Out of the office and out on the trails

There is a certain freedom that comes from riding motorcycles, seeing a trail off to one side hidden by the brush and just going for it pushing forward to the end, swerving around rocks crossing ruts and avoiding branches.

Being hands on for every part of your journey is the part of it I wouldn't trade for anything else I could think of, and this quote seems to sum it perfectly for me:

“In a car, you're always in a compartment, and because you're used to it, you don't realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You're a passive observer, and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame.

On a cycle, the frame is gone. You're completely in contact with it all. You're in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.”

Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values