From the Woman’s Seat
I whole heartedly attribute riding to helping with my self image, concept, and just getting to where I am today in my career and personal life. You might wonder how this works; well let me start from the beginning because I feel I need to tell the whole story. Even as a child I noticed various riders traveling the roads and as I watched the bikers over the years I can remember thinking I would never be able to do that. Even at a young age I had started to allow self doubt to enter in, thus detouring myself from career choices, activities, and simply enjoying life. I remember sitting in my middle school class on career day with a variety of different professionals talking about what they did. At one point a nurse was up in the front of the classroom talking and I had a feeling that I might want to be a nurse and asked “so do you have to be a good speller to be a nurse” and her reply was immediate with no hesitation; “oh yes nurses do a lot of writing and if you can’t spell, you might as give up now.” So simply I choose a different career path. This was the start of giving others the power to influence my life choices. I do believe in getting advice and knowledge from others to make an informed decisions but it all breaks down to a fundamental belief that my father always told me: “You can be whatever you choose to be.” I began a path of selling myself short by allowing myself to enter into an abusive relationship and as a result, I eventually hit bottom. In retrospect all the signs were there, I just chose to look the other way. Don’t get me wrong, I did make some good life choices along the way. My time spent in the Marine Corps helped me mature, instilling the belief that I can be more in this world. The Marines gave me a very good, solid foundation. Without a good foundation I could have easily never risen from hitting bottom to becoming who I am today. After meeting my current husband I started on a path of self discovery and major redirection. My wonderful spouse took over where my father left off in his passing, which was to believe in me and he did not see the tt at face value but as potential if I had support. Much later in life (and I stress much later) from the day as a middle school student, I took a giant step and I went back to school. Yep, you guessed it, nursing. Shortly after graduation from nursing school decided that is was time to learn how to ride a motorcycle. The decision to learn to ride was not an easy one, taking much thought and research before committing to the class. I told myself that I would take the class to learn how to ride a motorcycle to become a better passenger. You may have read my husband’s article at the beginning of this edition of our magazine. On the very day I went to take boards (that is something I never want to endure again in my life) he ended up driving home a Softail Night Train. I would get on the back of this bike and after a short ride my hind end would hurt and after a couple of hours it hurt enough to bring tears at times. I had thought that taking the class would make me a better passenger and be able to ride with him longer and learn not to irritate him while riding behind him. Taking the rider education class was one of the most important things I have ever done. I am a strong advocate of education. The more knowledge one has, the better equipped one will be for a given situation. Halfway through the rider education I was out looking for a starter bike. Learning to maneuver, stop, park, and take curves are all taught in class but the experience gained with getting out there and riding will amplify all those lessons, so getting out and riding was our goal. I learned that riding with other motorcycles takes practice and a great deal of communication. For example, when I was getting off work one morning I felt good (maybe working all night and going for a ride is not the best of ideas) and suggested we go for a ride. We fueled up and headed down the road. We began riding a staggered formation with me to the right and to the rear of his bike. As a result of a great misunderstanding I was
forced to react to my spouse turning in front of my bike. You may not see me wear a helmet now but in my first 10k miles or so I wore one. I do believe in head protection as you are learning, especially if you are anything like me and will meet the ground a couple of times. At this precise moment my bike and I ended up on the ground with a very loud noise as my helmet smacked the ground. Luckily, with only my pride bruised, I returned home to sleep and went riding again later. I learned in the early on that when initiating or performing a turn it can be challenging to maintain my own designated path on the road. When sharing the road with another bike it is extremely important that the other bike knows that you will be in your lane. At this point I usually take a deep breath and lean more into the turn (leaning more or less depends on your speed and the radius of the curve) and push away from the turn with your inside handlebar. Rolling on the throttle just a little can also allow the bike to settle in and hold the line much better. Each bike handles differently and I suggest learning how your bike handles before becoming too daring. Another lesson learned is that when buying gear (especially riding boots): make sure the zippers will stay up. I bought boots that had two front zippers that constantly inched down as I rode. I have since learned that spraying some silicone on the zipper will help keep the zipper in the correct spot. There is also a cool feature on some riding boots that is a combination of different materials to better grip the ground and some are even oil resistant for when you need a sure grip. The increased grip allows better control; always a good thing. Remember that the lines on the ground are slick no matter what boots you are wearing. My husband who has been riding since