April 2005

People ask me all the time, “You rode there by yourself?”

My answer to them is “I like to ride by myself.”

I find solitude in bike riding.  I find a peace that is hard for me to explain.  I enjoy the actual ride better when I am not worried about whether someone else needs to stop for a bathroom break, a rest break, gas, or food. 

Mind you, I do not dislike riding with other people, I just find that when I am by myself, I ride at my pace.  I stop for gas when I need to, I eat when I want to, I stop for a bathroom break when I feel like it, and I rest when I am tired.

I have always said that to me riding is the fun part about going somewhere.  I am not a tourist.  I don’t want to spend a day visiting an old battlefield, a museum, or other tourist attraction.  I want to ride.

Recently I have started taking three day trips.  I will leave on Thursday, and return on Saturday.  It is imperative to get where I want to go in a hurry so I have a little time to explore the area before heading home.  Thank God for the Interstate Highway System.

I love the interstates.  I love bringing my Goldwing up to speed, setting the cruise control, turning on my MP3 player, and eating up many a mile.  I have always liked the interstates.  All the way back in the 1960’s when they first came into being till now, they have always been a favorite way of travel for me.  I use the interstates to get where I am going in a hurry.  If I want to go to West Virginia, I take the super slab to get there in a hurry.

Once I have arrived at my destined area, I choose the smallest back roads I can find on the map.  This way as I ride around an area, I have the chance to see the beautiful countryside, and how the people of the area really live.  I see all of the things you don’t see on the interstates.  When I am ready to go home, I get back on the super slab, and cruise back home. 

I am not lonesome when I ride, I am happy.  I enjoy my being by myself.  I guess I am satisfied with me.  Besides, I can share the trip with hundreds of people on my website.

If you see a blue Goldwing motoring down the highway, be sure to wave, cause I will be waving at you.  It matters not to me what you ride, as long as you enjoy the ride.