I was raised by a father who firmly believed that it was important to be on time. As a family, we were never late for any event. In fact, we were usually early. To him there was no excuse for not being on time. You just had to manage your time, be aware of how long it took to get some place and plan accordingly. As a teenager, I was mortified, when while conducting a church meeting, my father stopped mid sentence and addressed the stragglers coming in after the opening song and prayer with "For those of you who are just coming in, you didn't start early enough to do your hurrying.". I wanted to crawl under the pew. He had no tolerance for people who couldn't manage to get places on time. Thus, the habit of being on time was soundly instilled on me. I really don't like being late for an event.
For almost thirty three years, I have been married to a man who has the direct opposite position about being on time for something. His concept of being on time is if something starts at 11 AM, that's when you leave...never mind that it's a ten minute drive to get there or that you have to park the car and go in the building. On the few occasions, that I've managed to convince him that we needed to leave at a particular time, he will complain that we are "WAY early!" As you can imagine, it's been a source of irritation and conflict pitting my timeliness against his idea about what being on time means. Over the years, if he didn't need to be at the same event that I did, it has been easy to get myself there on my time frame. But if we are traveling to something together, I usually have to cool my heels and wait for him.
The last few years we've lived within walking distance of our church. I have always wanted to leave the house early enough to get in the building so that I wouldn't have to sit in the back of the room where I often couldn't hear very well, or had to sit behind someone who blocked my sightline to the front of the room. I know exactly how much time is required to get there so that I don't have to sit in the back. Even though I'd rather enjoy the walk with my husband, I've often left without him because he was still in the process of getting ready.
Two weeks ago, I found myself in the same spot on a Sunday morning. I was ready and wanted to leave. He wasn't quite ready, so I waited, knowing that I'd be late. On our walk over to the building, I told him that it would be nice if, on the two Sundays a month that I don't have an early choir practice, he could be ready when I want to leave. I didn't think it was asking too much.
Yesterday morning, he got in the shower shortly after getting up....not his usual routine. Instead of turning on the TV and watching his Sunday morning news programs, he read. I wasn't hurrying about getting ready because for some reason, in my mind, I had until noon to start getting ready. While playing the piano at about 11:30, he tells me "It's 11:30." I told him "I know." A few minutes later, he stands by the piano completely dressed, and says to me in kind of a confused tone, "Now, what time does church start?". I thought for a minute, "11:50." He says, "Well, it's 11:40.". 11:40! Yikes, there was no way that I would be ready. Oops! I jumped up and started the process of getting ready for church. He waited for a minute or so, and then said, "I'm leaving.".
Thankfully, he didn't gloat the rest of the day that he was ready to leave so that we could get to church on my "never be late" time frame and that I wasn't ready. I just hope that he gives me another chance.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Urbanite
My husband and I love living within walking distance of our city and downtown. In our search for the ideal place to live, we always come back to downtown living. The suburbs just don't appeal to us. We love the walkability, things to do and have embraced downtown as our neighborhood.
This past weekend was a good example of what downtown living is like for us. Our car has been in parked in our garage since Friday. But we weren't stuck at home.
Saturday morning, after the snow storm cleared up, we bundled up and headed out. There was a movie playing at a local theater that we wanted to see so we walked the six blocks. (In our downtown, the blocks are long. Six blocks is equal to a mile.) After the movie, we headed towards a grocery store in the Avenues, a total of thirteen more blocks. This walk took us past a little deli where we decided to stop and get a sandwich. After the walk, uphill, to the grocery store, we bought what we needed, put it in the backpack that my husband had with him and headed back home....another eight to ten blocks. A bonus for me was with Kent carrying a backpack, I didn't have to carry a purse. I just put my wallet and other necessities in the backpack. Yesterday, we walked to our church meetings.
Not to knock people who live in the suburbs and have to rely on a car to get places. You do what you have to do. But it's great to leave the car at home, and get around the city on foot.
I just came across this article.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=17984054&title=salt-lake-among-top-cities-for-living-car-free
That's my city!
This past weekend was a good example of what downtown living is like for us. Our car has been in parked in our garage since Friday. But we weren't stuck at home.
Saturday morning, after the snow storm cleared up, we bundled up and headed out. There was a movie playing at a local theater that we wanted to see so we walked the six blocks. (In our downtown, the blocks are long. Six blocks is equal to a mile.) After the movie, we headed towards a grocery store in the Avenues, a total of thirteen more blocks. This walk took us past a little deli where we decided to stop and get a sandwich. After the walk, uphill, to the grocery store, we bought what we needed, put it in the backpack that my husband had with him and headed back home....another eight to ten blocks. A bonus for me was with Kent carrying a backpack, I didn't have to carry a purse. I just put my wallet and other necessities in the backpack. Yesterday, we walked to our church meetings.
