Jill,
Sunscreen... hmmmm. Good suggestion. We far-north Anglos scorch up pretty fast in March southwest sun. Your other suggestions are good, too. I certainly will report our experience here. A couple of friends did a Pridmore riding school a few years back and told me they used to wonder what their street limits were, but after this school knew them precisely. I expect to learn and have fun.
As for the son, these youngsters can be bullheaded (of course we weren't at that age) and super competitive with their parents. He is at that age where he is figuring out that he doesn't know everything and that - surprise - the old man might just know a thing or two, but that whole concept has a ways to go before full flowering. Our basketball scrimmages in the driveway over the years keep coming to mind: he would have given anything to beat me back when, and tried and tried. Naturally, eventually, he could - and did - stomp me at will. Over the years I have observed that many young, novice riders possess a natural athleticism (eye/hand coordination, super quick reflexes, etc.) that allow them to master handling the machine very quickly. And often that is unfortunately coupled with the fearlessness characteristic of youth. What is hard for them to understand is that pure skill is one thing; anticipating, then dealing with, correctly, competently, all the contingencies that come up during a ride can only be mastered through miles and miles of experience. I noted above I have ridden 30 years. Well, last year during a tour in Idaho, I hit a softball-sized rock at about 60 mph, bending both wheels. Thank God I didn't lose pressure and go down (with spouse) in traffic. Even after 30 years, I am capable of making deadly mistakes: I was either following the pickup in front of us too closely, or I wasn't paying enough attention, or my reactions were flawed or too slow - probably all of these. But it WAS pilot error, plain and simple. What will he do when another rider inexplicably jumps on the brakes right in front of him or cuts him off in a turn? What will happen if his front end washes a little or the back breaks loose? Will he be able to deal with it? If he's being very careful, if he's concentrating on defense and survival, probably. If he's carried away with self-confidence and competitiveness, there could be trouble.
I think I will have to appeal to his ego: convince him that the BEST riders are regarded as the ones who are most cognizant of everything that's going on around them; who keep themselves out of trouble; who are most considerate of other riders; who are smoothest (not necessarily fastest); who DON'T CRASH! This is the way to prove he is GOOD. I may also just have to stay behind him so he's not tempted to over-ride his skills in an effort to keep up.
Parents always worry about their kids and I suspect I always will, no matter his age. On the other hand, I think we have to introduce them to the things which have brought us the most joy and satisfaction in life, despite the very real risks.
And Test Rider, I thank you very much for the invitation and your consideration. Unfortunately we are heading back north the very next day and are in fact spending an extra day just for the track experience. But who knows, we could certainly be back this spring or next fall (I've got in-laws in Mesa and Apache Junction).
We live at one mile of elevation (Butte, MT) about one mile from the Continental Divide, which forms a big horseshoe here, so have to cross 7,000-foot passes to the north, east or south, which means our good riding is pretty much done by the end of September and doesn't begin until May. Last fall, though, in early October, we trailered the FJR to Cedar City, Utah, then took off on a nice ride down to Knab, then to Farmington, NM, to visit friends. But the next day was superb: Farmington to Zuni to Gallup to Springerville, AZ, at the north end of the Coronado Highway, then on to Clifton. My gosh is that a spectacular piece of highway! and I have ridden all the best in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, British Columbia and Washington. I would love to do this again. I also enjoyed the ride from Prescott to Jerome and Sedona, on to Flagstaff. We then rode up to the Marble Canyon, to Paige and through Zion National Park and back to Cedar City. About 1,700 miles total. Definitely want to do this again. And the weather was fine, except Phoenix was about 95.
What would you suggest is a good 2-3-day route out of Phoenix? I rented a BMW there over Christmas a few years ago for two days and had a couple of good days, but nothing real spectacular. Thanks again for the invite.
Big Sky
