GeorgiaRoller
Exit Stage Left
Escalation pull back
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated” – Confucius
Bigger is always better…right? Typically we think that it is. We can be very hard to satisfy, if we’re ever really satisfied at all. We always want more. That’s not always a bad thing I would guess. Being complacent certainly never impressed anyone that’s for sure. But at the same token it can be a bit of a trap to always try to outdo what we’ve just accomplished. I’ll get to my point in a moment…I promise.
The human mind loves to live in the past with our memories and it loves to contemplate the yet to come future, when in reality the only thing that is a certainty is what’s happening to us at this very moment…living in the now. The last time I checked we can’t go back in time and we certainly can’t foretell the future so spending much time other than enjoying the present is, well, a waste of time.
How many times have you been on an awesome long day ride or overnight trip or multi-day trip and the weather is perfect, the roads are sublime, the company is great, the food is amazing and the new scenery has got all your senses on high alert? But you’re spending ½ your time thinking about how you want to do this again as you ride because it will be over before you know it & that thought is pissing you off? How many times do we daydream about riding to a new state or new part of the country? How many times do you secretly feel a bit jealous (c’mon admit it!) of others that seem to ride more often or to seemingly better locations than you?
For example, you ever go on to advriders.com and read some of their ride reports? Pretty cool stuff! Most of these riders are doing truly “epic” rides, seemingly once in a lifetime type riding. We’re talking about riding from New Jersey to Patagonia, Argentina type stuff. Or riding across the entire African continent, traversing the Himalayas (if that’s even possible), or being like the couple that “Quit our jobs, sold our home, gone riding…” for the past 1-1/2yr traveling from Canada to Alaska to Mexico to Central America and living in some sort of motorcycle riding alter-universe that seems to defy the world as I know it. Who are these people???
Some of us might be lucky enough or motivated enough to plan some sort of truly epic ride once in our lifetime. However most of us probably will never do anything like this, like ever. But does that mean our more “local” riding can’t be enjoyable? Certainly not! Escalation is when we’re always trying to doing something bigger & better with no attainable ceiling. Going bigger is not always a bad thing, as long as it doesn’t rob of us joy in the present.
My point is (drumroll please) enjoy the little things in life, live in the present, enjoy each day for what it is, don’t always long for the bigger, better, epic rides, do more digging & research in your local area’s that you can ride to in a day or less and see more of what’s around you. We typically always want to go somewhere different, I know I do, but at the same time there is a ton of stuff we ride right past because we’ve never paid it any attention before.
I rode with a friend along the BRP a couple weeks ago. He’s ridden it probably more than me for many, many years. But I took him on a 2 mile overlook mtn hike with amazing views, took him on a ½ mile waterfall hike and showed him a great restaurant in a small town in places he’s ridden right past countless times. While we ate dinner at the end of the ride he said “You know all the time I’ve ridden up here I never knew this other stuff existed & I never stopped before. I really enjoyed the ride today. This is how it should be”.
Don’t be in a hurry for the next big thing while you’re mindlessly passing awesome stuff right in your own backyard. If you look a little harder and open your mind to new possibilities you might be surprised what you can find!
I did that myself this weekend. I did the smallest day ride all year of only 375 miles (typically my day rides are 500-600 miles). I rode in the “same old boring” north Georgia mountains…God I’m a spoiled prick! In just a simple 120 mile loop of mountain twisties I had just (4) stops I wanted to make before the fall leaves are completely off the trees.
Enjoy your local riding more by searching out new POI and don’t make life complicated. Confucius is always right…and he was a badass!
"Beauty is everywhere, but not everyone sees it" - Confucius
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated” – Confucius
Bigger is always better…right? Typically we think that it is. We can be very hard to satisfy, if we’re ever really satisfied at all. We always want more. That’s not always a bad thing I would guess. Being complacent certainly never impressed anyone that’s for sure. But at the same token it can be a bit of a trap to always try to outdo what we’ve just accomplished. I’ll get to my point in a moment…I promise.
The human mind loves to live in the past with our memories and it loves to contemplate the yet to come future, when in reality the only thing that is a certainty is what’s happening to us at this very moment…living in the now. The last time I checked we can’t go back in time and we certainly can’t foretell the future so spending much time other than enjoying the present is, well, a waste of time.
How many times have you been on an awesome long day ride or overnight trip or multi-day trip and the weather is perfect, the roads are sublime, the company is great, the food is amazing and the new scenery has got all your senses on high alert? But you’re spending ½ your time thinking about how you want to do this again as you ride because it will be over before you know it & that thought is pissing you off? How many times do we daydream about riding to a new state or new part of the country? How many times do you secretly feel a bit jealous (c’mon admit it!) of others that seem to ride more often or to seemingly better locations than you?
For example, you ever go on to advriders.com and read some of their ride reports? Pretty cool stuff! Most of these riders are doing truly “epic” rides, seemingly once in a lifetime type riding. We’re talking about riding from New Jersey to Patagonia, Argentina type stuff. Or riding across the entire African continent, traversing the Himalayas (if that’s even possible), or being like the couple that “Quit our jobs, sold our home, gone riding…” for the past 1-1/2yr traveling from Canada to Alaska to Mexico to Central America and living in some sort of motorcycle riding alter-universe that seems to defy the world as I know it. Who are these people???
Some of us might be lucky enough or motivated enough to plan some sort of truly epic ride once in our lifetime. However most of us probably will never do anything like this, like ever. But does that mean our more “local” riding can’t be enjoyable? Certainly not! Escalation is when we’re always trying to doing something bigger & better with no attainable ceiling. Going bigger is not always a bad thing, as long as it doesn’t rob of us joy in the present.
My point is (drumroll please) enjoy the little things in life, live in the present, enjoy each day for what it is, don’t always long for the bigger, better, epic rides, do more digging & research in your local area’s that you can ride to in a day or less and see more of what’s around you. We typically always want to go somewhere different, I know I do, but at the same time there is a ton of stuff we ride right past because we’ve never paid it any attention before.
I rode with a friend along the BRP a couple weeks ago. He’s ridden it probably more than me for many, many years. But I took him on a 2 mile overlook mtn hike with amazing views, took him on a ½ mile waterfall hike and showed him a great restaurant in a small town in places he’s ridden right past countless times. While we ate dinner at the end of the ride he said “You know all the time I’ve ridden up here I never knew this other stuff existed & I never stopped before. I really enjoyed the ride today. This is how it should be”.
Don’t be in a hurry for the next big thing while you’re mindlessly passing awesome stuff right in your own backyard. If you look a little harder and open your mind to new possibilities you might be surprised what you can find!
I did that myself this weekend. I did the smallest day ride all year of only 375 miles (typically my day rides are 500-600 miles). I rode in the “same old boring” north Georgia mountains…God I’m a spoiled prick! In just a simple 120 mile loop of mountain twisties I had just (4) stops I wanted to make before the fall leaves are completely off the trees.
- Anna Ruby Falls
- Yonah mtn overlook
- Brasstown Bald (highest point in GA)
- Hemlock Falls
Enjoy your local riding more by searching out new POI and don’t make life complicated. Confucius is always right…and he was a badass!
"Beauty is everywhere, but not everyone sees it" - Confucius