Not to knock people who live in the suburbs and have to rely on a car to get places. You do what you have to do. But it's great to leave the car at home, and get around the city on foot.
I just came across this article.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=17984054&title=salt-lake-among-top-cities-for-living-car-free
That's my city!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
It's gone, all gone.
On a walk today, my husband and I ran into our former next door neighbor. After exchanging some pleasantries, she asked me if I had seen the yard of the home where we used to live. I told that I had seen what had been done in the front yard. She told me that she was talking about the back yard. Since we were headed up toward 11th Avenue, we walked back to her house and looked at the back yard of our former house.
I spent many hours and quite a bit of money transforming a barren hillside into this:
The current owners wanted a larger, flat yard so that their young children could have more play space. The first two levels of the hillside have been removed. A concrete retaining wall about 8' high will be installed and those children will end up with a backyard big enough for a swing set and lots of running around room.
I have to say that I'm a little sad to see all the hard work that I did over the three years we lived there dismantled by a back hoe in less than a week. What makes me even more sad is that I sure would have liked to have had a few of those plantings to spruce up the little yard where we currently live. But they are gone, along with the yard ornament that you can see in the lower left corner of the top picture.
It's been three years since we moved from that house. But I've always felt that I left a lot of me behind in the landscaping. It's all pretty much gone now.
I spent many hours and quite a bit of money transforming a barren hillside into this:
I don't know how many plants and shrubs I planted on that hillside, or how many times I climbed that hill to weed. We got a lot of pleasure sitting inside the house or on the patio, looking at the hillside as various plants bloomed.
Well, today that hillside looks like this:
The current owners wanted a larger, flat yard so that their young children could have more play space. The first two levels of the hillside have been removed. A concrete retaining wall about 8' high will be installed and those children will end up with a backyard big enough for a swing set and lots of running around room.
I have to say that I'm a little sad to see all the hard work that I did over the three years we lived there dismantled by a back hoe in less than a week. What makes me even more sad is that I sure would have liked to have had a few of those plantings to spruce up the little yard where we currently live. But they are gone, along with the yard ornament that you can see in the lower left corner of the top picture.
It's been three years since we moved from that house. But I've always felt that I left a lot of me behind in the landscaping. It's all pretty much gone now.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Water in the door...
My oldest grandson, the one who asked me awhile back what cars were like in the "olden days", was a little stumped when he wanted to refill his water glass during dinner yesterday. He walked into the kitchen, glass in hand, and came right back out. "Where's you guys water?", he asked. He had looked at the fridge and didn't see the "water in the door" feature like his fridge at home has and had no clue how he was suppose to get more drinking water...well, let's see if we can solve the problem, son. You can get water from the water pitcher here on the table, or use that old fashioned thing called a faucet at the kitchen sink.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
All Settled In
It's been two weeks since I signed the lease on the Canyon Road house. Two weeks ago, I was mildly freaking out about how we would accomplish packing up the apartment, moving all our stuff, unpacking at the new place and getting the apartment cleaned. It went amazingly well. It was probably the easiest move that we have ever done in our 32+ years of marriage. I suppose one reason was because we were living simply in the apartment and, due to space restrictions, we hadn't accumulated more stuff. Everything in the apartment came to the house. So all I had to do was load boxes. There was no sorting through things and deciding what to keep or what to get rid of. I had done all that with the move from the big house three year ago.
The move wasn't without a few challenges. It took some time to figure out how we were going to use the space in the house. We ended up using the main floor bedroom as a study. That bedroom is small and would barely fit a king size bed. So it became a study/TV room and the downstairs bedroom became the master. My husband was a little out of sorts for a day or two until I was able to take time to get things a little better organized. He really dislikes chaos and living out of boxes.
The boxes are emptied. Pictures are hung. The place feels like home. I am happy.
Here's a quick photo tour.
Right side of the living room. That's the original, wood burning fireplace. Cold, winter evenings will be very cozy and warm. I love having windows, with screens, that can be opened to let in the breeze coming from City Creek canyon.
The dining room is open to the living room. We have a lovely picture to hang on the back wall. But as you can see, the thermostat is in the middle of the wall. The homeowner said he'd get it moved. We shall see. The door on the left is to the bedroom/den. On the right is the entrance to the kitchen.
