Bridges in the Country Hills

Yesterday's LOH ride was awesome. Tiffany did a fantastic job planning the nearly 200 mile round trip route. We visited six covered bridges, captured the scenic view of some beautiful country, traveled on some great back roads and enjoyed a delicious lunch at Wyatts in Albany. Seeing all the baby lambs, goats, horses and cows reminded me that spring time is here. I am always in amazement with the beautiful country I have in my backyard. So much to see and always breathtaking.

The weather managed to stay dry the entire ride to Albany, with the exception of some occasional mist. The ride back included a bit more precipitation, however, but nothing too extreme. A few of us separated from the group and just blasted back on the freeway. Every now and then we hit a bit of rain but it was short lived and definitely nothing like the torrential rain I'd experienced last August in Minnesota.

About 75 miles into the ride, as we rode alongside the edge of a pretty high ridge, I took a quick look over to see the beautiful valley below. It was during that moment that it occurred to me just how far I have come with my riding skills. Those awful butterflies in my belly that would show up every time I saw a curve in the road, some gravel on the road, and basically just before every ride, have become rarer and rarer. I'm now able to relax on the rides and enjoy each moment in the saddle. These are the moments I have longed for and have worked through my fears so hard to reach.

I'm really enjoying my new baby. Each ride just gets better and better. We're heading down to Medford later this month for the North Meets South event, which is going to be another awesome H.O.G. event. Several chapters from Nevada, California, Oregon, and Washington will be there. I'm really looking forward to meeting new friends and seeing more of our beautiful country from the comforts of my Corbin saddle.

Is it Riding Season Yet?

The weather has been crazy, unpredictable, and not so much in my favor since the day I rode my new baby home. For weeks she sat collecting dust in the garage.

A couple weekends ago Curtis and I met up with some friends and rode to the coast and back. What a fantastic ride. Lori planned most of the route and it was wonderful. We even ended up on a ferry crossing over the Willamette River somewhere south of Salem and north of Corvallis. Another first for me. It seems I still experience "firsts" on most of my rides, which is pretty cool and I look forward to each and every one of them.

The ride was just fabulous. At one point, near the end of the day, bugs were smacking me in the face as we cruised down the road at about 60mph. It was during that moment when I knew riding season was here. Because when you experience that sweet sting between the eyes from an early spring bug smacking you upside the forehead and you totally enjoy it, well, it's riding season!

We ended up with just over 300 miles that day, which doubled my mileage bringing up to a whopping 560 miles. How sad, right? I've had the bike four months and have less than 600 miles. I sure hope to change that this summer...or sooner if possible.

Rose City H.O.G.'s LOH ride is Sunday and tomorrow I'll be heading out with some friends for the pre-ride. Rumor has it that Tiffany has an awesome route planned that I certainly don't doubt. The weather man hasn't had a good weekend forecast all week but each day it seems to improve. So, I'm hopeful I'll wake up to sunshine, or at least dry pavement, and head out for a fantastic ride with some great friends.