I was expecting to see long flowing hair reaching to the ground, but she cut it all off
She recognized me right away. I wasn't sure how long it would take me to ride down from Holmen. I allowed 4 hours but she told me not to rush and would be content to just read a book while waiting for me
I don't know where the time went. We chatted about this and that just like old friends who hadn't seen each other for a while. It was great that I finally got to meet her and I'm glad she had the time
She was one of the original moto bloggers and I had followed her for a long time. Somehow I just knew that one day we could meet.
For the past few years she hasn't posted much on her blog (here) but she is an avid photographer and she moved over to Flickr (here2) but then she had some challenges and seemed to disappear but in spite of her absence we have kept in touch and I was looking forward to this day. She wasn't able to ride for a year or so but now things are progressing and she is nearly back to full health.
Hopefully soon she will have more time to start blogging again. She is trying my bike for size as she was thinking of getting a new bike and I told her that my bike was smaller than it looked
We left the restaurant and headed South with Sharon in the lead riding "Jesse Owens" her F800ST Beemer
I tried to record more video but as mentioned before I was having problems due to my ineptitude. I installed the latest software update for my Hero2 GoPro but I didn't delete the file from the root directory on my SD card and it was creating problems. Too bad as she took me along some nice backroads
Our time together was coming to an end. We stopped at a gas station to fuel up and say our goodbyes
and I was feeling a bit sad to see her ride into the Sunset
I was alone again . . . and it was time for me to move on
Thank you to Sharon for making time to see me. I really appreciate it and it had been something that I had been thinking about for some time . . . a dream come true
Really cool post. She was one of the first blogs I started following on a regular basis. I think it was Dom, you, Sharon, Stacy and Dan.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting the brief update. I was wondering how she was doing.
BTW, I was looking forward to this post since you posted the video a while back…
DeleteRichard:
DeleteYou're right about the old timers and also Stacy seems to have disappeared after her breakup
I didn't want to post anything until I had time to put the video together. Now with google+ everyone knows as soon as it is uploaded but I held back on uploading my Picassa photos until the last moment
BTW I did ask Sharon ahead of time if I could post her photos otherwise this post would not have happened
Awesome, Bob. What a wonderful story. I am glad to hear that Sharon's condition has improved and she's back in the saddle. I had followed her blog from the time on that I started following yours.
ReplyDeleteSonja:
DeleteEver since I planned this trip I was looking forward to heading towards Chicago to meet her. I was just lucky that she had a free day to make it happen. I had followed her blog for many years too
Very cool, Bob.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought she was the Sojourner whose ride report I followed on ADV, but she is clearly a different person.
Pat:
DeleteI also saw that other Sojourner on ADVrider but they are different people. If I have time I don't mind changing my route to meet anyone, but there was a reason I had to keep moving and get to State College, PA otherwise I would have gone to St Paul and Cincinnati as was my original plan. I had other meetups on standby
Hi Bob ,
ReplyDeleteGreat pics and nice upload ...... Really like the road ahead picture....with the nice summer like sky!
Regards
Len
Len:
DeleteIt was a hot day. Sweaty HOT ! It was a heat wave all across the Country so far and the traffic wasn't bad until . . . I reached Chicago
Nice way to keep reliving the summer Bob - so glad you got to meet so many bloggers on your list. Also glad to know that Sharon is recovering.
ReplyDeleteKaren:
DeleteI actually had more people standing by but because of my rush to get to State College, PA I just put the pedal to the metal and abandoned my plans. I was so happy and excited to meet up with Sharon. I had been waiting a long time for that moment.
I also snapped that photo of her sitting at the table before I actually met her and got my long anticipated HUGS. I think it was two years of frustrating recovery for her. I am so glad she is getting better and nearly back to normal
The sign above your heads says; "Pizzazz", maybe a good word for that feeling you get when meeting an old friend (even if for the first time).
ReplyDeleteKen:
DeleteNever noticed the "Pizzazz" before but it seems appropriate. Funny how when you meet another blogger it's like you have always known each other.
Great posting Bob!
ReplyDeleteGlad to read that Sharon is doing better.
Dom:
DeleteMe too. I'm glad she is doing better too. She started riding again but hasn't posted any details. She has a big trip planned for next year, perhaps she will bring us along
Really great you two met and had a ride day. What a great post and I hope you get to meet up again.
ReplyDeleteGlad you two got together! So wonderful! BTW, "her blog" is which blog? I would like to follow it but do not know what it is. Thanks!
ReplyDelete