The move wasn't without a few challenges. It took some time to figure out how we were going to use the space in the house. We ended up using the main floor bedroom as a study. That bedroom is small and would barely fit a king size bed. So it became a study/TV room and the downstairs bedroom became the master. My husband was a little out of sorts for a day or two until I was able to take time to get things a little better organized. He really dislikes chaos and living out of boxes.
The boxes are emptied. Pictures are hung. The place feels like home. I am happy.
Here's a quick photo tour.
 | ||
| I'm looking forward to next spring when I can bring the front flowers beds up to date. |
Right side of the living room. That's the original, wood burning fireplace. Cold, winter evenings will be very cozy and warm. I love having windows, with screens, that can be opened to let in the breeze coming from City Creek canyon.
 |
| Left side of the living room. The picture was taken from the loft. |
 | |
The dining room is open to the living room. We have a lovely picture to hang on the back wall. But as you can see, the thermostat is in the middle of the wall. The homeowner said he'd get it moved. We shall see. The door on the left is to the bedroom/den. On the right is the entrance to the kitchen.
 |
| Looking into the kitchen from the dining room |
 | |||
| I was delighted that the cupboard above the sink was tall enough for my cookbooks. |
 | ||||||||||||||
Ruby, the mixer, is happy in her little corner. The lamp was my husband's idea.
|
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
You Just Never Know
When my husband and I moved from our big house in to an apartment several years ago, we both knew that the apartment was suppose to be just a place to hunker down while we decided what the next, more permanent place, would be. Over the three years that we've been apartment dwellers, we pursued other housing options...sometimes in earnest, sometimes just casually. We've looked at homes for sale in our general neighborhood, and in neighborhoods a little further removed. We've looked at big houses and small houses. We have even entertained the idea of purchasing a condo in the new City Creek project until sticker shock gave us a reality check. We've also looked at homes for lease/rent.
In the process, we have developed a pretty good idea of what we want and where we want to live. We don't need to own a home. A good long term rental property that meets most of these criteria is sufficient.
1. Located within a reasonable walking distance of downtown.
2. Easy access to Memory Grove/City Creek canyon
3. 1700 to 2000 sq feet home that is clean and well maintained.
4. Living space large enough to accommodate at least our dining room table.
5. Outdoor living space
6. Garage
7. Minimum of two bedrooms/two baths
8. Washer/dryer hookups
9. A decent kitchen with a dishwasher and disposal.
10. A yard/garden - not too much
11. Bathrooms that have been updated in the last decade or so.
12. Storage for all the sports equipment, camping gear, etc. etc.
13. Monthly lease payment less than our current lease payment.
Bonus:
1. Hard wood floors
2. Living space big enough for BOTH the dining room table and the baby grand piano.
3. Gas range
4. Fireplace
This criteria doesn't seem to be too demanding. But in our older neighborhood, it's hard to find something that has even a few of the items. It's been frustrating.
The other day, I was taking my daily walk up Memory Grove. I passed a house on Canyon Road that had a "For Rent" sign in front of it. I couldn't believe it. In this little section of the city, you just don't see "For Rent" or "For Sale" signs. Ownership and occupancy generally happen by word of mouth. I took a picture of the sign and emailed it to my husband for him to check out. He set up an appointment to see the home later that same day. He told me that the owner said the house was small - only about 950 sq ft on the main floor. With that kind of square footage, most likely the rooms would be tiny. The kitchen and baths probably would be stuck in the 50s. Even though the location was to die for, we were prepared to be disappointed in the actual house.
But, lo and behold, we were surprised. The home had been remodeled inside and had great space. Whoever had done the remodeling had removed some interior walls and opened up the ceiling into the attic. A loft area in the former attic had room for office space and a TV/sitting area plus a storage area. The main floor was big enough for the dining room table AND the piano. It had hardwood floors and with the original fireplace in the living room. Even though there was just one bedroom on the main floor, it had a nice updated bathroom en suite with a large closet.
The kitchen had been updated in the last ten years or so. It was small, but had good appliances and a GAS range. Off the kitchen, on the way to the basement stairs, was a full bathroom. The basement was totally finished with a half bath, a family room and another bedroom. The total square footage of the home was about 1700 sq. feet. spread over three levels...but all very liveable.
The garage was under one side of the house and accessed off an alley behind the house. Even with one car in the garage, there was still plenty of storage. One small issue was that the washer and dryer hookups were in the garage. Not an ideal set up, but workable. The yard was just the right size and well maintained. A nice size deck on the back of the house filled the outdoor living space criteria quite nicely. There was just the right amount of gardening space for me to putter in.
