Blossoms and Butterflies

I had some of the luck of the Irish on my ride Saturday. Not only was the weather a lovely, sunny, low 60s, but the cabbage whites were out in force and my favorite blossoms, the cherry trees, were beginning to bloom.

There was no blessing from a butterfly before our ride, but I had seen several on the drive over and was hopeful to spot some as I rode. It didn’t take long; half a block down the road, I spotted my first cabbage white dancing about. It turns out that one female of this species can produce millions of offspring, so I shouldn’t be surprised that I saw 17 on this early spring ride. I also learned that the cabbage white is an immigrant from Quebec, Canada, and prior to that was only found in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Someone in 1860 brought the little critters to North America, and they have spread throughout the continent.

They make for lively entertainment during my motorcycle rides, and I was nearly head-butted by one on this ride. The butterfly flew at my fancy Arai helmet, probably drawn in by the bright colors, but it got smart about a foot away from collision and veered up and over my helmet.

On this ride I saw four weeping cherry trees in full bloom, and I saw multiple Yoshino cherry trees beginning to bloom. I’m hoping to see full blooming cherry trees on next week’s ride. I even spotted the first tulips of spring in a few yards as we rode.

My ride was great—mostly. We took the curvy road which is always fun. I enjoyed the feel of the counter steers into the turns. As we headed into the ritzier neighborhood the I rolled on the throttle and felt a good deal of the 119 Newton meters of torque forcing me back on the seat. I laughed and recovered my seat and found myself slowing down suddenly as Bill turned us into a cul de sac we hadn’t ridden down in a while. I’m glad he did as it let me see a little boy enjoying the beautiful day zooming down the street in his mini dragster.

My turns continued going well on street and in the gravel lot. I did try the turn between the large wooden blocks but only halfway. If I’m feeling good about my turns next ride, I will go full into the wood like I was supposed to. I think I hesitated because things were going so well, I didn’t want to mess up.

Not too long after my fun in the gravel lot, I stalled the motorcycle. We were stopped waiting to turn back onto the zoomy road. We had to let three cars go by but, before we could turn, another four came up the road. I think the unusual amount of cars keeping us at the stop sign longer than usual distracted me enough that when I went to take off, my feel for the clutch was off and the bike conked out. I recovered with Bill only having to slow down to wait for me, and I also recovered my good ride by improving my sudden stop-go drill. And I had the fun of seeing 17 butterflies throughout my ride. Were some repeats of ones I had spotted before? Possibly. But I try to only count them as we enter a new, unridden road, so I think my 17 is close to the actual count.

I love seeing the butterflies and the cherry blossoms. The butterflies remind me of how free and capricious riding a motorcycle can be. The cherry blossoms remind me to enjoy the beauty of the ride while it lasts because, like the blossoms, the time is fleeting.

Butterfly Blessed Ride

The rain defeated us on Saturday, so we crossed our fingers that the windy Sunday forecasted would dry out the roads and allow us to ride. By waiting until the early afternoon, we were able to get our ride in.

As we drove over to pick up the motorcycles, I noticed several cabbage white butterflies flitting about, enjoying the sunshine after Saturday’s rain. I was hopeful to see some during the ride, but I was surprised when I spotted one down by the R Nine T while I was putting on my gear. I grabbed my phone to try and get a photo of the butterfly right above the bike, but by the time I had the phone in hand, the butterfly had flitted its way across the street and into someone’s backyard. I still got to see the butterfly drawn in by the bright yellow and red colors of the motorcycles, so I was smiling even without a photo.

The butterfly blessing came a few moments later. Bill and I had mounted the bikes, and I was waiting for the tether check. Recently, Bill has taken to tugging on the attached tether for his Helite airbag vest while looking over for me to do the same. This check ensures we both have the vests attached which means, should either of us go flying off the motorcycle, the airbag will deploy. While I waited I naturally was looking toward Bill on the Rocket. I noted a shadow on the ground and thought it was the butterfly flying over us. When I glanced back, there was the little cabbage white, blessing complete, off to find actual colorful flowers to play among.

