BEWARE! ..keep reading, several postings below

Stinson Beach...Scotts entry

After riding solo for the last thirty years on dirt bikes, I find my self riding a full size cruiser through the back roads of wine country in Northern Calif. I raised my children on off road motorcycles riding the desert in the winter and the mountain trails in the summer. I always dreamed of passing on this legacy to my family as my dad introduced me to the sport at the age of 10.

Our family enjoyed camping and riding with good friends and family….even an occasional off road race or motocross. My wife and I always preached the virtues of safety, and by no means will any of us (especially the teenage boys) ride a street bike.

Well here I am, empty nesting with my wife Julie, living in Gods Country. I consider this new adventure into riding a street bike a joint venture. One day when driving around looking at real-estate, Julie spotted this bike on a lonely road next to a railroad track with a for sale sign. I said to her” Some day”…..she poked me and said, “Lets check it out. The partnership began.

Now we can’t resist jumping on together and going for a cruise to see what remote beach or fun little back road through the redwoods we can find. There is one big difference though that I am experiencing. For the first time I'm riding with a full time passenger.

This brings on a new venue to riding for both of us. The most obvious is the idea that I am totally responsible for controlling the wellbeing of Julie, as well as myself. This takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to staying in tune with my surroundings. I love the fact that she enjoys this new way of life and trusts me so much. There is nothing like cruising down a stretch of highway and having her reach around me and give a big squeeze to let me know how cool this is. It’s quite a rush to feel this close after many years of marriage and raising three great kids into adulthood.

Riding the bike has brought to us a renewed sense of the beauty of the open road. There’s something about leaving the house, cruising down a remote pathway, and feeling every change in temperature and smelling every inch of the open air. From cool eucalyptus trees to the smell of the salty ocean, to the fragrant open grass fields, the senses are alive.

I know we will keep hearing from our adult kids about how Mom and Dad have gone crazy, and how worried they are about us being on the road. But I don’t think we will ever stop our little Suarez with our new found hobby. It’s just too much fun!

Every time I tell a non rider about our cruises , I can see the envy in their eyes and how much they wish they had a companion that would call them at work and say” Our date night is gonna' be a ride to the beach for clam chowder”. Now that’s what I call living!

So the next time we go for a cruise and I push back into my riding partner and she pats my shoulder: I’ll try to remember why we kept telling our kids not to ride in the street. We love it, and who cares what the kids say!