Happy-Camper Ride

Despite the dark, threatening clouds hovering in the northwest sky, we decided to trust the forecast and the sunshine obstinately holding its own against the impending storm and go for our ride. As we unloaded the gear, Bill noted what he thought were raindrops on the car’s back window, and I felt my heart sink. But the pavement was dry, and the rain wasn’t expected until 10 o’clock at night, so I voted we risk it and head out. I was reassured in my decision when the little friendly garage cabbage white butterfly fluttered over to check out the motorcycles. That was a good omen.

Something was up with traffic, though. On the drive over, traffic was heavier than it had ever been even off the highway in the neighborhoods. We hadn’t gone half a mile when we encountered congestion on the main road through the neighborhood. Bill had warned me to be aware of crazy traffic, and he wasn’t kidding. We ducked onto a road that made an arc from point to point on the main road and let the traffic pass.

Doing the duck away when traffic got a little heavy kept the ride pleasant and not too hectic. As we rode past some scruffy looking gentlemen in the road, we were given the two-finger motorcycle salute. I know one day my body will be too fragile and frail to let me ride motorcycles, but I take some comfort in knowing that with the two-wheel life wave, I can always be a part of the motorcycle life.

My thoughts did not remain melancholy; I think it is impossible to stay melancholy while riding a motorcycle. Whether it’s the fresh air, the wind blowing negativity out of my mind, or the giddy thrill of having an 1,170 cc engine with 109 HP moving me along, riding a motorcycle is a happy-camper maker. There’s also the visceral experience of being exposed in nature, feeling I could reach out and touch the tiger swallowtail as it flits by or getting hit by a leaf blown about in the wind. The flowers and trees seem more vivid in the colors perhaps because they are not filtered through a car’s windshield or windows.

I spotted more irises in bloom, a whole clump of lavender shaded flowers enjoying the sun. I also saw another peony bush with large, cabbage-like white flowers. The two peonies I have seen are both planted around the base of mailboxes. Perhaps the peonies are the latest trend; clematis and roses have been the most noticeable mailbox blossoms.

Speaking of roses, they are really blossoming now. I love the color varieties of roses, and they make a lush addition to any yard. So do the Japanese maples which are hitting full leaf and adding that lovely burgundy contrast to the explosion of green from all the other trees. I spotted several cabbage white butterflies in and out of all the foliage. And again, I saw a black butterfly above my head; based on its height and that it was heading toward trees, I’m guessing that it was a black swallowtail.

As we rode along our last big road before the ride’s end, I happened to glance up just as a dragonfly flew overhead. Dragonflies mean summertime (and mosquitos), but a day in the low 80s can be spring or summer and I’ll take it anytime of year. When we were in the garage, Bill asked me if I’d seen the skink in the middle of the road. I hadn’t; I was looking up at the dragonfly. But I didn’t run over the stupid little guy who Bill said didn’t move. I was following on the inside of Bill and out of the path of the sunning skink. That’s just one of the reasons riding motorcycles is so much fun; it’s always some kind of an adventure.

Easter-Eve Ride

From chills to warm thrills, this week’s ride was on a day heading into the mid-80s. I had to remember to open up the air vents in my helmet for today’s ride. We headed out earlier in the day to avoid the full heat of the day and, while I was warm, I was comfortable between the ride wind and the wind gusts.

I think the gusty wind kept my butterfly sightings down. I did manage to spot five cabbage whites throughout the ride, including my first friend who I caught out of the corner of my eye and first thought was a dogwood flower petal. I also spotted another tiger swallowtail, my first black butterfly of the season which was either a black swallowtail or a dusky hairstreak. And when I got home from the ride, I saw the little Atlantis Fritillary butterfly.

As we rode, I realized Bill would lead us through more slow-speed drills to take advantage of the reasonable warmth. My on-street U-turns were great; the second one was tight enough to leave a foot and a half of road before the berm. We even went in the hospital lot to work on sudden stops for the first time in a while. My stops still need work, but I really am enjoying the lean of the motorcycle and the ease of balance control as I spin around.

One think I’m bad at is forgetting to mention some of what I see on my rides. For example, last week I spotted a small peony bush full of blushing white blossoms. And most of the flutterings in the air weren’t butterflies but those helicopter seed pods from the maple trees. On this week’s ride, I spotted my first box turtle sunning himself on a log in the river. Technically, it isn’t the first turtle I’ve seen, but the actual first one didn’t make it across the road (I hate mentioning the bad stuff).

The only birds I saw were some turkey vultures high up in the thermals, some Canadian geese, and an egret flying overhead. It always amazes me how I can spot a large bird in the sky and how quickly it can seemingly disappear in the vast blueness. On the drive over, a small kestrel zoomed right past the windshield.

The azaleas are holding mostly strong, but the dogwoods are going green. The Japanese maples add a lovely contrasting burgundy to all the green. I saw my first day lilies, but I thought they might be newly planted fresh from the garden store as they were pretty uniform—not that I care. I spotted a few Easter decorations including an Easter bunny driving a carrot mobile to deliver eggs and Snoopy dressed up as the Easter bunny. I know it’s a lovely weekend for Easter, and riding my motorcycle out among the rebirth of nature is a wonderful way to celebrate!

Atlantis Fritillary butterfly (orange and black butterfly in green grass)

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

My usual rides are on Saturdays, and I was trying to psych myself up for the ride. It’s funny how a 50 degree day in the winter is a gift of warmth. But a 50 degree day in the spring is cold. Clearly, it’s all in one’s perspective, but I was in the midst of debating whether I should pull out my leather jacket or if I could tough it out for one ride. It didn’t help that the skies were gray and threatening and the wind was gusting enough to make it feel 10 degrees colder. After a brief discussion with Bill, we opted to risk the ride on Sunday because it promised to be 10 degrees warmer and at least partly sunny.