Off we went on a shortened ride. I had been ill all week and was just starting to recover, so the ride was shortened to keep me from overdoing it. Due to the shorter ride and the massive road equipment, we skipped the curvy road. Our first U-turns were the in-street turns, and I was as successful as lasts week in staying on the pavement. I again marveled at the balance of the R Nine T with its low-slung boxer engine as I worked my turns throughout the ride. The roads were drier than last week, so I did work in the gravel lot, almost completing a U-turn inside the large wooden beams that mark off the handicap parking. Next week I will try the full turn inside the beams.

My stops into restarts got better though I realized I’m not stopping hard enough. Bill wants me to stop hard enough to feel the anti-lock brakes shudder. I wasn’t stopping that hard.

My hopes of seeing more butterflies weren’t realized. I did see another cabbage white moving among the camellias toward the end of my ride. I was surprised to see some azaleas already in bloom; I guess they liked the mild winter and all the rain we’ve had. Usually I see the azaleas blooming after the cherry trees, and I suppose the majority of them will, but it is a fun sign of spring to see some azaleas alongside the sugar magnolias, apple blossoms, daffodils, and forsythia. Of course, the best part of spring and summer will be the butterflies.

Sugar magnolia blossoms under sunshine and clouds

Better Late Than Never

Friday and Saturday brought us rain, and I despaired of a Saturday ride. Bill was more optimistic; the rain was supposed to stop around 1 and the sun came out to dry the roads. When showers fell at noon, I figured our Saturday ride was out, but the forecast was right, the sun came out, and the roads, mostly, dried off. Temperatures were in the 60s, so in that regard it was perfect riding weather. But this ride had to be one of our latest as we headed out around four in the afternoon.

It was warm enough to bring out a cabbage white butterfly which I spotted on the drive over to get the motorcycles. I hoped I would see more as we rode, but perhaps the lateness of the afternoon or the rain or the early March date kept other butterflies at bay. The rain drops gave a sparkle to the daffodils, camellias, and the sugar magnolias I saw in bloom. And the green grass shone under the sunlight.

As we headed out, we did have to dodge some puddles here and there. Yet I found out early it was going to be a great ride as we hit the cul de sac at the end of the curvy road, and I did two of my tightest U-turns ever.

Unfortunately, the sun didn’t stay with us throughout the whole ride. While the sun was shining, I was comfortable in my Klim lightweight jacket, but when the clouds blocked the sunlight, I got chilly enough to turn on my heated grips.

Of course I kept my eyes peeled for large birds. The Canadian geese were out in their mating pairs here and there, and I even startled some ducks by the river. An eastern bluebird flew across our path, a few feet in front of Bill’s helmet. And I did spot a large bird, but it was too far away to be certain that it was the golden eagle.

I was finally able to complete both on-street U-turns successfully. The first one was berm to berm, but the second one left me a good foot away from the berm. We stopped at the gravel parking lot outside the historic house, but as I rode into it, I noticed the mud and puddles and felt I should give it a pass. I think part of me just didn’t want to have to wash the motorcycle later.

My emergency stops and restarts went better than before, but I feel like I’m stopped longer than I should be. I did better at scanning the mirrors as I came to a stop. I have to develop comfort with just putting my left toe down and trusting that my acceleration will keep the R Nine T upright.

I’m lucky that Bill was right to have us ride Saturday. I became quite ill Sunday and have been sick all week. I’m working on getting healthy for the weekend because I don’t want to miss my chance to ride. Of course, I need the weather to cooperate and push the rain off until Sunday.

Golden Ride

Sometimes not having a roof over one’s head is a good thing, and it’s one of the many aspects I love about riding motorcycles. Having the freedom to look up unencumbered by a car roof gave us a spectacular view of a golden eagle.

I remembered this week to check the wind chill though I only checked it for my city and not my parents’, so it was a little chillier than expected but no where near as cold as last week. I only felt the wind through my helmet; I need to check my ventilation because I may have extra open vents. I was wearing the same outfit as last week, but the temperature was at 50 and that made a big difference in my comfort.

We headed out with a detour due to road construction down the block from the garage. Because of the torn-up roads, we didn’t go down the curvy road. I was a little disappointed, but I let the squirrels running about and the Canadian geese distract me. I even spotted some robins, the birds of spring. The skies were cloudy, but yesterday’s rain was on hold and the roadways were dry enough for our ride though we had to dodge a few large puddles.

