Quote:
Originally Posted by Kestrel
Ally,
The combination of track riding at the limit, the backroad twisties, the long, solitary cross country trips.. the whole motorcycling experience... It takes you to that indescribable place. I ride to find my way back to that very "place", and that state of mind. Without riding, I don't know if I could find my way back there.
What replaces motorcycling for you? Was the mental block after crashing just too much to overcome?
I look at your photos, and can't help but feel sad to see somebody hanging it up after seemingly getting to that place.
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Hi Patrick. Thanks for the reply.
After my crash, I did continue to ride another 2.5 years and still loved it, but I never could quite enjoy it the same way I did before. There was a bit of fear in me that I'd do something stupid again because what I made was a newbie mistake that I guess I never could 100% forgive myself for...after breaking my back and thumb, I realized breaking hurts!! I never had the trust in myself I'd once had to let loose and trust my skills or my bike.
Six months after my crash, I hiked the Appalachian Trail from GA to Maine. Since then, I've had a series of badass jobs that make work feel like play. I worked on the A.T. for a while, and now I've got a full-time job doing something I love that provides travel and adventures and a part-time gig managing a beer brewery...a dream of mine! All of that leaves very little time for joy rides, and I hated to see little Ninja depreciating in my garage, being ridden once every couple of months, if that.
Before my crash, I used to say if I died or got hurt on my bike, it would have been worth it to me and I would have chosen to ride anyway. For about the past year since returning from my thru-hike, I've never quite felt the same way, and to me, that's what tipped the scales in favor of selling her.
I have quite a few passions and I tend to find adventure in many ways other than motorcycling. Hell, every day is an adventure! Might I ride again one day? It's possible. But life comes in seasons...only time will tell.