Story by Jeremiah Kalb
As a motorsports enthusiast, Peer Review nurse Sue Salvesen loves spending time on the many miles of trails and dirt roads in Eastern Idaho whenever the opportunity presents itself.
“I love the outdoors, and riding motorbikes get me out in the great open spaces to enjoy the sights, smells, and explore,” she says.
Sue and her husband, Dave, are owners of many motorsport vehicles, including a Kawasaki 140 and Polaris RZR for off-roading and a Gold Wing street bike for long-distance cruising.
One of Sue’s favorite outdoor scents when riding are those top-secret huckleberry patches.
“You can smell the patches when you’re close,” she says.
These tart purple treats grow in the mountain areas, where they are kept cool by trees and overgrowth.
When asked about the locations of such forest treasures, Sue only shared limited information.
“Oh, about 20 minutes up in the foothills,” she smiles.
In Idaho, most like to guard their top-secret picking locations, so I asked Sue what else she wanted to share about biking outdoors.
“It’s funny when you’re enclosed in a car; you don’t notice the temperature changes from cold to hot like you do on a bike,” she says.
Sue savors those moments when going into irrigation areas or down into farm areas where the temperatures and smells can change suddenly. Motorsports give her the freedom to mindfully experience these sensations, and Sue loves every minute of it.
Her enthusiasm for enjoying nature and living in the present moment is an excellent reminder for all of us to stop and smell the roses every once in a while, wherever we are.
When we smell something, a signal is sent directly into the neocortex and limbic system, making it a powerful trigger for inducing memories, emotions, and thoughts.
While noticing the world around her, Sue enjoys riding on paved roads just as much as dirt roads.
“We’ve done a five-day ride through Montana on the Gold Wing, stopping at a hot spring each night that was way fun.”
Montana is home to over 50 hot springs, offering relaxing soaks in majestic mountain settings.
“We have a little trailer we take behind us and camp. If we don’t want to camp, we’ll get a hotel. It depends on how far we go that day.”
Born and raised in Rexburg, Idaho, Sue, a nurse for 30 years and Dave, a retired service manager/motorsports mechanic, raised four boys and two girls to love riding. Their children are now raising children of their own to love the sport as much as their parents and grandparents.
“All 10 of our grandchildren love to dirt bike,” Sue says. “The younger ones fight to ride “shotgun” in the side-by-side with grandma.”
When they do the math, as many as 28 of Sue’s family members love to escape to Moab or Kanab, Utah, every third week in March to enjoy seemingly endless possibilities for adventure.
Moab, known as the Mecca of off-road recreation, offers them unique motorcycle riding with some of the most stunning red rock landscapes on Earth.
“It’s a big family affair,” Sue says.
Closer to home, the family’s top favorite escape is Moody Meadow, 25 miles southeast of Rexburg. This lesser-known mixed pine and broad leaf forest make the travel through long dusty roads and windy turns to reach this spot worth it.
“All of our kids have been raised to ride there,” Sue says.
The trails are quickly accessible, so Sue’s family can easily take off and ride and come back one hour or four hours later as they please.
“This puts me with the ones I love to enjoy this sport together,” she says.
So we see that spending time with family can be a joyful experience when “play” is part of the mix.