We spent this weekend re-doing the range exercises for our motorcycle course. This time around,
things were VERY different.
First and foremost, we stayed dry. And WOW were we bundled up — it wasn't the sunny and 70°
we had been expecting — it was more like cloudy and 50° — but it wasn't cloudy, rainy, windy
and 50°.
People in the class were calling me
"Darth Vader" and "Ghost Rider."
Secondly, and at least partly as a function of the above, WE HAD A BLAST. Laurel and I got WAAAY more
out of this weekend than last. We performed the skills far more competently and had fun in the exercises.
Thirdly, there were only six of us on the range this week. Last weekend the number was double. It made a
HUGE difference, because people weren't bunching up, and we could actually perform the exercises at their
intended speeds. A number of the techniques they were teaching simply are ineffective at 10 MPH (and honestly,
I felt a bit like a monkey on a motorbike just riding in circles. At points I could hear a calliope playing
circus music in my head. But maybe it was the hypothermia.)
All-in-all, I got WORLDS MORE out of this last weekend than I did the previous weekend. For as much as
I didn't want to have to repeat the range work, I am FAR happier having ridden over the weekend, despite
the cold weather.
"Ghost Rider"... whatever.
As a bonus, I'm not nearly as sore this morning as I was after the first weekend. However, I should
mention that after we finished our exercises on Saturday, Laurel and I visited a massage place in our
local mall, where a muscular couple beat on our legs and backs for a half-hour. (And yeah, I'd go back.)
So now we're at the "Golden Ticket" part. "Golden Ticket" is the nickname for the golden-colored
remainder of the state DMV form that gets filled out when a person has successfully completed their driver
education course (which, technically, the motorcycle safety course is ) and is having the
endorsement placed on their driver license.
As new graduates, we take the "Golden Ticket" to the driver license office and get new licenses done
with the motorcycle endorsement. With THAT out of the way, we can bring the bike home!
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