What I’ve noticed with this approach to learning is that you hum along, making small, incremental gains for a bit, and then all of sudden, there’s an almost vertical feeling of lift-off, a moment when everything comes together and you soar. Today was one of those kind of days! And, I did it in a motorcycle gang!! Lol!!
John, another student from my motorcycle safety course met me at my house so I could make my maiden voyage across the whole of Chattanooga with a bit of a mental safety net. We cruised out through my now-familiar neighborhood, out onto a trafficked road, hung a left onto a busy 4 lane road, negotiated endless stoplights and people passing us, cruised across a bridge spanning the Tennessee River, managing the light crosswinds we encountered up there, through the busy north shore area of town, and over to one of my favorite restaurants, Milk & Honey, to fuel up for our group ride. We met up with Katie there, also from class.
I got such a giggle from rumbling up to the restaurant, then seeing all of our bikes corralled up together in a parking spot out front.
We could only stave off our group ride so long. We headed towards Signal Mountain, a long ridge of a mountain northwest of downtown. I think I almost got us killed trying to get into a gas station before heading out of town – with no way to signal each other, we just tried to not make sudden moves, but that was one I totally missed – I shot into the gas station, fearful I wouldn’t have enough gas to make our loop trip. Nerve wracking!!
But, then, we got back on the road. We all managed to survive the tight, uphill switchbacks on “The W,” the road.
I was tickled at the prospect of challenging all of us a bit, so it was the route I chose for our ride out to Falling Water Falls.
We rode to Signal Point, over looking the Tennessee River, then parted and went our separate ways back into, and through, town. I wasn’t quite ready to call it quits, so I met up with some friends who were in town at a restaurant – I parked my bike in the gravel parking lot (ew, that was new!!), and sauntered down the street and inside in my full riding gear, schlepping my helmet along and went inside to hang for a bit before heading back home.
In all, I covered some 45 miles, with far more challenges than I was used to. All I can say is… awesomely fun, adventurous new friends, tasty noms, spectacular views, riding motorcycles!! Seriously, does it get ANY better!!?!?! Truly a Four-fecta of fun!! And damn, is it possible to be THIS happy while conquering so very much, all in one day?!?!
Stretch: Leading our little group, riding through the larger town of Chattanooga, not just Rossville, navigating the parking lot at Milk & Honey; parking in a parking lot, going down the busy highway in front of Baylor, taking the tight turns of the W road up Signal Mountain, leading, following, coming up to intersections together. I then rode and parked in a gravel parking lot over by SOC, got comfortable with going into someplace wearing all my gear, hauling my helmet with me.
Lessons: Expanding my comfort zone by riding with other people – my next step in my progression – and you don’t have to lay out every step in the progression, you just have to be looking for two things – that you’ve become comfortable with what you’ve done so far by practice, practice, practicing it until it becomes rote, and then being on the lookout for the opportunity to stretch yourself once again, comfortably uncomfortably.
Smarter-Not-Harder U 