Ride Instead of Drive Month

I've decided to liven things up during this coming month of September. Tuesday the 9th is my birthday. Being more or less past the mid-life crisis age, this birthday isn't any sort of trigger. At least, mostly not. It has made me more aware of one thing in particular. More on that later.

The title of this post is what I've chosen to lump everything under. It's by no means the only thing on my mind, though. Let's just call it a place to start.

Bear with me while I relate a small story.

You most likely know of a certain governor in California that goes by the name of Arnold. Rumor has it that he used to be a pretty successful competitive bodybuilder. There's a story about how, at one point of his muscular development, Arnold's calves weren't coming along as well as the rest of him. As a remedy, Arnold wore only shorts for a period of time. This solution forced Arnold to give his calves attention as they were always visible.

What does this have to do with motorcycling? Nothing and everything.

Fall's coming. Around here that will mean rain and wet roads. In other places it will bring colder temperatures. In the meantime there's the transition period. Good traction and bad traction will be sharing the same roads. Pretty soon we'll see fewer and fewer bikes out. Those who stay riding longer will be called upon to use skills not used as much in warm, dry, conditions.

Which brings us back to Arnold's calves. Not that I care about his legs all that much. His solution intrigues me, though. We all have weaknesses in our riding. Maybe we're lacking in low traction riding skills. Could be we don't scan as aggressively as we should. Makes it easier to miss critical clues about traction availability or the lack thereof. Riding in traffic when it's dark and wet calls for especially keen scanning and decision making skills. Perhaps what keeps us from riding longer into the year is just the lack of the proper gear. Fill in the blank to customize to your own circumstances.

Zooming in on a skill or item that's lacking isn't done with the purpose of depressing oneself. The idea is to identify it, then give it some extra attention. Power comes from turning weaknesses into strengths.

It's been awhile since I've put on the trainer's hat here in the blog. I'm itching to share again. After all, training riders is a huge passion for me. Look for more riding tips and wisdom in upcoming posts. I'm also toying with the idea of creating a place for riders to share stories. Kind of a "here's what happened to me and here's what I learned" kind of thing. It would also be ok to use the classic "I have this friend" line, too!

Sophie's going up for sale. I'm giving my full attention to Elvira. That's just the way it has to be to make the break. As a sort of "getting back to my roots" move, I've declared September my Ride Instead of Drive Month. I almost declared it Ride to Work Month but held back for a couple of reasons.

For one, I didn't want to risk raising Andy's ire by getting too close to his Ride to Work Day. Mr. Goldfine's an awesome guy but don't mess with his baby! Secondly, riding to work is limiting. A bike's also perfect for errands and pleasure rides as well. Thus the ride instead of drive idea.

There was a day when I'd go months without driving. Actually, it wasn't all that long ago. The last couple of years with a new career have made it tougher to do. Thanks to an enlightened boss and my good reputation ( I never knew what that was like before!) I can ride a lot more. September seems like the perfect time to make it happen. I've been an ardent advocate of using a bike instead of a car for everything possible. It's time to make sure I'm actually leading by example again. As a bonus, there's a trip to Northern Idaho next week and a trip to Southern Oregon the week after. It will be a great chance for the FJR and I to blend our spirits. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Take a shot at it yourself, if you can. Success doesn't hinge on a perfect score. Even a few days more than normal is a winner! Be sure to share anywhere in the comments, even if the post is on a different subject. We all want to celebrate so be sure to give us a reason!

Katie and I went riding on Monday. We stuck to back roads in order to avoid the returning from camping and partying crowd. By now I can string rural roads in my head like some sort of demented spider web. Somewhere in the middle of it this gloved hand touches me on the shoulder. The owner of such hand requested a restroom break. Out in the middle of wherever. Flipping charts in my brain, I remembered a small state park within a few miles. In an event of fortuity we also ended up taking a very interesting tour of an old grinding mill. I'll try to get the photos together and share it here.

Speaking of sharing, there's a guest poster looming around the corner. We're negotiating right now. She's trying to condense it to two posts. I think it's pretty cool and am trying to get her to expand it to three posts. Ultimately it's her decision but look for it soon!

As you can see, I'm still playing with colors and layout here. I'm just in the mood to create, it seems. Please offer me the gift of your patience and input as I try different combinations.

Well, that's it for now. Oh, I almost forgot. My upcoming birthday figures into things because I suddenly sat bolt upright with a somewhat scary thought. I've been riding for over four decades. It's safe to say that I have more riding time behind me than ahead of me. I won't elaborate more than that right now. Suffice it to say, some of you know exactly the kind of thoughts bouncing around in my brain right now. I've been hitting the gym again, trying to find those muscles I was sure I had once before. I could give a rat's behind how I look at the beach. I just want to make sure I can ride as long as possible!

Miles and smiles,

Dan