We headed out earlier for our ride, around 10:00, as the forecast called for chance of showers around 1:00.  As we unloaded our gear, I remarked how it was the perfect day for a ride—sunshine and cool temperatures in the low 70s.  But the beautiful morning for riding didn’t last.

            By the time we mounted the motorcycles, the sun had disappeared.  I didn’t think much of it as the rain was supposedly still hours away.  We took off and I accelerated a little too quickly, feeling the torque pull the bike away from me and myself slide back on the seat.  It’s a thrilling sensation but also a reminder of how much power the bike has.

            I had seen several butterflies on the drive over—a pair of Sulphurs dancing (or fighting?), another lone Sulphur, and even a Black Swallowtail.  As we rode, however, with the skies overcast, I figured I had seen all the butterflies I would.  There were a bunch of Canadian geese about, and one squirrel making a dash in front of Bill on the Rocket before deciding better of it.

            Several times during the ride, Bill took off leaving me in his dust.  I was wondering about his speed when I realized we were on the 35-mph road and I was lollygagging at 25.   As we headed toward the shady lot, I thought the skies looked dark enough for it to be dusk.  Shortly thereafter, I heard the “plunk, plunk” of raindrops falling on my helmet.  We were about two miles from the garage, and the rain came down fast and hard.  So we inadvertently wound up riding in the rain which is something Bill had never thought to do.

            When I got back into the garage, I couldn’t shift into neutral.  I got off the bike and tried to shift with my hand, but the gears wouldn’t budge.  I called on Bill to fix the situation, and he finally got the bike in neutral by shifting the gears without pulling in the clutch.  It was an odd occurrence and I wondered if that’s what the service light was for.  We are going to have to get both bikes in for service soon which will impact our weekend ride at some point.

Gray skies again hung over us for our Saturday ride.  I lost track of time trying to figure out why my Mom’s phone was silent on incoming text messages.  My Mom actually had to tell me to give up as she saw Bill all geared up and getting on his motorcycle.  I threw on my gear and headed out to find my R Nine T parked alone at the bottom of the driveway.  I waited a few minutes to see if Bill rode back by then took off.  I met him riding back toward me a few seconds later, and we were off.

            I didn’t expect to see any butterflies on the ride, and I didn’t, but I did see flowers still in bloom.  Something about the milder summer and the generous rain has azaleas blooming again.  I even saw a few day lilies flowering again.  I smiled at the spring-like blooms even as more trees showed some yellowing on the leaves.

            The ride was going well; I was focusing on my stops after seeing that poor stop last week.  The stops have really smoothed out.  My U-turns also went well; both on street turns were a foot inside the berm.  And I was doing great in the gravel lot, more confident after practicing last week.

            But then the ride went south, deep south.  As I left the gravel lot and rode over to rejoin Bill, I heard the weird clicking sound of the Triumph’s engine not turning over.  This stall during our ride was a first; it had happened before but while we were still in the garage.  Bill checked the battery connections which were still tight, but I rode home to get the screwdriver and sandpaper just in case.  Still no go and then the key fob light went red meaning the battery was dying (hard to believe as we had changed the battery a few months ago and have only used it 8-10 times since).  So we needed a new battery.

            Now I asked my Mom if she had the needed battery, but no luck.  I needed to go to the store.  So without real planning, I made my first ride through traffic.  I had to go through one intersection at a light.  I was careful and competent and had no cars around me as I traversed the intersection going and coming.  I navigated the parking lot well with all my U-turn practice, but I bought the wrong batteries.

            Bill had just recently replaced the battery in my car key fob, so we tried that in the Triumph’s fob.  But the light stayed red.  Eventually, Bill had the notion to reset the key fob.  Since he had disconnected the battery earlier, he thought a reset on the fob might be in order.  That finally worked, but it had taken over an hour, and our ride was ruined.  I’m sorry to say but the Triumph Rocket has been more trouble than it’s worth.  As Bill pointed out, 50 years ago, Triumph had a reputation for lousy electrical work, and in the ensuing years, they’ve done nothing to repair it.

