i'm nervous

today will be my 7th time on my bike. and we are riding 525 miles to Pigeon Forge, TN, for my family reunion. I haven't been writing about it, because i wanted to surprise and shock my parents as i rode up to the cabin tomorrow. hopefully, my dad won't read it tonight and spoil the surprise.

i think a long trip is probably the best way to get quickly comfortable with the bike. and exhausted, too, i'm sure. it's not the physical act of riding that wears me out so much, but just the extreme mental concentration of what's happening with the bike at all time. clutch, braking, shifting, riding position, other cars, the road, the turns. argh, the turns. (hard for me still.)

i'm looking forward to this challenge. i've been reading about motorcyclists who have taken long trips (around the world, for instance!) and i'm ready to join the fray. i'm mean, really, this is only 500 miles! (one way.) i'm excited and had to really calm my brain to even sleep last night. i'm like a kid before the first day of school. excitement and nerves all mixed together.

i'm consoled by the fact that we're going to a place i have fond memories of: the land of Dolly Parton. I'll be singing (or screaming) the whole way.....