Since we bypassed the curvy road, it didn’t take us long to reach the cul de sac where we practice on-street U-turns. With last week’s disastrous turns still fresh in my mind, I was a little trepidatious, and that trepidation affected my first turn. Wide into the grass I went; one thing I have improved on is not shaking my head when I make a mistake or goof. I tightened up as I started the second turn and managed to stay on the street. It’s definitely a feel thing and a need for more practice because when I was turning in the gravel lot, I performed my tightest U-turns ever.

Bill led us on a meandering path for our ride, but this was a good thing. We headed up the road to the footless stop Yield later in our ride than usual, and that allowed us to witness the magnificent sight of the golden eagle landing in a tree. The movement of its wings caught both of our attention because it was only about 30 feet up from us on the road. Unfortunately for us, the motorcycle noise disturbed it; the eagle flitted to another tree and, even though we had stopped the bikes, then decided to head off. Our arrival was probably a lucky happenstance for one of the four Canadian geese grazing by the roadside as the eagle most likely was planning on making one of the geese its lunch.

The benefit to startling the golden eagle was we got to see it launch in the air and fly away. Outside of an ostrich at the zoo, this golden eagle is the largest bird I have ever seen. What a spectacular sight; that golden eagle makes me even happier about riding my motorcycle and, while the odds are I won’t get to see that beautiful bird again, I will keep my eyes peeled as I keep riding.

golden eagle in flight — Photo by Andrew Patrick on Pexels.com

Wind Chill

Winter returned for this week’s ride but seemingly not too aggressively. Temperatures were in the mid-40s and there was sunshine amongst some clouds. But I didn’t check the wind chill as I prepared my riding outfit, and I paid for it during my ride.

In addition to checking the wind chill on cold days, I also need to check whether Bill added my liner for my leather jacket. I made a mistake in wearing my Rev’It leather pants with the liner and tights underneath, and I also chose my thermal overshirt rather than the flannel one rated for cold weather.

Because I was cold, I focused a little too much on my discomfort. My hands were cold enough even with the heated grips on high, so much so that I stopped pre-loaded the front brake several times to grip the handle with my full hands. During U-turn practice, I took advantage of only using the rear brake to warm up my right hand. Then as we cruised up stretches of the road, I released the clutch and gripped the left side. It worked enough to keep me from being miserable on the ride, but I was cold enough to learn my lesson about checking the wind chill.

I did see even more daffodils in bloom as we rode, though I knew there would be no butterfly to surprise me this week. I hope the little guy from last Saturday found some warm spot to hang out. I was surprised to see an apple tree (I think) in full pink bloom. I wasn’t expecting to see the fruit trees blooming already, but they are starting.

The fruit tree was in bloom along the stretch of road where we do the on-street U-turns. Today, however, there was a woman walking her dog along our usual stretch of road, so Bill had us do the U-turns in a different part of the road. On my first turn I had to daub my left foot and on the second, I went off well onto the berm. It occurred to me that I was unsuccessful because it was a different part of the road and possibly narrower, but to me that was just an excuse. If I can do an on-street U-turn, it should not matter which stretch of the road we are on to do it. Later, Bill told me it was a narrower part of the road, and I shouldn’t be surprised that I struggled. I did great later on my turns in the gravel lot to make up for the lousy street turns.

We didn’t get to practice our stops and immediate restarts because when Bill tried his first one, the Rocket cut off. We started our ride with the Rocket telling us it had a range of 20 miles, so we headed home on the fumes because no one wants to try and push a 648-pound motorcycle up a steep driveway! Next week, we’ll gas up the motorcycles and return to our scheduled practice. And I’ll check the wind chill as I prep my riding attire.

Surprising Almost Spring Ride

It looked like Punxsutawney Phil was right; we were heading into an early spring. Today’s weather was a gift in February—highs in the mid-60s under partly cloudy skies. Rain was forecasted for much later, so we were presented with a day made for motorcycle riding.

There was a morning kerfuffle involving a missing envelope, but that situation was eventually resolved. The delay meant we benefited from the full warmth of the day on our ride. I had a rather eclectic mix of riding gear on. I was wearing my Rev’It Ignition 3 leather pants with the liner in but without my tights underneath. I had on a t-shirt under the Alpinestars jacket with a thermal sweatshirt over top underneath the Klim summer riding jacket. And I wore my mid-weight Klim gloves for hand warmth. As we first rode off, I felt a little too warm but, with the bike up and running creating the wind chill, I was actually comfortable.

