Living in Utah, we adapt to the cold, but after a few months of cold, snow, and horrible air quality from the winter inversion, some of us begin to experience withdrawal symptoms from lack of riding.

I know many riders just park their bikes in the garage, hook up the battery tender, and add some Stabil to the fuel so that their bike will start up in spring. But some of us prefer to ride all year round. This past weekend, after nearly 3 weeks of no riding, I finally had to get back on the bike. I figured the worst snow was in my own driveway, and after a few dry days, there wouldn’t be too much ice on the roadways.

Since I had my daughter on the back, I had to ride extra carefully, and decided to take back roads and service roads to avoid traffic and higher speeds. Unfortunately, these are also the roads that had gotten the least attention from the snow plows. We hit some roads that had at least a mile of snow/ice/slush, but managed to get through it without incident.

We stopped for a coffee and I realized that it is just too risky to ride in the mountains in the winter for most people. I took a few pictures, and posted them on Facebook and Instagram, and they got a lot of response. Not because they were good pictures, but because this time of year there are so few posts, that any post will get a lot of attention.

That ride was just what I needed. I felt great. But now, It’s time for a road trip! I put on a few pounds over the holiday. I need to get out and ride! Are you feeling the winder blues too? Take your vitamin D and plan a trip southbound. Go to Vegas, Phoenix, Mexico… but GO! I have around 10,000 miles of riding planned for January – March. I will be riding to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Baja, Phoenix, and then east to TX, LA, FL, NC, TN and back.

January 22, we will be leaving Las Vegas for an 8 day Baja trip. We plan to visit Mikes’s Sky Ranch, San Filipe, Coco’s Corner, whale watch near San Ignacio, Mulege’, and La Paz, time permitting. We plan to take 8 days for the trip but the last time I rode to Mexico, it was so nice that we extended our trip.

I hope you get a chance to get on your bike this winter, but if you are concerned about riding alone, give me a call. I’m always up for an adventure.

Fran Tully

Dual Sport School