Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Not Enough Riding Lately

I rode briefly Friday which was only the third time in three weeks.  And late this afternoon after I got home I hopped on the bike and went to the vet to get medicine for one of our dogs.

Each day of not riding has had it's reason(s).  Some days have had unusual reasons like one day when I couldn't ride because I had to ship a fly fishing rod that I sold on eBay.  Some days I have too many phone calls to make so riding is too restrictive.

The ride on Friday was just right for peaking the desire for more.  It brought an awareness of not only how much I miss it but how one gets a little rusty on the skills after only a short while.

The other night I read an interesting article in BMW ON (Owners News) Magazine.  It's about a woman named Voni Glaves who happens to be on track to reach the one-million safe mile marker before her next birthday in December 2011. I tried to find the article in an electronic version on the BMWMOA's website but it's not there, so here's a link to another article about her.

Riding that many safe miles certainly gives her the ability to garner attention when it comes to advice.  Here are some of her successful riding tips. Some of these are obvious but they're good for review.
  • Wear conspicuous clothing, her color of choice is red. (It's surprising how many people wear dark colors).
  • Stop often for breaks to help stay alert. 
  • She waves to drivers when she's in an intersection positioned to make a left turn so they notice her.
  • "Riding the blue highways and only use the interstate when necessary."
  • Keep emotions in check.
  • "To maintain a safe riding zone, ride five miles an hour or so above the flow of traffic."
  • "She doesn't put herself in a place that gives other vehicles the ability to control her."
  • "When an aggressive driver comes along, Voni gets out of their way."
  • When someone is tailgating her she flashes her brake-lights then when it's safe she pulls over to let them go.  She wants them out of her life.
  • She avoids riding after dark but sometimes it can't be avoided.
  • She has a flashing brake-light and Motolights on the front which give a "Safety Triangle" appearance. 
  • She stays in good physical and spiritual health to stay on top of her game.
  • And finally, she says she keeps it simple and stays focused.  Failure to focus can spell disaster.
(Early autumn along Rte. 6 in the coast range)
On these evenings after a day of not riding it's good to settle in to my favorite chair with a cup of tea and a good motorcycle magazine.  It doesn't satisfy the void of not riding but in a small way it takes away some of the sting.

I hope you've been riding these days and have been keeping it simple and safe.

Stay focused and God's speed.



13 comments:

  1. Mike:
    Seriously good photos at the top of the blog!

    A good checklist. The one about keeping one's emotions in check is one of the really important ones.

    Re your fishing rod sale, I'm in the market for another boat rod. We were out in the boat last Friday and I put mine on the floor momentarily to help Jennie disgorge a hook from her catch. I reckon 10 seconds had elapsed before I heard a noise and turned to see my rod vanishing over the side at a high rate of knots. Suspect either a small shark or a kingfish by the way it hi-tailed it. Lesson learned - the replacement will go in the rod holder! Fortunately, it was a bottom of the range Penn set, so replacing it won't break the bank.

    Take care....

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  2. Hi Geoff,
    Indeed, keeping emotions in check covers more than just one point on the list.

    Sorry to hear about the fish absconding with your gear. You might get another shot at that fish, but unfortunately not the gear. I don't have any saltwater gear. Your area looks like a great place to fish!

    I hope you wear sun blocker. Stay safe!

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  3. Just read the article about Voni, what a great story and a fantastic person.

    Have a great Christmas . Regards Roger

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  4. Roger,
    Thank you for stopping by! Merry Christmas to you as well!

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  5. Have you seen tomorrow's weather report? Happy dance--happy dance--happy dance all around the kitchen!!! My gear is dusted off and sitting on the table. Tomorrow I ride! (Obviously been off the bike way too much and getting a bit nutty!) For me it's been the combination of rain, heavy clouds, and falling darkness that keeps me off the bike. My night vision ain't what it used to be. Tomorrow looks bright enough and at least semi-dry to ride.

    Like fly fishing do ya? We have several friends trying to get Ron interested. So far he hasn't taken the bait.

    Haven't checked the article yet, but sounds like a good read. Thanks for the link...always looking for reading material.

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  6. That's a great list of riding tips. Is that from the article? (I haven't read the latest issue) The excellent physical shape is proving to be a real challenge for me.

    Riichard

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  7. Kari,
    Lol on the happy dance around the kitchen! Today does look good for riding, although a little brisk in the morning.

    I bought that fly rod about 10 years ago on eBay and never used it. I had good intentions of fly fishing but never got around to it.

    Ride safe today - thank you!

    Richard,
    Yes, that list is taken from the article and there is more. I think being in good physical shape is very important and it is a challenge sometimes putting in the time. Thank you!

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  8. Love the third picture, so peaceful, perfect road to go slow and enjoy ;-)

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  9. Thank you George. It's also the perfect road to... maybe not go slow and enjoy! ;)

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  10. Riding is now back in my life. Darn airlines won't let me check Elvira for some reason.

    Nice peek-a-boo photo in the parking structure. It's a medical center but looks too fancy for a place to get medicine for your dog! Unless it's a very pampered pet, of course.

    That first photo is a work of art, by the way.

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  11. Irondad,
    Glad to hear you're riding again. That parking structure is at the Portland VA Hospital a few months ago. Our dogs are pampered though. Thanks for stopping by!

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  12. Thanks for sharing Voni's list. Great thoughts and ideas. That is a lot of miles of safe riding.

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  13. motoroz,
    Anyway you pencil out one-million miles it comes out to a big steady yearly average over quite a few years. She's definitely in a sub-group of the riding population. Thanks for stopping by!

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