for all good motorcyclists to be riding, riding, riding!...When it’s not a torrential downpour.  In my house it’s also time to plan next year’s trip.  We aren’t getting a big trip this year.  It looks like we’ll have about a week in September that we are going to use to ride like crazy people out in the Hill Country.  Next year though we are going to try for another group ride.   I’ve recovered enough from our Colorado Trip to think about doing this again.  Right now, it’s pretty nebulous.  Not so much a plan as an idea.  I know we want to try to get to the Motorcycle Museum in Leeds, Alabama and I think there has been some mention of Dollywood.  Mr Man has mentioned the Blue Ridge Parkway and that sounds pretty awesome too.  We’ve invited everyone to put in opinions and requests so that we can start forming a plan but otherwise, all we know is we want to do another group ride the summer of 2016 and we are inviting two more riders than before.  So that’s eight bikes and a possible support vehicle.  Yep, we are crazy.  I can’t wait though.  I can’t wait to see what form this trip takes and what new adventures we have.  

At least that’s what I tell myself.  Because there is always that chance isn’t it?  Always that chance that this trip will be the trip your friendship can’t come back from.  The trip that ends with tears and screaming or icy silence that never ends.  Motorcycling is risky but most people think about risk to life and limb.  They don’t think about the interpersonal risks that comes from group travel.  I do.  I think about it all the time when I plan trips.  I think about it before I start the very first email asking “Who wants to go?”  Then I send the email, risking personal conflict and tears and fury 2500 miles from home. 

Because it’s Spring, the time for foolish ideas and even more foolish actions.  And believe you me, we are fools but I have faith in us.  I have faith that we value our friendship enough to work out conflicts and will be forgiving of each other’s folly.  Not that there haven’t been tears and yelling and me hiding in the shower at 3 in the morning while I break out in hives from stress.  Not that I haven’t had my doubts that my friendships or my marriage would survive the argument over what to order on the pizza (this is a bit of a fabrication, there hasn’t been any actual conflict over pizza I just won’t share how silly some of the arguments have been with people who weren’t there.)  Despite all that we’ve always come through for each other. So  I have faith,  I take risks.  After all, motorcycling is the fine art of risk taking.  Besides, it’s Spring and the world is  puddle-wonderful.

It's Not Failure, it's Feedback

The countdown continues.  Just three more days to our epic multi-bike trip to Colorado that I am calling "Six Bikes and a Diva".  My packing is done, only loading left to do.  Tomorrow Mr Man and I are heading to Zippo and Spyderman's house to load Zippo's bike and the truck.

This is my third attempt at a large group trip.  The first one ended shortly after it started when my transmission attempted to run away from my bike in Roswell, NM.  The second trip was completely re-planned in the middle of the trip because what I organized was a hot rolling mess but we finished and had a great time.  Each trip has taught me new things that I hope will help this trip be successful.  so what have I learned so far?

1.  Democracy has no place in a motorcycle line.  There should be a leader who is In Charge while on the road.  This person should be in front.  Dinner time once we are at our destination is the appropriate place for people to have an opinion.

2.  Someone should be In Charge of planning the trip start to finish.  This does not have to be the same person as above.  In our case, it's not.  I am our Road Captain.  I plan the trips, make the rough route, choose the stops, book the hotels, and I dole out jobs to everyone else as I see fit.  Mr Man is our leader on the road.  He and I consult a great deal ahead of time about the route, the line order, where we are going to eat but...once we are rolling, his word is law and he is In Charge.

3.  Expectations are paramount.  Everyone has to understand when the trip is going to suck and when it's going to be fun.  Everyone should know when we'll be doing things together and when we are doing things on our own and what the goal of the trip is.

4.  My expectations should be realistic.  I need to really understand what everyone's limits are and route accordingly.  In a situation where I can't, I need to be upfront about what we are going to have to do in order to leave Texas.

5.  A good group trip must have something for everyone and not completely please any one of us.  It needs some nice roads for Mr Man and he also needs a day he can go off by himself and ride crazy miles really fast.  Spyderman and Zippo need moderate days and beautiful locals to bed down in as much as possible.  I need everything to go smoothly and nothing to blow up.  Union Jack and the Billy Goat Gruff are still a little unknown to me.  I suspect that Union Jack needs to ride with the group as a member and have the chance to stop and take pictures on occasion.  Although I don't know what the Billy Goat Gruff needs to have a successful trip, I bet I will when I'm done.

