It was another sunny Sunday and the smell of menudo cooking drove me out of the house and out on two wheels. I headed south through my usual off-season route to Silverton. But instead of stopping for lunch I continued on until I reached the tiny town of Scio.

There were a lot of riders out but not a single V-Strom could be found other than my own. The more miles I put on this bike (I’m at 10,000 now) the more I love it. It’s performance and comfort far exceed it’s very meager cost. Every time I go on a day ride like today’s I yearn for my first big trip of the year. I’m not sure where I’m going on the first trip, but I’d imagine it will be the southern Oregon and northern California coast. The redwoods are fantastic and I don’t have to ride over any mountain passes to get there. Other than a very high likelihood of rain I don’t anticipate weather being a factor.