Enjoying the Journey

Over the weekend, Steve and I celebrated our 11th anniversary.  We marked the occasion with a child-free weekend in Yosemite on the Harley.

I grew up riding on the back of my dad's motorcycle and loved going on rides with him as a child and teenager.  Steve and I enjoyed many rides and weekend trips early on in our relationship...he even proposed to me while on a motorcycle trip.  But it's been several years since I last sat on the back of the motorcycle.  Three kids don't leave a lot of time for leisure rides.  I have always enjoyed the freedom of riding on the back of the bike, it seems to clear my head and give me time for personal reflections.

We arrived safely at our hotel, The Tenaya Lodge, in Fish Camp, CA, just a couple of miles from the entrance to Yosemite National Park.  We were greeted in our hotel room with this:

Saturday morning, we woke up, looked out our window, and saw this:

The picture doesn't do it justice, but it was POURING rain.  Not just a light drizzle, but a torrential downpour.  

We spent the morning reading in our hotel room, and hoping the skies would clear.  By about 1:00, the rain had stopped, and the roads were drying, so we braved the chilly temperatures and headed into the park.

We were greeted with amazing views, clear, clean air and almost no traffic.  

Dropping down into Yosemite Valley...do I look the part of "biker chick"?

"El Capitan", one of the most famous sites in Yosemite.

A Japanese tourist took this picture, and cut off the motorcycle!

As we began our ride back to the hotel, the rain started up again.  Just a light shower, but at 30-40 mph, the rain hitting our faces felt a bit like piercing daggers.  I hunkered down behind Steve and used him as a shield.  As we rolled along the road, I noticed how clean and beautiful the trees were, how many shades of green there were.  And the colors seemed so much brighter and more vivid having just been cleansed of months of dust, dirt and grime.

I got to thinking how much life and marriage is like a ride on the motorcycle.  We must brave the elements at times.  There are showers and cold temperatures and traffic that slow us down. But if we take the time to look around us and enjoy the view, even in the midst of trials,  we can find beauty in everything.  And that journey is one worth taking.