At Learning Curves, A New Year
The New Year is upon us. Now is the time to plan for an exciting year of learning, changing and growing. I love this quote, “Plan for the future. That’s where you’ll spend all your tomorrows.” For the past 30+ years, Frances and I have laid out our “Year at a Glance” calendar, well in advance of the New Year, and planned our preferred future. It is important to get the entire year laid out on one sheet in order for you to get the “big picture” and exercise your perfect vision.
The next part is the most challenging: think big, plan big and announce big. Timid, feeble dreams don’t excite anyone.
We can’t change the past but we can create the future. We at Learning Curves are here to help you create a 2010 of learning, changing and growing but remember, “If it is going to be, it is up to me.”
When I am riding alone and I see a side road I always wonder where it leads. I often take it just to see what’s out there. This kind of exploring is what has led to the exciting and memorable routes of our six annual Learning Curves rides.
As you see a side road and wonder where it leads while you are planning your 2010 calendar, I encourage you to take it because it might lead you to your next golden opportunity.
We at Learning Curves hope that your 2010 calendar will include a ride with us. When you take that side road with us our lives are blessed as we are able to broaden our circle of friends across the country and around the world. Thank you for sharing your precious time with us.
Sincerely,
Roy Hammond (and my very special family)
Passing Zones and Left Turns
Some of you may be aware of the tragic death of Bruce Rossmeyer this past summer. He died as he was riding to the Sturgis Rally & Races in South Dakota after attending a Harley Dealers meeting in Denver. Bruce owned Daytona Harley-Davidson and several other dealerships. The accident that took his life was on an open rural road in Wyoming.
At Learning Curves, safety is our commitment and number one priority. With this in mind, I leave you with this short insight that could save your life. On our rural roads in the West the yellow lines in the center send important messages. A double yellow line means you are in a no-passing zone and it is not safe to pass. A dotted yellow line means you are in a passing zone and it may be safe to pass after evaluating other vehicles moving in either direction.
While traveling the open road, particularly in agricultural areas or in recreation areas, there are small side roads that may not be marked where slower traffic moving in your direction may decide to make a left-hand turn. They may or may not use their turn signal to communicate this intention to you. Even when the center line is dotted and you plan to pass slower vehicles in your traffic lane, and the opposite lane is free of oncoming traffic, you should always be expecting one of the vehicles you are passing to make that unexpected left turn right in front of you.
In summary, when riding your bike (or any vehicle, for that matter) learn to always approach other vehicles with the expectation that they are going to do the unexpected.
Be safe (and keep the rubber side down!),
Roy |
