The last two weekends have allowed me to get on my bike and get in some solid open road miles, just me and my girl.

I cherish those rides

When I bought my first bike I was fresh out of college having just graduated with my undergrad.  It was a gift to myself after obtaining my Big Girl job and a few paychecks.

Riding on my own was what I did.   I had a few folks to ride with those first months and I greatly appreciated the backup while I gained my riding wings.  A year into my riding career I met my bestest Biker B!tch Sara and embraced the new riding friends I gained.  But that group of riding friends lived in a neighboring town, so it was always me and my Sporty making our way to them.  And then finding our way back home at night.

It was those first few years when I learned to appreciate the solitude.

It’s also when I learned a lot about myself.

I love riding with my husband.  I love riding with my girlfriends.  I love riding with groups of people, small and large.  I wouldn’t trade those days and rides for anything, ever.

But, when given the chance to ride by myself…

 I go.

 

The solitude of riding on your own opens up your senses.  It clears the mind of the all the uncertainties.  It brings a sense of empowerment and breathes life back into the body and mind.

Fear of riding alone?  Absolutely not.  You are talking to the girl who is known to intentionally wait until night fall to ride the 90 miles back to Omaha from Clarinda.

Riding alone forces a person to really understand their surroundings and be in tune with every last sound, light and movement that’s out there.

It’s intoxicating.

I have a few rules for my solo days:

1. Full tank of gas.
2. Layers of gear in case of inclement weather.
3. Cell phone charged.
4. Decide a direction but never a destination.
5. Take the road less traveled, even if it means it leads to a dead end.  That dead end?  It tells a story.

 

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This most recent Sunday sent me out West.  I rode out for about 50 miles before winding my way back home.   The air was brisk.  My full leathers warm.  I set out in sunshine and 55 degree weather.  I returned with an overcast sky and very cold wind.  The kind of wind that had me riding sideways at times.

It was a low 100 miles of everything I needed and wanted.

 

I encourage people to get out there.  Explore the world on your own.   Find out who you are, not who you are with others.  Find out what the open road has to tell you.   You will find a piece of yourself out there that you never knew existed.    Think of it as personal development.

🙂

I found a few quotes that seemed to describe the importance of solidarity and I combined them to fit what it was I was hoping to express, so I’ll leave you with this:

Many people suffer from the fear of finding oneself alone, and so they don’t find themselves at all. Solitude gives birth to the original in us, to the beauty of who we really are.

 

Cheers, friends. ❤