30 years of putting together one of, if not THE, finest motorcycle magazines available in the United States, alongside my best friend, husband and partner in adventures, traveling together around the globe, wheel to wheel, through thick and thin. Working side by side, albeit on opposite sides of our office, with 360 issues behind us and who knows how many more ahead. Yes, we spend a lot of time together.
Our home, while not palatial, offers enough space for each of us to disappear for those needed alone times – Brian heading to the barn to tinker with a bike, putter on his Hot Wheels track expansion, adjust and tune something on the STI – and me picking and pruning in the wildness of our garden, visiting with our resident frogs or simply taking a walk with Spenser through our peaceful piece of woodland. But I ultimately find myself drawn back to the work of the day, even though the loveliness of late spring/early summer sits right beyond the sliding glass door of the office.
I have to qualify my upcoming words by saying that I absolutely love riding with Brian. While we have certainly ridden with folks over our decades of travel, there is no better riding companion than he.
So when I have the chance to venture out on my own, it is refreshing, as I have a manner of wandering and perhaps wicking up my pace a bit more. I do tend to get myself lost, as my sense of direction and attention is sometimes askew, and not matter how many times I may go to a particular place, I still need that little reassurance via zumo or phone prompts.
I also have a cleansing memory, so I may traverse the same roads and visit a site often but each time is a brand new experience for me. Makes for great wonderment in my life.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve headed out on my own for a two-wheeled trip. I headed down to the Honda Hoot (see, now THAT’S a long time ago) while Brian was off exploring Alaska and, more recently, took a great dirt course with friends at DC Dirt Camp in Virginia (I cheated and took the Subbie STI). I think I’m probably due for a little stretch of the cables.
I was able to do one of my ride-abouts recently while Brian was off with BMW trying not to get into too much trouble in the wilds of Las Vegas. It happened to be perfect riding weather and I had a list of several ice cream places I’d wanted to visit. None were very far, but I wanted to make a good day of it so I plotted a route on roads that I think I had not ridden. Turns out I discovered some pretty cool riding and potentially a nice, new day’s loop for those stolen disappearances from the work day.
With three ice cream stops, I was trying to limit my intake and the dreaded ‘sugar drop’. It started out pretty well with two baby scoops from the Alpine Creamery in Lake Mohawk. After chatting with the owner George for a bit I sat and watched the lunch crowd taking in the lovely spring day while enjoying his homemade ice cream.
Mounting up I was off to discover where I might end up next, as putting roads together via a computer that look entertaining may end up with a very different outcome. As I said, I was not disappointed and eventually made it to my next stop – Diane’s Dairy in Towaco – sitting behind a bank in a little strip mall. Diane was alone in her shop so I talked a bit with her before making my selection, which happened to be just a bit larger than my first serving. Hmm, this was not looking good. I sat on the bench outside, eating and contemplating the day, before taking off for my last stop.
Lake Hiawatha, an outcropping of Parsippany, was a very short distance which I made into a little longer ride to help digest before my next intake. The Dairy at Lake Hiawatha sits on a corner in an eclectic neighborhood featuring a number of Indian restaurants and a comic book shop. Karen, the Dairy’s owner, was very helpful in flavor selection with plenty of tastings so I had pretty much given up on my ‘keeping it little’ attempt, having the largest serving of all.
Having completed my self-assignment, I sipped deeply from my CamelBak and drank in the day as I headed towards home. It was great to be out and about, having a fun play day with just me and my bike.