The day dawned clear and cold. I had cabin fever the likes of which would scare Jack Nicholson. It was cold, but sunny; close enough to summer for me. Time to ride!
I grabbed my keys, strode towards my garage, and then used every bit of my self-control to veer away… I had work to do. I spent the next six hours working and going slowly mad. Being an adult sucks!
By late afternoon I’d finished my work and it was time to play. It was about 50°. Summer hadn’t yet arrived and I was pushing the season. Well aware of the risks (and knowing that I was both inexperienced with off-road motorcycles and new to this machine) I decided to carry some extra stuff. I packed some extra clothes, an MRE, water, matches, flashlight, etc.… The usual survival kit for playing in less than ideal conditions.
I’m trying to train myself to leave a trail of virtual breadcrumbs with my SpotX. Mrs. Curmudgeon and a select few got my departing message; “Going off-road to explore. All is well.”
With that, I was gone!
I wasted some time wondering about country roads looking to start the true ride. Eventually I found my target, an imposing sign that said “Minimum Maintenance Road”. I’ve seen signs like that in many states and many places and I always hate passing one without investigating. It was finally my time to sniff about and see what I could find.
I found this particular sign about a month ago. At the time, the road was locked by deep packed snowdrifts. It had spent the winter as the domain of snowmobiles, and judging from the frozen tracks, snowmobiles had passed there in herds. As the thaw progressed, the snowmobiles gave way but the drift was still there and even walking that road would have been nearly impossible. By now, the ground was muddy but snow free.
And what a glorious road it was! I leapt at the sight and was a half-mile down the track before I calmed down and forced myself to stop. I sent another SpotX breadcrumb: “Min Maint Road. W00t!” These messages include navigation information. The more I send them, the stronger my habit of building that information trail will grow. I had my cell phone stashed in my luggage. I checked it was receiving my breadcrumbs. Interesting to know that I was still within cell phone reception. (Using a cell phone to test the SpotX seems redundant, but it’s the best testing plan I can think of.)
I turned the cell phone off and stowed it my waterproof luggage. Now the fun would really begin! It was a bit cold but I had heavy gear and was warm enough.
As soon as that sign disappeared behind me, everything was perfect! The road, just parallel wheel tracks from some tractors and a few ATVs, was easy but not too easy. My plucky little steed and I sputtered along through ruts that would hinder my huge Dodge and eat a minivan, but there was nothing too “technical”.
I rode slow and happy. I found myself humming in my helmet. I had the world to myself. Several times I stopped to enjoy the scenery and breathe the air of a forest slowly waking from a long winter. I wasn’t summiting a mountain or carving canyons, I was just chugging along amid grazing lands and old logging roads; just what I wanted.
This is why I bought the bike. Not to blast like a rocket but to saunter. Stress flowed away. Peace descended upon me. I smile at the memory…
Of course, you know there’s more. Stay tuned…
