A few weeks ago during our European Ride, the hostess of my restaurant said: “I hope you had a good moment here tonight” Unclear if this was a translation nuance or a profound question that required heavy consideration the term definitely stayed with me and has frequently come to the forefront of my mind over the past few weeks.

Life is, after all about stringing together as many good moments as possible without an influx of bad ones.  Similarly, riding, is about finding a good moment.

Excuse me as I digress:
Friends of mine who play golf call the one good shot of the day “the one that makes you come back”. I years ago and apparently this magical shot was absent from my repertoire. One of the people who allowed me to join for cigars and beer (apparently that’s what you actually do in between marching through the woods in search of a ball you couldn’t care less if you found) stoically exclaimed: you know what the problem is with your game… you have too much LOFT.

Loft? I asked excitedly as if the words of wisdom imparted on Tiger Woods before he became a prodigy were about to be uttered to me? What does LOFT mean and how do I address it?

Apparently LOFT is not a technical golf term, rather an acronym standing for Lack Of Fucking Talent.

Since then I have believed there are three types of people in this world. Bikers, Boaters and Golfers. All of these hobbies cost money, they’re all more enjoyable in good weather and likely we do all of them on weekends more than weekdays. Show me a golfer with 25,000 miles on his Harley and I’ll show you a guy who spends more on golf balls than greens fees.

Back to motorcycles (because that’s why we’re here):
This weekend a number of us rode to DC and Virginia for Rolling Thunder. Such a ride has become an annual tradition much like the rain on day 1 and traffic in DC on day 2. This year allowed both traditions to live on.

Normally we encounter bike problems at some point in the trip. A few years ago one guy’s wires all melted and he had no lights for the last few hundred miles. Another year led to an exhaust pipe that was hanging on by piano wire. We’ve had crashes (no injuries luckily) and near-blowouts. Fortunately all issues have been fixable and more fortunately none led to any injuries. But, in every case they required detours, parking lot fixes or time spent at Harley shops to address the problems. (We would like to offer a special thanks to Mitchell and the entire service team at Woodstock Harley Davidson in Kingston, NY for their hospitality, incredible service and general good nature this weekend).{More Below}

Bike issues and traffic are frustrating. Often 80% of the day is spent doing what you just don’t feel like doing. But then it happens. The sign warns of sharp curves. “High crash area” cautions litter the roadside and the trees shield you from the scorching day’s sun. The road is endless and cars are merely a memory and represented by a spec in your mirror. That moment was on Sunday as we approached Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. All would be good with the world for the rest of the day and through the 650 mile return through the Poconos on Monday.

Yes, I had a good moment and those are the roads that will keep me coming back.