Introduction to Summer Riding

Welcome to a refresh of my blog - Margo and Me. I’m set for a long summer road trip. I’ll keep you updated here - and on my related YouTube Channel which you can find here: https://youtu.be/wAX3uEBuZ9o

Finally! It’s Spring!

Yes, it’s still a little chilly here in the Prairies. But not chilly enough to stop me from taking Margo out of storage and back home where she belongs. Looking forward to a very fun riding season ahead!

I also picked up a new Insta360 camera this winter. I’m still learning to use it, but it sure captures some pretty cool 360 degree footage. Stay tuned throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall for more (hopefully) cool shots.

Day 7

After two days away from driving and blogging, I’m back on the road…on my way home. I drove from Abbotsford to Calgary…deciding against going home via Jasper which is my normal route. Thought I’d go this way and hoped to see some new vistas. I was not disappointed. The skies were a mix of deep blue sky and grey clouds which created stunning shadows and light on the mountains. I will post some of those pics when I’m home tomorrow.

In the meantime, I’ve just settled in for a late supper. There is a poker room next to my hotel so I had to play there for a while when I checked in. Made enough to pay for almost half my fuel for this last week.

And, more importantly, I’m reflecting on some new lessons or insights that have come to mind while I’ve been on the road this past week. If I can find a way to write those insights coherently, I may blog about them at some point too.

Looking forward to being home soon.

Day 4

800kms under my belt today…and back in Canada. That was a lot of miles in 4 days, 2200 miles/3600kms by my count. SO much to see. I’ve arrived in Abbotsford BC.

Every mile has brought something new to experience - and something new to think about. I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on life, the past, the future - and trying to stay in the present. “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius has been a very helpful book for meditating every morning and evening.

I’ll stay in Abbotsford for a few nights and visit with Mom. We’ll walk around her lake, enjoy some meals together, and watch the Blue Jays in the evening. I should be home sometime this coming weekend.

Day Three

I arrived in Baker City, Oregon an hour ago. I had an absolute ball on the drive today. 1180kms in 10.5 hours including stops (Wonderful US Interstate speed limits!). The scenery was so varied and unique through western Colorado, Utah, Idaho and eastern Oregon. I wasn’t bored for even a minute.

The internet connection in the hotel is pretty spotty so pictures may not get posted until tomorrow.

For now the question is, will I have Mexican food two nights in a row? Stay tuned…

Day Two

It was a bit of a meandering route today. I covered 800kms with a stop of a couple hours in Central City, CO. The landscape changed many times throughout the day. You can see some of the views on the photos page.

I ended up in Fruita, CO. I’ve been spending my time journaling and reflecting on the day. As mentioned in the previous post, many emotions today. A quirk about Karen is that she loved getting hot dogs when we were on the road somewhere. And, that was the lunch we had in 2019 together in Central City. Of course, that was my lunch today too.

Tomorrow I will head through Utah and end up in Oregon somewhere for the night. On Monday, I’ll drive to Abbotsford and spend a few days with Mom before heading home.

I love hearing from you…both in the comments sections and via text/messenger. Hope you are all well.

Central City

A short update for now. I arrived in Central City, CO about thirty minutes ago. Several years ago, one of my clients brought me down to Denver for work. And, as usual, Karen and I tacked on a few days and made a vacation out of it. We drove up I-70 into the mountains. Karen saw this sign for a road leading off the beaten track and she wondered where it led. So, on a whim, we exited the freeway and headed to this little, historic, gold mining town hidden away in a valley.

This place holds happy (but painful) memories for me. We had a very good day together.

Day One

Just finished 11 hours of driving - put on 1200 km. I’m settled in for the night in a “quaint” hotel in Douglas, WY. That leaves me with a short drive of 350km tomorrow morning to Central City - the main destination on what is beginning to feel like a pilgrimage.

Lots of thinking, emotions, reflections in these past 11 hours. I will have much to journal about. It was difficult to stay in the moment today and just be present for the drive. There were many reasons for this - thinking about this stage of life and how it was “supposed” to be different, thinking about aging and mortality, and trying to not get ahead of myself by picturing the entire last 1/3rd of my life all at once.

