It was one of those crisp, sunny mornings in spring and I could hear my Goldwing begging me to take him out for a ride.  But where to?   Then I thought about the cliché we riders recite when we are talking to riders and non-riders alike, “It’s the ride, not the destination that counts.”  Hell, it’s on my web page and I believe it.

So I pulled the Wing out of the garage, adjusted the mirrors, fastened my seat belt, (just kidding about the seatbelt) and started to ease out the clutch when it occurred to me that just a ride wasn’t good enough, I wanted to go somewhere …. but where?   Wasn’t the ride the only thing that mattered?  Well, apparently not.

As I sat there thinking, it occurred to me that the reason I was sitting on the WIng in the first place was the sunny weather.  If I was going somewhere, I wanted to make sure there would be sun in the direction I was headed.  Now, I’ve ridden in the rain, the fog, the wind, and at night, and I must admit to being a fair weather rider.  I prefer to ride in sunny, warm, weather.  I ride in those other conditions, but I’m not crazy about it.  I guess that some of you will say, “Well, if you ride in those other conditions when you don’t like it, it must be the ride that’s important, not the weather.”   I’ll give you that, but sometimes I’m not sure it isn’t just out of habit, or spite, or guilt for having spent a fortune on my motorcycle. When I ask my motorcycling brethren, I find that most of them prefer bright sunny days also. So it seems to me that it’s not just the ride but a ride in sunny weather that adds significantly to the enjoyment of the experience.

OK, now that I knew I was looking for sunshine, I would have to head south since a weather front is predicted to be coming in from the north.  OK, south but which road south?  If I took the freeway and got lucky with the traffic, I could make more miles and, after all, it’s the ride that counts, so making more miles is a good thing, right?  Wait a minute, I don’t just want to make miles, I want to enjoy the miles I make.  And anyway, at this time of the day in the Bay Area, I will most likely run into traffic, maybe even a traffic jam with cagers bumper-to-bumper, and that sucks in anybody’s book. 

No, what I was looking for was a long stretch of two-lane back roads that would take me through some winding mountain passes where the hills will be covered in green this time of year and I may even get to see some wildflowers or deer, if I’m lucky, …. preferably not on the road.  It was starting to seem like “the ride” came with some qualifications.  The “ride” is much more enjoyable if it’s scenic.   You know it’s true because that’s where all of the motorcycles go when they get the chance, the fast ones, the slow ones, and all those in between. We’re as thick as flees on the mountain passes around my house on weekends when the weather’s good.  Well, if its green mountain, two-lane back roads I need, then I would head for the Old Santa Cruz highway over the Santa Cruz Mountains to the ocean. 

Damn, this is going to be a nice ride and I may even stop for something to eat   Eat?  Hey, where would I like to eat?   If I take that mountain road over to Santa Cruz, there’s a little fish joint, Aldo’s I think it’s called, that serves great fried Calamari and it’s right on the Marina, overlooking the boat ramp. Hey, good food, entertaining scenery, I’ll head over to Aldo’s.  Then again, if I take that county road down past the reservoir, I could end up at Monterey and have lunch at Abolonetti’s, which has great clam chowder and French bread. 

Jesus, all I want to do is take a little ride!  After all, It’s the RIDE not the destination, you dummy.  I’m approaching retirement while I sit in my driveway. Still, I am in the mood for some deep fried calamari, and the scenery will be great going over the mountain, so Santa Cruz highway gets the nod. 

With that little exercise behind me, I let out the clutch, I shift up on that butter smooth transmission, and crank on the rpm’s toward the mountains and, in no time flat, I was enjoying “the ride.”   In the future, I want to see a new cliché on motorcycle magazines, bumper stickers, and brochures…. It should probably read something like this:

Give me two wheels,
a sunny sky,
a scenic road,
and a nice restaurant at the end of the day.” 

OK, it ain’t poetry.

- Ed Whitehead