Wild Hogs & Biker Chicks

Last weekend, I was a biker chick. Sitting behind my Wild Hog, going on a wild adventure. Yep, leather jacket, boots, the wind blowing through my helmet, er, hair. Do biker chicks wear helmets? And Uggs? Hmm, this one did. Does that make me an imposter? Oh well. I was a biker chick in spirit then, if nothing else.

Have you ever seen the movie “Wild Hogs” starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, John H Macy, and Martin Lawrence? It's about a group of middle-aged suburban guys going on a guy adventure across country on their Harleys. No, they didn't have any biker chicks on the backs of their bikes. But they did have plenty of adventure. Watch this movie for a good laugh if you haven't seen it already. Well, I have a feeling that's what Bob was picturing this ride to be as he was singing at the top of his lungs before the ride,“Get your motors running, head out on the highway” the “Born to Be Wild” song by Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf? Really? Apparently he was ready for some adventure! He was beginning to scare me!

Originally, this ride was supposed to be a guy thing. Just Bob and a few guys from our church. (That's right.  Wild Hog Church Guys.) Until Bob said, “You need to come too. We need our chicks on the backs of our bikes!” What?? A few of the wives of his guy friends were a little hesitant in wanting to go; they would rather have gone antique shopping while the guys were out adventure riding. I must admit, I thought antique shopping would have been more fun as well. But because I love my husband, and because he does so many things just for me, I agreed to the ride.

He was SO excited I agreed to get on the motorcycle. It had been a long time. The last very long ride I had was miserable and I've refused to do it again. He doesn't have a “cruiser” type bike; it's a cross between a dirt bike and street bike. Great fun for him, not so much for me. He looked so darn happy singing his “Wild” song.

The weather that day was perfect. And I mean perfect. Bright sunny blue skies, a cool breeze, a wonderful 72 degrees on a wonderful Florida winter day. Our group met up at our church and took off to ride all around Lake Okeechobee. There were 5 bikes, 4 couples, and one Lone Ranger, who couldn't quite convince his wife to come along that day. Hmm, maybe she went antique shopping! Anyway, Danny & Becky led the pack, as they were on a 3-wheel trike that was Bumblebee yellow so we knew with them leading us, we would definitely be seen on the road! We followed second, then Gary & Susie, Doug & Bev, with Dennis bringing up the rear.

Heading across the state on Southern Blvd, there's not much to see but fields of sugar cane, deep black, rich soil, and gators cruising along in the canals all along the highway. Traffic was light, and even the smell of burning cane was wonderful. I started to breathe in deeply and felt myself relaxing. This was a day I desperately needed. It had been a long time since Bob & I had done anything fun like this. We stopped a few times along the lake to check it out and enjoy the scenery. I was soaking up the experience big time! We stopped for lunch in Okeechobee at a restaurant called Lightsey's Seafood Restaurant, who boasted, “If it swims, crawls or hops, we probably serve it!” Hmm, this could be very interesting. The food was actually delicious (I ate a blackened grouper wrap with corn salsa on top), the atmosphere was friendly and comfortable, and the camaraderie was priceless. Fun times.

As far as the adventure goes, there was no throwing away the wrist watches, or blowing up biker bars, or fist fighting. We left that for the real Wild Hogs. But our adventure was certainly memorable. And relaxing. And just what I needed. And when we got home and got off the bike, Bob grabbed me and kissed me and with a big smile on his face, said, “Thank you!”. My heart melted, and I knew his adventure was everything he had hoped it to be. And so was mine. So, when & where is the next one?