The room was cheap dirt and smelly. I’ve been on the road for five weeks now, mostly camping to save money, and as I lay on my rickety bed counting flies from the ceiling, I’m suddenly sick of the fresh air. But nothing feels new in this installment of Philly. The only thing I can think of to do is pack up my bike and go.
Although it wasn’t even 4 a.m., I saw a young guy in work clothes sitting on the sidewalk in the middle of our room, no doubt waiting to be picked up for some shift. He watches as I load BMW R 1200 RT try the bike. Aside from “Hello”, we don’t speak a common language and he is clearly flustered by a middle-aged woman riding a high-displacement motorcycle, but I get a thumbs-up as I ramp up the throttle. leave.
My first mission of the day is to go 200 miles north to exchange RT for one Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT. I was testing the bike as I slowly crawled around America in search of its best roads. I tell everyone that when I get back to the West Coast I’ll write a book about what I’ve found, but really, it’s all just an excuse to run away. And yes, we all know that’s not always the answer, but if you’re on the right bike, it can certainly create some distance between you and dissatisfaction.
Advertisement
I just got back from New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine on RT and wasn’t sure where just Golden Wings. One thing I know for sure is that I want to go somewhere memorable for my birthday, and I only have one day to get there.
THE KEYS OF THE PLAN
Pancakes are the embodiment of my love of the road. I never eat them at home, but boy how do I like to tuck into a full pile with a side of bacon when I’m traveling by bike.
As I wait in a posh diner in upstate New York to find a Honda representative and gear up for my new ride, I flip through my notes, woven like a thin mesh to wrap what’s meaningful about my trip so far. Everything has to do with the roads: the quality of their surface, the amount of twists and turns, the surrounding scenery, the density of traffic, the character of the towns at either end. I feel taxed. Like ratings, a lot of roads have brought joy to the ride.
I zoomed in and out of my map, frustrated. Where to save for a birthday party? And then I felt a familiar tickle. A wild hair. This time in the shape of the Florida Keys, with Key West 1,502 miles from my current location and my birthday just 36 hours away.
Just before noon, I’ll be boarding I-95 South on the candy-red Gold Wing Tour. The bike, one of my perennial favorites, feels familiar, even in its more modern, leaner and sportier form. The first time I tested a Gold Wing, it was a 1987 GL1500SE for Rider. I remember being amazed by the way its enormity disappeared as it moved. That beauty has only become more apparent over the years as Honda has slowly refined its Wing, especially in this sporty sixth-generation version, with driver aids and equipment. modern electronics.
CAT’S IN CRADLE
When the afternoon air is thick, I think of poison ivy. Both my ankles and shins developed an angry rash, punishment for peeking through the window of an overgrown church near Chesterhill, Ohio, a few weeks ago when I was taking a popularity test. Three Nickel, Highway 555.
While trying to hold back the thought of shoving a hairbrush down my Sidi boots, I found myself making New York City buzz for the second time today. So close to the most important person in my life, my adult daughter, Hannah, who lives in Brooklyn. You’d think I would spend my birthday there, but the hard truth is, my kid just moved into a bedroom with a guy she’s super serious about, and I’ve been in and out too many times in the past year. last time. some week. It made me feel all “Cat’s in the Cradle,” but I understood and felt right to give her space.
As a huge head of thunder slowly crossed the horizon, I flashed through memories of the journeys young Hannah had taken behind me. Countless trips in the US, but also adventures to places like Namibia, Greece, Scotland and South Africa. A couple of days ago I managed to get her to sit behind the RT for a little run up the Catskills. While away from the city, I felt her relax with the top box and fall in love with the bike.
How blessed it is to have someone in your life who understands the deeper value of motorcycles, who understands what it means to be called off the road. Because it’s not just about machines and vehicles. A motorbike is an open door, a free ticket for a fully immersive experience. Not a lifestyle. A way of life.
GOOD NIGHT
It’s been pouring rain from DC to Richmond, and I’m happy for the stability of the Big Wing. I’ve signaled to the Tour model’s electronic suspension that I’m packing and going into Rain in the event of a deceleration or emergency, but in general, the gyroscope effect Gyro is a science I believe in, and despite the occasional vitrification and the occupants of the car staring at me as if I were some crazy business, I found this part of the ride oddly relaxing. strange. After all, focus and meditation are the same thing, and as the day drifted into the long, dark night, I realized I wasn’t meditating on negative crap anymore. Even the itch of poison ivy can’t break.
Advertisement
Once the traffic eases, it’s time to start a playlist via Honda’s Apple CarPlay app. The intuitive infotainment system on the Gen 6 GL is easy to navigate, and smart features like LED lighting, multiple driving modes, traction control, reverse walking and hill start assist are included. worthy equipment. This isn’t my first travel with the Honda Automatic Dual Clutch Transmission, however, and it hasn’t evolved for me yet. Even in manual mode, I don’t find it as satisfying as letting my highly trained left hand work its muscle memory magic.
My buzz flickered around 1 a.m. and I popped into the brightly lit Best Western in Florence, South Carolina. I don’t mind dismantling the bike. So far, I’ve only covered 700 miles in my quest for Key West, but that’s over 200 miles before dawn to get Wing and a sad sleepless night in a filthy motel. I hit the pillow hard, for the first time in weeks I was empty. There is no path to choose for tomorrow, just jump back to the plastic river and paddle south until the road ends.
THE ONLY PROBLEM
In the morning, I was greeted by an unusually strewn sky of cotton clouds warning me to move on. Georgia flies by, and with it, you can take the winding roads today. I take comfort in knowing I have two weeks to drive and rank the mountain roads of Georgia, both the Carolinas and Virginia on my way back to the GL in New York.
And besides, this is clearly exactly what I need right now. Boredom. Just a straight road, empty head, comfortable motorbike.
It was just past 9 p.m. when I finally hit the famous Overseas Highway with 122 miles to travel. It’s dark, but I’ve walked this unique road and its 42 bridges so many times, I can feel the bright gradation of the surrounding waters. There is a familiar smell, a penetrating moisture that settles in these islands like a musky scent.
Instead of feeling tired from the long trip, I was completely awake. The miles from Big Pine Key to Key West are quiet and slow: dreamlike. Forgotten were the complaints about the flies in my room in Philly, the rash on my ankles, my disappointment back home, the little daughter who had grown up.
In fact, I received a text from Hannah at 11:47 p.m., just as I was making my way to the cobbled parking lot of the historic motel I booked from a stopover in Virginia. “Is this where you are?” she asked. I am touched that she followed my ride online, and tomorrow I will cry when balloons and a bouquet of birthday flowers arrive in my room.
It was a great day of celebration. I cycled to a swimming beach, watched my first six-toed Hemingway cat, ate seafood stew, and watched the sunset from Mallory Square. There’s a special performance, and finally, cakes from a dimly-lit dessert shop called Better Than Sex.
But the real gift of being in Key West is the feeling of being cleansed by the miles that have brought me here. Again, a great ride isn’t always about a winding road, the scenery, or even the people you share the ride with.
Sometimes the best ride is near the seat on your motorcycle. And the fast road will take you far.
