When Life Gets in the Way of Living

 There are always times when we plan to ride and life just sort of gets in the way. Maybe a rainstorm moves in on the day of a planned ride or you get called in to work on your day off. Sometimes, there are longer lasting effects. I’ve been in a couple of minor accidents that had my bike in for repairs for awhile and one major accident that had my body down for repairs. Living in the north, we have a snow season that can shut down riding for months at a time. There are times when actual life gets in the way as well: wildlife. 

When I first moved to the Hudson Valley, a deer jumped out in front of me and destroyed my jeep. I hadn’t been out here long and my bike was still on its way when this occurred. Maybe it was a good thing I wasn’t on two wheels that day. Or maybe the noise from my short shot exhaust would have steered the deer clear of my path. Either way, I was coming home from working an overnight shift when two deer dropped down a short cliffside onto the mountain road. I don’t know what spooked them into such an irregular motion, but one of them landed behind me and the other landed on me. I don’t think that doe even touched pavement, just ricocheted off the front of my jeep and over the next cliffside. 

I had just come out from Las Vegas where I was a full time motorcycle rider for the better part of a decade. Having this incident with my jeep did not build a lot of confidence in my ability to survive on a motorcycle in the New York woodlands. I was so used to wide desert flatlands where nothing was going to catch you by surprise and this was not a good way for me to get used to the idea of animals popping out into the roadway. So, the first couple of years I spent here entailed minimal time on two wheels. Whenever I thought about going for a ride, I immediately pictured that mobile venison smashing my windshield right in front of my face and wondering what that would feel like without the protection of a cage. 

It wasn’t until I attended a police motorcycle training course that I rebuilt the confidence to start seriously riding again. Once I got back in the saddle, I realized just how much I’d been missing. I mean, burning through the desert on long straight aways was a lot of fun, but it was nothing compared to the twists and turns of the Catskills or the gorgeous views of the Adirondacks. Having ridden all over the country, I have to say, this is some of the most enjoyable riding I’ve encountered. The further north you go, the better the riding gets. It’s a shame that it isn’t accessible year round.

I really let fear conquer my willingness to ride for a while there. It just sucked the enjoyment out of it for me. Having the proper training to teach me I have the ability to control my bike in the case of an emergency and the situational awareness to see problems before they happen was just the boost I needed to put me back on the street. Of course, bad moments can still happen, but I feel much better about being able to avoid them now. A friend of mine that is pretty serious about firearms always says "gun fights are won in inches, seconds and angles". I believe the same is true about motorcycle safety. Especially when it comes to traffic, but also when it comes to wildlife encounters.

That advanced level motorcycle training course was one of the best investments I’ve ever put into myself. Just like anything else when it comes to motorcycling, those skills have bled out into the rest of my life as well. My situational awareness is improved when I'm in my truck or even walking my dog. Now, I make sure to ride safe, remain vigilant and never let “life” get in the way of living.