The home is vacant and, for the most part, meets all the criteria we have. So, we are moving...quickly...like starting today. We will have a lower monthly overhead since the lease payment on the house is less and we won't have to pay for an extra parking space, a storage unit or piano storage. Before the end of the month, we'll vacate our apartment and move to Canyon Road. It's a long term rental with the possibility of being able to purchase it in three or four years. I can't believe that we were this lucky. And believe me, the ability to live in this particular neighborhood is either by knowing someone who is selling/renting or pure luck.
So, it looks like Thanksgiving dinner can be around the family dining room table this year. We will also be able to sing Christmas carols accompanied by someone playing the grand piano. But before then, we might be able to have a BBQ or two. We can certainly gather for some family dinners.
Anyone out there who has any free time, willing manpower, etc. etc. is more than welcome to come help with process. We need to be out of our current place...clean and ready to go...by the end of August. Yikes! I better get off the computer and start packing boxes.
Update: As I was in the home, in the process of signing the lease, a guy walked in the open front door inquiring about the home. Snooze, you loose.
Note - This home is on the upper part of Canyon Road, in the row of about 10 homes just prior to the entrance of Memory Grove. It is also next door to the duplex where my Grandpa Reid lived in the last years of his life.
In the process, we have developed a pretty good idea of what we want and where we want to live. We don't need to own a home. A good long term rental property that meets most of these criteria is sufficient.
1. Located within a reasonable walking distance of downtown.
2. Easy access to Memory Grove/City Creek canyon
3. 1700 to 2000 sq feet home that is clean and well maintained.
4. Living space large enough to accommodate at least our dining room table.
5. Outdoor living space
6. Garage
7. Minimum of two bedrooms/two baths
8. Washer/dryer hookups
9. A decent kitchen with a dishwasher and disposal.
10. A yard/garden - not too much
11. Bathrooms that have been updated in the last decade or so.
12. Storage for all the sports equipment, camping gear, etc. etc.
13. Monthly lease payment less than our current lease payment.
Bonus:
1. Hard wood floors
2. Living space big enough for BOTH the dining room table and the baby grand piano.
3. Gas range
4. Fireplace
This criteria doesn't seem to be too demanding. But in our older neighborhood, it's hard to find something that has even a few of the items. It's been frustrating.
The other day, I was taking my daily walk up Memory Grove. I passed a house on Canyon Road that had a "For Rent" sign in front of it. I couldn't believe it. In this little section of the city, you just don't see "For Rent" or "For Sale" signs. Ownership and occupancy generally happen by word of mouth. I took a picture of the sign and emailed it to my husband for him to check out. He set up an appointment to see the home later that same day. He told me that the owner said the house was small - only about 950 sq ft on the main floor. With that kind of square footage, most likely the rooms would be tiny. The kitchen and baths probably would be stuck in the 50s. Even though the location was to die for, we were prepared to be disappointed in the actual house.
But, lo and behold, we were surprised. The home had been remodeled inside and had great space. Whoever had done the remodeling had removed some interior walls and opened up the ceiling into the attic. A loft area in the former attic had room for office space and a TV/sitting area plus a storage area. The main floor was big enough for the dining room table AND the piano. It had hardwood floors and with the original fireplace in the living room. Even though there was just one bedroom on the main floor, it had a nice updated bathroom en suite with a large closet.
The kitchen had been updated in the last ten years or so. It was small, but had good appliances and a GAS range. Off the kitchen, on the way to the basement stairs, was a full bathroom. The basement was totally finished with a half bath, a family room and another bedroom. The total square footage of the home was about 1700 sq. feet. spread over three levels...but all very liveable.
The garage was under one side of the house and accessed off an alley behind the house. Even with one car in the garage, there was still plenty of storage. One small issue was that the washer and dryer hookups were in the garage. Not an ideal set up, but workable. The yard was just the right size and well maintained. A nice size deck on the back of the house filled the outdoor living space criteria quite nicely. There was just the right amount of gardening space for me to putter in.
The home is vacant and, for the most part, meets all the criteria we have. So, we are moving...quickly...like starting today. We will have a lower monthly overhead since the lease payment on the house is less and we won't have to pay for an extra parking space, a storage unit or piano storage. Before the end of the month, we'll vacate our apartment and move to Canyon Road. It's a long term rental with the possibility of being able to purchase it in three or four years. I can't believe that we were this lucky. And believe me, the ability to live in this particular neighborhood is either by knowing someone who is selling/renting or pure luck.
