Rocky Roads - and I'm not talking ice cream

It has only been two months since I started this blog and I'm already failing miserably at keeping it updated. But in my defense, the bikes haven't seen much action lately because one of us has been recovering from a wreck- I won't go naming names, but it was not me! Yes, my partner in crime wrecked his BMW 650 while coming out of the mountains in the rain. Luckily, he walked away with no broken bones and his bike was still drivable. Most important to this favorable outcome was that fact that he was wearing all of his gear - not the leather jacket and jeans he typically sports while riding. On that particular day, he had on his kevlar-like riding pants, jacket and gloves and they undoubtedly saved him from severe injury. But he is now healed and is out on his bike as we speak......

We had taken our bikes out on two rides before his wreck (Merced to Red Top for Draft Horse Days, and Merced to Modesto and then up to the Red Hills). Of course, being a newbie, every trip was full of lessons to be learned - some a little easier than others.

1) Hold on for dear life when passing and being passed by other vehicles.

Passing trucks and other large vehicles head on is scary because the wind blast feels like you are either going to be ripped off your bike, or you're going to take flight (bike and all) like the white feather in Forrest Gump. BUT, being passed by these large vehicles from behind because you're driving too slow is even worse! Not only do they leave a weird wind current behind them that sucks your bike in and tosses you all around the road, but its not quick like surviving a 5 second wind blast from an approaching big rig. When they pass you from behind, you're then stuck behind them for sometime before they put enough distance between you and release you from their gravity-defying air sucking treachery. And what was even more lovely about my adventure in learning this lesson was the fact that it was a garbage truck.....the only thing worse that having to smell that stench getting trapped in my helmet was the idea of having to smell puke all the way home if I let it make me lose my breakfast. Gag.

2) Know where you are going and never let one person be the sole holder of the map.

Yes, my husband failed as the navigator. I carefully wrote step-by-step directions from our home to our destination in large, easy to read print and I'll admit that I was impressed by his idea to tape them to his gas tank for easy access (even if he secured it with bright blue masking tape). But I was not impressed by his lack of navigational skills that resulted in me having to pass by a pack of wild rabid dogs TWICE because we'd missed a turn. Ok, maybe they were just a few ranch dogs that were most likely up to date on their shots and less interested in me than the roadkill they were eating. But they could have easily chased me, made me wreck and then ate me. It could happen. So next time, the directions will be taped to my gas tank - sans the blue tape.

3) Buy a camera that is easy to use with your gloves on. My Nikon D70 that my husband bought me for Christmas a few years ago satisfies this criteria, but since I don't get to hold it I've been trying to rely on my iPhone to take pictures while out on the road. If you've ever checked out his website (http://www.theironwolf.net/) you'll understand why I don't get to use my own camera - that man is a picture taking fool. So I've been using my iPhone but soon learned that taking off and putting on your riding gloves every time you want to take a picture is just a pain in the ass. So I went out and bought a little hardy Kodak digital camera with a simplified set of buttons that are big and easily used with gloves on. Highly recommended if you are like me and have but can't use your professional quality camera that was a gift but not actually intended for you to use.

4) When raging up a rocky trail and you're scared shitless, don't stop.
As we made our way through the Red Hills, I saw my husband start up a dirt trail that looked harmless enough, so I followed. Its not like he would try to take me up a trail that was too advanced for his wife on her third trip out. Right? WRONG. After I survived the white-knuckle ride and successfully reached the top, my husband was there waiting for a high-five but with an unsure look on his face that said "am I in trouble?" When I calmly asked him WTH he was thinking by taking me up there, he replied, "I didn't expect you to follow me., but you kicked ass!" Lesson learned - don't assume you're husband won't try to kill you by leading you up a death trap of rocks. The other lesson, and likely more useful to other riders, is that if you find yourself blazing up a steep and rough trail, don't stop - just keep a steady pace because there is such as thing as going too slow. It can actually make it harder. Its scary as hell when your bike is bouncing all over the damn trail with big rocks jutting out of the ground and making your front tire slide into little ruts, but its even scarier if you stop and have to try to get going again, or if your stuck in a lurch forward/stop pattern all the way up. Try to find a solid steady pace that is fast enough to smooth over some of the bumpiness but slow enough to save you from killing yourself should you launch yourself into a rock or decide to layover. In all seriousness, this little stretch of trail was absolutely brutal and the scariest experience on my bike thus far, but I was damn proud to reach the top without having 1) wrecked, 2) stopped, 3) cried.

And then, I had to go back downhill.......

Getting Started - Finding "My Bike" and Trying It On for Size

There were two things that were important to me when picking out my bike - and I was completely unwilling to compromise on these two things - just ask my husband. First and foremost, I wanted an enduro so that I could go along on my husband's on-road/off-road adventures. Additionally, 1) I wanted to be able to touch the ground with both feet (being 5'4 that wasn't going to be an easy task), and 2) I wanted to be able to pick my bike up off the ground in the event I laid it over (as I was certain I would at some point). I had successfully rode my husband's BMW 650 in a circle in the back yard and that experience with what seemed like a behemoth of a bike was enough to convince me that height and weight were critical if I was ever going to be comfortable and confident enough to take a bike out into traffic. With these two fears/requirements in mind, we set out on a search. And the days passed into months, bikeless. And then one day (three years later) my brother mentioned to me over lunch the Yamaha TW200 - it was small, light, short, etc etc. I was so excited that I texted a link to my husband right then and there, who upon checking it out said he would not buy that "crap bike" that looked like a toy. Sigh. Frustrated, I convinced him to go with me to check it out. And that was when we came across the Yamaha XT250. We took it home that day.

Three weeks later (partially because of our crazy schedules, partially the weather, and partially out of fear), I finally took my bike out for its maiden voyage. Luckily, I took to my bike like a duck to water (no tears, no close calls, no "I cants" much to my husband's relief). I didn't stall once (big success!) and I handled the traffic, country road curves, hills and passing diesel trucks without incident. Its nice to have the nerves of the first time out of the way.

Lessons from my first ride:
1) Always dress five times warmer than what the weather would suggest. Its damn cold out on the road. Damn cold.
2) Always take a hat or other kind of head cover for your "helmet head" when you stop to get coffee, have lunch, etc. Its SCARY what the helmet does to your hair.
3) Give yourself three times as much space/time to break to a stop when you're traveling down hill. My first time pulling off into a vista point while traveling down hill took me by surprise - I almost overshot my turn.
4) Don't forget to enjoy yourself. It was scary out there on my own, but beautiful at the same time. There is something about being knocked around by the wind and pelted with bugs that feel like bullets that is simply magical.

And so it begins....

BLOG. The word itself is odd. So is the thought of me creating one. I never understood why someone would want to read the rants and on-goings of another person, and maybe no one will read this one (besides my husband). But as soon as the idea of buying my own motorcycle popped into my head and I started to do the geeky research that I tend to do when I want to learn about something, I realized that maybe a blog wouldn't be such a bad idea. Its not that I thought that other people would be as excited about me hitting the road as I was, but I quickly realized there was such little real information out there for new riders, particularly women, that I had the opportunity to track my progress and my experiences in a way that may later serve as a helpful resource for other new female riders. And, it will be fun to pretend that people are as excited about my adventures as I am :-) So here goes nothing.