Pure Control, Comfort and Freedom

by Pam Redfern
(Broomfield Colorado)

I love to ride my own 2002 Harley Davidson Road King Classic, because I am in control and I have the freedom to stop when and where I want too. Taking a curve at my speed makes me comfortable, whether that be fast or slow. I can choose my own route to a destination. I can leave when I am ready to leave. Riding with others is fun, but knowing that I don't have to stick around if I don't want to, is where freedom comes in. Riding in a cage, (car or truck) limits ones visiblity, seeing the mountains here in Colorado with no restrictions around me, gives a me a real sense of how magnificant our mountains truly are. And how small I really am. Being at the mercy of the mother nature, is one of the joys of riding and one of the down falls, too. That's why I also carry gear necessary for any weather possiblity. Here in Colorado is can be 90 plus in the Denver area and when you get on a mountain pass it could be snowing or hailing, you just never know. The temperature drops can be from 90 to 50 degrees in a matter of minutes, so you never take it for granted.

Riding my own is freedom to make tight turns, push my bike to the floor boards and making 20 foot circles in a parking lot if I choose too. I know what I can do and what I can't. But you don't know what the skill level is of someone else. So I prefer to ride my own.