Let’s Just Ride

Lets-Just-Ride-772x544The article “Let’s Just Ride” by Bud Miller was originally published on the “RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel” magazine website on 9/01/2013.

Cori and I currently live about an hour and a half apart, I in southeastern Pennsylvania. and she in New Jersey just across the Commodore Barry Bridge from Philadelphia. Occasionally I’ll commute to work on the bike, bags packed, and head to her house for the weekend. I have to ride the Pennsylvania turnpike, the “Blue route” and I-95 to get there and it can be a harrowing ride; but once over the bridge there are miles and miles of empty country roads to ride.

Last weekend we awoke to one of the most gorgeous days of the summer with low humidity and the temperature in the 80s so we decided to take a ride. “Where to?” she said. “Let’s not make a plan, let’s just ride” and so that’s what we did. We rode a meandering course southeast taking back-roads on a whim, not caring about where we were, and simply enjoying the day and each other’s company. We kept commenting on how unbelievably nice the day was and what a great idea it was to just ride.

After a while we pulled in for a cold drink and to finally figure out where we were. We realized we were only an hour from the beach so we decided to make The Deauville Inn in Strathmere our destination for lunch. I set the GPS to avoid highways and toll roads and we made it to the beach without having to sit in any traffic (a first in my memory of many trips to the Jersey shore as a kid).

After lunch on the deck and a short walk to the water we headed for home. As we passed farm after farm and pointed out all the cows in the fields Cori said in her own sweet way “I could see myself having a few cows someday,” to which I responded, “for the milk?” “No” she said with a lilt in her voice, “for the love.” That’s my Cori, a conduit of all that is good and in her bones a lover of life who would keep cows as pets.

Every ride is a good ride; some, though, are great rides when the universe conspires to give you what you seek. On this ride all we sought was to be in the sun together and let the road take us where it would. We didn’t need elaborate planning or a particularly special destination; but as we rode along I was reminded (as I am often) that when you are with someone special, you are someplace special.

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