Finally! A beautiful, early spring-like day arrived and I was up for a motorcycle ride. The temperature was in the low-70s, the sun was shining brightly, and the snow was completely melted. And yes, welcome to southeastern Virginia’s strange weather patterns—a blizzard last week; spring this week.
I was a little nervous about the ride. It’s been over six weeks, my core is weakened, and motorcycle riding can require body strength to readjust and correct potential mishaps. I also worried about my basic skills like feathering the clutch so the R Nine T wouldn’t stall. But as the expression goes, “It’s like riding a bike,” and it was. My skills returned easily and readily.
I also had a fantastic omen. As I headed to the car, I happened to look up at the clear blue sky and saw a bald eagle fly over and watched as he soared down the block.
I told Bill I wanted an easy, loping ride through the neighborhoods with no slow-speed drills. As I’m writing this, I realize that once I was on the R Nine T, I didn’t have any worries about the clutch feathering. My biggest concern came as we turned the corner around my parents’ block and I rode over the torn up strips of road. But after a moment’s thought of how my tire could slip in the uneven gravel, my worries left me, and I relaxed to enjoy my first ride in too long.
The daffodils took the opportunity of the beautiful day to begin blooming, adding bright spots of yellow to the still-wintry landscape along with the reds and pinks of the camellias. The Canadian geese are returning more plentiful as they migrate northward. I spotted many sparrows darting about but didn’t see any robins. I was pushing my luck to hope I could spot another eagle, but all I saw were turkey vultures buffeting about in the strong winds.
March, despite the lovely temperature and sunshine, is coming in like a lion; the wind was gusting some but picked up later in the evening. But I am so happy that the day was perfect for my return to riding.
Flutterby Biker 