There were a lot of people out enjoying the springish day either walking, running, or on their bicycles. As we headed up the curvy road, we went wide to the left to avoid some pedestrians out for a stroll, and then had to swerve back to the right to avoid the two Canadian geese grazing at the edge of the road. Either they had been there for quite some time or it was a favorite grazing spot for the gaggle judging by the amount of goose poop on the road. I hoped for a sighting of the bald eagle but only saw a bunch of turkey vultures out on the thermals.

The camellias are in full bloom now, but I also spotted some early blooming daffodils open to the sunshine. And I was completely surprised when I headed up the court where we perform our on street U-turns and saw a small cabbage white butterfly flit past me. I truly hadn’t expected a butterfly in February and had a silly smile on my face as I completed both U-turns—one wide, one great.

It was such a beautiful day, I found myself wishing I was just cruising. Instead, I worked on my stops and my turns in the gravel lot. Bill had us add a new drill—a fast stop and start. This drill actually has a swerve component as well, but I’m just beginning to get the feel for it, so I’m just on the stop and start aspect. The purpose of the drill is to enable me to takeoff quickly from a stop to avoid a rear-end collision. On a motorcycle just like in a car, a sudden stop could end up a rear end collision if the driver behind you is too close and/or not paying attention. In a car the bumper, trunk, backseats, and airbags all come to the driver’s aid. On a motorcycle the rider could go flying or even be crushed between the rear ender and the obstacle that caused the sudden stop in the first place.

So knowing how to stop quickly, check rearview mirrors, and take off quickly can be extremely useful for a motorcycle rider. An additional component of this exercise is to swerve around the obstruction, but that’s a higher level of the drill that I’m not ready for. I just worked on sudden stopping, placing my left foot down, and taking off as soon as my foot touched. I was pretty slow. In part my slowness was due to my checking the mirrors after I put my foot down—too late. I need to be checking the mirrors as I’m stopping, so that will be my work next week. I also am still sticking to the throttle with my right hand causing it to rev when I’m stopping. I still need to figure that out, but I believe it is because I am gripping harder on the brake and the handlebars causing me to “stick” on the throttle. That just means more practice.

And I am always up for my practice and more riding on my motorcycle. Next week will be more of a return to winter (unless the forecast changes) but it looks like we’ll get through this winter with only one day of bitter cold riding. I’m looking forward to the spring and all the lovely blossoms and blooms and butterflies I’ll see.

Random Thoughts Ride

While Punxsutawney Phil may not have seen his shadow, the temperatures are still more wintry than vernal, but we did have clear skies and bright sunshine, making for a very pleasant ride. We also had mostly smooth roads as the repaving was completed this past week. Of course, the workers are beginning to tear up new roads in the neighborhood, but our main travel roads are slick under the new asphalt. I was a little saddened by this as it means no need for our ride around; no more speed bump practice nor traffic-awareness practice.

I found my mind wandering all over the place as I rode. At first I was preoccupied with my cold chin. Somehow I had inadvertently opened the front vent on my helmet and had some trouble getting it closed. I eventually succeeded and was comfortable for the rest of my ride. As I zipped up the twisty road, I felt the beauty of the counter steer flicking the R Nine T from curve to curve. I also looked up into the clear blue overhead in hopes of glimpsing the bald eagle or at least an osprey. Instead, I saw some turkey buzzards high aloft enjoying the day.

I noted some yellow and burgundy pansies shining in the sunlight. Pansies are an interesting flower; they thrive through the cold winter, yet the word “pansy” usually means a wimpy person. I started wondering if what makes the pansy a “pansy,” is that it doesn’t like the extreme heat or cold. But that is true of most flowers, so why isn’t a wimpy person a begonia or an iris? I’ve always liked pansies because around here they bloom all through the winter, providing some color to the dull greens and omnipresent browns of winter.

I did see a bright snowy white egret hunting in the river near the road. That broke up the monotony of the black crows that were everywhere. Later in the ride, I saw three Canadian geese flying low over the river, and toward the end of the ride, I spotted pelicans. There were many squirrels about, but none crazy enough to jump in front of the motorcycles.

