The Best Date Nights are on Two Wheels

This photo was taken summer of 2008

I’d like to say that our motorcycle saved our marriage, but in reality it wasn’t bad to begin with. After we moved down here from the Sault, Tom fulfilled his dream of getting back into motorcycling. I wasn’t too keen on the idea, but wasn’t going to say that he couldn’t get one. The first bike was a Honda Shadow and he loved it. I really had no interest in riding on it and was frankly scared of hitting a bump and being thrown off the back. When he did coerce me into riding I was scared for my life the entire time. I really avoided going. At that time our kids were young and we were at the point in our marriage where they took up more time than our relationship. We didn’t spend much time together as a couple and we definitely didn’t have a designated “date night.” But he persisted. I didn’t know why he wanted me on the back of that thing, but he just did. As I got more comfortable riding on the bike, our rides became more frequent and our relationship got stronger. Date night became a regular from the time the temperature got up to around 60 in May until the temperature got down to around 60 in October. We were so excited when the boys were old enough to not need a sitter. We were able to go that much more. Our trips together have been to motorcycle rallies within our state and to places like Milwaukee and Sturgis, SD. Just this past July we took a trip to the U.P. together. We think nothing of riding up to Mackinac City for dinner.  We no longer have the Honda. My husband has since upgraded to a Harley-Davidson which he has completely modified. The bike has 40,000 miles on it, most of those miles we have ridden together. These days we mostly just ride around the lake and then “flake-out” in the grass of East Park in Charlevoix with some ice cream. We often ride with friends who enjoy riding as much as we do. People ask me if I’m going to get my own bike. I could I suppose. I have my endorsement. I don’t know if I want to give up sitting on the back with my arms around my best guy. There is something different about being together on a motorcycle that I think brings couples closer. I know it did for us. So did a motorcycle fix a broken marriage? No, it just made a good marriage great.

Published September, 2011