So, it looks like Thanksgiving dinner can be around the family dining room table this year. We will also be able to sing Christmas carols accompanied by someone playing the grand piano. But before then, we might be able to have a BBQ or two. We can certainly gather for some family dinners.
Anyone out there who has any free time, willing manpower, etc. etc. is more than welcome to come help with process. We need to be out of our current place...clean and ready to go...by the end of August. Yikes! I better get off the computer and start packing boxes.
Update: As I was in the home, in the process of signing the lease, a guy walked in the open front door inquiring about the home. Snooze, you loose.
Note - This home is on the upper part of Canyon Road, in the row of about 10 homes just prior to the entrance of Memory Grove. It is also next door to the duplex where my Grandpa Reid lived in the last years of his life.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Thoughts while riding second seat...
After almost three years of not being on a motorcycle, early in July, the husband and I rented a motorcycle and took off for a few days. My husband found a great deal on a bike at a local BMW dealership. He knew the guy in charge of the rentals as well. Because it was a slow week for rentals going out, we got a great deal on the rate. We picked the bike up on Friday, July 1 and didn't have to have it back until Wednesday, July 6, a total of 4 1/2 days. We only paid for three days. We've always ridden a BMW, but this time the husband took out a Triumph Tiger.
As I was riding behind my husband while on this road trip, I started thinking about why I love riding on a motorcycle. Some people who have never ridden a motorcycle may think that it's a passive activity sitting in the second seat...that you're just along for the ride. For me, it's just the opposite.
First of all, I have to pay attention to how my husband is handling the bike. If he's leaning into a curve and I'm just sitting there, not leaning with him, it makes the curve more difficult to handle. I have to watch what's up ahead because that may influence how he handles the bike and how I have to react.
Riding a motorcycle is also a sensory experience. Without being surrounded by steel and glass of a car, you smell the environment. I remember riding over Boulder mountain in SE Utah on a fall trip just after a light rain had gone through the area. I loved the smell of the damp, wet, fall leaves that was all around. On a trip in the northwest the aroma of pine trees filled the air. I also get the diesel and gasoline smells, skunks, and cow pastures
As I ride along, I can feel the ambient air temperature change. Going over a mountain pass, the temps can start out in the 80s. As we climb higher, the air temp changes and cools down. There have been times when I've been very chilly going over a mountain pass because I was dressed for the warmer temps at lower elevations. But I've quickly warmed up as we've descended the other side.
Riding a motorcycle is also a very visual experience. On many of our rides, we've been on roads that we've traveled many times in a car. But traveling these same roads on a motorcycle, I've seen things I've haven't seen before. I noticed birds flying over head and cloud formations. Sometimes, it's like I've never been on that road or in that place.
Stopping for gas is usually an opportunity to chat with others at the pump. People will come over to you and ask about the bike, or where you're from and where you're going. There have been old geezers in small towns who have struck up conversations, sometimes with a little envy that it wasn't them who was riding down the road on a BMW. It seems that people always want to chat with the couple on the motorcycle....well, except for guys who ride Harleys. They are a very different breed than people who ride BMWs. We can be pumping gas right next to each other and they will hardly acknowledge us.
Taking a road trip on a motorcycle is more than just going from point A to point B. The ride is the trip. When we start out at the beginning of the day, we don't always know where we'll be that night. Our unspecified itinerary is how we discovered a charming 1950s like motel in Hope, British Columbia, the small, clean family run motel in Twin Bridges, Montana where the owner let me use her washer and dryer to do some wash and a delightful motel just a block from the beach in Cannon Beach, Oregon. We've found wonderful hotels in Santa Fe, New Mexico and on Vancouver Island, B.C. I'll never forget going through the tiny, tiny town of Denio, Nevada. The ride over the Highway to the Sun in Glacier National Park and through the twisties in the Canadian Rockies was spectacular.
We've had to dodge exploding beer cans that came out of a cooler that fell off a pick up that pulled out in front of us. There was the time that a dog in the back of a pick-up barked at us continually until we were finally able to pass. Then the driver of that pick up flipped us off. We had to ride in over 100 miles in a driving rainstorm of biblical proportions and were rewarded at the end of the ride by snagging the last room at our favorite hotel in Moab, Utah. We've been cut off by careless drivers, but waved to by many more.