My on-street U-turns went very well, but I had some difficulty in the gravel lot with the right-side turns. My first two setups were off, so I had to loop through the parking lot and restart. I eventually got the right side as well as the left side turns and was pleased at how tight they are. The R Nine T is so well-balanced that I feel as though I could stop momentarily and it wouldn’t fall over.

I did have a bauble when Bill and I first turned into the hospital lot. To the right there’s a small, eight-car lot that sort of forces tighter U-turns. We went in and I turned so tightly on the first turn that I had to adjust to avoid running up on Bill. That adjustment through me off my line and I got in Bill’s way as he tried to circle around again. It doesn’t happen often, but it was a reminder to me that when I adjust in the turn, I need to adjust all the way through.

I was sorry to see our ride come to an end, but I was also hungry and ready for lunch. We had a glorious winter day for riding and, if old Phil is right, we’ll be into spring riding soon! Which reminds me, during my ride, I had to sneeze, and I couldn’t find the latch to lift the helmet’s visor. I’ll need to practice finding that if I’m to ride around during allergy season!

Yellow and burgundy pansies with blue pansies in the background. — Photo by Sszer L on Pexels.com

Lovely Winter? Ride

All week long the forecast held shifting rain chances for Saturday, but we were pretty sure we were in for rain. In fact we did get some rain on Friday, so it was a wonderful surprise to wake up to sunny skies and dry roads Saturday morning with spring-like temperatures—a day made for riding.

We were up earlier than usual because we needed to pick up the Rocket from the dealership. On Tuesday the dealership sent over a tow to collect the bike which couldn’t be safely ridden due to the front brake caliper’s missing bolt. Sunrise Cycles repaired the Triumph, and we hoped for nice enough weather on Saturday to pick up the motorcycle. So Bill got an early ride as we headed over to my parents’ garage. He took the scenic route up Shore Drive so he could look out over Lake Whitehurst. There was a light haze at tree level but bright sunshine everywhere else.

Last weekend my mind must have been as numb as my fingers because I made no note of the odometer passing 1500 miles. I’ve now ridden the R Nine T roughly equal if not slightly more than Bill. There was road work underway, so we had to head behind the shopping center where we rode over seven speed bumps. These bumps are good practice; one of the learning experiences in the MSF course is to ride the bike over a 2×4. Some of these speed bumps are a few inches higher than a 2×4. To get over the 2×4 in the class, we were told to lift up on the handlebars as we approached and stand up on the pegs. I hadn’t really worked on this skill since the class, so I was having fun with the practice. But I did mess up one speed bump; I was going over it slower than I realized, so I started to sit back down too soon and got a bump in the bottom by the seat.

As we rode, I noticed the muted greens of the shrubs, holly, and pine trees. Either the winter light softens the green, or the other trees that leaf in the spring have a brighter sheen. The more muted color reminded me that it was winter and nature is at rest since the near 60 degrees high definitely felt like spring. I did see the strength of the winter light as it scattered sparkling light across the river.

I enjoyed today’s ride very much even though my right hand went numb. I hadn’t had the numb feeling for several rides, so I don’t know why the numbness came today. I shook my right arm out as I approached stops and that helped shake off the numbness. It didn’t affect my ride; my turns were really tight. I find myself enjoying the balance of the motorcycle as I play with increasing the speed. No handlebar lock but both my left and right turns in the hospital lot were within the lines. My first on street U-turn I rode up on the grass but had a better second one. My no-look turns are almost second nature, and my gravel lot turns are getting more consistently tight. I even felt the bike come to a complete stop on the footless stop as the odometer hit 0.

Because of the road work, Bill led us into some traffic to head back to the garage. The day was so pleasant that I actually began to feel hot sitting at the stop lights. We sat at one light so long my left hand on the clutch started to tire. Some riders will shift into neutral at lights and rest the left hand. But Bill has explained the danger in that. If I’m in neutral and a car comes up too quickly or even possibly running into the back of the bike, being in first gear will allow me to move into one of my escape paths. Motorcycle riders who ride in traffic should always scope out their escape routes when stopped at intersections. I need to work on this skill more. And any time I need more skill work, that means more riding which I am always up for!