Well the sun did come out tomorrow. While there were clouds and it didn’t get quite as warm as promised earlier in the week, the warmth from the sun made for a mostly comfortable ride. I dressed in layers with flannel and thermal shirts in the mix and wore my Rev’It leather pants and only had a bit of a chill on my thighs that went away as the sun beat down on my black pants and the motorcycle warmed up.

The sun decided to shine on us throughout the ride, and the curvy road was passable again, so we zoomed up and down it. The Canadian geese are back in smaller groups and mating pairs—it is springtime. The azaleas are approaching peak bloom, and I rode by a house with a phenomenal array of azaleas with blooming dogwoods completing the landscaping. Reds, white, pinks, and purples arrayed in front of the white and pink blossoms of the dogwoods. The pink dogwoods are at peak, while the white dogwoods are a mix mostly of blossoms and leaves, though a few late bloomers were peaking. I also spotted the knockout roses beginning to bloom and am amazed to see several camellias still in bloom. I also spotted my first blooming clematis, and I expect to see more in bloom next week.

The day was so beautiful, Bill led us on a long cruise. I thought we might do some slow speed maneuvers because of the cool day, but our only turnarounds were in cul-de-sacs or the square lot. While I was turning in the square lot, I was reminded of my MSF test and the box—a twenty foot square box in which I was supposed to U-turn inside the lines. I didn’t stay inside the lines at the time but, as I made a tight turn, I recognized that part of the reason I couldn’t turn tightly was the motorcycle I was riding. A cruiser like the old Kawasaki Eliminator has a longer rake meaning the front forks are more angled and the front wheel is stretched out more. On the R Nine T, I’m in a more upright position and the forks are more up and down, so I can turn the wheel in a tighter radius. I realized that on my motorcycle, I would pass the box test no problem. And I was glad the instructors at the MSF course let me slide on my box test.

I spotted four cabbage white butterflies during my ride; I think they came out because of the sunshine because it was cool. I had hoped I might see an eagle since we went up the curvy road, but no luck. However, we did spot an osprey soaring up above the river and he put on a bit of an aerobatic show for us. I also saw the snow goose was back with the flock of Canadian geese. Mostly, however, I saw crows flitting all over; they get quite active in the spring.

The ride lasted longer than our usual rides, but I still hated heading back to the garage. However, I was really hungry, and I know I’ll be back on my bike for next week’s ride.

200 Rides and Still Going Strong

I began writing about my motorcycle rides as a way to reflect on what I was learning as well as to record the beautiful natural sites I saw. I’ve hit my 200^th blog and my 200^th ride and it was spectacular.

I did have a rough start, however. My gym closed and I needed to adjust my training, so I added a Saturday visit in addition to my usual ride. This extra step necessitated planning and packing; while I could wear my gym clothes, I needed to pack up my riding gear. Sometimes it would be easier to not dress for the slide like the young man we saw driving over who was on a motorcycle in his shorts, t-shirt, and Vans. That’s fine and cool as long as absolutely nothing goes wrong on the road. My riding attire, though, is padded jeans reinforced with Kelvar, knee pads, Dakota boots, two jackets, gloves, and an airbag vest. I opted for my jeans as the riding temperature was in the low 80s.

As I packed up my attire—t-shirt, socks, knee pads, and jeans—I reminded myself I would need a belt for the jeans. Unfortunately, I did not put the belt in my bag right as the thought occurred to me, so when I changed into my riding attire, I was beltless. I figured I would be OK for the ride since I sit down, and I planned on tucking in my t-shirt and my Alpinestars jacket inside the jeans to give me more heft. I shared my predicament with Bill for a good laugh, but Bill’s a problem solver, so he immediately began searching the garage for options. I had considered using an old extension cord, but I didn’t want to twist that up and possibly damage it. But then Bill spotted the bungee cord around my old suitcase cart (for those that don’t know, suitcase carts had a brief heyday right before wheels on suitcases became commonplace). The bungee cord worked and my jeans were secure for both the ride and the shopping trip after.

I did take mental note of my forgetfulness and registered the need to make sure I paid extra attention on the road. I received another lovely blessing as I walked down to the R Nine T; the little cabbage white butterfly that hangs around my parents’ house, flew right in front of me between me and the motorcycle. I laughed and wondered if the little guy wanted to ride himself.

With the dogwood trees hitting peak bloom, the Kwanzan cherry trees heavy with their puffy pink blossoms, the tulips blooming, and the small flower azaleas flowering, the butterflies and bees had a lot of choices on where to go. The pollen was so thick on cars and in bright yellow puddles in the gutters. I am very glad we get to keep the motorcycles in the garage. In addition to the pollen thickening the air, the oak trees have begun dropping their thin pollen “worms.” The pollen was so thick it had collected along the shore of the river, creating a large greenish-brown arc on the water.

I spotted nine more cabbage whites throughout my ride dancing among the new green leaves and the burgundy of the Japanese maples; numbers eight and nine were dancing around each other. And I did clearly spot a tiger swallowtail again near the top of a fir tree. I saw what I think was an eastern comma butterfly, and near the end of the ride, I sotted a yellow sulphur zipping about. The great blue heron was back in the shallows as the tide began to roll in, watching us carefully as we circled around in the cul-de-sac. And a few Canadian geese were grazing in the large field behind the church.

I do love riding in the springtime. I enjoyed the cooling air washing over me and leaning into my turns. And I especially love the sites as nature enjoys its coming out from the long winter hibernation. It was a warm day, but we kept the slow speed stuff to a minimum and mostly cruised. For a 200^th ride, this one was spectacular, and I will surely be adding 200 more rides.