Living in the Columbia River Gorge
You might have guessed. The mid-life crisis idea continued to fester over the weekend. I had visions of riding down our gravel lane, turning left instead of right, and finding myself in the middle of nowhere. I would be exploring the mountains, rivers, and streams that I haven’t seen yet.
I have lived in the Columbia Gorge for 20 years. There is small subset of the wonders here that I have been able to experience. I often envy those that vacation because they come with the full intent of experiencing the gorge. In the rat race of being able to live here, I’ve at times lost the wonder. I end up focusing on the hard parts. The whole adventure bike idea was an opportunity to “carpe diem” up and change that.
Not Getting Old
Another aspect of desiring more adventure in my life at the age of 47 is that I still feel young. Most days… OK sometimes… Don’t ask my kids. If I am honest with myself that first day at the dealership when I threw my leg over the Kove, which is a rather tall bike, my calf decided to cramp up something fierce. It took 2 days to stop aching. I try to tell myself that I was probably just dehydrated. I’m not getting too old. In truth this has been something nagging at the back of my mind.
The thought of, if I wait to retire to have adventure in my life then I will never be able to mount such a stead. I would probably have to relegate my adventure to what I could see from a Honda 90 or a Bandit scooter. When I look at my family history for the last couple of generations I have a 50/50 shot of even being around in 20 years. I mentioned this idea to my co-worker. He thought idea of doing something before you get too old was the most justifiable justification he had ever heard of.
Buying Stuff
With these doubts and aspirations bumping around in my head I figured out how to transfer around some savings. I headed back into the Mid Columbia Marine and Motorsports the next week when they opened on Tuesday. I once again rode the Kawasaki and the Kove. We then worked out a deal for me to take the Kove home that day. This included a hook up for a bunch of accessories. They helped me load up the new bike, helmet, and oil change kit into my truck. I left the dealership with less money in my pocket, but as the proud owner of a Chinese motorcycle designed to race the Dakar Rally.
What could go wrong?