The stereotypical image of a Harley-Davidson rider is of an overweight guy with scruffy looking hair and clothes. So one might think being healthy and fit isn’t necessarily a requirement for riding motorcycles. But for a woman on a motorcycle, the healthy the better as it requires some strength in the core and upper body to handle the weight of the bike. And this weekend, I didn’t have that strength.
I hate missing the chance to ride, but I also hate the thought of crashing the motorcycle because I didn’t have the strength to handle the 500+ pound bike. We visited the bikes and started them up to keep the fluids flowing.
I also lacked the strength to gear up for the ride. I must wear 15-20 pounds of gear in the wintertime. And the hike up my parents’ steep driveway in the gear is quite a workout. So I’m taking it easy this weekend, despite the temperature reaching the mid-50s and the rain holding off to keep the roads dry enough for riding. I’ll work on healing this week and maybe have enough strength back to ride next week.
Saturday morning, I awoke to a thin blanket of snow and dark, wet roads. I was happy to see some snow enough for the kids to get outside and play in, but I also knew that meant no ride. Luckily, the sun shone brightly all day, drying off enough of the roads to make a make-up ride on Sunday possible.
That meant, though, as we rode Sunday, the landscape was a mix of deep greens, browns and patches of white. It also meant staying extra vigilant looking for ice on the roads. Mostly, where we rode in the sun was clear and dry, but one road we turned down had a large slushy, icy patch flowing a foot out into the street.
The wildlife clearly enjoyed the day. I saw several groups of Canadian geese, some ducks on the river, squirrels acting squirrelly, and another beautiful white egret flying overhead against the bright blue sky. But my favorite part of the ride came as a surprise. I had just turned onto the road that used to have the beautiful fall foliage but is bare, wintry branches now. I caught a flicker of movement as a bird darted into the trees, and I thought I saw the tell-tale red breast of a robin. I looked about for more robins, wondering if the day after our snowstorm, signs of spring were already evident. But I soon forgot about robins as I saw overhead flying twenty feet above a young bald eagle. For a moment I wished I had a way to signal to Bill up ahead to look up. Instead, I got the rare treat of watching the eagle soar along a path nearly parallel to the road I was riding on, so I enjoyed my birdwatching for several minutes.
I did have one frustration throughout the ride. Because of the time of day and the angle of the sun, I decided to wear my sunglasses under my helmet. Big mistake. I spent too much of the ride having to fight the visor up so I could adjust the glasses back up on my nose. Wearing those glasses was a mistake, one I won’t make again. I’m just glad I had my glasses adjusted when the eagle went soaring by.
And if you are wondering about the heated socks, I adjusted my under socks to thin trouser socks and wore the heated socks on the outside of my leggings to better reach the controls. My winter pants, though, adjusted the heat setting. I had them on high, but when I was taking off my gear, the right sock was on the lowest setting, and the left was on the medium setting. My feet were warm, but I would like to be the one controlling the heat settings, not the riding pants!
While mother nature does bless motorcycle riders with perfect days for riding, she also remembers the season and blows in wintry cold for our ride. We waited to ride until the sun had a chance to warm up the day as much as it would—upper 30s but with a wind chill into the twenties, but that meant riding into the low hanging sun. After several moments during the ride of near blind riding due to the direct sunlight, Bill and I decided it would be better to battle the chill and have proper vision.
Plus, for Christmas, I was given a pair of Snow Deer heated socks. They have three heat settings, so I tried the lowest heat setting for today. I also had my usual riding socks on underneath, but these double socks made for tight boots, and I did have a few missed shifts with the shifter. But my feet were toasty warm. And for the curious, the heating element is only in the foot part of the sock not up to the knee.
I also remembered my Rev’It winter riding gloves, but I didn’t remember how to wear them with my leather jacket. I struggled to take the gloves off because I had tucked the gauntlet part up under my jacket sleeves and couldn’t reach the Velcro closure or the zipper. After some awkward maneuvering with my jacket sleeve, I finally removed the gloves, and I relearned how to wear them. The winter gloves are gauntlets which means they have an extended cuff that should go over the top of my sleeve. But I’m accustomed to the Klim gloves which are just regular cuffed gloves that stop at the wrist. My struggles with the Rev’Its had my wondering if I’d even worn them last winter. I don’t think I did; I think the weather stayed moderate enough on our rides that the medium weight Klim with the heated grips were enough to keep me comfortable.
However, now that I’ve made pre-loading the front brake a habit of my rides, the heated grips with the Klim gloves aren’t enough for my fingers. The Rev’It gauntlets kept my fingertips from growing numb, so I solved the chilly hands issue. In fact with all my layers (five on my core), I was snugly warm everywhere but in my seat and thighs. I had worn my heavy duty leggings under my winter riding pants, but I need to break out the thermal for under forty rides.
Since it was so cold and so windy, there was not much natural scenery to enjoy amid the brown bare branches. The sky was a clear blue and made a beautiful back drop for the snowy white egret that flew over us as we made figure eights in the church lot. Mostly I saw seagulls soaring about, pushed inland by the wind over the ocean. I did spot the shadowed teal head of a drake in the lake, and I spotted one squirrel scurrying up a tree away from the motorcycle’s roar. But mostly the only movement was from fallen leaves bandied about in the breeze. A few spots of color were provided by the camellias and some pansies, but most of the ride featured brown and green scenery.
There were still a few Christmas decorations out, and I always appreciate the people who keep Christmas traditional and celebrate through the Epiphany. I understand the practicality most people have in taking the décor down before heading back to work, but it makes me a little sad to know the commercial interests are winning Christmas. How many people know that the twelve days of Christmas aren’t a countdown to December 25, but they are the twelve days from Christmas to the arrival of the three wise men?
Next week’s ride will be full winter with no holidays—unless people start decorating for Valentine’s Day (yikes!). Well, I’m assuming we’ll be able to ride. There is a large winter storm forecasted for this week, so please be safe readers. Snow is one of the few wonderful surprises that would make missing a ride bearable.
Flutterby Biker 