GeorgiaRoller
Exit Stage Left
It struck me this morning after me, my wife and my 11yr old son took off early on a ride together for breakfast and some country 2-lane riding that I really don't ever see many RR that include kids / grandkids? I've seen a few but 98% of them don't have pictures of kids riding. With the amount of motorcycling enthusiast on this forum I find that...odd!
I have 15yr & 11yr son's. I started them both out riding when they turned 10yrs old. I wanted them to be physically big enough to comfortably fill out the rear seat. My oldest liked it, but I could tell it really wasn't his thing. However my youngest loves it. He really enjoys it and whenever I ask him if he wants to ride he always says yes. I've gotten him up to doing about 200 mile rides in the 3-4 hr range. I think pretty soon he'll be ok with all day 500 mile rides up into the Appalachian's. My wife has been riding for 9yrs and while she typically likes to ride 2up with me on long trips, she also likes to ride her Ninja 650 on these shorter 1/2 day rides.
My point is riding can be a family affair. Motorcycling is not just a solo pursuit for middle aged single males. While my 11yr old has no problem sitting in front of the Xbox for hours on end playing "Call of Duty" or "Assassin's Creed" I want the kid to be exposed to the outdoors, to nature, to motorcycle riding as well as a number of other things. But If his Dad doesn't take the time to include him on my riding journeys how is he ever going to know about it?
Earlier this Spring we went to a cabin on a N. Georgia mountain lake and I took him fishing along with my other son & step daughters. As dusk settled in and we started walking back the trail along the lake back to the cabin my youngest said to me "Dad thanks for taking us here. I really like fishing and just looking at the mountain peaks. I don't even care if I catch anything. It's so peacefull"....put a big smile on my face and any other fathers out there know what I'm talking about. Nice to know a little kid can have a appreciation for things usually reserved for adults.
With his interest in motorcycle riding it appears I might have a little riding buddy. I really want to take him on a overnight trip in the mountains and throw in some side hiking trips along the way because he enjoys them as well. It's amazing what kids can appreciate & enjoy...if we just take the time to show them.
I ended up riding this 182 mile loop route.
So we got up and left about 8am this morning and headed out to a coffee house in Senoia, GA.
**** Forgot my real camera...so these crappy cell phone images will have to tell the story today...sorry bout that! ****
Senoia, GA is a cute little town that has quite the history in the film industry. Movies such as "Driving Miss Daisy", "Fried Green Tomatoes", "Footloose" as well as several others have been filmed here. What has been more recent is the popular T.V. series "The Walking Dead". So at the local coffee shop you can get your own Zombie Coffee. lol
We passed on the Zombie coffee and got our Caps, Lattes, muffins & danishes and sat outside in the pleasant morning air and enjoyed our breakfast.
After breakfast we saddle up again and headed south and found a roadside lake that looked to tempting not to stop and enjoy for a few minutes.
After several minutes at the lake we headed further south and stopped at a covered bridge. We had it all to ourself to check out. Right after we left about 50-60 bikers with a Police escort made their way here as part of some sort of charity ride.
The weather was great...who says a Gen I can't give you the outside air temp??? lol
Our ride continued further south around Warm Springs, GA. There is a great little 15 mile gem of a road that straddles the Pine Mountain ridge which puts you up 400' - 500' above the surrounding land giving you nice long range views. This stretch of "mountains"...if you want to call them that....is the highest elevation in the southern east coast. South of here it's all flat land that heads it's way to the ocean. But being that it's so close to our home its a favorite spot to ride to.
I met a nice guy on a Victory Vision and had a nice 10 min conversation about motorcycles. He was out doing the same thing, just enjoying the day on 2-wheels. He was solo...of course. He commented on how his wife rarely rides with him and seeing my wife ride her own bike he said that made him think of how his wife would never consider doing such a thing. Not sure what his point was...but I think he appreciated seeing all three of us riding. He was a real nice dude and he was kind enough to take a picture of us all together.
After the PIne Mtn ridge ride we looped it back home on country roads past pastures, creeks & lakes. We stopped back in town for one last picture.
