Motorcycling has brought me and taught me many things. I’ve found: confidence, my sense of self, boyfriend(s), responsibility, new friendships, knowledge, patience, adventure, glimpses of my own mortality, loss, heartache and unending joy. When I started riding, I had no idea of the scope of emotions, responsibilities and experiences that came with that motorcycle. I thought it was going to be great fun, a new skill to learn, and, if we’re going to be honest, probably garner me some attention from the opposite sex*.

Even though I have thousands of miles behind me, I still feel like a new rider. I’m learning and improving every time I get on the bike. I make mistakes. I ride harder. My technical ability improves. My confidence improves. Every once in awhile I scare myself.

I don’t feel like a new rider in that I’m not comfortable on my bike, or in traffic or on the freeway or in poor weather. I feel like a new rider in the sense that there is a whole world of things for me still to learn. There is so much room for growth, improvement and expansion of my skills. I ride a sport bike of medium size. I want to learn to ride in the dirt. I want a larger bike more suited to long-distance touring. I want to go on thousands-of-miles trips through other countries, across continents. I feel like I’ve just started on a journey with no set route and thousands of miles to go.

I knew I was going to like motorcycling. I had no idea how much I would fall in love with it or of all the ways in which it would change my life. How it would make me take part in activities or challenge myself in ways I wouldn’t have done pre-motorcycle. I can no longer imagine a life without motorcycles.

I started this project after a little over a year and a half of riding. The same time period also brought a geographic move, a lot of growth, and a good dose of heartache. This project is a way for me to remember everything I’ve learned, how I’ve changed, what I’m still learning, how I’m growing and as a means to heal.

There will be good stories. There will be bad. It’s a learning process, hopefully with pictures.

*I was right in that. What I didn’t realize at the time was that 95% of that attention is very much unwanted.