A Change of Scenery
A riding rhythm has eluded me for the past two months. Maybe more. The usual drive to get on the motorcycle or scooter just hasn’t been animating my decisions. Instead, i’ve lost myself in too much television. Too much sugar. Too much sleep. Staring out the window at the changing autumn landscape, wondering what was wrong, it occurred to me the prescription was simple — get on the Royal Enfield Himalayan and go for a ride.
Anywhere. Just a change of scenery would alter how I feel.
And it worked.
Riding Before Breakfast
Commuting to work provided a reason to ride. Retirement provides little in the way of pressure or motivation. The burden is on me to motivate myself. One morning, after playing with the dogs and giving them breakfast, I got on the motorcycle just to “ride around the block.”
I didn’t go far, 12 miles of winding country roads, but it was enough to experience a change in the mental and spiritual doldrums I have been wandering.
The Tractor
Later in the day, after the sky cleared, I wandered again. No destination. Just focusing on the experience of guiding the Himalayan through familiar territory and savoring the light and color that I miss sitting inside the house.
Riding through farm fields and pastures you really appreciate the low-end, tractor-like torque of the motorcycle as it goes wherever I point it without complaint.
I remain happy with my choice to purchase the Himalayan.
Limits
The motorcycle’s capabilities stretch beyond my skills. Or my willingness to invade other people’s property. When I was still working in the College of Agricultural Sciences I knew a lot of the farms and farm owners. I felt more inclined to pay them an unexpected visit than I am now. I feel like a stranger now and won’t push the bounds of private property as much as I would enjoy a little adventure.
But it’s nice to sneak around sometimes though my good sense tells me I shouldn’t.
Serenity and Calm
At some point in every ride I feel myself letting go. Letting go of the noise in my head that screams of its importance. Letting go of the concerns about things I have no business worrying about. And on the road, while riding, it all just goes away.
If there is a prescription for what ails my mind, the solution that seems to work best is to just go for a ride.
Even a short ride.
Autumn Skies
I swear the best time of year visually is autumn. Spring is colorful but subtle. Not spectacular. Making a choice to go for a ride just to drink in the scenery is a nod toward my own mental and spiritual well being. I need to remember, whenever something doesn’t seem right in how I’m thinking or feeling, the prescription may be to just go for a ride. On the Himalayan. Or one of my Vespa scooters.
I just can’t sit at home and wait to feel differently.
But I do…
I enjoy your truthfulness. I also am experiencing too much sitting in the house. Too much sugar. I have had to store my Piaggo Beverly and Yamaha 49cc BWs or Zuma. October 31st was the last day that I will see bare ground for six months. I’ve changed up to an electric bicycle back in June. I’ve ridden 1,000 miles effortlessly. My bike doesn’t have a throttle. The exercise has done wonders for my mental and physical health. I am finding a nice balance between scooter and electric bike riding. Please keep doing what you are doing. What you are doing is really good.
Thank you Mick for your supportive words. I appreciate them.
Winter is not a good time for me anymore but I have to say I can’t imagine living somewhere where I would not see the bare ground for six months. It would definitely require a shift in thinking on my part.
Your experience on an electric bicycle is interesting. I see them often here and wonder if they would not be a good option for exercise. Walking is my mainstay but the cold weather diminishes my interest in going outside, even if the landscape is dry and free of snow and ice.
Best wishes to you for the coming winter. I hope you find ways to maintain your mental and physical health!
We are lucky around here with quiet paved roads as well as endless State Forest dirt roads, to go far or near. I was lucky too in the Washington DC area, believe it or not. After years of riding with the local bicycle club which had a library of route sheets, some of which I learned by heart, I could ride a moto (or bicycle) all the way from my house inside the Beltway to great seafood restaurants on the Chesapeake Bay! That is on tiny two lane blacktop with very little traffic. Great riding times there and here.
I agree with you on “Autumn Skies.” We kept planning a moto trip to the Adirondacks for Fall leaves, but never went. No need, plenty of color around here.
We certainly are Robert. The roads, even the ones I ride often, continue to deliver a satisfying riding experience.
I think many places offer the kind of lightly traveled routes if a person isn’t in a hurry and can modify their expectations to embrace the demands of slow, out-of-the-way routes.
I went for a ride on the Himalayan yesterday in the mountains. All the leaves are down and I felt the approach of winter even though is was still warm. All the color is gone, or at least the color I associate with autumn.
It’s that time of year when big group events are over and any riding I do is solitary. I mostly take out the year old China scoot in a slow effort to break it in. So far I haven’t hit 1,000 miles yet when I will explore its capabilities above 50 mph. The view out my window from this computer has changed rapidly from green, to fall colors to empty branches, I ascribe it to the ridiculously hot summer here that confused my bushes and trees cycle of leaf shedding. I’m just hoping that the moderate weather continues so my fleet doesn’t remain idle for long spells.
Everything seems to be changing quickly. A look at our weather forecast indicated temperatures in the 20s. I’m not ready.
Our plants are confused as well. Our Mountain Laurel is blooming along with roses and a few other native plants. I fear they’ll all be hit hard next week.
Life goes on.
Hi Steve,
In a video you just posted on YouTube I noticed you stored your camera in the thank bag. I assume it’s for easy and quick access. How do you solve this when riding the Vespa?
On the Vespa I am usually shooting with a Canon G5X Mark II. It’s a small point and shoot camera that easily fits in my jacket pocket, or I put it under the seat with plenty of padding to protect it from the engine vibration.
I seldom take my pro cameras along on a ride. When I do they go in the topcase in a padded camera bag.
Thank you.
Merry Christmas! And best wishes for 2023.