The Hobbit Highway Epilogue: "Pinned"

I would be remiss in my story telling efforts if I did not include, albeit late, a tiny tale about...the falling down pin.

A falling down pin is a special trinket. It is bestowed upon the recipient in public, at the very time of purchase. It must represent not only the falling down event, but the personalities of not only the one who earned it but also the one who presents it. With any luck at all no one else will earn the falling down pin and it will remain as a good luck piece for the bearer. BUT, should there ever come a time when some good riding buddy falls over, the pin must be passed on with a grand public ceremony and many well wishes for keeping the shiny side up.

In keeping with the rules ( that I have made up ) for bestowment ( is that a word? ) I found the most appropriate of falling down pins in a Hallmark store in Keene, New Hampshire and as sales girls and random shoppers looked on I made a small speech and gave Bestie her pin. While the onlookers applauded we paraded out onto the street.

I am hoping it will always say " I'm having a Good Day "!

Wear it with a smile Bestie!!!

The Hobbit Highway...The Last Day.

There are so many opportunities in life. Everyone has them. Sometimes they are expansive and sometimes not.  An awful lot of us use others and our every day situations to avoid these opportunities. Namely our husbands, our kids, our jobs, our yards, our pets, our health concerns, our fears. I would hope that if you are really intent on enjoying your time on this earth, you will not use the people in your life or your obligations as excuses to keep you tethered to the mundane. If you really want an adventure, you just have to decide that what you are doing will be one!

If you are ready to accept the opportunities life is offering you, than I suggest you decide if you want to experience them on your own or if you want to go with a friend. And, if you want to go with a friend then you better make certain the friend you take is your Bestie!!

 While on a motorcycle adventure:

Only a Bestie can understand your need to snack at night even though you have stuffed yourself with Mexican food just hours before.

Only a Bestie will tolerate your ADHD brain trying to unwind at the end of a long ride...your body exhausted but your mind still wanting to go, go, go and absorb every moment; take in all stimulation!

Only a Bestie can understand that, after she falls over on YOUR most prized possession while on HER most prized possession, you don't feel angry,  you feel bonded!

Only a Bestie will follow your instructions for curing hiccups by nearly breaking a rib as she takes a header off a twin bed...and let you video it! ....and then laugh hysterically for the next three days while you recount it to anyone who will listen! 

Only a Bestie will lead you through a red light and laugh.

Only a Bestie will keep going straight when you turn right.....do a u-turn and find her way back to you....all the while knowing that it is just more fodder for Bestie's Corner and many hours of hilarity!

Only a Bestie will listen to your endless ideas for new adventures, new ways to start a new career, new ways to impact the world in positive ways......need I go on??

Only a Bestie trusts you to keep her safe over hill and dale, and only a Bestie knows it is all about living life to its fullest every day because we just are not guaranteed anything more.

Opportunities for living your life to its fullest do not require money, or special clothing. They do not require the right gear or the right weather...a grand plan or great food. They require your commitment to make whatever comes your way an unforgettably, wonderful experience! And if you have a Bestie to share them with then you are, indeed, blessed!

Go live with joyful abandon and as though being kind and loving are the only things that count in the afterlife! If you want to live your life to its fullest, then you need to live it.....in between the cracks!

On The Hobbit Highway: Day....mmmmm, not sure.

Ahhhhh, where did I leave off? Oh yes! The falling down pin.

Well, I have not been able to secure the perfect falling down pin. But, as we begin our loop back into New Hampshire I do so with great optimism that I will find one before journey's end.

Yes, it is time to head back towards New Jersey and as we do so we are still filled with anticipation for the ride days ahead and not a little seafood! Bestie ate her and my share of shellfish and I enjoyed just as much haddock and salmon. Maine raspberries are delicious and the Maine blueberry pie delightful. Our hostess at The East Wind Inn at Tenants Harbor was extremely accommodating and everyone there very tolerant. Well, we don't go anywhere without causing a bit of a scene and this was no exception. The thing we do most and best is to laugh. And laugh we did, about everything . Well, mostly about ourselves. We think we are hilarious. Others probably think we are immature and obnoxious but I don't think about that much. I just laugh!