he was wet behind the ears recently listened and bought boots designed for riding. He was one who used to think that any boot will do. We can all learn from each other even if you have vast experience or are just starting out. Learning to become a better rider does not happen overnight, but only with experience and persistence. I’ve made mistakes that have cost me money and/or put a dent or two in my pride, and have become a better rider. I thought bikers had it easy. Not true. Riding a motorcycle requires your head to be constantly in the game, looking for what other people are doing. There are times I have had eye contact, thinking the other person saw me approaching. Wrong! They never did and I learned quickly to have a backup plan for every approaching situation. As I travel through heavier traffic, my finger stays close to the horn button. I have started to protect myself with increased awareness when any cars are around. People and animals are very unpredictable and caution is required at all times. With all this said, I still love to ride. Just getting out there and not having to talk while enjoying all the beauty around me is very therapeutic. I have become more aware of my surroundings and even more aware of the people around me. I find myself looking up, not down (even when walking) and paying attention to what is going on around me, which makes things safer and more enjoyable. With increased confidence in myself, I have advanced my riding skills and recently moved up to a touring bike, which makes the many mile I ride even more enjoyable. I’ve learned there is a vast difference in the handling of motorcycles from a starter, immediate, and now a touring bike. With the confidence I gained thus far I have accepted the challenges that riding offers and the rewards of facing those challenges. Confidence has also improved my career. Last spring I have took on a position of night charge nurse for a medical surgical floor which comes with more responsibility. I have adapted my way of thinking around the fact that I have only one go around in this world and if I don’t get up and take a chance, no one else will do it for me. As the saying goes: misery is easy, happiness is hard work. tt
Thunder Roads Magazine 6
K.I.S.S. page composed & edited by: Toni McCoy Shearon of Tennessee CHAMPAGNE BASTED ORANGE, LEMON, & PARSLEY TURKEY I prepred this recipe a couple years ago, using a large turkey breast only, instead of the entire bird, but it was simple & scrumptious. The secret is to baste baby baste......4 times per hour! 1 Turkey; thawed - (14 to 16 lbs.) 1 Stick Real Butter; softened 1 tsp. Celery Salt Salt & Pepper to Taste 2 Large Whole Oranges; zested & Cut In Fourths 2 Large Whole Lemons; zested & Cut In Half 1 Spice Jar of Orange Peel Seasoning 2 Cups of Ballatore’ Gran Spumante Sparkling Wine 2 Medium Onions; chopped 1 Bunch of Fresh Parsley; Minced 1/2 tsp. Dried Thyme 1/2 tsp. Produce Seasoning 1/2 tsp. Dried Marjoram Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Get a large, high-sided roasting pan. Spray w/ non-stick butter spray heavily and all up sides and coat bottom well. Next, clean out cavity of bird and pat dry w/ paper towels really good. Take real, softened butter, celery salt, salt & pepper and orange and lemon zest (save some zest for basting sauce) from fruits and form a paste and rub all over entire bird generously and inside cavity also. Place bird in roasting pan. Place cut oranges & lemons inside the cavity, squeezing a bit of juice out of them into cavity as you do. Next, rub bird down all over the outside with Orange Peel spice; cover that bird up with orange spice! Place breast side up in pan and bake for 3 to 3-1/2 hours tented with foil. In large bowl combine the butter, Ballatore’, onions, parsley, zests, thyme and marjoram; pour half into roasting pan and keep half for basting. Bake for 3 hours longer; remember to baste 4 times per hour while tented and the last hour of cooking, when you remove the tent. Be sure and tuck wings down under turkey as these burn easily. Remember..... Baste! Baste! Baste! Remove bird from pan and let sit for 20 mins. after removing from oven so that all juices go back into meat. For authentic & simple roast turkey
gravy, mix a good brand bottle of turkey gravy with pan drippings, in the same roasting pan and then pour into gravy boat. Now, you ‘ve got a phenomenal bird & gravy you’ll be proud to serve your Family and it’s totally unique fruity flavor compliments the turkey flavor superbly. LIME BUTTERED BROCCOLI FLORETS WITH PEARL ONIONS 1 Box or Bag of Frozen Broccoli Florets 1 Box or Bag of Frozen Pearl Onions 1/2 Stick of Real Butter; Melted 2 Tbls. of Real Lime Juice & Zest Salt & Pepper to Taste Microwave frozen veggies in a large, serving bowl together until crisp tender but not wilty. Combine lime juice & melted butter & salt/pepper in a small saucepan. Toss butter sauce thuroughly all over veggies when butter melted and nice and hot. *If you’ve got more to feed, just double or triple the recipe. This is so dang easy, but so incredible tasting! MELT IN YOUR MOUTH BANANA & DARK RUM SUNDAES 1/2 Stick of Real Butter; Melted 3/4 Cup Quality Maple Syrup Dash of Ground Nutmeg & Cinnamon 4 Medium-Firm Bananas; Halved & Sliced 1/4 Cup Golden Raisins 1/4 Cup of Dark, Spiced Rum 2 Tbls. Slivered Almonds (or any nut of your choice);* Be sure and grease a cookie sheet and toast up whichever one you choose though. 1 Quart of Premium Country Vanilla All-Natural Ice Cream In large, non-stick skillet, melt butter over med-low heat. Stir in maple syrup, cinnamon & nutmeg until blended. Remove from heat and add the bananas, raisins, dark rum and almonds. Cook over med. heat until bananas are totally glazed, stirring gently. Divide up into individual serving bowls & add ice-cream over top. Slurp! From Our Thunder Roads Family To Yours.. God Bless, Be Grateful & Give Thanks.
Thunder Roads Magazine 7