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