First overnight motorcycle trip...

Yesterday (ok, this post is slightly delayed), we spontaneously decided to walk the dog, hop on our motorcycles, and see where the road led.  I knew highway 2 was supposed to be beautiful, so I found a way up there using all the windy back country roads.  We got up to highway 2, headed east, and enjoyed the beauty.  After a while, I pulled over, pulled out a map, and said "where should we spend the night?  Leavenworth!  Back on the road for the highway 2 fun.  If you haven't been to Leavenworth, it's an adorable tourist town that Nathan could tell you the history and geology of, but from what I know, there are lots of pubs, during October fest, there are polka bands on every corner (which is actually like four, because the town is so small), there is amazing food, wine, and BEER!  Here's a picture that I snapped really quick; doesn't begin to capture the magic.

It was a little over three hours, taking the long way there.  The mountain pass was CHILLY!  By the time I got there, I had nearly forgotten how to use the clutch and brakes.  And my hands didn't really want to move anyway.  But it all worked out.

This morning, I found out about day two tiredness.  I was lethargic, slow moving, slow thinking.... Basically a sloth.  A sloth with a brunch date.  In Seattle.  So I counted on a shower, tea, and the rev of the engine to wake me up.  It did.  We went back the "short" way (only 2.5 hours).  

Today created an inward journey.  I suppose until the last two weeks, I've had an underlying apprehension about our honeymoon trip.  12 days is a long time to spend on a motorcycle, especially for a new rider.  In the last two weeks, I feel like I've graduated from a new rider to a rider with some things to learn.  This trip was awesome; it really let me practice what the 12 day trip will be like; from t-shirt weather to heated gear as warm as it will go weather, from long, boring freeway stretches to mountain pass curves; from commuters to Sunday drivers.  And I got to feel, and overcome the second day lethargy.  The soreness, the brain tiredness, and, on the plus side, the increased skill.  

The inward journey was about the curves.  Riding a motorcycle for me has been a series of instructions that don't fit very well together.  I've gotta ease off the clutch and roll on the throttle, counter-lean in the slow turns, counter-steer in the fast ones.  Chin toward wrist, weight on which peg, you want me to turn a blinker on and off?  When?  With which hand? But as it has come together, the brain has created a special path for the bike.  Curves bring my eyes to a new place, relax my body into a lean angle, and automatically adjust my speed.

As I have gotten comfortable, I can see how all I am doing is balancing the forces in motion.  So much like life, if you are proactive and know how to balance, it will feel smooth and natural.  But when things strike you suddenly, you have to make quick yet careful corrections.  But not matter what, the forces in motion want to stay in motion, and forces at rest want to stay at rest, and in life, it's knowing which adjustment to make in order to maintain balance.