Yet again the dogs have not arrived, that is the dog days of summer.  While Saturday was humid, the temperatures were in the mid-80s, and a lot of motorcyclists were out and about for an end of summer ride.  School starts on Monday, so summer is definitely coming to its end.  Overall, we’ve had some beautiful days for riding this summer.

            The fall hints were there in more leaves beginning to change color and drop.  I haven’t seen any mums yet, but I noticed the green leaves have a tired look as though they’ve given almost all the soothing green they can.  I definitely see the change in the Japanese maples, but with the mild summer we’ve had, there are still lots of flowery blooms adding color to the ride.  And I spotted a couple of butterflies still enjoying them, including a small Baltimore checkerspot that flew right in front of me and a monarch flitting about the late blooms.

            My ride went really well, though I did have one mis-shift into neutral.  My on-street U-turns were all street, and I enjoyed working on the lean over the tank and trying to tighten up my turns throughout our ride.  Even my quick stops had very little shake from the ABS as I worked on using the engine braking to help slow the motorcycle.  My only real issue was the numbness in my right hand.  Maybe the humidity that helped to plaster my riding gear to my skin made my jacket tighter, but for some reason the numbness was worse during this ride than it has been.  I thought I might ask Bill for handlebar risers for Christmas if they aren’t too troublesome to install because I really do think it’s the slight lean forward riding position on the R Nine T that messes up my circulation.  I think this because I didn’t have this issue on either of my other motorcycles, the BMW 310 GS nor the Ducati Scrambler.             The discomfort, however, isn’t enough to stop me from riding especially since next weekend is forecast for more low to mid-80s.  Beautiful August riding weather even as autumn approaches.  As I took off my boots, I noticed a garden spider in its web, another sign of fall which, like the spring, makes for perfect motorcycle riding weather.

I thought last week’s ride was a fluke; it’s August in the mid-Atlantic, temperatures are meant to be in the 90s with high humidity.  But I think we may be in for an early autumn this year (yay!) as careful looking will reveal leaves already changing.  The high for today’s ride was 80 degrees with a cool northeasterly breeze.  I actually felt a little chilly as I started off and reveled in that autumn air here in August.  We passed a lot of motorcycle riders on our way to our own ride taking advantage of a perfect riding day.

            There are other hints that fall is fast approaching.  The Canadian geese flocks are growing in number as their ranks swell from migration.  I am also seeing more robins about, and I noted on today’s ride that the brown-eyed Susans, blooming strong for so many weeks, have a tired fadedness to them.  Now there are still splashes of color from the vincas, newly planted impatiens, geraniums, and begonias, but I spotted another twice-blooming azalea with flowers opening, another sign of autumn.

            I needed this ride even as I felt it might be more than I can handle.  I felt woozy and weak and seriously considered telling Bill to go off on his own, but I decided to see what I could do and head in early if I felt overwhelmed.  It was the right decision; my weakened state seemed to make me more focused, and my ride was helpfully smooth.  My only mistake was during the on-street U-turns.  My first turn around was all road, and I took a moment to feel self-satisfied.  But in that moment, I lost my bearings on where Bill was in his turn, so as I started my second turn, I realized I would turn right on top of a sewer cover.  I straightened and went further up the road to complete my second turn, but Bill had to wait in the cul-de-sac for me to catch up.

            It was funny that I was given pause over a sewer lid.  I had been thinking about writing about the dangers these metal plates in the road hold for motorcyclists. What makes them dangerous?  They can be extra slick and slippery especially when wet and hold onto oil in the road causing a loss of traction.  Since we only ride on dry roads, the loss of traction threat is minimal, but it could still happen if the tire tread angles onto the metal in just the right way.  That was my concern in my U-turn; with the motorcycle leaned over and the front tire turned, I wasn’t confident that the traction would hold, so I avoided the issue by riding until I was turning on pavement.

            I was glad to realize that my mind was well-focused on what I was doing on the ride especially the way I was feeling.  I thought the U-turns would be physically challenging, but I managed them well-enough and lasted for our entire ride.  I managed to not trigger the ABS on my one quick stop by using more roadway and engine braking to slow down.

            One sad note about the approaching autumn.  Yes, my rides will be more comfortable and less sweaty.  And I very much look forward to the colorful leaves.  Yet I will the butterflies.  On today’s ride I only saw two; a confused monarch that almost flew back into Bill and a small black butterfly that might have been a great purple hairstreak, but I can’t be sure.  Maybe I’ll see it again on next week’s ride.

            The forecast held and actually improved by riding day.  On the second day of August our ride was under sunshine and with a high of 78 degrees and a cool breeze out of the northeast.  A perfect riding day which is why I spotted tons of motorcycles out on the roads.  There were some large cloud banks in the sky, but they never covered the sun, giving us the gift of a perfect summer day for riding motorcycles.

            Fully geared up, I was excited to head out.  I needed some riding therapy after seeing my car this morning.  A tree branch from the neighbor’s tree fell in the strong winds that brought in the cooler air and dented and scratched the right side of my car.  Now, for my final week of summer holidays, I have to deal with body work on the car—not fun.  So, I needed some serious riding therapy, and I was presented with the perfect day for it.

            I had a rough start on the R Nine T trying my rear brake technique on the road camber.  I was fighting against gravity and over rolled on the throttle; luckily, I have terrific brakes on my motorcycle and didn’t go flying.  After that, though, my ride smoothed out and I enjoyed working on my skills such as U-turns, straight line riding, swerving, and sudden stops (though I still trigger the ABS).

            I also enjoyed the beautiful flowers still blooming thanks to the plentiful rainfall—including Friday—and the cooler summer.  The crape myrtles were smelling sweet again after getting some rain, and the brown-eyed Susans are still blooming strong.  I also noted the bursting blooms on the white oakleaf hydrangeas which seem to be the plant of the season.  I even spotted a small azalea in deep shade with flowers; it might be one of those twice-blooming varieties, and it is getting an early fall bloom.

            With the strong breeze, I wasn’t sure if I’d see many butterflies, but the butterflies were making sure I spotted them.  The first one I saw was a small American copper that I couldn’t miss as it flew right at my helmet before veering off to the left.  A few moments later, a black swallowtail flew right at me before veering off to the right.  I appreciated them making sure I got to see them.  A tiger swallowtail flew across our path, and I spotted a ceranus blue butterfly before seeing another American copper.  As we exited the square lot where I briefly hit full lock on the right side, a monarch butterfly drifted by.

            The motorcycle ride was just what I needed to lift my spirits.  We rode a little longer because of the beautiful day and, with the sun on us the whole time, I did get a little sweaty in my gear, but not uncomfortably so.  And the butterflies definitely made me smile.  While I took off my riding boots, a huge tiger swallowtail flew up to the window and then across the yard, adding the bow as this gift of a day wrapped up.