Rene had always wanted to ride on a motorcycle. She had done in China, but not in America. I had always wanted to ride one and have been looking to get my motorcycle license for about the past two years. The problem was motorcycle schools were always booked, especially during the dot-com boom and even after the bubble burst. It wasn't until a chance call to Bay Area Motorcycle Training late in 2001 got me a three day course at Alameda City College. I couldn't believe my luck, and it wasn't until I hung up that I realized that the class I had booked encompassed 2/14/2002, Valentine's Day. Oh well.

Motorcycle school was a blast, probably because we were training with 250CC Hondas. Very easy to handle and light to the touch, they could take a lot of abuse and still run with ease. However, even with their relatively light horsepower, they could be quite a load to handle, and that's when you realize finesse and touch were more important than muscle. After about two days of theory and practice, they gave you the equivalent of a DMV practical test. Once you passed that, all you needed was to pass the written at the DMV and the 'M' designation on your license was yours.

Passing the written test was just pure seredipity. A few weeks after finishing the practical training, I was on my way to the DMV to take the written test. I had woken up early that Saturday morning and realized that it was one of those Saturday's that the DMV would be open. Having nothing else to do, and feeling lucky, I trudged over and waited in line like everyone else that morning. I had no idea whether I was prepared for the course or not. Sure I had read the training pamphlet from the course and downloaded the California Motorcycle Handbook, but it wasn't as if I had broken a sweat studying the material, more like casual browsing when I had the time. There were a few surprises along the way. While I had to take the motorcycle written, it turns out enough time had passed since my renewal to require me to take the general test, but only half of it. The general was easy, but the riders test was a nail-biter. It took me about 40 minutes and even then there were two corrections that I had to make. On turning the test in, I couldn't help but spy on the tester grading my effort. I couldn't miss more than 6 and after grading it via a template, she counted 8 wrong! I was crushed. However, she made a second pass, this time looking at the two corrections I had made, and it turns out they were the correct answers. Six wrong, I passed! Turns out I had studied about as much as I needed.

Now it was time to take my picture for my new license, which was the second surprise. The only thing that distinguished me from when I had woken up this morning was the shoes I had put on. I hadn't shaved, fixed my hair, put on any decent clothes, nothing. I really looked like death warmed over. On the other hand, I had the bona-fide rider look, albeit looking a little tired, or stoned if you want to see it differently. They also took my license and gave me a temporary (read 'paper') one, which made me feel like 16 again driving with a driver's permit. My new one (this time with the 'M' designation) would be issued to me in a few months.

The backroads of the Livermore wine country have always been a good place to ride and it was here that we decided to inaugurate our riding experience. The area has a lot of single lane roads with attractive scenery that wind through the hills. In addition, there usually isn't much traffic, even on the weekends.

The day was sunny with just a hint of wind. There were a lot of bikers who were also enjoying the day and they waved at us in acknowledgement. It was an interesting introduction into the motorcycle fraternity and I immediately felt a bond with them. We made our way on Tesla Ave towards 580, past the Livermore Lab's Site 300 facility and a sport bike recreational area. As we hit 580, the winds began to pick up, which made riding a little less than enjoyable. Our original plan was to take 580 W all the way back home, but decided against it. We got off the Patterson Pass exit and slowly made our way back to Livermore through the brown hills and windmills.

After getting back to Livermore, the weather started turning sour, but it was time for one more ride before heading back. Going through downtown Livermore, we headed south on 84 towards 680, but turned right on Vineyard and headed towards Pleasanton. Vineyard was an old road that has been rejuvenated by a lot of recent development - mainly via the Ruby Hills development. Where there were once run down lanes and deep potholes are now smooth, wide lanes. This lasts for a few miles before the old road takes over, but it's still a pleasant little challenge before civilized roads take over south of Pleasanton.

The next day saw us looking at the towns of Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette, and the roads that connect them. This was a much more straighforward route, but still a pleasure to ride. The triangle spans an affluent area, which means the roads are well maintained and clean. We rode in the afternoon after it had rained all day and the road had already dried itself quite well with few puddles. Starting from Orinda, we were on Moraga Way for about 15 to 20 minutes before we hit Moraga. The town isn't much to look at, either that or we didn't bother to look around. Taking Moraga Rd, we headed north to Lafayette and eventually Hwy 24. Downtown Lafayette can be challenge to maneuver if there's a lot of traffic, but there's nothing much you can do about it.

By the time, we hit Hwy 24 on our way home, it had started to drizzle and we were looking forward to getting out of our riding gear. The weekend was coming to an end, and so was our riding adventure.