Not Recommended

Today I did something that I have to add to the list of things I would not recommend trying. It sounded like a good idea two days ago when Karlo suggested it, but by the time it was about to start I had a bad feeling . . .

Some guys we work with invited Karlo to a 100 mile Adventure Motorcycle Ride, open to anyone that rode an enduro motorycle. For those of you that don't know what an enduro is, it's a bike that can handle both on and off-road rides. Karlo's bike qualifies, and so does mine (when it's running) and since this is something that Karlo has always wanted to do we gave it a shot. I was very concerned and emailed the event organizer in advance to make sure it was OK for me to ride on the back. I received a reply that said it was 'probably doable' and if that didn't scare me enough, the reaction of others who found out that Karlo was attempting the ride with a passenger sealed the deal on my fear. But we took off anyway.

The route was broken into several segments and consisted of about 75% non-paved roads. Of those non-paved roads they had 5 "Hero" sections, where men get to prove they're men (you know, stupid) and take their bikes were full-sized motorcycles should not be taken. I figured this meant trouble considering the 'non-hero' roads looked like this:



You will notice that I am not on the back of the bike, but instead standing on the road wondering how the heck I was going to get across on foot. But still, anything was better than potentially falling into these puddles.

As it turns out, Karlo would have been much better off if I wasn't such a chicken and stayed on the bike. We had no business attempting this ride on Karlo's bike. It's a very capable machine, but our tires were far from suitable. We have road tires on it and off-road nobbies were essential. And this was proven when we attempted our second 'Hero' section and wiped out. We were on the same type of trail that we would mountain bike on and the mud was just too much for our slick tires. The bike went down and I learned why it's important to wear the big, heavy, ugly boots that I do. My foot got pinned under the weight of the bike and I was stuck. Not a big deal. I think the fact that I was laying in mud was more upsetting. The worst part of the scenario was lifting the heavy bike back up, which Karlo (of course) did by himself (and hurt his back). Refer to my statement above regarding men being men . . .

We managed to restart the bike after the spill and stay upright for the rest of that Hero section, but it couldn't end soon enough for me. Then it was time for the more tame dirt roads:

That's Karlo behind all that water. I had these grand ideas of taking pictures along the ride, but while I was on the bike I was holding on for dear life. I think Penni might be able to relate to that part. I wish any one of those guys doing this ride could experience what it was like for me. During many parts of the ride Karlo had to stand up, leaving me completely blinded in the back, bouncing around like a ping pong ball. I had no idea what to expect, when the rocks were coming, nor the big holes. It was a hell ride and I would definitely have been better off on my own bike. Oh and I forget to mention the fact that Karlo's full windshield kept fogging completely up. So now, not only is he riding on technical trails that we never should have been attempting in the first place, but he's doing it without being able to see where he's going.

As I'm writing this I'm still in disbelief that we are both not in the hospital right now . . .

So the good news is that the route meandered it's way to Eastford and coincidentally enough went right by our street. The temptation to call it quits and just come home was too great. I for one, had ENOUGH. And quite honestly, so did Karlo. His back was really hurting by this time and I thought it best to quit while we were ahead - certainly the smarted idea of the day.

We got home and after me showing off the fact that me and the bike got dirty, we scrubbed her down, sat back, and thanked our lucky stars to be home and have all three of us in one piece.