'Nuff said!Catch ya on the road
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
12/10/09 COLD!
365 Group (f)
14 degrees here this morning!
There was the promise of a rise to the middle 30's today. Now that's a heat wave...don't care who ya are. I managed to get out and put the charger on the battery as that seems to help with my "one and a half to two thirds" kick wonder. This morning I even managed to prop a heater up against the oil pan. That seemed to make all the difference in the world. Yesterday was as cold but I didn't ride as the car was handy and all that. Today however there were many variables, like a friend that needed my car. So, a ride in was in order.
I got into my snow mobile suit and went to disconnect the charger and heater. The bike fired up on the second kick, settled into a nice rumbling idle. I gave it a few minutes to warm up and headed out.
Like yesterday, it wasn't too bad in the short haul. This translated into slower speeds. About 45 was the sub Arctic sweet spot. I made it down the highway to my turn off without any problems. Most people on the road I think were just too cold to be stupid this morning. After I got off the highway and on the county road my 45 mph sweet spot ran out good and I even felt like I made pretty good time. I also didn't feel like I was freezing.
Pulling on the Parkway traffic picked up a little and since it's mostly short straight shots between traffic lights I hammered down between the lights. As I pulled away from my last light on the parkway, a sport bike pulled in behind me. He was all leathered up and frozen looking. He followed me over to my turn off at work and pulled in beside me.
Introducing himself as Josh he said he was curious as to how far I had ridden this morning. When I explained that I was coming only a total of thirteen miles he seemed impressed. Telling me that he had only just gotten started where he got in behind me and was going to take his finals at the university. He also asked if there was any tricks to riding in the cold. All I could think of to tell him was go slow and stop to warm up when he felt like it. Josh nodded and pulled back out into traffic. Hope he made it and was able to hold a pencil.
I asked the Security guy if he had seen any other "idjit's" on two wheelers this morning. Laughing, he said, yep. Seems that a lot of the morning "in town" riders rode in as usual. This made me feel pretty good about my morning adventure.
Hope work gets in gear. Cant wait to see what the evening ride is like.
Catch ya on the road...(if I don't wave it's because my arms are frozen in place)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
12/09/09 13 degrees
365 Group (f)
This morning it was thirteen degrees when I got up. No I didn't ride in today. I thought about it and ...nahhhhhhhhh.
When I got back to the house this afternoon it was up to 25 degrees. A regular heat wave. I couldn't resist. I Fired the old bike up and ambled down the drive. I figured on just a quick pass through the neighborhood and back to the house.
Once I got on the paved road and got going it really wasn't too bad, for a short haul. I tooled down to the gas station and ordered some fries to go.
As I waited on my fires several people ask me silly questions about being cold and did my heater work. I managed a straight serious face and replied yep, heater works good. Defroster doesn't do so well though. A couple of these people even came on with the old "I was going to ride my Harley today but..." routine, to try to impress the young the girls working there. It was quite humorous actually. Posers is I think what they are call now days.
The girls at the store all know me and knew that I was having fun. I got my fires and a coke and saddled back up. The trip meter on my LSI said 2.3 miles. 0.3 miles over the daily requirement.
For a short run and I do mean short, it wasn't too bad. Kind of fun actually.
Oh yeah, fries werent too bad either...lots of ketchup and all.
Catch ya on the road
This morning it was thirteen degrees when I got up. No I didn't ride in today. I thought about it and ...nahhhhhhhhh.
When I got back to the house this afternoon it was up to 25 degrees. A regular heat wave. I couldn't resist. I Fired the old bike up and ambled down the drive. I figured on just a quick pass through the neighborhood and back to the house.
Once I got on the paved road and got going it really wasn't too bad, for a short haul. I tooled down to the gas station and ordered some fries to go.
As I waited on my fires several people ask me silly questions about being cold and did my heater work. I managed a straight serious face and replied yep, heater works good. Defroster doesn't do so well though. A couple of these people even came on with the old "I was going to ride my Harley today but..." routine, to try to impress the young the girls working there. It was quite humorous actually. Posers is I think what they are call now days.
The girls at the store all know me and knew that I was having fun. I got my fires and a coke and saddled back up. The trip meter on my LSI said 2.3 miles. 0.3 miles over the daily requirement.
For a short run and I do mean short, it wasn't too bad. Kind of fun actually.
Oh yeah, fries werent too bad either...lots of ketchup and all.
Catch ya on the road
Monday, December 7, 2009
12/8/09 Not bad
365 Group (f)
This morning was a cool one. The weather channel said it was around 38 or so. Felt cooler to me but who am I to argue with experts.
I tanked up on some really good coffee and "wooled" the hounds around some. As daylight started creeping in the windows I slipped on my snowmobile suit and headed out.
It really wasn't all that bad when the wind wasn't blowing. It took three kicks this morning as the oil was a "weee" bit thicker. But hearing the way the rumble split the morning quiet it was worth the extra effort.
As it warmed up I strapped down all the junk for work. I couldn't help but chuckle at the "extra over sized saddle bags" a well meaning friend told me I needed. Bless her heart, she just still don't get it. No more than I carry, no farther than I go it would just be a waste for me. But she means well.