The weather kept getting better and better all day (started out wet), so I wanted to be frustrated with myself for not brining Margo. But, the forecast for the next 4 days still shows rain, and even snow! ahead of me.

Fantastic scenery along the way - that certainly helped to bring me back to the present. I tried to capture pictures as I drove (shh…don’t tell). They are being uploaded to the Photos page.

Non-Resistance

I follow a YouTuber who is an older rider (like me) who documents his journeys, lessons learned, and other wisdom for viewers to enjoy. This morning I watched his video on stoicism as it relates to riding. And it seems to fit the theme for this day. One of the tenets of stoicism is to learn the paradox of resistance. Those thoughts, plans, feelings we resist become larger and harder to deal with. When we accept that the situation is what it is…and when we learn to embrace that and, instead of fighting it, learn to change ourselves…that is when we can be at our best.

I have been fighting the weather forecasts all day. Hours and hours of trying to find a route that avoids rain, wind and even snow in the forecast. It became a futile task. I have decided to accept that the weather is what it is; my preferred riding style is what it is; and I can’t force having fun on a ride when those things don’t align. Margo will not go on a long run this fall…I will leave her behind - and I think she’ll understand.

I will get in the car on Friday morning for a trip to Central City, CO. I should arrive there sometime on Saturday. I will spend the time there that I need to. I don’t know how long that is yet. It will be whatever it will be.

I will continue to post from the road - although I readily admit it may not be nearly as interesting (at least to me) as it would have been if I had been riding rather than driving.

For those of you who are interested in hearing one biker’s perspectives on what Stoicism has to teach us, you can find his video here:

https://youtu.be/-CdhUV0I-pI?si=lI5kI-l_nwCeQtwk

Change of Plans?? Maybe??

It appears my decision is becoming more difficult with each passing hour. The destination I really want to take in this fall is a spot in Colorado which reminds me of Karen. I missed getting to that spot in the Spring and hope to get there and sit/reflect for a while before winter arrives. BUT, the weather forecast keeps degrading. That spot in CO is predicted to be socked in with rain and cold temperatures for 5 days straight - right when I’m supposed to be there. I have all the rain gear and heated gear…but the whole trip is likely to be the opposite of relaxing and I don’t like riding that way. Unless something changes drastically by tomorrow morning, I’m more likely to get in the car and drive down there for a couple days and then back home. Looks like Margo won’t get to go on a long run until next Spring. Lots of time next year for more relaxed riding.

Packed and Ready!

Saddlebags are packed, including heated gear and paper maps. Hoping the weather will break Thursday morning to at least allow me to get 3 hours under my belt. But it doesn’t look likely. Still aiming at a Friday departure - which means I may have to give up on Sturgis for this year.

Oh Oh…

Well, plans may be changing. I had hoped to leave Thursday morning, but the forecast doesn't look favourable. A little bit of rain is ok, but mix in some heavy winds and that makes for quite a miserable day. If the forecast doesn't change, I'm likely to delay my departure until Friday.

One Day to Go!

Here I am…one day away from my last day of employment with the Health Authority. Tons of mixed emotions, for lots of reasons…but one of those emotions is excitement for Thursday morning - two days from now! I plan to head out for a two week trip with Margo (my bike) as a way to celebrate. Initial plans are to drive through Sturgis, SD (maybe find some cool accessories for Margo in the multitude of bike shops there), then down to Central City, CO (a place which I associate with the memory of Karen), then wind up to Abbotsford, BC to visit Mom - before heading back across the Rockies and home. Several cool roads on the way that I may take in like the Needles Highway in South Dakota, Beartooth Pass by Yellowstone, and the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park.

I will attempt to post my thoughts, reflections, maybe even a few picture here at the end of every travel day. That way, if you’re interested, feel free to stop by and take a look. In this way, I won’t have to bother you with unwanted text messages.