Settling In: A Weekend Harley Trip

I was in fifth grade before I learned how to ride a bicycle without training wheels. It's true. I was embarrassingly old. So I wasn't much of a bike rider, okay?? But I was something else. A daddy's girl. (Not an exclusion of my mother - because I was a momma's girl too. Who says you have to be just one?? I was - and still am - both.)

As an adult I am making up for lost time on bikes. But this time I go for the motorized kind... And always with my daddy. Dad and I ride his bike around town pretty regularly, but we recently decided to go for a weekend trip. So we rented a Harley Electra Glide (with a big, comfortable back seat) and took off for the weekend. We picked the perfect weekend. After all, it is my favorite time of year.

Dad and I had the best ride. We started out on Saturday morning in Nashville and headed south east. We took back roads and highways through the hills of the Tennessee countryside, through Fall Creek Falls, and then headed north up to Lexington. We bunked with my cousins for the night and then headed back down south on Sunday.

In all, we rode about 650 miles - 8 hours on Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday. And the bike was so comfortable! Of course, we had to stop and stretch our legs every couple of hours, but mostly I just settled in to the back of the bike and enjoyed the views. I did, however, get very cold on Saturday! I was bundled up in layers, but the temps never even made it into the 60s which is a bit chilly on a bike! But was it totally worth the shivering? Yes! I could do a ride like that every weekend and be completely thrilled!

I recently met a guy from Brazil who is now living in Nashville and is experiencing fall for the first time. I just can't imagine that! Not because I take it for granted and would appreciate a fresh perspective on fall, but because it is so much a part of me that I can't imagine living without it. Its the kind of beauty that gets in your heart and settles in. Kind of like motorcycles.