Did You Miss Us?

Overhead as we unloaded our riding gear, we spotted three ospreys and an eagle soaring high in the thermals and probably fighting over territory. It was a spectacular sight. The garage cabbage white fluttered by followed by a young tiger swallowtail enjoying the warm day, and it gave me hope of some butterfly spottings as we rode.

We again lucked out with the weather. Some much needed rain had fallen the night before but had dried on the roads by the time we headed out on our motorcycles. We have been in quite a dry spell, and the rain-refreshed irises, roses, peonies, rhododendrons, azaleas, and buttercups clearly brought the butterflies back. All in all I spotted twenty butterflies during the ride, mostly cabbage whites, but beautiful sights on a beautiful day.

With the temperature at 80 degrees, I kept my jackets partially unzipped to let in the cool air. A mile into our ride, I spotted the first two cabbage whites flittering among the buttercups. I did make three mistakes at the first three stops, forgetting to check my rearview mirrors. That realization helped me refocus, and I did my mirror check at all remaining stops. But it did rattle me to realize my focus was perhaps too much on the butterflies and not enough on my skills.

Once I refocused on my riding skills, I let the butterfly spotting be my secondary focus. I made sure to check directions at all intersections and check my mirrors at all stops. I also remembered not to look at the berm during my on street U-turns, and they were both plenty of road. Most of my U-turns were pretty tight, but I did mess up and have to dab my left foot in the gravel lot parking spaces.

Most of my ride went well. I waved to a lot of people who had waved to us first. And I kept spotting butterflies everywhere. Mostly I saw cabbage whites including one that fluttered right across my path as I finished up my fast stop figure eights. During the ride I also spotted what I believe was a juvenile black swallowtail and what may have been an American copper. They zoomed across my line of sight, so I didn’t get the best look at the wings.

I was happier with this ride because the butterflies were back. We’re expecting a lot of rain during a much cooler week. Hopefully, it will dry up by next Saturday for my ride and give me a cool day for riding. Next week is pretty special for me as it will be my fifth anniversary of motorcycle riding—five years of fun.

white butterfly on blue flowers — Photo by thorl5 on Pexels.com

Birds of Prey

As I approached my BMW R Nine T motorcycle for the day’s ride, I watched as an osprey coasted overhead. Osprey are also known as seahawks, and they return each year to the same nesting grounds. Since Bill had already told me our ride wouldn’t have much in the way of slow-speed drills due to the warm air—85 degrees, I looked up at the osprey and thought about how cruising on my motorcycle perhaps feels like soaring aloft in the skies.

My mind was a bit out of proper focus as we headed out. I missed my mirrors on not just the first but also the second stop. I had let my mind wander to the realization that in just a few weeks, I will be celebrating five years as a motorcyclist. And while I loved that realization, having it while out riding and not paying proper attention signaled to me that I still have plenty to learn.

Two miles in to the ride, I spotted the one and only cabbage white butterfly of the ride. It is still early into spring, and I’m hoping the now blooming roses will be a bigger attraction for them. The azaleas aren’t as attractive, but now the clematis are blooming as well as the irises, so there should be enough nectar to lure out more butterflies. I did spot several tiny flutterers among the clover and dandelions in my front yard, but I was a little disappointed not to see more butterflies as we rode.

We did, however, get to see the spectacular sight of a red shouldered hawk zooming down in pursuit of prey. I think our motorcycles startled the raptor mid-zoom because as we came up the road, he zoomed in front, pivoted to give us a full view of his wingspan, and then plopped a little ungracefully either on the ground or on its prey. I never saw the prey, for which I am glad. But I did see a magnificent bird of prey hunting up close which I am thrilled.

While we mostly zoomed about in our ride, we did execute the on-street U-turns. I had an epiphany during my first turn; because I am trying not to go onto the berm during the on-street turn, I focus too much on the berm. I’m not target focused on the berm, but I tend to cut my eyes toward it which interrupts the focus of the U-turn and widens it. So now that I’m aware of what I’ve been doing, I can work more on fixing it.

I also only got to do one sudden stop toward the end of the ride. But I did focus on using engine braking to help stop the bike, so I did get some skill practice.

