As many motorcyclists in other parts of North America are dealing with the first onset of winter weather, mothballing their bikes and bracing for snow and ice, we here in West Texas are getting our first break in months from the 90-plus degree heat. The first significant cool front of the fall is blowing through as I write this article, and we are thankfully and at last embracing mild weather and refreshing temperatures. This is the best motorcycle riding of the year for us, hands down.
For me, the changing of the seasons from summer to autumn is a bigger relief than usual this time around. That's partly because a combination of life changes and the summer heat really got to me in 2017. I won't bore you with the minutia, but suffice it to stay that I shut down one of my businesses, took a great full-time job offer, and subsequently found myself in the midst of a pretty significant paradigm shift. As a byproduct of that stress, I rode less during the hot months. In fact, if you're a regular follower of this blog and my YouTube channel, you've likely noticed that such is reflected in the smaller volume of Tim Kreitz Adventures episodes. It wasn't that I didn't want to ride as much; I was just elsewhere mentally and the scorching heat seemed to make it all worse. I even passed on my annual California ride, which as you all know is a big deal.
But with an almost perfect timing, the arrival of this year's cool weather has coincided with a bit of a calming for me. I'm settling nicely into the changes I've made for myself and I'm ready to mentally relax a bit and enjoy autumn riding to its fullest. In fact, it's about all I can think of right now. That's a good thing, because it's an emotional signal that I'm returning to normal. In that regard, I'm always astounded at how motorcycles are such an active catalyst for my peace of mind and contentment. I don't know that motorcycles can make you happy in and of themselves, but they can make your happiness happier, and therein lies one of motorcycling's true blessings.
That contentment seems to extend to every aspect of my motorcycling life. Even cleaning up my bikes, changing their oil, checking tire pressure, or making small adjustments in the driveway as the autumn air surrounds it all is a bit of a spiritual experience. Robert Pirsig summed it up best when he said, "Working on a motorcycle, working well, caring, is to become part of a process, to achieve an inner peace of mind. The motorcycle is primarily a mental phenomenon." Combine that mental phenomenon with the beauty of autumn and you have an almost perfect experience every time.
I know there are only a few months left in 2017, but I feel like there are going to be plenty of Tim Kreitz Adventures installments to come between now and then. I have a few new rides and locations in particular I'd like to film as the leaves turn, and I'm anxious to revisit a couple of familiar locations as well. I'm really looking forward to it and I hope you are, too. It's great to be this fired up again.
So here's to fall and here's to bikes. Let's ride.
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