Aims Call,
aka Glitter
D
Girl in the Wind
espite growing up and living in a small town in Wyoming
from kindergarten through high school graduation, I am
a true gypsy at heart. Traveling is a passion of mine and
as soon as I left my hometown of Green River, Wyoming
I traveled the world as much as possible. I’ve had the chance to live
in some exciting cities ranging from New York City, Los Angeles,
Washington D.C. to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. and I
even spent some time living in northeastern China. While in China
I backpacked solo through most of the country and spent time
in the mountains at a Buddhist monastery. Of all of the places I
have lived Denver, Colorado is by far my favorite city. A true Rocky
Mountain girl needs her mountains and I absolutely love the riding
our beautiful state has to offer. Road trips on my bike are the very
best way to travel. I love being out in the open air riding through
beautiful canyons and countryside. Riding is pretty much always
on my mind. I’m always daydreaming of what new things I can do
to my bike and the next bike I am going to buy. I am constantly
daydreaming of new roads to travel and new places to see. I want
to cover the U.S. Canada and also ride new roads internationally.
The world is just one big riding opportunity!
Before I bought my bike I had no idea of the entirely new (to me)
world of riding that I was about to enter. One of the most life-changing
aspects of learning to ride has been meeting all of the amazing people
I have had the chance to meet so far. Riding has been a true gift and
I have made some amazing friends in the wind along the way. I have
learned to appreciate good riders who not only ride safely themselves
but look out for those in their riding group as well. These are the riders
I stick close to and while I love riding alone, riding with great friends
can be even better. Similar to how a wolf pack travels making sure
that the more vulnerable wolves are always protected. My friends
and I make sure we know the riding skills of all of us on the road
together and we ride at a pace and choose a route that is rider-friendly
for all of us to enjoy together. We don’t leave a fellow rider behind or
put them in a position where they may feel pressured to “keep up”
and we don’t take unnecessary risks that would risk group safety. My
advice to any new rider, especially women riders, is to find your wolf
pack and ride with them.
One of the best parts of riding is being a part of the conversations
along the way. Riding is so much more than the incredibly free
feeling of having our knees and face in the breeze. Riding has an
entire culture. Being a part of this culture you get to meet some
interesting fellow riders along the road and hear their stories. I
24 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado
believe if we really sat down and talked to just about anyone we
would be amazed at the stories that we all have to share. We share
stories to make each other laugh, we share stories to entertain, we
share stories to grow closer and understand one another and we
also share stories to help each other.
Riding has helped me start to enjoy life on a wholly different
level. A few years ago I survived a home invasion and an attempt
on my life. I fought hard to survive and apparently I’m meant to
be here because I was allowed to live. I see life each day as a gift
and I try to live life to the fullest. After the attack I had a hard time
sleeping and relived the event in nightmares for years. It has taken
a lot of time, prayer and hard work for me to heal and for me to get
better. I hated the person who had done this to me—and, waking
up hating someone every day can make you miserable.
I don’t know if you have ever heard the saying, “Holding onto anger
is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die”? This
May 2016
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