first (adj.) being number one in a series; earliest in time; foremost in importance.
(... continued... again)So, there we were, relishing in our new adventures and enjoying life to the fullest, thinking it couldn't get any better than this, when it happened. I got bit... and bit hard! I decided that I've been looking at the back of my hubby's helmet long enough, and it was time for me to see things from up front. I wanted to hold my own controls, roll myself down the freedom highway and soar with the birds I so often see keeping pace with us as we ride. This set off a myriad of anxieties for my husband, but once that bug took a hold of me, it wasn't letting go until it got what it came for. Becoming part of something big.
It took my loving husband darn near a full year to come to grips with the fact that I was going to ride my own motorcycle. His biggest fear was for my safety, and he did not feel comfortable with me on my own. Believe it or not, it was the sweetest gesture he could have shown me. I know it's because he wants to protect me from harm, but I had to keep reminding him that we can't live our lives in a bubble. Finally... with his blessing
(and after successfully completing a Rider's Safety Training Class during the previous summer) another "first" came to light.
My dream as a lady rider came to fruition! In February of 2006, I became the proud owner of a 2001 Suzuki 800 Intruder!
For several weeks I had shopped the area and tried several bikes on for size. After searching high and low, long and hard, I found this little gem at Ward's Yamaha, in Troy
(48 miles south of Montgomery). It was very slender in build
and didn't seem too heavy
(which was perfect for a newbie), painted a beautiful black with some teal accent on the tank, and it came stocked with windshield and saddlebags. She was in excellent condition and something about her sparkled. When I sat on her I knew... she felt like she was made just for me. No apprehension of top heaviness... no worries about feet touching or not... and I was absolutely thrilled when the sales dude told me that this sleek little beauty was stocked with 805 cc under her seat. My fear of outgrowing this bike to soon or being able to keep up with my riding pals was washed away.
7 thousand miles on the odometer... fully serviced... new rubber front and back... $3,000.00. I put down a binder and "floated" all the way back to Montgomery. I was on cloud nine with the fact that I was about to buy MY "first" motorcycle. After years of listening to my brothers talk about their hill climb competitions, Sturgis trips, and catching a ribbing with... "when are you gonna get your own?" ... I couldn't wait until I could call them all and tell them the good news.
There's a whole 'nuther story about how I got my lil' Suzi home, but I'm going to save that for Valentines Day... as it's a real testament to my hubby's true love for me.For the first couple weeks, I would come home from work every day and crank that Suzi up and ride all around my neighborhood. Thankfully, I live in a large residential area that gives me plenty of streets, intersections, cul-de-sacs and hills to practice my skills on without ever having to cross over any major thoroughfares. After a couple weeks of driving all my neighbors crazy, I was ready to hit some real streets with real traffic.
Already being familiar with leaning and balancing, the transition from a passenger to a rider was not really that difficult, but it did pose a few new challenges. I now had so many other things to concentrate on (clutch, shift, brakes, mirrors, cages!) that I sometimes felt like I was missing out on the scenery around me! Secondly, I didn't realize how much protection from the wind I actually got from sitting behind the hubby until my "first" time riding on a highway going about 60 mph... OMG! I was afraid I was going to fly off! My finger lock on the grips were so fierce I made my hands go numb. Once I realized I was squeezing for dear life, I had to make myself relax or I wasn't going to make it very far before I gave out from exhaustion. I also noticed my vision kept jumping around like a stuttering 8 mm film. WTF? The front wind reeks havoc on the eye wear, so getting used to seeing the world as it fluttered before my eyes took a little getting used to. Funny how I never noticed these things before when I was hanging on the back!
As a new rider, I found it hard to calm the butterflies that would take over almost every time I sat on my bike and got ready to roll. For several weeks, we logged a lot of miles around our surrounding area which certainly helped to increase my road experience and build my confidence and skill level. It didn't seem like long before we were planning our "first" weekend road trip as a pair of riders. Even though I was a bit nervous, this was very exciting for me and I couldn't wait to experience it.
