Riding Through Storms: Gear and Gratitude

The first fat drops hit your visor and instinct says, find a bridge and wait it out. We take the other line—how preparation and perspective can turn a storm from something to fear into something that deepens the ride. From a solo run through Monument Valley straight into a black-green wall of hail to the quiet joy of forest air after rain, we share how gear, mindset, and community help you keep rolling when the sky gets loud.

You’ll hear practical ways to read weather and ride safely—slowing with intention, widening your margin, managing visibility and grip—paired with simple mental tools that keep panic from taking the bars. Mindfulness becomes the full-face helmet for your thoughts, self-care the waterproof layer for your spirit, and your riding community the warmth that holds when the temperature drops. Along the way, we explore why rain amplifies the senses, how discomfort can sharpen presence, and why some of the best views only appear in your mirrors after you’ve gone through the worst of it.

If you’ve ever huddled under an overpass and wondered what it would feel like to keep going, this is your invitation to gear up and see storms differently. Subscribe for more road-tested reflections, share this with a rider who avoids the rain, and leave a review with your best wet weather tip—we’d love to hear how you ride it out.

Episode Transcript

Ron (00:05):
Now, I must admit, it makes me smile when I see those, I
don't know, less than preparedmotorcycle riders huddled
underneath a bridge trying tostay dry.
Motorcycles parked as far offthe road as possible without
getting into a place where youfall over.
I see them waiting, looking tothe skies, hoping the rain will

(00:27):
stop.
Yeah, I smile, but they can'tsee me smiling.
Out of friendliness, or must Iadmit, out of shamelessness, I
give them a wave as I ride by,waterproof from head to toe at
65 miles per hour.
I shouldn't laugh.

(00:48):
That's terrible, I know.
But today we're gonna talkabout a topic that's often on
our minds.
It makes motorcycle riders, somany of us, scramble for cover.
But really, it shouldn't.
You're out there on amotorcycle, and weather happens.
That's part of the deal we makewith Mother Nature, right?

(01:11):
She allows us to come out andexplore as long as we're ready.
And that's life too, isn't it?
Like Forrest Gump said, life islike a box of chocolates.
You never know what you'regonna get.
Yep, we don't know.
Whether it's out on the bike orin everyday life, we don't know

(01:32):
what we're gonna get.
But we can prepare as best wecan for whatever may come and
keep on riding.
Stay tuned.
Recorded in beautiful Loveling,Colorado, welcome to Peace Love
Moto, the podcast formotorcyclists seeking that
peaceful, easy feeling as wecruise through this life

(01:56):
together.
Are you ready?
Let's go.
You know that feeling of, Idon't know, let's call it dread,

(02:18):
when those first fat drops hityour helmet visor?
Well, the instinct is to pullover and wait it out.
And sure, that's an option,especially for me if there's a
coffee shop nearby.
I will opt to wait it out andhave a hot caramel latte.
But today, I want to challengethat instinct, both on the bike

(02:40):
and in life.
The core message here today isof preparation and perspective.
Think about the value of beingprepared for all kinds of
weather when you set out for aride.
We have our checklist.
We also know how quickly themountain weather or coastal
weather can change.
We pack those layers because weknow that cold weather is just

(03:04):
as much of a risk as the suddendownpour, maybe.
So I've shared this experiencewith you on an earlier episode,
but I'd like to relive it nowwith your permission.
It was a summer day, midsummersolo ride through Monument
Valley, one of the most iconicof American spaces, especially

(03:24):
on a motorcycle.
I was riding south starting theday in Moab, Utah.
There's a road that is featuredin the movie Forrest Gump, as I
quoted from earlier.
The scene is where he decidesto stop running and just go
home.
Where they filmed that scene ismarked on the side of the road.

(03:44):
Anyway, I was riding south justpast that area, and almost out
of nowhere came a wall.
This blackish, greenish wall.
It completely obscured the roadahead.
I was gonna ride right throughit, because there's no bridges

(04:05):
out there, nothing to hideunder, no gas stations, not even
trees for that matter.
Oh yes, and you know thegreenish hue, you may know that.
That's typically hail.
And my friends, that's what itwas.
Everything around me changedfrom bright and sunny to dark,
like nighttime.

