The destination is worth the journey

A haunted house on a haunted road.

Susan, my long time suffering girlfriend, and I had a little disagreement the other day.  I took off for a few hours Saturday morning to ride to a few cemeteries and historical markers as part of the Equinox to Equinox rally.  She had hoped to spend some time with me.  We both have a love of history and in particular, old cemeteries.  It's interesting to walk along the stones and see how they reflect the lives of the people at the times.  For example, in Grove City, Pennsylvania,  for a brief period in the early 1800's a woman's name would not even appear on the tombstone.  All it would say was "Mother of" or "Husband of".  It is truly amazing how far woman of come in  100 years.  It's amazing how far they still have to go.  It's very interesting when you consider that other cemeteries of that same time period don't seem to reflect this particular belief.

As of late, I've been riding out to, and actively seeking, old cemeteries.  The problem is that a lot of these are private cemeteries on old roads.  More on that in a bit.

A locked gates prevents entry into the cemetery

 So we reached an agreement, we are going to start to go 2-up, because she wants to share this part of the adventure.  She has been the passenger on other people's bikes, she's actually logged more miles sitting behind someone than I have riding.  While I certainly want her to experience some of the beautiful things that I've seen on my rides...I'm also going to hate myself if something goes wrong.  She may trust me, I don't trust myself.

Riding has also became part of who I am.  It's a escape for me from the "real world".  Something that I'm not sure I want to share with Susan.  Then again when you make a new friend, as in the photo below, you want to share that experience with the one closest to you.

That's the beauty of riding, the beauty of my participation in the E2E rally.  It's gotten me out on the bike, taken me to places that I may not have gone or explored.  Showed me things, even where I live, that I would not have seen other wise.  While I was always willing to explore "around the next bend' the rally has taken me "over the hill and around that bend."  No wonder my lovely Susan wants to see what excites me so!
So the question is, for me...what's next.  Slow and steady at first around the neighborhood.  Slowly move into the side streets.  Being the worry-wort that I am I will panic if she sneezes on back.  I've no doubt we will go down at low speeds at least once.   I worry.  So to the You Tube videos and to the various forums asking for advice and help.  It may be easier to just buy a trike.  Or convince her to get her own scooter!  We will have to get her proper gear in any case.   I have a spare helmet, but she will need a jacket.    ATTGATT is no longer in question if she rides with me.

Speaking of challenges.  I'm rather happy with myself.  Many of the 100 year old cemeteries that I've been finding were originally family owned, although they are of historical importance and therefore listed on various sources.  I've had to go down some dirt roads to a few.  A few cemeteries are even supposedly haunted.  Sadly many of these have been damaged by idiots "having fun."  Kimmie has handled these roads exceptionally well, much better than I would have expected.  It's also hard for me to understand how in this day and age, that a good sized town can still have unpaved roads.  I've been impressed with my own skill, avoiding some major holes and being able to handle the bike on less than ideal roads.

Maybe this 2-up thing is not that scary after all.

Another semi-private final resting place hidden away

A barely used road leading off to parts unknown