Just three more days and the adventure begins.  I'll have more lessons learned after this.  Hopefully, I'll also have a wonderful group trip to tell stories about.

Because Just Once Wasn't Enough

Hello World!  I'm doing it again.  I'm going on another bikecation and I leave in about three weeks.  I loved Colorado so much last year that I'm going back there again but this time will be different.  This time....du, Du, DUMMMM......I'm taking friends.

So two weeks in Colorado with  six bikes and a truck.  It's been like herding cats but I think we are all just about set to go.  In fact, Mr Man and myself are starting to pack bags tonight because we just can't wait any longer.  So where am I going in Colorado?  It's pretty similar to what I did last year.  We are going to spend two days riding in the heat to Santa Fe where we will spend a day recovering and buying anything we forgot.  From there it's Pagosa Springs, Gunnison, Ouray for several days, Durango, Albuquerque, Clovis, Abilene, and home.  There will be mountain passes, beautiful scenery, cooler weather, and the chance for Mr Man and I to get in some off road time.

And who am I taking with me?  None other than the usual suspects.  You've met some of them previously but I'll introduce everyone.  Up front on the BMW R1150R we have our lead, Mr. Man.  Next on the Kawasaki Concourse we have our resident fretter and tree seeking missile, Zippo.  With him is his partner on the CanAm Spyder, Spyderman.  Also with us this time around, on the Triumph Bonneville, is Union Jack.  With us is her partner, on the Star Cruiser, The Billy Goat Gruff. Last but not least, driving our support truck, is The Diva.

This is actually our first trip with a support truck and I'm not sure any of us really know what to do with it.  For us, it means more tools, bigger Jacks, a plug in cooler, and a larger first aid kit.  It also means that Zippo, who get very ill in the heat, has a respite from riding the first two days when temperatures are the hottest.  It also means I get to travel with my beloved Diva for two weeks.

So that's the setting for our adventure this summer.  Now to start the packing process.  Tonight, it's electronics and continuing to do laundry.

Hi, I'm leaving soon

So on the 6th of July I'm leaving for a two week solo trip to Colorado.  I'm super exciting and a bit nervous.  After all, it will be my first long trip alone.  I'm sure there will be many blog posts to come regarding my adventure but this one is mostly about my itinerary.  The plan is as follows:
Friday 7/6:  Leave after work and ride to Brownwood, TX
Saturday 7/7: Depart to Littlefield, TX (just outside of Lubbock).  There is not way to make this leg fun.
Sunday 7/8: Make the hot and boring trek up to Santa Fe.  There is not way to make this fun either.
Monday 7/9: Burn a day recovering in Santa Fe
Tuesday 7/10: Ride up to Durango, CO
Wednesday 7/11: Explore the Durango area.  Most likely on foot although I won't rule out a bit of riding
Thursday 7/12:  Ride up the long way to Ouray, CO.  I'm not doing the obvious route of taking the Million Dollar Highway.  I mean, I want to ride it someday but it's two lanes on the side of a mountain with large trucks using is.  I'll wait until I'm not alone to do that one.  Instead I'm going over Lizard Head Pass.  I'm hoping it's a cool as it sounds.  I also have the option of taking a dirt road called Last Dollar out of Telluride.  I'll make that call when I'm looking at the turn off.
Friday 7/13: From my home base in Ouray, I'll ride the lovely Owl Creek Pass up to Cimarronn and back to Ouray.  It's dirt and I'm excited.
Saturday 7/14:  Be a slug in Ouray.  There may be a spa day at this point
Sunday 7/15: Head to Pueblo, Co
Monday 7/16: Ride to Dodge City, KS
Tuesday 7/17: Get the Hell out of Dodge and ride to either Yukon, OK or Norman, OK.  I'll see how I feel about that later
Wednesday 7/18 Head to McKinney, TX  to see my Brother, Sister-in-Law, and my fabulous nieces.
Thursday 7/19: Spend the Day in McKinney/Dallas.  See some friends maybe, rest, relax.
Friday 7/20: Head back to Austin.  Fall down
Saturday 7/21: Spa Day (can they do full body paraffin treatments?)