Haze over Lake Whitehurst and a happy boater enjoying the spring-like weather.

Finger Numbing Ride

We got our share of the Arctic air hitting the country. Friday’s temperatures had warmed just enough to make sure the precipitation that fell came down as rain, with the colder, freezing temperatures arriving that night. They came with a strong enough winds to dry off the roads, so I’m not complaining. But I made a judgment mistake that made for an uncomfortable ride.

As we prepped the equipment to head over to my parents’ garage, Bill asked me if I wanted my Rev’It winter gloves. I said I’d be OK with the Klim mid-temperature gloves and the heated grips. After all, the R Nine T has hand guards too, so I figured I’d have enough protection from the wind and enough warmth for the ride. I was so wrong.

When we arrived at my parents’ house, we had a couple of tasks. Last week, Bill had noticed a rattle in his front end. After some research and some thought, he realized that the brake calipers had come loose, so he brought his tools for tightening them. There was one little problem; the bottom bolt was missing from the caliper. No riding the Rocket this weekend.

I convinced Bill to take the R Nine T out and see if he could spot the bolt. It is a 2 ½ inch bolt and shiny silver, so if it were laying in the gutter or on the roadway, there was a chance that Bill could spot it. While he rode, I visited with my Mom and helped with some computer issues.

Bill rode for quite a while, but I finally heard the rumble of the motorcycle as he returned. Luckily for him, I went out to check on him. He was at the bottom of the driveway, sitting on the motorcycle. When I got to him, he had his gloves off and was reaching down to the cylinder heads. “I can’t undo the vest,” he told me, “my fingers are too numb.” Bill, who had also worn his mid-weather Klim gloves with the heated grips, could not undo the fastener that connected the vest to the motorcycle. So I had to free him from the bike.

With the knowledge of how cold Bill’s hands got, I realized my ride would have to be short. I figured I would ride with no slow-speed maneuvers and head back when my hands got cold. Had I done that, I wouldn’t have made it around the block. From the start of my ride, I felt my fingertips becoming numb. I strategized by trying not to pre-load the front brake. That way I could press my fingertips against the heated grips; it didn’t help. I never felt in danger with the numbness in my fingers because I kept the ride short. I rode up and down the curvy road where I spotted a pair of white Muscovy ducks. I then cautiously rode up the torn-up roadway so I could zip up the 35-mph road. I then took the long way home, but I was out no more than 20 minutes.

The real test of success would be if I could undo my vest fastener as Bill had taken the car to run some errands. For whatever reason I can’t undo the fastener with my gloves on, but I had enough feeling in my fingers to get unhitched. Where I had a challenge was finding neutral as I parked the bike. The last time I couldn’t slip the shifter into neutral, Bill had to do it. I turned off the motorcycle, dismounted, and used my hand on the shifter to move it up and down until it finally slipped into neutral.

Later as we drove home, Bill asked me if I’d learned anything on this ride. I learned I need my winter gloves to ride when the temperature is below 40 degrees. I also learned to control my frustration and patiently work through a mechanical issue with the motorcycle. On the practical side, I recognized that when the temperature is below freezing, gearing up and taking off should all happen inside the warm house. Next week we’re getting some rain, so we’ll have higher temperatures for our ride if we can get some dry roads. Also, we should have much warmer temperatures with highs in the 50s—much more reasonable riding weather.

Motorcycle tachometer showing green N for neutral.

Two Rides Weekend

I was going to title this blog “Buffeting,” but that was after Saturday’s ride. Sunday’s bonus ride came about because of an incident that occurred during Saturday’s ride and because it is a holiday weekend.

“Buffeting” refers to the wind hitting the rider on the motorcycle. It is usually discussed when riding the motorcycle on highways where clearly there will be a lot of wind generated. Buffeting is why some motorcycles have large windscreens in the front; cruisers often have the windscreens because they are designed for highway travel over great distances where constant wind would wear on the rider. But buffeting can also refer to the wind of which we had plenty this weekend.

