The Moment of NOW

Something I feel I'm blessed with, and thankful for, is the ability to live in the present and enjoy the very moment that I'm in. I call it the Moment of NOW. I know far too many people who are too caught up in either dwelling over the past or worrying about the future. Don't get me wrong, I do that too, sometimes, but it is not very frequent. It does not mean that I'm not thinking about the past and the future. I guess what I'm saying is just that I'm good at living in the moment of NOW.

This past weekend I got out on Blackie and rode. I needed to ride and just enjoy the moment. With winter not too far away in the distance (can start early up here in the Northeast) and the daylight fading faster and faster each day I want to take every opportunity I can to have those wheels turn.

Vermont Foliage at its best 

On Friday night I went for a quick spin around my local area after work and found myself up high on a ridge with some amazing foliage and views. I felt so at peace sitting there on Blackie marveling over the beauty of nature. I  took a mental snap shot of that very view and let it sink in to the moment of NOW. Here I was, on my bike, a gorgeous evening, beautiful scenery and a feeling of pure peace. I do feel blessed to live where I live. Yes, with four to five months of winter it does cut the riding season short but for me, right now, that's OK. Because it is moments like the one Friday night that makes me so happy to be where I am at.

After a lazy Saturday morning and a nice walk with the dog I got on Blackie and headed out for a longer ride. I had heard about this road over in New York state that is a short but fun stretch with quite a few nice turns so I figured I would go searching for it. I knew the general area. My ride through part of Vermont was pleasant. The foliage was spectacular and the scenery spectacular. The weather was like a summers day. How can you not love to be in the moment of NOW. Nothing else matters at that moment, just that actual moment.

Lake Champlain

I crossed over to New York and found some great little roads to traverse and made my way towards the area where this little gem of road starts. But before it was time to enjoy those turns I stopped on the shore of Lake Champlain for lunch. I found a great spot right by the water and enjoyed the peace. Because it was so nice there in that very moment I ended up staying longer than planned. I love water, almost as much as motorcycling, and I was enjoying to sit by the waters edge and be in the moment.

Relaxed and ready I set out to ride again. After one wrong turn I found my way to the beginning (or the end depending on which way you look at it) of about 7 miles of a sweet winding road with several great turns. Because the foliage was so beautiful and the scenery nice I had to turn around a few times to ride the same stretch again, this time at full throttle... There was barely any traffic to speak of except for a group of very, very, very fast sport bike riders that came roaring by when I was stopped for a scenic photo. After the very enjoyable experience I took a spin in to the Adirondacks.

The hills where on fire - not for real - with color of course. I got off the bike at one point and hiked down to a small water fall. Another moment of NOW. The sun was falling behind the tall mountains and I figured I better start heading home. A detour through Lake George, which was bustling with people and quite a few bikes too, and then pretty much the fastest way home. Well, there really is no fast way (or should I say straight way) home so I enjoyed more of the great scenery and good riding. It was dark by the time I rolled in to the garage. 275 miles of pure bliss. Slept like a baby that night.

Sunday morning dawned with the promise of another beautiful day. After morning coffee and a really long walk with the dog (knowing she was going to be left alone for the day again) I straddled Blackie and set my sights for New Hampshire. I was thinking it would be nice to have lunch somewhere in the vicinity of Kancamagus Highway. In order to get there and not ride the highway I asked my GPS to pick winding roads. Oh boy - did it ever. I rode some great roads I didn't even know existed and it is less than 1 1/2 hours from my house! Again, I was lucky with barely any traffic on these roads and that is probably a good thing cause some of them were very narrow and very winding, and not always in the best of shape when it comes to the pavement. Winter was hard on the roads in parts of New England. While I was enjoying the ride I was also searching for some cool barns to take photos of.

One little barn

A fellow rider, Jason Jonas, has inspired me with all the beautiful, soulful photos he has taken of barns. For some reason the barns here in New England seem a bit boring compared to the ones Jonas has photographed but I will keep on looking.

I picked up lunch from a great place that I happened to pass by and stopped at to get gas. I love when gas stations in the countryside have a restaurant and make their own bread. This place did not disappoint. And home made chips too! After some more great roads and nice foliage I arrived at the Kanc. A lot of people don't think much of this road but I like it. It is roughly 35 miles or so from one end to the other and winds around a mountain or two. It has some nice views and trust me, during foliage - those views are pretty amazing. I was lucky that most of the traffic (after all, it was Sunday during foliage) was heading the opposite direction of my path of travel and most of the Kanc I was pretty much on my own. How lucky is that? I

Ardys in NH

stopped at a spot with a nice view and enjoyed my sandwich with home made chips. Once again I took in the moment and made a mental snap shot. Once my moment of peace and lunch was finished it was time to continue the ride. I carry the ashes of Ardys Kellerman with me when I ride and my tradition is to take a photo in a place that I feel is special and where I think she enjoyed visiting. I know she rode the Kanc a few times and she really liked New Hampshire.

I decided to take the "long way" home and turned on to Bear Notch Road. Another fun little road that descends from the Kanc in to Bartlett. It has quite a few turns and is a nice little cruiser. I checked the GPS and realized that I would not be home until after dark. Oh well. I have good lights and I'm no stranger to riding in the dark. I rode over Crawford Notch and past the majestic Mount Washington Hotel. The temperature was pleasant and it was hard to believe it is the end of September. The sun was setting in the

At Mount Washington 

west and I enjoyed the road, the scenery and the humming of Blackie. When we reached home we had put 405 miles on the odometer. Not bad for a ride to have lunch.

As I write this I reflect on the past few days - see, there it is, I'm actually thinking about the past...  How blessed I am to live where I live,  how lucky I am to own a motorcycle, how happy I am that I can get out and ride and how much I enjoy living in the moment. "We can't predict the future, we can't change the past, all we can do is appreciate the present and live in the moment".