It was a good 4-5 hours of time spent together. Nice to have my wife riding behind me and my son riding with me. We broke bread together, rode together, saw sights together and shared our love of motorcycling together. It was a good start to the weekend...and it won't be the last time we do something like this!
I have 15yr & 11yr son's. I started them both out riding when they turned 10yrs old. I wanted them to be physically big enough to comfortably fill out the rear seat. My oldest liked it, but I could tell it really wasn't his thing. However my youngest loves it. He really enjoys it and whenever I ask him if he wants to ride he always says yes. I've gotten him up to doing about 200 mile rides in the 3-4 hr range. I think pretty soon he'll be ok with all day 500 mile rides up into the Appalachian's. My wife has been riding for 9yrs and while she typically likes to ride 2up with me on long trips, she also likes to ride her Ninja 650 on these shorter 1/2 day rides.
My point is riding can be a family affair. Motorcycling is not just a solo pursuit for middle aged single males. While my 11yr old has no problem sitting in front of the Xbox for hours on end playing "Call of Duty" or "Assassin's Creed" I want the kid to be exposed to the outdoors, to nature, to motorcycle riding as well as a number of other things. But If his Dad doesn't take the time to include him on my riding journeys how is he ever going to know about it?
Earlier this Spring we went to a cabin on a N. Georgia mountain lake and I took him fishing along with my other son & step daughters. As dusk settled in and we started walking back the trail along the lake back to the cabin my youngest said to me "Dad thanks for taking us here. I really like fishing and just looking at the mountain peaks. I don't even care if I catch anything. It's so peacefull"....put a big smile on my face and any other fathers out there know what I'm talking about. Nice to know a little kid can have a appreciation for things usually reserved for adults.
With his interest in motorcycle riding it appears I might have a little riding buddy. I really want to take him on a overnight trip in the mountains and throw in some side hiking trips along the way because he enjoys them as well. It's amazing what kids can appreciate & enjoy...if we just take the time to show them.
I ended up riding this 182 mile loop route.
So we got up and left about 8am this morning and headed out to a coffee house in Senoia, GA.
**** Forgot my real camera...so these crappy cell phone images will have to tell the story today...sorry bout that! ****
Senoia, GA is a cute little town that has quite the history in the film industry. Movies such as "Driving Miss Daisy", "Fried Green Tomatoes", "Footloose" as well as several others have been filmed here. What has been more recent is the popular T.V. series "The Walking Dead". So at the local coffee shop you can get your own Zombie Coffee. lol
We passed on the Zombie coffee and got our Caps, Lattes, muffins & danishes and sat outside in the pleasant morning air and enjoyed our breakfast.
After breakfast we saddle up again and headed south and found a roadside lake that looked to tempting not to stop and enjoy for a few minutes.
After several minutes at the lake we headed further south and stopped at a covered bridge. We had it all to ourself to check out. Right after we left about 50-60 bikers with a Police escort made their way here as part of some sort of charity ride.
The weather was great...who says a Gen I can't give you the outside air temp??? lol
Our ride continued further south around Warm Springs, GA. There is a great little 15 mile gem of a road that straddles the Pine Mountain ridge which puts you up 400' - 500' above the surrounding land giving you nice long range views. This stretch of "mountains"...if you want to call them that....is the highest elevation in the southern east coast. South of here it's all flat land that heads it's way to the ocean. But being that it's so close to our home its a favorite spot to ride to.
I met a nice guy on a Victory Vision and had a nice 10 min conversation about motorcycles. He was out doing the same thing, just enjoying the day on 2-wheels. He was solo...of course. He commented on how his wife rarely rides with him and seeing my wife ride her own bike he said that made him think of how his wife would never consider doing such a thing. Not sure what his point was...but I think he appreciated seeing all three of us riding. He was a real nice dude and he was kind enough to take a picture of us all together.
After the PIne Mtn ridge ride we looped it back home on country roads past pastures, creeks & lakes. We stopped back in town for one last picture.
It was a good 4-5 hours of time spent together. Nice to have my wife riding behind me and my son riding with me. We broke bread together, rode together, saw sights together and shared our love of motorcycling together. It was a good start to the weekend...and it won't be the last time we do something like this!
Last edited by a moderator:
