The Great River Road on Motorcycle

Motorcycle riding is one way to have inexpensive fun adventures. Riding only costs a few dollars in gas.

“Riding bike is like an art, something you do because you feel something inside.” ~ Valentino Rossi

I remember the first motorcycle ride I ever went on with my husband. It was early in our courtship. He ran out of gas. Being the skeptic I am, I immediately assumed this was a ‘ploy’ of some kind. However, his reactions assured me this was not a trick. (LOL) He simply forgot to fill the tank beforehand. We walked to the nearest neighbors. Fortunately, they had some fuel we could buy so we could get home.

“The perfect man? A poet on a motorcycle.” ~ Lucinda Williams

Yes, my husband wrote me poetry too.

We really didn’t have a lot of opportunities to ride in those early days. Often, we were working, parenting, attending our child’s and other family events, volunteering, and encouraging ourselves to keep pressing onward to build the kind of life we dreamed of living.

I used to own a lovely little Honda Rebel 250.

“A woman who rides a motorcycle is in tune with the universe, a candidate for high adventure.” ~ Celestine Sibley

For the last few years, I’ve owned this nice comfy Ryker 900.

It is a blast!

After I owned my Ryker for a year, my husband traded in his Suzuki Boulevard for a similar machine.

We enjoy as many rides together, as weather, health, work, and other responsibilities allow.

We don’t belong to a club, or group, or what have you. The biggest reason I love motorcycles is for the FREEDOM. I don’t want to hang out with a bunch of other people and follow a group.

I like doing my own thing, my own way.

One of our latest rides was on a short section of the Great River Road. This is not a single road but rather a scenic route that follows the Mississippi River. It runs through ten states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. The Great River Road is not owned by the National Park Service, like the Blue Ridge Parkway. Instead, states develop the Great River Road and maintain it.

Image from https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1CMW8_minnesota-challenge-the-great-river-road

We rode our motorcycles on the Minnesotan upper northeastern portion of the Great River Road for a few hours. If you enjoy a peaceful ride with beautiful scenery, I highly recommend this route.

It was gorgeous!

The weather was perfect. The road was nearly void of traffic.

To quote a children’s book – Pete the Cat in his Magic Sunglasses story: “The birds were singing, the sky was bright, the sun was shining, and I was feeling alright.”

We were so busy enjoying the ride, we took NO PHOTOS.

It’s hard to explain the joy of motorcycle riding.

Most rides for me, are nearly transcendental experiences.

Reasons:

1. There’s a kind of meditation that happens when riding. There isn’t any opportunity to worry about anything else but what I’m doing right in that moment.
2. I have to pay attention to what’s in front of me. There’s physical and mental work involved with riding a bike. A rider must stay focused and be prepared for anything. Especially if they want to live long enough to ride again.
3. I feel surrounded by Nature. We ride by forests, lakes, marshes, and fields. We see deer, squirrels, foxes, bear, and many other wildlife critters. Yes, I’m on ‘the road’ like a car, but I ‘feel’ closer to nature on my bike than when I’m in my car.
4. I’ve looked up and seen Eagles fly right over head alongside the roadway with me. (They may just be waiting for me to turn into food.) But to feel like I’m Soaring with Eagles is an Exhilarating Experience.
5. Riding my motorcycle is as close as I can get to flying my own aircraft. My motorcycle license was inexpensive and easy to achieve. A pilot’s license is far more costly and time-consuming.
6. I feel absolutely exhilarated when riding. I let out a “YAHOO!!” at every opportunity to speed up.               “You live more for five minutes going fast on a bike than other people do all their life.” ~ Marco Simoncelli ….         In the slow-riding spots, I get to look around in AWE!
7. It’s a chance to perform a Ballet with the wind. The wind blows you backwards, challenging you to hang on. Or nudges you from the side when you enter a clearing. ‘Dance’ skills are necessary. I don’t know how I can elaborate or explain it better – it feels like being in an intense Ballet.

“If you are prepared to accept the responsibility of your own actions, then motorcycling can be both safe and thrilling. Riding is an art as well as a craft and no amount of explanation can take the place of experience.” ~ Theresa Wallach

Advertisement