Lol, I put a reluctant like on this one, I doubt you are that boring!
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Sorry I didn’t run across you in June when I was there for the F1 race although I did see an F3 while I was there. Montreal is in a beautiful location, I would have loved to have seen it when it was still wilderness. There is construction everywhere so no wonder you ride the fastest way out of town. We drove from Montreal to Quebec and the countryside was beautiful.
Brilliant question! I'll have to think about an answer the next time I'm out ryding :roflblack:
Seriously though...it depends...
When riding solo, my mind typically jumps around...beauty of the scenery, de-stressing tactics (most recently via my recent retirement), short and long term plans yet to be realized.
When riding with my wife, I tend to focus more on "our" enjoyment...hey, did you see that...are you okay for a while longer or need a break?
When riding with one of the groups (which I've been doing a lot more of this season), it's more a focus on the rider in front and behind, the road itself, when is the leader gonna stop for a break, etc.
I'm happy with any of the above, but I definitely get more relaxed when solo.
I enjoy the people who engage you when riding solo.
At a gas pump, a motel, car/bike wash or stopping for a bite to eat.
Seems there's always someone with a story, a comment or question.
I always give them their time.
They knock the dust off the solitary moments!
Then I'm ready to saddle up and hit the road again.
America...............it is beautiful!
Great Post.:2thumbs:
My thoughts: Solo riding clears my head of all the current problems and daily worries that turn into ulcers and mental anguish if left to fester within. When I go out in the wind I gotta concentrate on riding and being hyper aware of my surroundings and road conditions. All those problems seem to melt away the further I ride. By the time I get home I'm recharged and ready for what ever life wants to throw at me next. About 15 years ago I rode cross country, upon returning 3 weeks later folks asked me "What was it like?" I replied " travelling in this beautiful country in a cage is like watching a 3D movie with all it's beautiful scenery unfolding all around you, but riding out there on a bike(spyder) you are now part of that movie enjoying all the smells, sounds, sights and even a different feel to the road beneath you."
"Riding Two up is completely different, as I now have more responsibility with my better half on the back. Spyder handles a little differently and I focus even more on the road than riding solo. I find myself enjoying the occasional conversation as we share the wind and our surroundings together.
And yes, as many have said before me "The Ride Is The Destination!
When I was younger, I had neither the time or the money to enjoy life the way I do Today. Bushrat hit the nail square when he said "Too soon we grow old; too late we get smart!!! :banghead:
Glide-on Brothers :riding:
Ridden in Spain (including Barcelona) but never managed Norway (or Sweden) though I have ridden in Finland. Nordkapp much further north than I've ever managed and well into the Artic Circle, that's quite a trip you're planning there. I've been to Antarctica but never quite managed the Arctic Circle. Love to see the route you've got planned.
The road less traveled... And it made all difference.
This is a great post. I just got back from a 2600 mile one week run to the southeast. Rode the dragon. When I left home I told the GPS to stay off the interstates and it was great. I camped, yes camped in the cold fall weather. And I loved every minute of it. I know that if someone was with me I'd have drove them crazy. I took really crazy backroads and saw some great country. As somebody above mentioned, the engagement with new friendsat gas pumps and eateries is always entertaining. I like just covering some miles and seeing the sites. My minds isn't on the drudgery of daily life and business but the moment I'm in. I got home day before yesterday and and I'm still smiling!
No one's bladder, stomach or gas tank to worry about but my own when riding solo. I'm much more approachable by other riders and strangers when by myself. I take whatever roads I like to wherever I like. But my favorite rides are with a good good friend whose abilities and preferences match mine and it's especially good if there is bile to bike communication between us.
That I can sleep and ride at the same time....:ohyea:
I'm retiring from the fire dept in 17 months and this sounds exactly like how I wanna spend my retirement!! Lol
Over the years most of my short trips have been solo, all of my long trips were in groups, anywhere from 2 to a dozen guys... my first long solo trip was when I drove my Spyder home from Thunder Bay Ontario home to just outside Toronto, about 1400km/ 900 miles. It was amazing!! I had to extra-concentrate since I had never so much as sat on an RT before (flew to TBay to buy a 2018 demo RT sight unseen) and most of the trip I was talking to myself to figure out how to take the next curve without being thrown off the bike ("RELAX, boy, RELAX!!)... but what was amazing to me was how IMMERSED I felt. How freeing it was to stop whenever and Wherever I want, take pics, have a water, lose a water.
I do two major trips with a bunch of guys every summer, and cover thousands of miles along the way... a real assortment of Spyders, Harleys, a Goldwing, Triumph Speed Triple, a Kawasaki Concours, an Africa Twin... and last year a buddy joined us in his Corvette! We rent a cabin somewhere and use it as a base to explore. A couple of the guys plan all the routes and the rest of us follow the leader. Fun for sure, really enjoy the camaraderie along the way... but this trip in September solo was amazing in an entirely different way. It was .... mine. Not shared, but a trip that, except when I would call home to check in with my far better half... was just me and my Green Goblin... everything else was peripheral. If that makes any sense.
Isn't this a great thing! Glad you guys have shared these experiences.