(04:26):
I felt the first huge drop,then a lot of them, and then
marble sized hail.
I slowed, but I didn't stop.
I just ducked under mywindscreen, became as small as
possible, watching the road asahead as best I could, and I

(04:46):
kept going.
Then it ended just as quicklyas it began.
The rain and the hail stopped.
The sun came out as if nothinghad happened.
So, what I failed to mentionhere was that I put on my rain
gear as soon as I saw that wall,top to bottom, waterproof.

(05:09):
With my full face helmet andprotective riding gear, even the
hail was manageable.
A little painful here and therehere and there, especially on
my arms, but yeah, it wasmanageable.
You see, I like riding in therain.
I do.
Just this past weekend, I wenton a long ride about 800 miles,

(05:32):
actually, a little more than 800miles over a couple of days.
Yes, it rained for about ahundred miles of that ride, and
it was cold too.
But you know what?
I was prepared, and I loved it.
Have you ever ridden amotorcycle through a forest
after the rain?

(05:54):
Ah, the scent of the damp earthand the pine needles is
suddenly just amplified and richand deep.
Unlike in a car, on amotorcycle, yeah, we can smell
it.
Or maybe you're passing by afarm field that was just freshly
cut for hay.

(06:14):
That sweet, grassy, almostearthy fragrance, it blooms in
the moisture, I think.
I think too that Mother Nature,she's offering us some free
aroma therapy.
Maybe we all need that.
It's like she's saying, whydon't you slow down and notice

(06:38):
this moment right now and enjoywhat I have to offer you.
You see, maybe sometimes therain isn't a barrier, maybe it's
an enhancer for our lives.
Just as we know a sunny day onthe road can turn to a downpour,
we know too that life willsometimes have its own

(07:01):
unexpected challenges.
A sudden loss, a careerreversal, a health scare.
Yeah, the rain will fall, andwe can't stop it.
But just like as we prepare ourgear for the motorcycle ride,
maybe we can prepare our heartsand our minds for storms of life

(07:23):
too.
And this preparation, it isn'tabout building up a wall, trying
to predict every outcome.
We certainly don't know.
There's no way to know.
What will come will come.
No, instead, it's aboutbuilding up this, I don't know,
inner resilience.
And I think mindfulness really,really helps.

(07:46):
You see, it's it's like havingthis full-faced helmet
perspective, knowing that toughtimes are temporary and they
don't have to define ourjourney.
And it's about having thiswaterproof gear or self-care and

(08:06):
even community support.
Other bikers are out there toowith us, right?
I mean, some may be huddlehuddling underneath the bridge,
but others are out therecruising along just like you.
So, you know, this practice andthe people around us, they keep
us warm and dry and safe whenour world sometimes feels very

(08:29):
cold and wet.
When the rain of life hits, theperson who has prepared doesn't
panic or rush for the immediateshelter of distraction or
despair.
Instead, they slow down, theyfocus on the road right ahead of

(08:51):
them, and they remember thisfundamental truth, that the
changing times, these rainydays, can also intensify the
beauty of all around us.
We may not be able to recognizethat now, but oftentimes it

(09:13):
does.
See, these rainy days make usappreciate the moments of
sunshine even more.
They reveal the truedeep-rooted strength of our
character, just as the rainreveals the deep scent of the
forest.
I've heard it said that it's intimes of desperation.

(09:36):
At the bottom of the well, whenyou finally look up and you'll
finally recognize how beautifulthe stars are.
So, in closing, here'ssomething I didn't mention a few
minutes ago when I was ridingthrough Moab down through

(09:57):
Monument Valley.
Of all the things I saw, I'llnever forget this.
After my bike and I camethrough that storm, I happened
to look in my rear view mirror,and there in those dark clouds I
had just ridden through was thebrightest rainbow I've ever

(10:18):
seen.
It was like Mother Nature wastelling me, aren't you glad you
kept going?
And aren't you glad you lookedback?
I sure am.
So until the next time wevisit, look up at the sky, look
at those heavy clouds rollingby.

(10:40):
When you swing your leg overthe bike or you're simply just
facing a tough week ahead, justremember the peace that you'll
find in preparation and embracethe experience.
You know that we haveeverything you need.
We've got the gear, themindset, the resilience, and the

(11:02):
community to ride out thatstorm.
Until we visit again, thank youso much for listening.
I wish you peace and I wish youlove it.