This is why we ride, I didn't write this letter but it sure hits home.
That's right - I'm all done. No it's not the 7 feet of snow. That will melt - eventually. Sadly, I have had back surgery and a substantial amount of metal screwed to 5 vertebrae. Enough to build a small car. That is the result of multiple myeloma, a form of cancer that causes bone weakening. So I'm having chemotherapy and radiation. Three months after the surgery I can get around on foot and drive the car for a little while. Riding a motorcycle is simply out of the question, and if I told any one of my several doctors that I was going to ride, he/she would beat me with my cane. And rightly so.
I'm not looking for sympathy here. Rather, I'm saying that no one should take for granted their ability to ride tomorrow, next week, next month or year. Based on my age (71) and that I started riding when I was 20, I've put a few miles on a large assortment of bikes from my first, a Zundapp 200 Sabre to the BMW R1200RT now in my garage (for sale). Heck, my COG member number is 1267 which goes back a ways. I had plans for a trip this summer to Nova Scotia and in the fall to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Now, suddenly, I'm not able to ride anymore. I'm sad and angry about that, but mostly OK since there is nothing to do about it. Resuming some sort of normal life will be enough.
So what am I saying in this long ramble? Get out and ride. Do not use the word "someday" when thinking about a trip. Do it now. Ride across the country or just take an overnight ride to some scenic place 200 miles away. Go see a friend. Take a day trip with no map, GPS or route. The important thing is to do it now. Do it now. Now.
OK, some of you may have to wait a bit until this winter from hell ends, but you get the point.
