To best describe: it’s always like a thunderbird, rolling like advancing storm clouds.
Rumbling, a slipping fault-line, especially when climbing gears.
First. Second. Third.
Passing the Sorting Gap.
Fourth. Fifth.
Up and over the Noden Causeway during a smooth trade-off from setting sun to stellar skies.
Locking into Sixth near Bear’s Pass.
Evening chill to the left. Cool slipstream to the right.
Between one’s calves, heat like a radiating sun encased in a iron horse cauldron.
Nestled in the space between departure and destination, where time dilates and cherished memories are spun, is a gem called the journey.
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As teaching finished for the year, summer break arrived as an open canvas.
As easy as it is to lose oneself in the grind, I hear it’s equally crucial to counterbalance work with an interest, hobby, or passion.
I chose a motorcycle. Two wheels and an aim to study and learn.
After a general test, I caught a ride with two good friends to Thunder Bay. They returned home, but I stayed. I decided to… well, intentionally strand myself in the city so there was no other choice than to pursue the idea, attend a weekend riding course, invest in a bike, and learn in order to get home.
Now, as summer nears the fall, riding has become a passion that escapes words and falls short of description.
Losing oneself in the oncoming wind and the hum of one’s bike carefully walks the line between a soft meditation and ultra-focus in the moment (akin to the flow-state described by athletes and artists alike).
Travelling across our beautiful Ontario (and Canada) on a motorcycle rather than in an enclosed vehicle takes on a very different relationship with the wonder around us. With senses alight and no partition, the distance between us and the majestic shrinks and disappears.
Considering the scenery, our home region is prime location for incalculable wonder and an environment beyond the greatest dreams.
It been freedom, adrenaline, meditation, but also so much more. Fun.
It turns out that there are many health and wellness benefits for those that ride such as; improved mood (due to endorphins and adrenaline), stress relief, improved balance and core-strength, cognitive benefits, quicker decision making, and enhanced coordination.
A 2019 UCLA research study demonstrates that meditation, increased focus, and lower stress markers are correlated with time spent riding.
Author Leslie Reyes (“Zen of Learning to Ride a Motorcycle”) has written about learning to ride helping her confront anxiety, depression, and codependency. Noraly Schoenmaker (author of “Free Ride: Heartbreak, Courage…”) has also written about a 36,000 km journey on a motorcycle that helped in her healing process and self-discovery following heartbreak and sadness. Other notable literary names have been passionate motorcyclists such as Hunter S. Thompson, Robert M. Pirsig, Lois Price, Neale Bayly, Ted Simon, and the list goes on, kilometre after kilometre.
There are also practical benefits such as motorcycles using substantially less gas than cars, much more distance per litre, less emissions, and lower purchase cost than other vehicles.
The feel of a learn into a curve and the counterbalance?
Awesome.
The first time another rider passes on the highway and acknowledges you with “two-fingers down”?
Awesome, as well.
Most importantly, fun.
And who isn’t a fan of Ghost Rider, the Terminator (either T-800 or T-1000), or Dudley from Wild Hogs?
To balance unique benefits is the acknowledgement of higher risk. There are higher rates of injury compared other vehicles. At the very least, this underscores the importance of safety, practice, protective equipment and riding gear.
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If you have been curious about motorcycling, definitely give it a try. It’s a lot of fun and I can agree with the benefits shared by others.
Individual riders, groups of friends, and starry-eyed couples all find a place in a sense of a larger community.
The great people at DriveTest here in town were very helpful about inquiries regarding the steps (and time windows needed) of getting licensed (be it M1, M2, or Full).
Dealerships ranging from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay (and everywhere in between) can help with inquiries of what to look for in a bike that you would love, how to contact a weekend motorcycle training course (which is not only crucially important, but can also help with insurance), and how to find the right insurance for you.
Fellow riders can also be very helpful with experience to draw from.
Various channels available via Youtube (such as Yammie Noob and FortNine) field common questions.
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Here is a nod and two-fingers down to all fellow riders in our wonderful town, as well as those who are considering to open the throttle to discover something new.
Hope to see you on the road!
– Robert Horton is an educator, orator, author, and linguist. He is a member of Rainy River First Nations
