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Exactly Where She Needed To Be

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  She Was Cold, Unprepared… and Exactly Where She Needed to Be “At the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy, and your eyes sparkling.” I used to think this meant everything would go right. That adventure would feel free, easy… almost cinematic. But I’ve learned something very different. Sometimes your feet are frozen. Your hair is hidden under a helmet. And your eyes are watering from the cold. And somehow… those are the moments that stay with you the most. Ten years ago, my husband and I set off on our first overseas motorcycle adventure together. Riding across America for an 8-week Moto Tour. It sounds romantic when I say it now. At the time? It felt like a test I wasn’t sure I was ready for. I remember lying in bed in our Airbnb in Detroit Michigan the morning we were due to leave. Our plan for that day was to ride from Detroit to Niagara Falls. Jetlagged. A stomach that wasn’t cooperating. That quiet voice in my head already looking for some relief. An...
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“What a Simple Wave From a Stranger Taught Me About Life"

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It was somewhere between the desert dust and the endless stretch of highway that it hit me. I wasn't chasing places; I was chasing presence. And I had been doing it all backwards. At times, stressing too much, feeling overwhelmed with weather challenges, how many miles to go, gas station locations and all the rest!  Riding co-pilot on the back of our motorcycle, with my husband on a journey of a lifetime, through the morning desert heat, I looked to my right and there beside us, in the middle of nowhere was a freight train making its way to its destination, just like us. I could see the train driver one arm resting outside the window, as he made his way along the tracks. As I wondered about his life driving that train, which is something I often do a lot of while riding on the back of the bike, (contemplate life!), I gave the driver a wave, not sure if he'd even seen us and not expecting him to wave back, but to my delight, he gave me a friendly wave from his window. Such a sim...
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Adventure Inspiration from the Woman in The Red Jacket

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The Woman in The Red Jacket She wore Red and Chose Adventure... Claudine Grimwood-Silman Years ago, I owned a little fashion boutique, and a woman used to stop by every so often. Elegant, warm, fascinating with a sparkle in her eye that said  adventure hasn’t finished with me yet.  She’d come in before her trips to Europe, to pick out a red faux-leather jacket for her motorcycle tours. Not practical beige or black or even leather— but always red. She’d smile and simply say,  “Perfect for the bike.” She was mature in age, but she carried an energy that felt timeless. Each year she and her husband would head off to Europe for months at a time — two motorcycles, open roads, and a love story that didn’t need explaining. She rode her own bike, always in that red jacket, and every time she came back, she’d have a glimmer in her eyes that only freedom gives. Back then, I was just beginning my own motorcycle adventures — riding pillion with my husband, planning our first trip acr...
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