So this morning sees us getting ready to leave the lovely harbor and head toward Keene, New Hampshire. I had been watching the weather lo' these many days and consulting hubby back home but to no avail. The weather that arrived today was much more than expected. We left our little harbor haven in a slight mist. Not a problem at all. It had rained most of the night, soaking our bike seats and Bestie's pack containing her riding gloves. But for the most part we started dry and happy.

Have you ever been to a theme park and stood in line for a really big, new ride and the closer you got to actually strapping in you realized you really didn't want to go at all, in fact you really just wanted to drive through the safari park at the opposite end of the complex?

Well....as we secured our packs and donned all our gear and the sky began to spit we thought that it would just be a few minutes and we would ride right through it and we would be merrily on our way to New Hampshire via routes 1 SB and I-95. WRONG!!

Thirteen miles down the road in Tomaston is where we stopped to "wait it out".  We waited and waited  and waited just a wee bit more. And just as the heavens decided to let go with a soaking downpour, we decided it was time to stay in Maine. So with directions to the nearest hotel we found our way through a drenching rain 2 miles down the road to the Lovely Hampton Hotel.

I must say that Bestie proved herself a TRUE Road Warrior as she overcame her concern and rode her bike in great Bestie fashion in the worst of circumstances to cover. We pulled in under the over hang, I dismounted my dripping steed and realized I had gained 20 pounds of water. As I struggled to slosh my way to the automatic door of the reception area I prayed they would have room for us. When I splashed in just past the sliding doors, the two front desk attendants, bellboy and two male guest looked up and gasped. As I stood in an ever deepening puddle of my own making, and as water ran off my helmet and into my eyes and mouth, I announced I had arrived and I wasn't leaving.

10 minutes later we had a beautiful room, a laundry facility to dry our soaked gear and towels to wipe down our steeds with! Maine hospitality....pretty darn good!

Lfe is a great ride. Sometimes the plans we make are the best ever and we see them through right to the end. Sometimes it is the plan that gets diverted, re-vamped until it is unrecognizable, that brings us the best time. You have to be ready for the things life offers you inbetween what you think you want. As we fold our warm, dry belongings and we pour out a libation, we lift our glasses......to living between the cracks!

On The Hobbit Highway: Day Two

I am not certain I even know where to begin!

Well (?) ....let's see.Have you ever heard of a falling down pin? No? Well, a falling down pin is given to the rider who, on a motorcycle trip, drops their bike. Not crashes, but falls over. I am on the hunt today for such a pin. It is my great honor and privilege to "pin" Bestie! 

So....let's back up.

Taking a long motorcycle journey is physically and mentally tiring for the most seasoned of bikers. The fact that this is Bestie's first big journey on her Harley 883 is not to be minimized. Our first day on the road we traveled about 200 miles on highway. The second day found us traveling just about as far, but on small two lane roads through the less populated areas of New York and New Hampshire. After riding for many hours over several days one gets....I don't know...."giddy". No, that does not describe it..."stupid" describes it more accurately.

So, picture the two hobbits on their trusty steeds, winding their way through the shire.  ( New Hamp...shire ). Up one mountain side and down another. One little hobbit following the other and the other trusting her GPS to lead them safely over hill and dale. As they approach their final destination on day two, the GPS gives information to the leading hobbit that is terribly confusing, so she pulls into a parking lot to figure it out. The littlest hobbit follows along but stops far from the first. This is where the sorry tale should have ended. But it didn't.    

 The littlest hobbit decides that the other will want to speak with her so pulls in along side of the other with the best of Hobit intention...and falls over on top of her. With motors whining, fat asses bumping and legs tangling, it was a regular Hobbit cluster f**k on a grand scale!!

With both hobbits now completely pinned between two bikes that collectively weigh over 1000 pounds, is it any wonder that the ensuing struggle to right themselves could have won them spectacular, special medals for Comedy Olympics?  No...there is no wondering involved!

