8/12/2013 . The Joy of It All

There's always a reason...

Leaving Simone was difficult, especially since she visited me in the night and urged me to stay.

Peace Valley, named for a vow historically made by the Natives to never have war, gifted us with a beautiful departure. Every morning out on the bike is filled with the excitement of the possibilities of the day. Refreshed, we face the wind with open minds and hearts. 

Planning a route through southern Montana toward Jackson, we followed route 69 guided by mountains on all sides. Antelope loped in our path, giving us a wildlife thrill. As we travelled on, clouds began popping up.  Distracted by black skies, we made a wrong turn in Ennis and stated heading northwest away from the storm. 

Mesmerized by the appearance of the historic gold mining towns of Virginia City and Nevada City, we rode on. Still an area of placer mining, chunks of displaced and mined rock form hills and mountains along all the streams. 

Well into our wrong turn, we realized our mistake at Twin Bridges. Here we stopped for lunch along the river and watched as dogs dove in and cooled off, chasing balls their owners threw. We made the decision to bag our original route and tackle the interstate at Dillon. 

 Onto Route 15, we raced through a mine field of storms. At one point we stopped under shelter, but made the snap decision to outrun the storm and we ran in front of the rain for miles. A path of blue sky opened before us and we followed it all the way to Idaho Falls. What a thrill it was as the swirling clouds chased us. I raised my fist to the heavens and cried "Not today",  and we ended by cheating Mother Nature again.

Disappointment that stemmed from our misdirected route turned to joy as we realized there was a reason. We followed the drier path that ended in Idaho Falls, a charmed city. Dinner by the canal in perfect weather capped our exciting day.

On the motorcycle, as in life, there are no wrong turns. Sometimes we are misdirected, but often these  deviations can lead to an unexpected pleasure. We are never lost.