Guy Boutin's Motorcycle Touring and Travel Pages

Adventures in Sport Touring with the Honda ST 1100, 1300 and the BMW 1200RT

Exploring North America...One Road at a Time

Life on the Road

The life of a Long Rider can be difficult.  The lure of the open road constantly pulls him from his routine life of family, job, paying bills, and his relationships, and those things sometimes come into conflict.

If you are a true Long Rider to the core, your partner must understand the mistress you have in your life- The Road.  And if the road is your mistress, the motorcycle is your lover.  If Long Riding is in your DNA, she should know that from the beginning.  The wisdom of my recent maturity has taught me you must love someone for who they are, not who you think you can change them into.  That never works, because over time, the person who is asked to change, will grow to resent it, and that will cause problems.

If motorcycles and the road come to you later in life, while you are in the middle of a relationship, than a different set of problems presents itself.  I've not been in that situation, so I'm reluctant to over advice for those in that circumstance.  Hopefully it can be worked out.  Debbie does not care for riding, never has, but that has never been a issue between us.  I was riding when we met, why should I give it up?  I think it is good we enjoy things outside of each other on occasion. 

My guidance is to live your life as best you can, regardless of your present state.  Do the things you dream of doing, and if that is not currently possible, keep working to get there.

Keep the important things in focus, because in the end it is not the money you made,  the cars you owned, or the house you lived in that count.  It will be the life you lived, the people you touched, and the joy that was you, that people will remember.  I know how lucky I am to live my life as I see fit, I don't take it for granted, and thankful for it each day.

A good life is a balanced one.   Work, play, relationships and self indulgence should always equal out.   Be giving of your time, it is the most valuable thing you have.  You can give money and things away, but time is what counts.  All of us have different lives to live.  Some of us are rich, some poor, but everyone is handed out an equal amount of hours each day.  Bill Gates is rich beyond my wildest imagination, but all his money can not buy him more than 24 hours in a day.  His billions have made him a man with bodyguards, board meetings, and speeches. I'll let him do all that while I spend my few dollars on a 3 week cross country ride, with no phones, meetings, or schedule to keep, where I answer only to myself.  When I think about that, I know how rich I am.

When I am not on the road, Debbie and I vacation at the beach, the mountains, spend time with our nieces, eat out, go to the movies, or just spend time here at home.  Yes, I have a lot of free time, but I don't spend it all on me, because it is all about the proper balance.

I have many passions in my life outside of riding.  I love running, writing, watching football, being with my friends and doing the things I mentioned above with Debbie.  My good friend, and fellow Long Rider "Uncle" Phil Derryberry has his music and church to occupy him.  Too much of any one thing is not good, you don't want to be 1 dimensional.  

Treasure each day, live it, and appreciate it.