            We still have the BMW G 310; I suggested we put the Rocket on CycleTrader, and I go back to riding the 310 while Bill rides the R Nine T.  I can make this offer rather easily as I’ve seen the new R1300 GS models from BMW, and I’ve fallen in love with the Option 719 edition.  I’m not sure I could give up the R Nine T for anything less.

            Technically, the roads were dry enough for a Saturday ride.  But as Tropical Storm Ophelia passed over our area, the winds were still quite gusty, and the skies looked ready to open at any moment.  So we waited until Sunday and were rewarded with a fantastic ride.

            The skies still looked ready to open up on us, but we trusted the forecast which called only for cloudy skies and headed out.  As I went to mount my bike, a tiny Fritillary butterfly stopped by to dance around the handlebars.  Outside of the Cabbage White I saw as we drove over to my parents’ house, that little guy was the only butterfly I saw.

            The storm knocked down a lot of branches and left a damp scent in the air.  The greens were all dark, the flowers muted.  I did spot a blooming clematis crawling up a mailbox.  I keep expecting to see mums, but I haven’t yet.  We had to change direction as we headed down the long road because power crews were working on the lines; another remnant from the storm.

            I worked on my left turns as I was still not satisfied with my angle of approach.  They got better toward the end of my ride.  I had a warning light on the motorcycle; it’s due for another service at 1300 miles.  Bill stopped because he heard a rattling noise every time he hit a bump.  We later learned that the noise was coming from his helmet; he’ll have to figure that one out.

            Today, Bill signaled for me to head over into the gravel lot of the historic house.  I had fun working on my U-turns and just riding on the gravel.  He sat and watched me practice, so on the drive home, I suggested he work in the church lot while I work in the gravel.  But he said he enjoys watching me work the bike.

            I had one mis-shift into neutral but caught it in time to correct.  My on-street U-turns were a little wider than last week, but I realized I wasn’t focused.  I’ve become a decent enough rider that earlier in the week, I spotted a rider with poor technique.  He was coming to a stop.  I noticed the bike jerk a little and the rider throw both legs out to put both feet down.  The reason he had to throw both legs out was he was stopping with the front brake.  By using the front brake, the rider needs to make sure the bike is straight on.  Even so, the front brake causes the motorcycle to dive a bit in the front meaning the steering is not where one would expect.  Having watched this poor stop, I consciously worked on my stops; rear brake, left foot out and down before adding the right foot.  At one stop the bike lurched a bit to the right, but because I was using the rear brake to stop, I had control over the steering.

            It was a ride of scents.  In addition to the dampness left by the storm, we rode through someone grilling hamburgers outside, making my mouth water.  We also rode into a new parking lot that had just been resurfaced, so the bitter tar smell overwhelmed me.  We didn’t stay there long.

            I miss seeing the butterflies, but as the weather keeps cooling, I’ll have to enjoy the more comfortable rides with less beauty to look at.  I’m happy the storm left us Sunday for our ride; I even chose riding over watching the NFL.  This choice was a good one as my team, the Washington Commanders, didn’t show up to play against Buffalo.  As I told Bill, motorcycle riding always takes precedence over football; I have my priorities straight.

            Last week as we neared my parents’ house, the skies opened up and drenched us.  We finished the drive over on roads rapidly getting slick with the rainwater.  It was quite depressing, and it kept us from riding.  I still planned to write about the day, but I came to the realization that not riding put me in funk where writing about not riding was rubbing salt on the wound.  As the days passed, guilt crept in over top of the funk, but since I had a week off from riding, I accepted a week off from writing too.  But this week I was back in the saddle.

            The weather gods were appeasing us for the rained out weekend; the day was spectacularly sunny and comfortable with temperatures in the upper 70s.  Fully geared up, I was comfortable the whole ride, at least in my attire.  Half a minute into the ride, I had an uncomfortable left turn where I had a momentary fear of falling as I leaned the bike over to tighten up my turn.  I didn’t fall; I did realize I needed to analyze what I was doing wrong.

