Motorcycles. Just the word will conjure up all kinds of images and thoughts in the average person’s brain. My mom hated motorcycles. That is probably my fault. When I was 15 I was visiting my Uncle Tom and Aunt Audrey in Oregon for the summer. They had 3 boys, John who was the same age as me, Steve who is about 2 years younger and Chuck who is about 4 years younger. I took the Greyhound bus up and spent the summer picking strawberries with my cousins. I received my very first paycheck! When we weren’t working, we were playing hard; baseball games where you tried not to hit the ball into the pigpen, mud fights, bicycle rides into town, etc. I also canned strawberry jam with my aunt and made Coq Au Vin for dinner one night which entailed having my cousins kill and clean a chicken which I then had to pluck. You dip the chicken into hot water and then pull the feathers out if I remember right. What I do remember is that wet chicken feathers stink!
One of my cousins had a friend who had a motorcycle. I think his name was Randy. He offered me a ride on the back. I got on and we took a ride down a dirt road. We got to a big steep hill (I think it was man made) and Randy decided to show off with me on the back. He punched it, and we started up this hill and never made it to the top. The engine cut out and the bike tumbled back to the bottom of the hill. I ended up on the bottom of the heap with Randy and the bike on top of me. I was fine except that my right knee hurt. It has never quite been the same. My mom was not happy with me. In high school I had a boyfriend who had a motorcycle. I was not allowed to ride on it. One time my boyfriend picked me up from school and gave me a ride home, because I had to walk up a big hill. My mom saw me and I was grounded. Up to that point motorcycles were just trouble for me!
When I was 47 and divorced, I decided to try dating. I hadn’t really done a lot of dating before I met my first husband at the age of 19. Dating at the age of 47 was strange new territory. I was so nervous at first, because the guys I was dating could also conceivably date women who were 20 years younger than me. I worried about what they would think of me. That didn’t last long! After a few dates, I was much more concerned about what I thought of my dates. I realized my own worth and also that I wasn’t willing to give up the freedom of living life on my own for just anyone. I wasn’t sure that I was willing to give it up at all! I was very happy with my little life, and I remember very clearly thinking that if nothing ever changed, and I never met the right guy, I was happy with my life. I took a break from dating for 2 or 3 months, and then I decided to give it another shot after reading the book “He’s Just Not That Into You.” This was a quick read and made me laugh, but it also had some valuable nuggets of information. I decided that it would be nice to have someone to share my life with, so I put profiles on two internet dating sites. I had been on for about a week when I got a wink from Biker Brett who lived in another state and had nude pictures of himself on a Harley on his profile. I checked out my other dating site and found an email from Pete Rides Harley. “Great!” I’m thinking at this point, “It’s biker night!” Put some sarcasm into that thought and you’ll know how I was feeling. I read Pete’s email and looked at his profile and what I saw was a very sincere man who seemed comfortable in his own skin. He wasn’t trying to say the things that women like to hear (like so many of the other profiles I read). His email led to more emails and phone calls and a date and the rest is history. Pete now rides his Harley with me on the back.
I remember the first time we went riding together. I told Pete my motorcycle history and I also told him that if I didn’t feel safe on his Harley, he would never get me on it again. When I met him for our first ride, he had bought me a complete set of fringed black leathers, black leather gloves, black leather fanny pack and of course he had a helmet. I was impressed! We had a great time and Pete has always made me feel safe. We traded in his Fat Boy for a Screamin’ Eagle Ultra Classic Electra Glide touring bike. We have done many runs up and down the California coastline (always a beautiful ride) as well as a ride from here to Colorado Springs, and some smaller runaways for weekends. I love the freedom of our Harley runaways! You have to pack light. You will be wearing a helmet, so you don’t worry about your hair. You think about sunscreen not makeup. You can’t get tied down by a bunch of stuff when you travel on a Harley. There isn’t room for it. It’s just me, my amazing husband and the bike—-and sometimes four layers of clothing. We have ridden in rain, wind, and even snow (although we wouldn’t ride in snow on purpose—we had to go through a few patches of unexpected snow when we went to Colorado). It’s so much more of an adventure than riding in a car. You aren’t just looking at the world through a window, you are experiencing it!
Pete has always said that I am a natural and I should take safety classes and get my own license. He is absolutely sure that I would love the experience of piloting my own bike. He may be right, but he also makes me feel safe. He has been riding since he was 15 starting with dirt bikes. He is a very experienced rider. I don’t see how I will ever be that good when I am starting at such an advanced age. Truthfully, I’m a little chicken, too. I’m a little nervous about learning to do something I’ve never done. I’m a little nervous about getting hurt. I was that way when I learned how to ski at the age of 46. I remember talking to myself for weeks in advance and telling myself I was just going to “relax and enjoy myself” while I envisioned myself calmly skiing down gentle hills. It worked, and I had a great time. The only problem was I never had the money to follow up and keep doing it, so I’m still not a skier. If I take motorcycle lessons, will the same thing happen?
I’m reading a book called “The American Motorcycle Girl’s Cannonball Diary” by Cristine Sommer Simmons right now. She did the Cannonball Run in 2010. This is a coast to coast endurance run and she did it on a 1915 Harley-Davidson. I’m working on my head by reading and being inspired by other women riders. Cris is about my age. She is married to Patrick of The Doobie Brothers band. She has been riding since she was a teenager so she is another experienced rider, but I think I need to just do this. I want to take the Motorcycle Safety Course this summer. I’ve spent too much of myself holding back from the things I want to do. I just need to do this!
Living Up to Mom 