The story isn’t complete if I only tell my side so I asked Gabe if he would share his motorcycle story too. Thanks, Gabe, for contributing because none of this would be a reality without you.
I remember purchasing my first dirt bike when I was 17. It wasn’t street legal so I would jump on the train tracks near my house and ride to just about anywhere I wanted in town.
Then I decided I would purchase a street legal bike, a Honda hawk. I rode it everywhere. I loved going fast, and how cheap it was to fill up the tank.
When I met Marci, one of the first things we did together was ride on my motorcycle, even before our first date, when we were just friends. But then after we started dating we rode together often. I remember one time needing to drop off my boss’ car for work and riding home on the motorcycle in the pouring rain. She always loved an opportunity to ride with me.
After we got married, I even convinced Marci to let me park the bike in the kitchen because the neighborhood did not seem safe to leave it outside at night. I wish I had a photo of that. A few years later we both got busy with work and accumulating stuff. A motorcycle didn’t fit our lifestyle anymore, so I sold it.
When we moved to Bolivia, I noticed everybody rode motorcycles. So naturally we got bikes. We rode them everywhere. Used them as trucks, hauling our kids around, date nights, etc. I even put (2) 90 pound bags of cement on the back of my 125 dirt bike!
After we moved back to the states I bought a street bike again. A few weeks later I laid it down on a country road and got a few scratches. Riding in the states was completely different than in South America. Everybody here is in a hurry! People are constantly cutting you off, everybody is on their phones, no one has a clue what is going on around them. Asher (10 at the time) and I were on our way to town on the bike one day and we were coming around a curve. A car was in a hurry and tried to pass a logging truck and almost ran us off the road. And her excuse was that she was late for a dentist appointment. After that, I had enough of riding a bike on the roads here in the U.S. It was just too dangerous.
Then we got some dirt bikes. A friend that we had become close to while living in Bolivia was currently in the States for over a year working. He bought a CRF450X for himself and a CRF50F for his kids. When he was ready to return to Bolivia, he asked if I wanted to buy his bikes. Smart man!
I really love riding dirt bikes with the boys, exploring trails together, and being outdoors. There are no crazy drivers to worry about. When we first started riding dirt bikes Mason was too little to ride his own so he rode on my bike in front of me and held on for dear life to the handlebars in front of me. He loved it!
Now we all have our own bikes and enjoy riding together.
FamilyMotorcycleAdventures 