            I had noticed over the past few rides that in my left turns I had to lean the bike over more to manage the turn.  What I came to understand on today’s ride was that I am taking too wide an entry angle into my left turns, so I began working on beginning my left turns closer to the middle of the land I’m leaving.  Now the reason I was too wide on my left turn entries was to avoid cars in the opposite lane.  But that wide entry left me little room on my right for maneuvering.  The bad entry is part of why I almost crashed that day I mis-shifted into neutral on my left turn.  During today’s ride, I stayed near the center line of my exiting lane which kept me closer to the center line of my entry lane.  This position left me with plenty of lane to my right for corrections.  However, I was lucky there was no oncoming traffic as I practiced my left turns.

            I had a great second street U-turn, clearly two feet away from the berm.  But when we went into the library’s parking lot, I could only manage three spaces for my turns (two is considered primo).  I do need to get more comfortable with full lock on U-turns.  When I can manage that, then I might make the U-turn in two spaces.

            I was surprised early in our ride by a Monarch butterfly—my first of this year.  During the ride, I saw either one very busy other one, or two more.  At one point we entered a cul de sac and I saw about ten small butterflies wildly flitting about a Matgold bush.  There were Sulphurs and Fritillarys.  As we returned down the long straightaway, I saw two small Fritillarys seemingly dancing around each other.  I wondered, though, if they weren’t engaged in a violent struggle that to my eyes looks like a dance.

            Signs of autumn were evident as a few leaves fell, and I saw yellowing leaves on a small maple.  The crape myrtles have more leaves than blossoms now, though I am still seeing buds and blooms on the magnolias.  I would love for autumn to get here but only if it lasts a good long while.  I won’t miss the summer storms; there are more storms predicted for next weekend.  I hope I don’t have to stretch the joy from this ride over two weeks.  Let’s all cross our fingers and hope the storms arrive early or are delayed for next Saturday’s ride.

            Hurricane Idalia passed south of us luckily, so though we had some rain and wind on Thursday, we were left a gorgeous Saturday in the storm’s wake—sunny and 76 degrees.  Perfect riding weather is that which keeps the rider comfortably cool which is what I was.  At the beginning of the ride, I almost regretted keeping my jackets half-zipped because the air was so cool, but the bright sun soon warmed me up enough to make for a sensational ride.

            Bill was feeling better, so he was able to join me.  As we headed out, a Sulphur butterfly flew along the left side of us, slightly behind Bill and slightly ahead of me.  I think the butterflies might be attracted to the bright colors of our motorcycles—the bright crimson on the Triumph Rocket and the sunny yellow on the R Nine T.  Whatever it is that brings the butterflies around, I appreciate the chance to see and admire them.

            During my ride, I focused on the feeling of the handlebars as I counter steered through the turns.  I watched as the slight pressure on one side of the bars let the bike flick through the curves.  I also worked on my stops and my no-look turns.  I noticed how much improved I am on the no-look turns especially on the right turns.

            It turns out I can’t not pre-load the front brake, so I’ve adjusted my strength training to prevent hand numbness.  At the first tingles of numbness, I began releasing the front brake as I approached stops so I could flex my fingers and shake out my hand.  This strategy enabled me to complete the ride without having to stop and shake my arm out.  I also wondered if my improving grip is helping me ride longer without numbness.  I’ve been working at the gym on chin ups which is strengthening my grip.  I just realized that this may benefit me on my motorcycle rides.

            As we rode, I noted how the green leaves and green grass all seem a deeper shade than they did at the onset of summer creating a tranquil lushness.  We’ve had enough rain and cool days this summer to allow the crape myrtles, magnolias, brown-eyed Susans, roses, and clematis to bloom throughout the summer.  Though the increasing number of Canadian geese indicate that autumn is well on its way.  Luckily, I was able to see several more Sulphurs, a Tiger Swallowtail, some Cabbage Whites and, as I parked the motorcycle in the garage, I glimpsed a Pink-edged Sulphur.  I’ll enjoy the butterflies over the next few weeks rides because soon they’ll be gone.