Once we got the little Hobbit out from the tangled mess, we righted her steed and then mine. The important thing here is that no one was injured. (...and I didn't like that left blinker on my bike anyway!! )

When they arrived at their destination in the shire, dusty and tired, they poured out a libation and amid gales of lusty laughter, drank to the other and a grand day out.

On The Hobbit Highway: Day One

Sunday, August 5

So here we are in Albany. .....I dont know why.  

Evidently toilet paper was invented here. I guess I could make some hilarious association that subconsciously our pooping issues led us here...but I won't. Ironically, we are sitting at breakfast waiting for the coffee to work, if you get my drift.  I am hoping Albany hasn't run out since inventing it. With the two of us sharing a bathroom it could get intense. 

T minus 20 hours

Well, friends, Bestie and I are nearly ready for our Epic Journey.

Mind you I took an Epic Journey several years ago that lasted 17 days and covered 3000 miles through 9 states and Canada. Then a 3000 miler to the Epic Motorcycle Road in Tennessee, The Tail of the Dragon. ( Do yourself a favor and find U-tube video of riders on this mountain!!! ) Both fantastic trips! Both filled with lots of fun, shenanigans, and more than my share of laughter!

So why is it I get this feeling that this particular 1000+ mile adventure with Bestie is going to give those two trips combined a run for their money???? OIY!!!

We have planned this trip for a while now. Oh...well, that is not right.  I have been mapping this particular trip out for about two months.

You see, nothing is easy for Bestie and me and we should have known when we started to plan our motorcycle adventure that it would be no different.

We first got the grand idea to ride out to New Mexico ( plan A), to visit Bestie's son, the fall of 2011. I looked into places to stay and began to map a ride and make reservations while Bestie thought it over. After much conversation we decided against that and as a plan B we decided to fly there and rent motorcycles. I continued to map a ride and make reservations while Bestie found rentals. The only catch being that Bestie is a slightly smaller hobbit than I, so we could not find her a motorcycle she would have been comfortable with.

On to plan C!

Plan C was a beautiful plan indeed! ( If I may say so myself! ) We were to find our way to Wawa, Ontario, Canada. A beautiful, albeit remote, area on my favorite Great Lake, Lake Superior. A 2,200 mile trip that would have required a lot of hard daily riding in order to get there and back within our allotted time frame. "Hmmmm", said Bestie. Okay.

On to  plan D!

Plan D was short lived though we both had come up with the exact same idea to travel to a National Park Cavern in Alabama. So, I started mapping out a ride and making reservations when off in the distance I hear my phone ringing. It is Bestie. "Listen..." she says, "...I don't think it is fair that you don't get to go to Wawa, so let's just stick with that plan." "Okay!" I say as I slowly exhale.

On to plan E* ( *a revised C...are you still following me here, people??? Are you beginning to understand why this just might be my ride of a lifetime??? LOLOL )

 Plan E* ( *revised C ) is back to re-establishing reservations and planning stops in places with names like Beaver Falls, PA and towns that have gigantic plastic Loons outside their eating establishments. Wait! what is that?? A text from....BESTIE!! "Just wondering about the distance to Wawa...perhaps Nova Scotia would be better."

NOVA SCOTIA IS FARTHER, BESTIE!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA... ahhhhhhh you can't make this S**T up!

Okay. On to plan F!

 Plan F was short lived because, I have to say here that, Bestie came to her senses rather quickly on this one after we chatted and she realized it was a very great distance with a lot of hard riding...not unlike if we had gone to Wawa. I didn't even get out maps or make hotel calls. Within a day we were...

...On to plan G!

 Plan G has been, since its inception, Our Ride. It was quickly agreed upon that we should go to Maine. So to Maine we go! I am happy to report there will be no plan H! We head north tomorrow! Nearly a year after deciding that we would go riding to New Mexico.

Each day will be a pretty easy ride in great riding country. We will ride from New Jersey to New York state, through Vermont, into New Hampshire, and on to Maine and then back again.

When we pull back into New Jersey we will have put at least 1200 miles on the bikes. That is a good vacation!

Women over 50, on our own motorcycles, heading out for a week...excellent!
Riding with your Bestie....Priceless!

OIY!!!!