My "first" trip riding my own was to Little River Canyon in north Alabama. I can't begin to tell you how accomplished it felt for me, that I could ride my bike up to this Park sign and claim... "I rode here!" We probably logged a total of 750 miles on that first trip, and even though I remember being pretty tired when I got home... I was ready to plan the next one!
Remembering my "first" bike leaves me with great appreciation for it's role in where I am today as a rider. Getting the "kinks" out as a newbie rider was certainly a pleasure on this powerful, yet forgiving motorcycle. I became confident with my growing abilities as we enjoyed a systematic routine that allowed us the pleasure of riding together and taking life's pleasures to the extreme. Remember that "Life is Good" t-shirt I told you about in the last post? Yep... I was still wearing it!
Why then, for some crazy reason, was there a nagging desire to do more... want more... feel more.
REMEMBERING... YOUR "FIRST"
(to be continued... one more time)Lady R
LITTLE RIVER CANYON
It only takes us about three and a half hours to get up to this area from Montgomery, and being nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, this makes this a great place to bring the Jeep and explore roads we never tried while riding the Glides. I was never a big fan of riding on the gravel for long periods of time, but now that's all changed!
For several weeks I had shopped the area and tried several bikes on for size. After searching high and low, long and hard, I found this little gem at Ward's Yamaha, in Troy(48 miles south of Montgomery). It was very slender in build and didn't seem too heavy (which was perfect for a newbie), painted a beautiful black with some teal accent on the tank, and it came stocked with windshield and saddlebags. She was in excellent condition and something about her sparkled. When I sat on her I knew... she felt like she was made just for me. No apprehension of top heaviness... no worries about feet touching or not... and I was absolutely thrilled when the sales dude told me that this sleek little beauty was stocked with 805 cc under her seat. My fear of outgrowing this bike to soon or being able to keep up with my riding pals was washed away.
7 thousand miles on the odometer... fully serviced... new rubber front and back... $3,000.00. I put down a binder and "floated" all the way back to Montgomery. I was on cloud nine with the fact that I was about to buy MY "first" motorcycle. After years of listening to my brothers talk about their hill climb competitions, Sturgis trips, and catching a ribbing with... "when are you gonna get your own?" ... I couldn't wait until I could call them all and tell them the good news.
My "first" trip riding my own was to Little River Canyon in north Alabama. I can't begin to tell you how accomplished it felt for me, that I could ride my bike up to this Park sign and claim... "I rode here!" We probably logged a total of 750 miles on that first trip, and even though I remember being pretty tired when I got home... I was ready to plan the next one!
Back in July, while playing around the Ft. Payne area in north Alabama, we rode through DeSoto State Park and the Little River Canyon. We just happened to be at the DeSoto Falls while these dudes were swimming across the waterhole to the cave under the falls. If it weren't for the small hike necessary to reach it, I might have considered joining them. It was summertime after all and the temps were scorching around 100, give or take a degree or two.
I could certainly do a little dippin' in this pretty spot and I keep telling Harley that one day, we are going to do just that. I've visited these falls at least 4 times now, so I need to quit talking and start hikin'!
I guess these girls weren't to inclined to join the fellas. Harley kept watching to see if the one standing was going to slip and fall. At least that was his story... and he stuck to it.
It's summer time in the south, and about the only way to stay cool is to be in the water! While we were riding around Lake Guntersville State Park back during the 4th of July, we noticed a few campers and picnickers taking advantage of that very thing. Considering it was a holiday, it wasn't crowded at all, and it sure looked inviting. I should have joined them, but I was having too much fun already doing what I do... and that's ride the Glide!
Buck's Pocket State Park is a cool little park located just a few miles to the east of Lake Guntersville. When I posted our plans to ride in this area for the 4th of July, a fellow blogger over at Sunny Side Up told us we needed to put Buck's Pocket on our places to see list. Upon Eve's suggestion, we were fortunate enough to find this hidden treasure while riding around the lake area. Thanks again for the tip friend!