Sure there have been times when I've been scared. Like when my husband had to lay the bike down when he came around a bend and saw traffic backed up at a stop sign. I jumped off with no problem, but the bike rolled over him. He was out for a minute or two and I wondered how I was going to get an injured, or worse, dead husband, plus a motorcycle back from Washington to Salt Lake City. But we were able to finish our trip with only some sore muscles and a couple of scratches on the bike.
You don't have these kind of experiences traveling in a car. Most likely, you're focused on the destination and when will you get there. If you ride as a passenger, you're probably absorbed in a book, wired up to your Ipod or laptop, or watching a movie on your personal DVD player and are more or less unaware of what's going on outside your car.
And there's nothing better at the end of a day on a motorcycle than a good hotel, hot shower and great meal, knowing that the next day you get to do it all over again on a different road.
As I was riding behind my husband while on this road trip, I started thinking about why I love riding on a motorcycle. Some people who have never ridden a motorcycle may think that it's a passive activity sitting in the second seat...that you're just along for the ride. For me, it's just the opposite.
First of all, I have to pay attention to how my husband is handling the bike. If he's leaning into a curve and I'm just sitting there, not leaning with him, it makes the curve more difficult to handle. I have to watch what's up ahead because that may influence how he handles the bike and how I have to react.
Riding a motorcycle is also a sensory experience. Without being surrounded by steel and glass of a car, you smell the environment. I remember riding over Boulder mountain in SE Utah on a fall trip just after a light rain had gone through the area. I loved the smell of the damp, wet, fall leaves that was all around. On a trip in the northwest the aroma of pine trees filled the air. I also get the diesel and gasoline smells, skunks, and cow pastures
As I ride along, I can feel the ambient air temperature change. Going over a mountain pass, the temps can start out in the 80s. As we climb higher, the air temp changes and cools down. There have been times when I've been very chilly going over a mountain pass because I was dressed for the warmer temps at lower elevations. But I've quickly warmed up as we've descended the other side.
Riding a motorcycle is also a very visual experience. On many of our rides, we've been on roads that we've traveled many times in a car. But traveling these same roads on a motorcycle, I've seen things I've haven't seen before. I noticed birds flying over head and cloud formations. Sometimes, it's like I've never been on that road or in that place.
Stopping for gas is usually an opportunity to chat with others at the pump. People will come over to you and ask about the bike, or where you're from and where you're going. There have been old geezers in small towns who have struck up conversations, sometimes with a little envy that it wasn't them who was riding down the road on a BMW. It seems that people always want to chat with the couple on the motorcycle....well, except for guys who ride Harleys. They are a very different breed than people who ride BMWs. We can be pumping gas right next to each other and they will hardly acknowledge us.
Taking a road trip on a motorcycle is more than just going from point A to point B. The ride is the trip. When we start out at the beginning of the day, we don't always know where we'll be that night. Our unspecified itinerary is how we discovered a charming 1950s like motel in Hope, British Columbia, the small, clean family run motel in Twin Bridges, Montana where the owner let me use her washer and dryer to do some wash and a delightful motel just a block from the beach in Cannon Beach, Oregon. We've found wonderful hotels in Santa Fe, New Mexico and on Vancouver Island, B.C. I'll never forget going through the tiny, tiny town of Denio, Nevada. The ride over the Highway to the Sun in Glacier National Park and through the twisties in the Canadian Rockies was spectacular.
We've had to dodge exploding beer cans that came out of a cooler that fell off a pick up that pulled out in front of us. There was the time that a dog in the back of a pick-up barked at us continually until we were finally able to pass. Then the driver of that pick up flipped us off. We had to ride in over 100 miles in a driving rainstorm of biblical proportions and were rewarded at the end of the ride by snagging the last room at our favorite hotel in Moab, Utah. We've been cut off by careless drivers, but waved to by many more.
Sure there have been times when I've been scared. Like when my husband had to lay the bike down when he came around a bend and saw traffic backed up at a stop sign. I jumped off with no problem, but the bike rolled over him. He was out for a minute or two and I wondered how I was going to get an injured, or worse, dead husband, plus a motorcycle back from Washington to Salt Lake City. But we were able to finish our trip with only some sore muscles and a couple of scratches on the bike.
You don't have these kind of experiences traveling in a car. Most likely, you're focused on the destination and when will you get there. If you ride as a passenger, you're probably absorbed in a book, wired up to your Ipod or laptop, or watching a movie on your personal DVD player and are more or less unaware of what's going on outside your car.
And there's nothing better at the end of a day on a motorcycle than a good hotel, hot shower and great meal, knowing that the next day you get to do it all over again on a different road.
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