Lazzy and the Noob

[Captainkirk]

Lazzy & the Noob (Also posted in my Project Log)

My youngest son, who is in the Army and stationed in Virginia, came home on leave for a week. I had a special surprise for him...
See, when I first bought my Seca and got back into riding again, he was my Constant Companion, riding shotgun from the time he was 13, everywhere I went he went. Handled it like a trooper, too! Much to my wife's chagrin, I might add. (She always worried he'd get hurt.)
When he turned legal age, (16 in Illinois) I signed him (and myself) up for the MSF BRC (Basic Rider Course), and wound up enjoying it as much as he did.....and learning quite a bit in the process! He passed the course, got the card, but never pursued it further, and I never pushed the issue because him being a squid and all, and a bit reckless, I figured there would be plenty of time for this later (like, when he got older & more mature!)
The time was this week. I tossed him the keys to Lazzie and hopped on B.Rex and off we went for a short ride; his first "real" street ride. He stared in amazement at the key in his hand; he couldn't believe the old man was gonna actually let him ride Lazarus. When we got back, I saw the glazed, far-away look in his eyes and the half-smile on his face.  I said, "You're a goner, aren'tcha?" He just grinned and said, "Could be....!"
Today we did 75 miles of beautiful Wisconsin backroads, riding thin pitch-black ribbons of fresh asphalt sandwiched between kelly-green rows of corn, lazy barns with their attendant silos gazing down upon us, the silos seemingly smiling their approval....smelling the Dairyland smells and drinking it all in.....which I do on a regular basis, and he's done from the shotgun seat many a time, but as you all know, when you've got the bull by the horns, it's somehow....different. Magical. Surreal. Sometimes, astride the saddle, I feel like a meadowlark perched on a fence post, singing his tiny little brains out at a brilliant robin's egg sky with so much joy you think he'd explode.
The hot sun played hide & seek behind the clouds, jumping out to beat down on our leathers but we were kept refreshingly cool by the perfect riding temperature air rushing around us. Stiff breezes kept us on our toes at times, but made the ride just that much more interesting!
I kept him in the rear views at all times; he did great. He seems to be officially smitten (don't we know THAT feeling!) and Lazzy, that once-upon-a-corpse left for dead, has captured yet another heart and soul. And, I think, I've left my boy with some great memories that he can take back with him, which I hope he'll always have!

[skramer360]

We want pics of these idyllic places  . Kidding aside sounds like a great father/son time that won't soon be forgotten.

[niteman]

Captain, that was beautifully worded! I am happy for you that you had such a great time with your son, it's heartwarming. I hope one day to have that same experience.  

[Captainkirk]

We want pics of these idyllic places  . Kidding aside sounds like a great father/son time that won't soon be forgotten.

I just might.......

[Captainkirk]

Captain, that was beautifully worded! I am happy for you that you had such a great time with your son, it's heartwarming. I hope one day to have that same experience.  

I hope you do, as well! Part of the fun is taking them with you as they grow; it instills confidence in them and plants a seed or two for future growth & development!
If you don't tend the garden, all that grows are weeds....

[hockeyhawk]

Captain, sounds like you and your son had a wonderful time, Nothing better than father/son bonding. My boys are a little younger but I've had a similar experience with both of my boys on their first dirt bike rides. And give your son a big thank you from hockeyhawk for his service in military. 

Ride Safe, DoubleH 

[ROJ]

Nothing beats a Father/son ride, nothing at all. My dad used to ride in his younger days, but never since I could remember. He never pushed me to try and ride or anything like that. When I came home, sometime in my 3rd year of University, with my M1 licence and gear to take the MSF course near home, you could almost feel pride and happiness emanating from him. Needless to say after I got my first bike, he went out and got one as well so we could ride together and so he could teach me all the finer points he learned. Those type of rides will always be cherishable, whether or not he continues riding. Just keep on doing them whenever you can and you'll both learn new things.