use a few times since: how to pick up a motorcycle that weighs four times my weight unladen, and with gear, closer to five times my weight—by myself. Once we fig- ured out the correct angles, I could lift the bike as long as there were panniers on the motorcycle to help raise it a few inches off of the ground. I started riding more, both with others


and alone. I did a four-night, five-day road trip with a guy who coached me through some of the tightest hairpin turns I had ever done. We went through the fairy tale-like golden hills and gnarled willows of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. My rid- ing experiences on that trip


blue lakes. To gain a better understanding of the Northwest, I decided to learn more about the logging industry. I rode my GS to tree farms and clear-cuts where I could smell the freshness before I was even upon them. I also rode through national forest land and to the Olympic Peninsula to do a logging and lumber mill tour in Forks. Dur- ing autumn as the leaves were changing col- ors, I discovered a state park with narrow, wandering roads where the tree canopy overhead filtered the sunlight. I am drawn to the open road, but my lack


greatly


increased my confidence and affirmed for me that I could indeed handle a motorbike road trip. Soon after, I moved to the Pacific North-


west. The motorcycle was great for explor- ing my new area—the forests, the farmland, and the Northern Cascades with their teal


of confidence on dirt roads put limits on which roads I would go down with my motorcycle. I still found my big GS intimi- dating, so to alleviate some of my concerns, I signed up for the RawHyde introductory course and trip. Once again my coaches were male, but there were a few other women as students. Even though I felt like I spent a good portion of my time sprawled on the ground next to my rented 700 GS,


my body started learning how to balance and move with the heavy BMW. I achieved flow in the trail riding trip. Most impor- tantly, I left with confidence, skills and increased comfort on my motorcycle. Two years after learning how to ride a


motorcycle, I embarked on a solo 23-day, 4,000-plus-mile motorbike camping road trip. I launched from Seattle, ran up to the mining ghost town of Barkerville, British Columbia, and then over to Jasper, Alberta. The Canadian Rockies were a humbling experience, riding down the narrow corri- dor of tall, rugged mountains walling me in on both sides. I felt the chill of the Colum- bia ice fields before I saw them. It was there I paused for a few days, to do a mountain- eering course with Yamnuska Mountain Adventures guides, where we trekked and climbed with ice axes and crampons across the glaciers and among the incredible blue crevasses, streams and other unique glacial formations.


70


BMW OWNERS NEWS June 2016


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