First Long Trip

by Jeanne
(Illinois)

This week my husband and I set out to ride our motorcycles around Lake Michigan and then to a motorcycle resort in Hillsboro, WI. We live outside of Chicago and took off to the east, which meant a whole lot of traffic and interstate driving on day one. This is my first full riding season and I had about 2200 miles on my bike prior to this trip. The interstates have always made me nervous, too fast, too many cars, construction debris on the road all bother me. Illinois is not a helmet law state, so I usually do not wear one, but Michigan is a helmet law state, since we were going to Michigan and I ride a HD Sporty 883, my luggage space is limited and I carried the helmet on my head. I was surprised how the helmet reduced the noise and actually made it much easier to ride on the interstate. In Michigan we rode the Tunnel of Trees, which was beautiful and my first real experience with twisties, I enjoyed my self, but did hit some sand a couple of times and fish tail a little bit. It actually made me more confident because I corrected it and did not wipe out. Then I had to cross the bridge in Mackinac City, yikes! I had to ride on the grating because there was construction going on. I could have done without that part of the trip, the grate pulled my bike every which direction, but I did it. When we finally got to our destination in Wisconsin, I was surprise by how hilly it was. We went on a few rides on really hilly, twisty country roads, it was amazing. The day we left we hit our first weather problem, storms. I had never really ridden in a driving rain and it was not really too much fun. My glasses were all spotted with water and fogging up and I felt like I could not see, but again, I did it (I backed up traffic a bit going only 50 on country roads, but I did it). We got home yesterday, I am sunburned, my wrists are killing me and I added 1682 miles to my bike. I was an amazing experience and hopefully the first of many to come.