Motorcycle therapy – how a tired mother embarked on a solo motorcycle trip to Romania
I was currently listening to a year-end lecture by trainer Peep Vain, and his question about the highlight of the past year reminded me that I have a story written but left completely untold! The first solo motorcycle trip of my life from last year undoubtedly stood out! Dreaming is allowed, but I’m happy that I threw caution to the wind and hit the road!
For the past six years, I have either been pregnant or managing a baby, and that happened three times in a row 😀 Looking at our three amazing children, who now manage on their own outdoors, I must admit that I am incredibly fortunate that they have such a great time together. I have indeed had a very difficult, intense, and exhausting period. An even greater truth, however, is that it’s incredibly awesome to see them working together, and I feel that it was so right to have them with small age differences.
About me. I have been deathly tired, fed up, and cried to the point of madness. I have also been so full of happiness and love that it feels like it doesn’t fit inside me! I believe that both extremes are okay during such an intense period. However, I felt that I no longer remembered who I was. Who is this Maria, who manages the family day in and day out? I no longer remembered what it meant to be independent, self-reliant, responsible only for myself.
After an extremely challenging period a year ago, where it was brutally tough to cope with a small baby and two other young children who needed your help in every little thing, we still got through all the difficult times together. My recovery from childbirth this time took a long time. My body was so damn exhausted. It still is, but I am gradually recovering.
At some point, I thought to myself that it would be incredibly cool to go on a solo motorcycle trip. The next moment, I already imagined it in my mind’s eye. The third time, I said my wandering thought out loud. And then the ball started rolling! My partner found it to be more than a fantastic idea! One day I was riding home from the capital on my old motorcycle and when heading home, I found that my partner fixed the Yamaha TDM for me! It was four years waiting in the garage for repair and now it’s working! Wow! Thank you!
Quickly, Tuljo gave me instructions on how to patch a tire on the road if needed. Showed how to start the motorcycle directly from under the seat if necessary. Put some essential tools and stuff under the seat. Just before, the rear tire was replaced, new brake discs and pads in the front, and I couldn’t do anything else major because everything seemed to be working and in order. I had somewhat anticipated that a bike that had been standing for so long might start throwing out all sorts of anomalies while working, or some connection might give up, etc.
When the idea already got stuck in my head that I would go alone on a motorcycle to Romania to cover the Red Bull Romaniacs competition for a motorcycle magazine motospirit.ee, I felt anxious. Tuljo was pushing me that I needed it. This outing. Especially considering the troubles we have had here with our daughter Indy’s legs. This idea seemed so tempting, but at the same time, the hardest part was to leave my family. Gradually, we started getting the kids used to this idea so that when I left, they were already reconciled. Some tears of missing mom did come during that time, which, of course, made me feel guilty.
But I needed that time to be alone. And I just rode. I just kept riding and thinking my thoughts. I kept riding until riding became a total struggle! In Poland, I received a message on my phone to take cover indoors and collect all loose items outside. Hours and hours of pouring rain. I arrived in Slovakia, it got dark. Rain, thunder, winding mountain roads up and down. Since any noise around me with trucks on the road was so loud, I didn’t hear exactly, but I felt a strange vibration coming from the engine under my sitting. Riding on the highway for a day, I managed to add a lot of oil to the bike. I stopped in a pretty bad place, but there was nothing to be done. I looked at the oil level with a flashlight, it seemed fine.
A passing car backed up to ask if everything was okay and if they could help. I shrugged, but I was incredibly happy – even if something was wrong, I was confident I’d find assistance. There were still 20 kilometers to the accommodation. I took the risk. I rode, and now I could hear a strange sound from the engine after a while. Oh dear! I held my breath and tried to gradually reach the accommodation. I made it.
I took a warm bath and threw myself onto the bed. Fortunately, I could shelter the motorcycle overnight to let it dry, hoping that water hadn’t reached any crucial parts. The rainfall was so intense that even the rain gear started to let water through, leaving me soaked and frozen, hungry, by the time I finally reached the hotel. It was a brutal day! Experiencing all of this in splendid solitude was quite fascinating. I began to sense that somewhere behind this mom Maria, a real MotoMari was starting to emerge from around the corner.
To be continued…