Bouncing down the drive I get a great picture of early morning heavy, almost ice, frost on everything. With the sun light hitting it, everything is bright, clear and clean looking. I love mornings like that.
The traffic was light and I settled into a easy ride of about fifty mph. It wasn't too cold at this speed. With the light traffic it was just about as good as it gets. I made my turn at the foot of the mountain and started through the short twisties, slowing down to look over a herd of deer that were ambling around with some cattle. Smart critters, it's deer season around here. I almost stopped and took a couple of pictures, but it's cold and that's a good enough reason for me to weenie out.
Once I topped the hill at my half way point I could feel a warm temperature change and figured that it probably would get a little warmer through out the day. So my ride back in should be a good one.
I got on the parkway and fell in with a bunch of hooligans that were trying to play bumper car tag or some such nonsense. I finally had enough and as the next light changed I put some real distance between me and them. It's bad enough riding around this small town morning traffic with the regular idiots. No sense encouraging the ones with a pedigree.
A look at my watch showed me to be several minutes ahead this morning so I figured a cup of coffee and and a biscuit "somethingorother" was in order. I jumped on 71 north and hit the first drive through I saw, a Sonic, where a lovely older lady took my order and cheerfully advised me that as cool as it was she was convinced that I had left my good sense at home. Man! This was going to be a good day. I rode out laughing and headed over to the office.
Work oozed by as it always does and at quitting time I was really ready to head for the house. I pulled out into the evening traffic and headed toward the side streets I use to get across town to the new parkway. Once on the side streets the traffic is normally light as I'm slipping through mostly residential areas. Today was a little different as there was some work on the traffic lights going on. As I sat in traffic waiting on the cop to let us go I saw another rider coming up behind me in the turn lane. He was just easing along trying to get to as close to end of the line of traffic and around whatever obstruction there was as he could. He pulled up beside me and motioned ahead in a questioning way. "Workin on the lights" I yelled. He nodded and we sat there for a few. Finally the cop motioned us on and we eased our way out of the traffic. We ran along to the 265 intersection. With a wave he went his way and I went mine.
I had a good uneventful ride back to the house and felt very relaxed. Pulling back in at the house I thought about the day and, well, "not a bad ride".
catch ya on the road
This morning was a cool one. The weather channel said it was around 38 or so. Felt cooler to me but who am I to argue with experts.
I tanked up on some really good coffee and "wooled" the hounds around some. As daylight started creeping in the windows I slipped on my snowmobile suit and headed out.
It really wasn't all that bad when the wind wasn't blowing. It took three kicks this morning as the oil was a "weee" bit thicker. But hearing the way the rumble split the morning quiet it was worth the extra effort.
As it warmed up I strapped down all the junk for work. I couldn't help but chuckle at the "extra over sized saddle bags" a well meaning friend told me I needed. Bless her heart, she just still don't get it. No more than I carry, no farther than I go it would just be a waste for me. But she means well.
Bouncing down the drive I get a great picture of early morning heavy, almost ice, frost on everything. With the sun light hitting it, everything is bright, clear and clean looking. I love mornings like that.
The traffic was light and I settled into a easy ride of about fifty mph. It wasn't too cold at this speed. With the light traffic it was just about as good as it gets. I made my turn at the foot of the mountain and started through the short twisties, slowing down to look over a herd of deer that were ambling around with some cattle. Smart critters, it's deer season around here. I almost stopped and took a couple of pictures, but it's cold and that's a good enough reason for me to weenie out.
Once I topped the hill at my half way point I could feel a warm temperature change and figured that it probably would get a little warmer through out the day. So my ride back in should be a good one.
I got on the parkway and fell in with a bunch of hooligans that were trying to play bumper car tag or some such nonsense. I finally had enough and as the next light changed I put some real distance between me and them. It's bad enough riding around this small town morning traffic with the regular idiots. No sense encouraging the ones with a pedigree.
A look at my watch showed me to be several minutes ahead this morning so I figured a cup of coffee and and a biscuit "somethingorother" was in order. I jumped on 71 north and hit the first drive through I saw, a Sonic, where a lovely older lady took my order and cheerfully advised me that as cool as it was she was convinced that I had left my good sense at home. Man! This was going to be a good day. I rode out laughing and headed over to the office.
Work oozed by as it always does and at quitting time I was really ready to head for the house. I pulled out into the evening traffic and headed toward the side streets I use to get across town to the new parkway. Once on the side streets the traffic is normally light as I'm slipping through mostly residential areas. Today was a little different as there was some work on the traffic lights going on. As I sat in traffic waiting on the cop to let us go I saw another rider coming up behind me in the turn lane. He was just easing along trying to get to as close to end of the line of traffic and around whatever obstruction there was as he could. He pulled up beside me and motioned ahead in a questioning way. "Workin on the lights" I yelled. He nodded and we sat there for a few. Finally the cop motioned us on and we eased our way out of the traffic. We ran along to the 265 intersection. With a wave he went his way and I went mine.
I had a good uneventful ride back to the house and felt very relaxed. Pulling back in at the house I thought about the day and, well, "not a bad ride".
catch ya on the road
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