In 2013, a year after early retirement, I set out on my 2004 BMW 1150RT for a ten day trip to Texas Hill Country. My wife travels with me, but she was still working so a solo trip was born. Turned out I was out for seven weeks and just shy of 6000 miles. Some days I rode 300 miles and some days I was lucky to do 50 miles. I stuck to two lane roads and had less than 500 miles on freeways. I seen countless small towns, ate in countless greasy spoons, and chatted with countless locals. I found out that no matter where you go in this great country people are just people and they want the same things that most of us do. A chance to enjoy life without being told how to live their lives. I never felt threatened or met anyone who wasn't friendly and willing to tell me about the area where they lived. Granted I steered clear of the big cities for the most part. I mostly tent camped with a motel tossed in every four days or on rainy nights. The first week I was a bit worried about things at home even though my daily calls found things doing fine. The second week I was getting homesick. By the end of the third week I was not interested in going home and just kept adding destinations to the itinerary. At the end of the seventh week after being well past Texas and heading back east I found myself in Georgia. The weather was starting to cool and My wife was asking if I was planning on being back to Ohio before the snow flies. Actually the plan was to head south to Key Largo and put in with a cousin there, but I managed to pick up a case of the flu somewhere along the way. It was a cold, miserable 450 mile ride home, but home never looked so good. I'll never forget some of the great folks I met along the way such as the folks at the Yamaha dealership in Kerrville, Texas who fixed me up with new tires quickly and for a great price. They even washed the poor Beemer. The lady that owned the diner in Cherokee, Alabama and who refused my payment for a delicious meal. The folks in Eutaw, Alabama who invited me to join their family reunion when the saw me sitting under a tree enjoying a cold Pepsi. All of the folks who took time to tell me about the great little towns they lived in. It was a great and sobering experience and I want to do it again.
I love people and I love to travel with my friends. But when I can I love to go it alone. The first day I spend a lot of time thinking about the proper technique for turns getting set up just right, reminding myself to look farther down the road, remembering to drink more water, what did I forget, why did I pack so much, I have so much to do. Day two I am excited for the road, what's next, I begin to slow down my thinking. I no longer think I have to hurry along to the next stopping point, in so many miles, ride for such and such a time. On the 3rd day I see the road, feel the air, is it soft or hard, do I smell dust, water, rain, sage, cedar, pine, aspen, rock? how is the light today? God has given me a great world to live in and enjoy and in spite of all the world's problems and my own personal trials it really is a great life especially out in the open on the back of my Spyder. I look forward to seeing and talking with new people. They always ask me about my bike or now the Spyder. I always ask them where theirs is and then listen to their stories of when they rode, or what they did instead. I ask locals where to ride and get some great ideas. A local archaeology buff once told me about a buried Indian village from a 1000 years ago. If you didn't know it was there you would never guess. Stopped in Bicknell because I was gassing up in Hite and a biker coming from the other direction told me about Pickle Pie. Yumm. Now on the 4th day I am into the rhythm of the road. Yes I do listen to music as I ride but I can also feel the rhythm of the road and hear the song of the bike and drink in the panorama that unfolds. I am so grateful that despite heavy family, work and church obligations over the years that I have been able to ride as much and as long as I have, and I hope I have many more years to ride. NSD
Nice to see this thread get bumped. I love every story posted. It is the essence of why we ride.
I'm 62 yrs old and have been retired for 6 years. All of my best riding buddies are younger and still working. If I want to get out and see the country more than 1 or 2 times/year, my only option is to go solo. The problem is that I'm getting resistance from my wife. I tell her I have a tracking app on my phone, travel during hours of daylight and don't venture out at night. She's still not convinced. Still working at it and see some hope at the end of the tunnel ;)
I'm glad I read this post. I found out that I'm not so strange after all. I usually ride alone since my wife passed away. Unusually get about 16,000 miles a years. Most of my destinations are 500 miles. Then I will ride around and see the sights. Started riding scooters at 12. Still riding at 76. Life I good :2thumbs:
Starrider, hang in there my friend, sounds like life is good on the Spyder. Was a widower in 2003, married again 9 years later, going on 87, still on 3 wheels, life is still good. Happy trails.
So do I!
Rode solo from Arkansas to Las Vegas Feb of 18. Missed Ann. The best thing I bring on a ride is SpyderAnn! I don’t go on trips with out her. The best accessory a man can have is a wife who rides!!
Found out I like to ride alone often. Just me and the open road. Travel at my own speed, sometimes slow, sometimes fast. Stop when I want, eat when I want, get a motel when I want to sleep. No destination in mind and at times I can see from horizon to horizon and I'm the only person around. Almost seems like time comes to a stand still. Those epiphany moments can be staggering and they make the world a beautiful place to behold. And then,,,,,,,, somebody comes up behind me and passes me at mach 3 and blows the entire moment. LOL Back to reality and where's the next fuel stop.
I take long trips alone and with my wife of 30+ years in about a 50/50 mix. It's nice to have companionship on the road, but at times it's just as good to be on the open road in the Nevada back country, not caring where I'm going or where I'm going to stop tonight. Stop when I want to, see the sights, smell the flowers... or the coffee. There's a contemplative, almost meditative quality to that time. It reminds me of when we rode long trips and were so far out in the country that all we could get was AM radio with Paul Harvey, or a Navajo radio station.
Gee I miss listening to Paul Harvey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!