One of the things I like most about riding is the time to think. I like to see the scenery and let my mind wander away from the hectic week of work. For some reason on this ride I began thinking how fortunate we are to have the desire to experience life. I know a lot of people whose extent of living begins and ends on the couch and the discovery channel. An adventure to them is going to the grocery store and finding a new flavor of snack chip. It's not my personality to spend weekends confined to the house only to go back to the weekly work grind just to look forward to spending the next weekend boxed in my house again. Other people I know even refuse to sight-see locally believing the only type of travel that holds any value is an expensive international destination that they finance with their credit cards and spend the next few years trying to pay off at a high interest rate. I would end up talking more about how much I still owed than about the trip itself.
As Margaret became more comfortable with her bike it didn't take long for us to start taking longer rides. Many of our rides are day long trips but we get to experience something new every time.When you start looking for places to go and things to see within a 200 mile area or so from where you live you would be very surprised at how much there is to do and how far you can go in a short amount of time. We always experience things along the road going to our destination as well. You never know what might be going on in the towns you roll through that becomes an unexpected surprise. Our rides will often keep us out the entire day from early morning until the sun goes down. Sometimes we get a room and spend the night wherever we are. Each ride doesn't have to be an elaborate expense, but each ride can be a new adventure.
Our personalities have always been directed towards a more adventurous side. Our riding together soon took that lifestyle and interest which keeps us taking trips and exploring. At this time in our life of riding together we want to see things and ride our bikes to do that. This might change in time but for now, that's where were at. Some people like to ride to an event, sit there all day, listen to music, talk to friends, and ride back home. Some like to ride in circles between cones in a parking lot every weekend. And even others might do a couple of dinner rides through the week. There's nothing wrong with any of this if that's what you enjoy, but I could have done those things a lot cheaper on a scooter instead of a Harley if that was going to be the extent of my riding.
We both have too much energy to confine ourselves to these types of riding. Life goes by too fast and we want to see everything we can before were not able to anymore. I don't want to sit back with my grand kids later in life and say I had (or have) a Harley that I rode around the block every couple of weeks. Far too many people end up with regrets from not going forth with their dreams. I'm often told from people at work how they have always wanted to ride, and listen to the excuses they come up with to justify why they never did. They will go to their grave with that desire and regret. I want stories, memories of places, sights, sounds, and smells to pass on from our riding trips. Life can end in an instant so we want to make the most of every opportunity we can...before it's gone.
Muenster & Bridgeport, TX May 2014 Video
I love our adventures and you're right we never know how much time we have left. Life is best spent living it to the fullest!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Margaret and you are both seizing the time together and making the most of it.
ReplyDeleteYou both do a great job capturing images and video. Thank you for being willing to share your rides with us. You always look so relaxed and she is always smiling or laughing.