The view from up here was not as grand as the Little River Canyon, but still pretty breathtaking. The drop offs and cliffs were a little more intimidating, as you were able to get right up to the ledge.
There are signs posted everywhere that permits are required before repelling, so this must be a hot spot for that sort of activity. I can certainly understand it's popularity, since it's full of great places to climb... over the edge.
There's a legend behind Buck's Pocket State Park, that it's the place where defeated public officials go to lick their wounds. After visiting the grounds, I would think going to a place with high cliffs and drop offs, wouldn't be where I'd go after a depressing loss. LOL!
The main reason I wanted to head up to Fort Payne for our 4th of July weekend trip, was to ride the Little River Canyon Scenic Parkway. We've been to the Canyon during the winter three years ago, so I was stoked to ride the parkway in the summer time. I think anyone that finds themselves close to the area, really must take a little spin down this beautiful road.
As one of Alabama's most scenic attractions, the Little River Canyon Parkway (Hwy. 176) forms a 22 mile scenic drive following along the Little River Canyon National Preserve. It's one of the deepest gorges in the eastern United States with an average depth of 400 feet; 700 feet at it's deepest point, and 3/4 mile wide.
There are no safe places to stop and park on the side of the road, so taking advantage of the overlooks will give you the best views of the canyon as you make your way down the parkway. The only problem I have here is the fact that some of these pull off areas are extremely broken up and very gravely, so extreme care and diligence is needed while getting on and off the road.
After snapping a few pics to mark our starting point 0f the parkway, we got back on the Glides and took off down the road. We were ready to take in some spectacular curves and gorgeous views, so we didn't want to delay our ride any longer.
The canopy of shade provided by the overhanging trees gave the impression we were on a hidden ribbon of asphalt, with the forest as our cover. The cool air skimming across my sleeveless arms felt like I was standing in front of a cool air conditioner blowing on high. The sun would shine through the trees and appear to dapple along the road in scattered shapes and clusters as we rode our way around the canyon's rim.
There are places on this parkway that plays peek a boo with the view and a riders eyes are tempted to drift over and gaze when they really need to be watching the curves or other obstacles. (Remember my Pic Of The Week - A Rock In The Road?) I felt like Mother Nature was testing my willpower as well as my discipline while my adrenaline surges just became part of the ride.
Looks like there used to be some old bridge there, but around the corner to the left going back up the river was an area full of canoes and folks camping. We were only able to see them when we crossed over a bridge on our way towards the lake.
I love riding through this area and I'm very happy we had a beautiful sunny day to enjoy it in. I know I'll be back again, but in the meantime... I'll have to pacify myself with my lingering memories. I'm just glad I took plenty of pictures to help be remember how awesome this place really is.
Wow! Can you imagine living in this house? What a view! Harley and I noticed this cliff side dwelling while we were taking in a picturesque view of the Little River Canyon at one of the Parkway's scenic overlooks.
Dear Diary... a glimpse into the pages of a journal written by a woman rider.
Ooops... there seems to be a rock in the road!
We logged over a thousand miles, was able to view seven states (Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina) at one time, and could officially say we rode the Glides in three of those named states. Not bad considering we were just a mere 180 miles or so from home. After riding around the northeast corner of our beautiful state, I can't wait to share more of our wonderful treasures.
Little River Canyon is in North Alabama and runs through DeSoto State Park. A couple years ago, while cruisin' around this area, we saw two very brave guys preparing to repel down the side of one of these cliffs that line the river's canyon.
We stopped to stretch at the same overlook they were at, but the best view of them came a few miles down the road at another overlook.
Looks like fun but... I think I'll stick to riding.
This awesome sunset won first place, the "Double Arch Bridge" came in second, and "Cruisin' Round Moundville" took a respectable third. Thanks again for playing!