Luckily, southeast Virginia is fairly well protected from snowstorms; unluckily too for the kids wanting a snow day. I do hope everyone who is experiencing this first major snowstorm is getting through it well. We had lots of sunshine and temperatures in the mid-50s for both days this weekend, but we also had high winds gusting to 25 mph on Saturday and near 20 mph on Sunday. The fun part about riding in the wind is feeling the wind push one along on the motorcycle. At one point on Saturday’s ride, as I was looping around on the gravel lot, I was pushed forward for 10 yards, laughing all the way.

Bill had warned me before we started riding that I might be changing lanes despite myself. The wind wasn’t quite that powerful, but I did feel it nudging me a bit. And there was the whistling of the wind through my helmet, at times a steady teakettle noise filling my beautiful new helmet.

I didn’t see much wildlife on Saturday except some crows. There were lots of people out walking their dogs both Saturday and Sunday; mid-50s in the middle of January is a gift and people were taking advantage of the sunshine and relative warmth. On Sunday I spotted several turkey buzzards battling the winds, soaring crazily in the air. I also saw an osprey on Sunday and some Canadian geese. Neither day did I see squirrels; they may be digging in for the colder temperatures coming later this week.

There were some swirling leaves in the middle of the road, caught up in wind eddies. I saw one beautiful camellia bush in bloom on both Saturday and Sunday, and on Sunday’s ride, I saw two groupings of pansies, my first of the season. I had to dodge some small branches in the road, and felt my front tire slip a bit on a pinecone.

So what happened to necessitate the Sunday ride? Well when we parked the bikes on Saturday and I removed my helmet, I felt my hair in the ponytail instead of my fuchsia hair glove. I checked my jackets and my shirt, but there was no hair glove. A couple of years ago, I lost the shorter of the two hair gloves Bill had gotten me. We drove around and found it lying in the road near the neighborhood swimming pool. So we packed up the car and drove around expecting to find this longer hair glove. Retracing our route was not successful with no glimpse of the bright fuchsia and white hair glove.

When we woke up Sunday and discussed our agenda for the day, riding the motorcycles again made sense. It was another great day weather-wise for riding, chores could wait until Monday, and we could search for the hair glove from the motorcycles which would make it easier to spot.

We headed out and I was a little uncomfortable. I did not like the added burden of scanning for the hair glove, making me realize I’m not fully confident in my road awareness when riding. In part I was looking out for blown down branches in the road because of the wind. It was Bill who spotted the hair glove; I never saw it. He pulled over on the curvy road and parked while I looked over my shoulder trying to spot the glove. I didn’t see it until Bill walked by carrying it.

Now that the hair glove was found and secured, we continued our ride. My ponytail was tucked under my neck tube and under the high collar of the Schott’s jacket. This impromptu protection worked well in keeping my hair from tangling on this windy day. I think I lost the hair glove because I had not secured it fully to my ponytail band. I usually take the time to double check that the plastic hook is looped through the band, but I didn’t do that on Saturday. I’m not sure why; I wasn’t in a hurry; I was just careless.

In the neighborhood some of the roads have been torn up in preparation for repaving. There is a “Motorcycles Use Extreme Caution” sign posted. The uneven surface did make me nervous because of the ruts, so much so that on Saturday, I missed shifting into first gear at the stop and nearly stalled. Luckily, the boxer engine chugged through its complaints and kept me going. I paid more attention to my shifting on the Sunday ride.

In fact the Sunday ride allowed me to make corrections on things that seemed a little off on the Saturday ride. For example, on my in-street U-turn, I went wide into the grass on the first one Saturday, but Sunday’s were all street. I even had the presence of mind Sunday when I felt the bike tipping a little to let out the clutch and increase the throttle. The only area I still struggled on was the gravel lot. During Saturday’s ride, the dropped branches and increased wind made me feel unstable in my turn practices on the gravel. I felt more confident Sunday until I saw the pair of nail shears. The glint of bright silver in the sun caught my eye and I was surprised to see them in the parking lot of a historic house. I then fixated on the scissors and never fully focused on my turns. After the third missed turn, I gave up and rejoined Bill.

We zipped along and finished our ride in great spirits. Bill wasn’t even upset realizing the Rocket needs some brake work done. Next Saturday looks to be colder and windy, but I’m getting some riding in the wind practice and feel good. I’m looking forward to the challenge of a full winter ride.

Motorcycles use extreme caution orange sign