Afternoon Motorcycle Ride to Elkhart

I have a confession to make. Rooster and I haven’t been on the motorcycle very often for the past two years. There are several reasons for this development—the first centers around COVID. We cheated and went on rides during the lockdown and snuck out for a couple of rides. It became hard to find a destination with everything closed due to a pandemic. Groups canceled organized rides all over the state. There has also been a shift among bikers. A brotherhood centered on the make of model a person rides and trying to look so hardcore takes away from the fellowship of the road. Motorcycle snobbery can be discouraging. Throwing caution to the wind, Rooster and I decided to take an afternoon motorcycle ride to Elkhart.

Back roads on our afternoon motorcycle ride to Elkhart

We decided to take country roads on our trip to Elkhart. This destination is always the perfect pick because an Indian Motorcycle dealership and one of our favorite places to eat are located there—the advantage to avoiding the faster US 31 amounts to less road construction and a scenic country ride.

Rooster turned onto highway 19 outside of Peru, Indiana. We haven’t ridden this road for years, so we were in for a treat. Everything is so green now because of all the rain. Corn, soybean, and hayfields can become monotonous from the high-speed interstate. When you travel down a country road on a motorcycle, something changes. The scenery becomes more real and interesting.

Small towns on our afternoon motorcycle ride to Elkhart

Indiana has more than its share of small towns. Life moves slower in the country. People here like to live away from the city. We cruised through a large Amish settlement outside of the small city of Nappanee. It makes me feel like I stepped into the 1800s every time we travel there.

Dinner on Lake Simpton

After a short stop at the Indian Dealership, we rode to the Flippin Cow on Lake Simpton. I have written about this restaurant before so that I won’t go into great detail here. I will say they make great hamburgers and have a casual, laidback atmosphere. Rooster and I enjoyed watching the ducks looking for an easy handout on the banks of the lake.

The ride home on our afternoon motorcycle ride to Elkhart

The ride home proved to be uneventful. Rooster and I asked ourselves why we had put off going on one of these adventures for so long. It is as if this important part of ourselves was put on hold because of the state of the world. We won’t make that mistake again. I can see more afternoon rides in the future.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!