That's my plan folks.  Lets see how it unfolds.

Like a Boy Scout

When I first started this blog, I intended it to be a travel blog.  Unfortunately since I don't travel all the time, it doesn't get updated as much as I would like.  So I think I'm changing my idea of this blog into a blog about motorcycles and traveling in general.  I'm really going to try to update it more often.  Since I don't deal well with absolutes, I hesitate to give myself a deadline but once a week would be awesome....although probably ambitious.

As I type, we are getting ready for a trip out to Junction, TX to the Texas Adventure Ride (or TAR).  Mr Man is currently walking around the house muttering "ok....ok" while he gathers up electronics to be charged, bagged, and packed.  I am doing laundry (ok so my washer and dryer or doing the laundry but I helped by putting in clothes and adding detergent.)  Yesterday we changed out brake pads and tires and sat at Ihop and routed on paper maps and computers.  All of this drives home to me one of the reasons that Mr Man and I work so well together and that our marriage works so well: We both believe in the mantra "Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance."

Sometimes it looks like we have no plan.  I've watched Mr Man get on his bike and take off with no destination.  That's not the same as not planning.  Planning doesn't always involve Lists and spreadsheet and color coordinated maps.  Planning just involves a Plan.  Our last trip involved a Plan that went as follows:  we will get on our bikes and go traveling in a Northeast direction.  We want to ride around 250 miles a day with some pretty scenery.  We would like some opportunity to get of the bikes and get some pictures but that is not the focus of the trip.  We would like a burn day when we need one of if the town presents something of interest we both want to explore.  We would like to be back home with two days to recover before going back to work.  Added to that plan was the knowledge that my bike was the limiting factor for gas stops (I comfortably only have 150 miles on a tank) and that our bikes were equally matched in power but his had more speed around the corners.  That was the Plan.  It was enough for that trip.

Planning is, at heart, an understanding of expectations.  For our last trip that ended the planning.  In July, I am going to Colorado for my first two week solo trip.  For that trip expectations are only the beginning.  For our TAR trip some parts are list intensive some are not.  I'm spending no time on a packing list.  It should be simple and I've done this enough that I don't need to think about it.  I do, however have to do Laundry.  I did spend a little time on the list of things the bike needs.  It works out well because it marks items off of my to do list for Colorado.  I now have containers for extra fuel mounted and know how I want to proceed with that for the even more fuel I'll want in Colorado.  I have an air compressor for my ties and a tire repair kit.  Usually we pack and load the bike early enough so that we can look at what we've done and then unload and repack and reload....twice.  This time, Mr Man is riding in the tub as my Monkey so there is only one way the bike can be loaded....mark loading the bike early off of the list of things to do.

Now the Routing, that's serious for this trip.  We've looked at google maps to get us to Junction.  Then we've copied maps out of our Mapsco and highlighted out possible off road routes for the weekend.  This morning Mr Man took the copies and had them laminated so that if they got wet (in a water crossing perhaps) we could still use them.  Last night we took the off road routes and made the GPX files to be imported into my Garmin.  My head hurts from the routing.

And that is the sound of the dryer.  My next blog will be from TAR!  BTW, if you want to know, you can find TAR Info here

Texas Adventure Ride

Preparing

Motorcycling has become a huge part of my life.  I've started changing my life around to make it easier to do what I want on the bike.  I've been in the gym trying to get my body prepared to ride.  I bought a newer larger bike better suited to long distance riding and for dual-sport riding.  I purchased a new seat for the new bike that will help me with distance.  Now I'm really ready to put all that preparing to work and do some riding.  In a week's time, Mr Man and I are taking off on a week long trip together.  It's the first trip we've done alone in years and I am extremely excited.  We are heading North and East.  I know our first night's destination will be Paris, TX.  From there, we'll check the weather and choose our destination.  This weekend has been about preparing for the trip.  We replaced brake pads on my bike and I've done two entire mountains of laundry.  All the clothes I might take are waiting in a pile for me to go through and decide what goes and what doesn't.  My bag liners are laid out ready to receive clothes and other necessities.  So I'm prepared.  I'm done preparing.  I'm reading to ride.