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

7-1-08  For the first time in 9 years, I'm spending the summer home.  It was not a easy decision to make, but it was my alone. After talking it over with Debbie in early June, I felt like I needed to give back.  

A week from my departure date, I was still mulling things over, because something just didn't feel right.   As a result of the past years, and the hundreds of thousands of miles, I've come to know my thoughts pretty well.  I was feeling guilty.

I'd neglected things here every summer for 9 years, things that can only be done when the weather is good, and we won't even count the shorter regional tours, into places like Canada, and the U.K.

Debbie had been after me to do this or that, and I always put it off with, "I'll get to it when I get back," but I never did, instead I'd come home and start planning the next ride.

In summers past I was gone more than half the time, and when I was home I was barricaded in my study working on this web site, not because I thought I had to, but because I loved it.

On a cold fall night in the Blue Ridge a few years ago, I was sitting around the campfire with Uncle Phil.  I've forgotten the details of that conversation, but I remembered something he said.  "When you don't follow God's plan, you usually run into problems."  And that was how I felt in early June, something told me I needed to stay close to home this year.  I wanted to ride, but I needed to get some things done here that had been piling up, I was not going to be able to do both.

Though the pull of the road was strong, I realized I was being selfish.  I had all this time off, but the summer is prime riding season, and I didn't want to miss any of it, even it meant I had to pay someone to cut my grass, and that was beginning to bother me.  

So I took the summer off, and right away I knew why I was prompted to do so.  Things were popping up all over that needed my attention.  My 28 year son even told me, "you know dad this is the first father's day you've been home since I was a teenager."

I did some landscaping, cleaning, and hung out with my son who was home on vacation.  We ran my favorite courses, ate out, and helped out around the church.  But still my mind drifted back to the memories of long ago rides to far away places, like the Grand Canyon, Crater Lake, Big Sur, or Niagara Falls, on famous highways.

No doubt about it, I miss it dearly, but for this summer this is what I'm suppose to do.  I drove the meals on wheels truck for my church, and attended other errands for people.  I helped my nephew clean out his fish pond.  My son and I would often walk to the daily Mass at the Church, if I wasn't on the road this June I was determined to use the time wisely, and I did.

My time away from the road this summer improved my relationships, both with family and my spiritual side.  They never said it, but the fact was, they needed me close by this year, and God has rewarded me richly for it.  Do not feel sorry for me because I didn't have a long ride this summer.  I've done it 7 times, everyway that you can do it, there is nothing I hadn't seen, or famous road I have not been on, literally.  It was time to give back, it can't always be about me.

The 4th of July is approaching as I type this, my wife and I went to store last night, to prepare for it.  I can't remember the last time I was home to do that.  I don't usually arrive home from the West Coast to this time of the month.  It was nice.

But there will be next summer, when I will be able to return to the cross country ride with no guilt, satisfied I did my duty this summer.  In the meantime, I'm going to plan a week long ride in the Fall before dropping down to the annual Blue Ridge Gathering.  I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to that.

Of course I'll continue to update the site about various things as the need arises, but I'm not sure what that will be right now.  Keep riding safe, and drop me a note about your riding and thoughts anytime.