As most bikers know, the best rides are the long and leisure ones. Finding that perfect road with sweeping curves and roller coaster like hills is like hitting the mother load. Add a beautiful dose of amazing scenery and you have the perfect recipe for a good ride. Seeing the countryside on two wheels has brought me more gratification than I can shake a stick at. I don't think anything will ever replace the feelings I would experience while riding my Glide, but due to a few changes in my life... my search for the ultimate road has changed a bit.
Now that we have a Jeep, a "good" road (if you can even call it that) is laden with ruts and rocks and lined with a gauntlet of sharp tree branches that occasionally reach out for you as you pass, as if to play "tag, your it" with the doors.
Gone are the smooth rides with leans and speed... replaced by agitation gratification. Climbing to the top of a rutted out fire road embedded with small boulders, is like going through the wash cycle of your Kenmore washing machine. The constant side to side jerky movements coupled with a fling, forward or back, every now and then pretty much sums it up.
Trekking in the Jeep is very different that riding the Glide, but the gratification of doing something adventurous and fun remains the same. Harley and I are doing the best we can to live our lives to the fullest, and 4 wheelin' in the woods (with the puppies!) is helping us meet that goal. I would be lying if I told you I don't miss riding, but the path I've chosen is what works for us... for now at least.
Before the Jeep, folks would ask... "Are you riding this weekend?" The answer would almost always be a resounding "Yes!". Now when asked what we're doing for the weekend, I just respond... "I'm going to get agitated!"
Lady R
10 comments:
Jeeps can be oh so much fun. I still miss the old 85 model CJ-7 I had years ago. That was my first four wheel drive vehicle. I had her six months before anyone knew what color it was. Seems it was a wet muddy year that year.
Ronman
Getting agitated this way seems much better than really being agitated by not doing what you two want to. This is just as fun and these are the roads, as motorcyclists, just can't get too. So seeing them this way is fun!
i have always loved 4 wheelin'... i think some folks just love living a life of adventure, and i guess ultimately its just a matter of transpo, funds, and focus. bravo ladyR, you guys get agitated! lots!
Good for you for having fun. It doesn't matter whether you are on two wheels or four, you are out there enjoying nature and life.
Is there a chance it will transition to off road riding on two wheels?
LadyR:
(sigh), another vicious photo (just kidding). I pass the Jeep dealer most of the time on the way home. Your photos make that urge more urgent.
I know you both are having a lot of fun. Your terrain is different than our forest service roads. We have to carry a chain saw, extra Fuel, ropes and a few canned goods & blankets. I also carried a folding shovel. Imagine you bury yourself 10 miles down one of these dirt tracks and a tree comes down and blocks your exit. It is dark so you have to sit it out till morning. That's where the canned food comes in handy
I remember I went up the mountain. It started to drizzle but the road was only damp. Half way up the snow was over 2 feet deep and no where to turn around. Snow on ice on a downhill. I was worried I would be stuck as the road narrowed. I got turned around and started to roll downhill. a mere touch of the brake and the jeep was sliding towards the cliff, but if you let off the brake you could steer back into the mountain. I found out later you were supposed to put into 4LOW and just use idle speed to get down. On my older jeep to get out of 4 LOW you should go into reverse to Unbind the transmission before pulling it back into 2WD.
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
I still miss my 4X4 Ranger, lots and lots of good times on roads, or no roads, like that. Me the wife and kid had so much fun together. At least I've still got some video of it.
Dig the opening picture, awesome view.
Roman... we took the Jeep by the dealership 3 weeks later to pick up something we ordered. We had been in the woods the prior weekend and still had mud and dirt on it. The sales dude came out to meet me and looked over the Jeep and exclaimed... "Now that the way this Jeep is supposed to look!"
We are enjoying it!
KT... Every now and then, we point out how wild it would be to ride our Glides onto some of these roads we've been on. Yikes! Maybe a smaller dirt bike, but definitely NOT the Glides!
Mq01... You're right about funds and focus. I feel like we're just practicing for bigger and better things. As soon as we hit the lottery, I'll let you know. Then, we head west!!
Trobairitz... I know it shouldn't matter, but my decision still haunts me sometimes. I really miss my Glide and those wide open roads... and I probably always will.
Not sure if I would consider an off road bike or not. I've always enjoyed my two wheels on long luxurious rides... with speed and curves. That's what I miss. I feel like at my age, I'd beat the crap outta myself (my bones have been creaking for awhile now)and put a damper on the fun.
But... it's certainly something to consider.
It doesn't matter what brand of 4x4 you drive, you can have fun or get into trouble with them all. I have had a similar experience to bobskoot above, on an icy mtn. road and it can be scary, even if you have years of experience. I got turned around and got out, came back another time with better tires.
Bobskoot...
We've come across a downed tree, but only a large branch of it was in the way. We also carry a handsaw, machete, and a chain. We really need to get a winch put on before we get into too much trouble, but so far it's been all good. I think our fire roads are traveled on by hunters so frequently, it keeps the path pretty passable. It's more fun now, with the foliage thinned out so you can see into the woods while your riding through. The summer may pose more obstacles with the new growth.
Being in the south, I don't think snow and ice will pose as much of a problem with us as wet red clay will. That's what gets you here. Not only does it stain your floor boards, it's slicker than owl shit!
Can't wait to see which Jeep you pick out. lol!!
Planting seeds,
Lady R
Wooley... that opening picture is on CR 7 (runs through Coosa and Talladega Counties)and we took the Glides up that road all the time. The hills to the left are the most southern part of the ridges we've been riding on lately with the Jeep.
It's really kind of ironic that one of our favorite motorcycle roads runs parallel along the ridges of these little mountains.
Same playground, different equipment. lol!
Jim P... I agree! I'll admit, Harley has been doing most of the driving, but that's fixin' to change. I've been observing the best way to approach some of these hazards of a washed out fire road, and I'm ready to tackle the challenge for myself. It reminds me of when I was a passenger on the back of his bike... I knew when it was time for me to move up and ride my own. In this case... move over! (to the driver's side, that is!)
Post a Comment