Just Riding….

I’m starting this week’s entry on Tuesday while sitting at school waiting for our weekly faculty meeting. It’s a great day because for the second day in a row, I hopped on the Harley and rode to work. It’s not the first time I’ve been on the bike this year, but it’s the first time I’m writing about it because Amy just found out about the first ride (she overheard me telling a friend at church but was not surprised). No one in the medical community predicted that I’d be able to drive, much less ride, so I’m just feeling blessed that I can continue to make new memories pretending to be Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider.

Amy is never surprised by my exploits because there have been so many throughout the years. Early on in our relationship, we road with a group of friends from the Chicago HOG Chapter to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. It’s 1,000 miles door to door so a lot of time was going to be spent in the saddle. We headed west to Iowa, then followed the Mississippi River north into Minnesota. Our second stop on the way was in Interior, South Dakota, population 65. That night I looked up and saw stars. I had been living in Chicago for over a decade and light pollution severely limited what could be seen in the night sky. Like a little kid, I called all of our group together and had them look up. It was amazing. So much so that we all wound up on our backs in a ditch by the side of the road. We were quite the sight.

The next day we made it to all the chaos that is Sturgis. Half a million bikes descending on a town with a population of 7,000. What could go wrong? To say Amy is not a fan of riding amongst hordes of drunken morons is a vast understatement. To her credit, she made two days and nights before luckily being called back to Chicago for work. We had two bikes and were a thousand miles from home. What were we going to do?

Well, she flew home the next day and I hopped on her bike and rode the first of back-to-back trips home. I took the interstate all the way home (not my favorite way to ride) and made it back in one day. The next afternoon I jumped on a flight back to Rapid City to start the journey all over again.

Amy likes to worry about me when I ride and this trip occurred before there was a Find My app. Throughout the first return trip, I called her at every gas stop so she knew I was okay. Before I started the second trip, I decided to have a little fun on the road. Custer State Park is south of Sturgis and winds through the Black Hills, full of scenic roads and wildlife. Getting an early start the next day, I headed out to see the buffalo and make my way back home again. The ride through the park was beautiful, as always, but I needed to get pointed toward Chicago. A thought came to mind that I’d never ridden through Nebraska… so I turned left and headed for the Cornhusker State.

As I approached the border, I realized that Nebraska may have a helmet law and I didn’t have one with me. At the last pit stop before crossing the state line, I pulled out my phone and searched for helmet law states… sure enough Nebraska was one of them. Time to call an audible. Breaking out the Harley atlas I found a paved, two-lane road that crossed South Dakota, all the way to Minnesota. Little did I know that this was the last time I’d have cell service for several hundred miles and many hours.

The road itself was awesome. Smooth and straight. There was no sign of humanity to be found with the exception of barbed wire fences. I’d go for half an hour or more before seeing a house, barn, or even passing another vehicle on the road. While this was great for me, it also meant that Amy was sitting in her office in Chicago wondering where the heck I was.

I was lucky enough to encounter a gas station along this road, but, again, there was no cell service. Was I thinking it may be a good idea to find another way to contact Amy? Of course not! To the best of my recollection, it was a least six hours before I reached some form of civilization on the Minnesota border. When I made that call, she was less than happy with me but also relieved that the call wasn’t coming from the state police letting her know that I was now South Dakota road kill.

That night I made it to La Crosse, Wisconsin and finished the ride home early the next afternoon. Amy came home from work that night and was very happy to see me in one piece… but we also had the talk about staying in contact to help her keep her sanity. As they say, “Happy wife, happy life.” I still tend to venture off quite a bit, but I usually make that call (and we are also so thankful for the Find My app).

Communication has never been one of my strengths, especially when it comes to talking about my weaknesses or needing help. As we walked out of the appointment when I was diagnosed, it was very clear to me that I needed to change. Yes, I was the one with the disease, but Amy was the one who was going to be carrying most of the burden. It would not be fair for her to find out things second-hand. I knew she shouldn’t be hearing of my ailments only after I returned from the doctor. So, lessons learned. This old dog has learned a new trick… and I’m blessed with the best handler anyone could ask for.

This week’s theme was prompted by a dialog I’ve been having with fellow rider who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He expressed to me that he is now unable to ride because his left foot doesn’t work well enough to allow him to shift. As I write this, I am again overwhelmed by the blessings I have been given to be able to still take care of myself. And am so grateful that I can still throw my leg over the saddle. A thousand mile bike trip is no longer a possibility, but the Black Hills, the Smoky Mountains, and the Rockies are all calling my name.

I could go on and on with stories of us and bikes. And hopefully I have many more years to write them. Today I’d like to wrap things up with a special request for prayers and good vibes for Amy. I’ve been blessed with an angel who loves me and puts up with me, through all my antics. I’m not sure she knew exactly what she was signing up for, and am positive ALS was never considered, but I know I can count on her to always be in my corner. Her dad always told me, “No returns.” I’m hoping that holds true for me as well.

One final thought I saw this week:

Thanks for hanging in there with me for one more week. I’ll try to come up with some entertaining stories to dazzle you with again next Friday.

Have a great weekend.

God bless.

Coach