And The Pics of My First Ride
On The Fresh New Ride

(Sorry, these are about 2 weeks old!)

Terry suggested that I take my first ride where others were not...smart move. Hell, why not just head to the freeway and get it over with!! You know, kinda like throwing your kid into the pool to teach him how to swim?!? I went at it with sheer determination mixed with a splash of nausea.

Off and goin', not a plane in sight! Feeling really good, may just push it a little further and go into third gear. OOOOOOOOOH! Crafty....

Made it through the tiny parking lot, around the corners and back to the fam. But did I stop? Nah.

So I decide it's time to stop going in circles and start gettin' outta third gear. I mean, come on, a girls' gotta go, man!

Okay, so I dropped it. Here's the story...the REAL story...

I ventured out and found that I needed to turn around in a tight area. Didn't feel comfortable making a really tight turn. I went wide on a left hand turn and into a patch of mud that was disguised as a slab of pavement with gravel on top. Good disguise. I sank the front tire in the turn and over it went. The engine was still going and I knew enough to hit the kill switch. Now what? If I can't pick this bad boy (bad girl?) up, I shouldn't be riding it, right? It weighs over 400 pounds. Hm. No time to think, just do. I grabbed two frame points, bent my knees and hoisted it up to my knees. Gave it another lift and up it was. Imagine if you will, a front tire that's buried, mud all over and now a voice yelling at you from behind, "Hey! Hey! Are you alright?" Damn! Somebody saw. I turned around, steady as she goes, and saw a gentleman walking up to me. "Are you okay? Do you need any help?"

"No, but thanks. I just got 'er last weekend and this is my first day out. Again, thanks."

"Well, we're with the county (Significance?) and just wanted to check. Good luck!"

I rocked the bike back and forth several times, being careful not to drop it again. I had an audience now - CAN NOT DROP! Finally, the bike rolled backwards out of the mud. Shook off the extra mud, got back on and tried to start it up. Not starting. Damn. And now Terry and Jack are driving up the road looking for me. Double damn. They pulled up and I assured them I was okay. Why couldn't I start it up? Forgot to disengage the kill switch. Hmph. One good pic of the muddy bike and I was off again. Hey, it had to happen sometime. At least it was in the mud.

So, have I done more than drop it in the mud since? Yes. Terry and I have ridden many, many, MANY loops around the neighborhood (Thanks, Lew, for watching Jack!). Ventured out downtown twice, no problems to report. I have to go at it with determination (and sometimes the nausea). Ride like everyone's trying to hit you, keep your head out of your butt, and you should do quite well. Truth? It's awesome! I can't wait to ride the trails up in Shasta as that's my true reason for wanting a dual-sport bike. So many roads, so many adventures. Time to start clearing the calendar...

Don't forget to start checking the blog every couple of days starting Tuesday, March 28th, as the Adventure Trio goes international! Yes, we're off to Spain to see what kind of trouble we can get into. We're hoping to meet up with a family from Jack's preschool and Jack's godmother, Jennifer, as all are going to be either in Spain or France at the same time. Small world? Yes, it really is. So bring the family 'round the computer and check out the pics, the stories and the adventures. Stay well and experience all that this life has to offer!