Riding motor bikes together has been a big dream for us as long as I can remember.
It all started for me because my daddy was a dirt bike racer. He died when I was three so I did not get to experience his adventures, but plenty of stories have been told about how good of a rider he was.
I met Gabe in the fall of 1994 and when I found out he rode a motorcycle, WELL THAT WAS THE END OF THAT! He should have known I was HIS after our first date. He needed to attend a play for school credit. After dinner and the play he asked if I wanted to do anything else and I said that I wanted to get on his motorcycle and go riding! Oh how I wish I could find some of those old pictures (that was over 23 years ago)!
We rode his motorcycle as often as we could. And we were down right stupid. Gabe would drive so fast and weave in and out of traffic like a maniac. I would scream at the top of my lungs all the while enjoying every single moment. I look back now and I cannot believe we are still alive! But boy it was FUN!
But then we had to get ‘real jobs’ and we chose to join the great American rat race and Gabe sold his bike for a real vehicle, a truck. Thankfully, the love of motorcycles never left either of us.
Long story short, we had four boys and we quickly saw how fast these boys were growing up and the time was flying right by us. We decided to leave the rat race behind and take advantage of every single moment that we had left. Part of our adventures landed us in a small village called Ixiamas, in the country of Bolivia. During our 1.5 years of living there, we enjoyed the fact that almost everyone used motorcycles to get around. We purchased two bikes, Gabe bought a Honda XR125 and I got a mo-ped (does that even count), and this is where I learned to ride.
Upon returning to the United States, Gabe purchased a street bike (Suzuki V-Strom 650) and would use it from time to time. The streets in the States are different than they are in South America. People ride and drive differently and it seemed quite risky to hop back into this society on a motorcycle. After a few scary confrontations with other motorist, Gabe decided he was going to sell his street bike and be done with that. I certainly did not want him to do that. Thankfully he ended up just parking it on the side of the house and ignoring it for over a year.
Well, things have a way of working out as they should. A friend was selling his dirt bike, a CRF450X and a CRF50F and asked us if we would like to buy them. Gabe jumped on it and when they arrived all the boys had a blast driving the small dirt bike.
One thing led to another and here we are today with all our dirt bikes, street bikes, and dual sport bikes.
Yes, that is Gabe with Mason catching a sweet jump! Mason loved it.
I don’t know what the future holds but I know that I like motorcycling together. Back in 2009, we made a plan to spend as much time together (because we realized how short 18 years is going to be with each of these kiddos). We decided to become extremely purposeful and think through slowly and carefully each step we take as a family. We decided we would judge each opportunity that comes our way to determine if it is the best thing for our family and fit our personal goals. And every time we get on those bikes and ride, I am once again so very grateful for the opportunity to spend so much quality time with our children. It is a gift that I try daily to appreciate.
I want to journal our motorcycle adventures as a family while it is happening because if I wait, I know all these fresh feelings will disappear. I hope you will enjoy coming along beside me.
-Marci
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