At the end of our ride, as I was packing up my gear, I spotted another osprey. It might have been the same one, but I thought it was different because it was circling over a different section of the river. The end of the ride also brought out the little cabbage white butterfly that hovers around the garage. As he fluttered by, I smiled and thought I can’t wait for next week’s ride.

red shouldered hawk perched on tree branch — Photo by Jesus Ontiveros on Pexels.com

Sudden Stops on a Spectacular Spring Ride

Spring returned in full force for today’s ride with a beautiful sunny day right around 70 degrees and with a full-frontal assault by the pollen. I wore my neck tube up over my mouth and nose to help alleviate my allergies, and that action was mostly successful, so I could enjoy the day without sneezing all afternoon.

The azaleas are reaching peak bloom, the roses are beginning to bloom, and I even saw large pink-white peonies blossoming. I spotted two monarch butterflies out enjoying the day probably as much as I was. The Japanese maples were a spectacular red as they reflected the sunlight off their leaves, and the roads were covered in the maple seed pod “helicopters.” We called them “helicopters” as kids because we would pick them up and throw them in the air to let them spin their way to the ground. I even picked up a few as I loaded the gear after the ride to relive my childhood fun.

My motorcycle ride was wonderful. My on-street U-turns were all street with my second one being super tight. Turning my head a little more has really helped tighten my U-turns; I just need to work on reaching and being comfortable at full lock. We also did the zooming figure eights with the race braking, but there was a trailer parked in the lot and it cramped my turns.

My most successful aspect of the ride was finally being able to use engine braking to aid my sudden stops. Engine braking is when I let the downshift of the engine help to slow the motorcycle. What I have to do is let out the clutch as I downshift while braking sharply. It’s a coordination effort on my part. Out of three attempts, I was successful on two. The first stop with the engine braking was within two parking spots. The second one was a goof. And the third was the best; I stopped within a parking spot and a half. It’s always fun to make a leap in skills, and I look forward to working the stops some more next week.

burgundy leaves in sunlight on a Japanese maples

Taste of Summer Ride

Hard to believe that last week I was riding in my leather and thermal jackets with the heated grips on. For today’s ride, I kept zippers open and my visor partway up to maximize air flow. The wind shifted this week and came up from the south; the fun of Virginia’s mercurial weather patterns. But for a motorcyclist, 83 degrees is a lovely day for a ride. There was a cool breeze and clouds moving, evidence of the cold front heading our way.

With the sunny skies, I expected to see lots of butterflies, but no such luck. My garage cabbage white was fluttering across some lawns before we headed out, but during the ride I didn’t see any. I did see a number of ducks, including one drake hovering on the berm of the road who got an encouraging boost from Bill to fly across the road instead of meandering into the oncoming car’s path.

Instead, I enjoyed the fully blooming dogwoods and the azaleas beginning to burst. I love the contrast of the white dogwood flowers against the burgundy leaves of a Japanese maple. Most of the dogwoods are the white flowering kind, though I did spot a few pink flowers. I also enjoyed the bursting Sakura cherry trees with their heavy pink blossoms. And I spotted some irises opening up alongside the tulips.

Even while I enjoyed the springtime beauty, I remembered to work on my riding skills. After forgetting to check my mirrors at the very first stop, I diligently remembered to check my mirrors for the rest. We mostly cruised along to keep cool, but my U-turns were tight, and we did get a chance to work on the fast braking U-turns.

One of the many fun aspects of riding a motorcycle is watching the boys’ reactions to the bikes. We passed several groups of boys out walking, riding, or playing, and they all followed our motorcycles with their eyes as we rode by. Sometimes, one of them will wave and I, as the designated waver, will wave back or toot my horn. But there is something magical and intriguing about the roar of an engine and beauty of the mechanics. I know I fell in love with motorcycles because they intrigued me. How did they work? What did it feel like to be out exposed in the air while zooming along. Luckily for me, I’ve had the opportunity to find out, and I can’t wait to enjoy the magic on next week’s ride.

pink cherry blossoms, green leaves, white clouds, and blue sky