Today was a spectacular day for spotting butterflies—six varieties.  In fact as I walked down the driveway to the motorcycle, a large Canadian Tiger Swallowtail came zipping along from across the street.  She flew right over the bike, right over me, headed up to the roof of my parents’ house, and circled back around.  She hung out for so long that I managed to get a picture of her!  I stood in the driveway dropping gloves and keys and laughing as I watched her flying about.

            Not thirty seconds later into my ride, I saw two Fritillary butterflies dancing about.  I wondered if butterflies are inherently lazy insects.  Bill wasn’t feeling well and decided not to ride, and we had delayed heading over.  My ride didn’t start until 1:00 in the afternoon, and spotting the variety of butterflies that I did, I had to conclude that they enjoy sleeping in.  Because I was riding solo, I took the swallowtail’s pre-ride flight as sort of a blessing.  Without Bill, I had to watch for everything—curve lines, oncoming traffic, cars pulling out.  I worked on the observational skills which was really good for me.

            As I rode into the ritzy neighborhood, I saw an unusual butterfly.  It may have been a Great Spangled Fritillary, but I can’t be sure.  I’m guessing at that because of its size; it was much larger than the other fritillary butterflies.  One of the problems with watching butterflies from the back of a motorcycle is not being able to track the insect for a proper identification.  Anyway, it was a butterfly and not another cabbage white, so it was fun to see.

            It was hot, near 90 degrees, so I spent most of the ride cruising with just turns in courts.  Because last week’s middle of the street U-turn didn’t go well, I did try that.  The first one was a disaster—into the grass, but the second one was a success.  I again encountered a small box turtle working his way across the court.  He stopped when I did and stared me down, so I rode off and left him to it.  Soon after I spotted what I think was a Great Purple Hairstreak butterfly but may have been a small Black Swallowtail whose yellow markings have not come in.  And I finally did spot a Sulphur recognizing the bright yellow as I rode closer to it.  Before my ride ended, one little Cabbage White made an appearance as did a smaller Tiger Swallowtail.

            I missed having Bill on the ride, but I liked the challenge of being responsible for all the decisions.  I briefly thought about a quick little sojourn into traffic, but I decided instead to stick to the roads I know and save traffic for when I’m riding with Bill; his motorcycle is too big to miss!

In my non-riding life, I work as a teacher, so today’s ride marked my final ride of the summer of 2023 as I’m back to school on Monday.  We were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous riding day with temperatures in the lower 80s and a delicious cool breeze.  Soon into our ride, I spotted a black swallowtail and knew the day was set to be great.

            After last week’s ride where I didn’t wear any Alpinestar jacket but still experienced the numbing in my right hand, I decided the issue had to be in my pre-loading of the front brake.  I therefore decided not to pre-load on this ride and see if that kept any numbness away.  I struggled not to wrap my index and middle finger around the front brake, several times during the ride having to consciously remove them.  I liked realizing that because pre-load is so important; I appreciate that it has become “the norm” for me.

            Unfortunately, by not pre-loading, I did not experience the numbness.  I hated learning that, so I determined to train up my grip for the pre-load.  When we were three-quarters of the way through the ride, I started to pre-load the front brake.  My thought was to pre-load for a set number of miles since I don’t have a clock, and to practice at the end of the ride.  I tried for four miles on this ride but that was too long.  Next week I’ll try for three miles.  I hope it is a matter of training up my grip strength.  For those of you wondering, I do have the front brake lever in the closest setting to the throttle.  If I set the lever further out, I’d be straining my fingers to reach.

            I had hoped to see some Sulphur butterflies during the ride as I had started to see many of them during the week as I drove around, but I didn’t spot any.  I did glimpse a cabbage white and I was lucky enough to spot an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.  Having seen the black swallowtail for the first time on this ride and only now seeing the Sulphurs, I realized I should educate myself more on when certain butterflies emerge throughout the spring and summer.  There were many dragonflies about as there are many mosquitos for them to feed on.

            One flower I have seen in gorgeous bloom but keep forgetting to mention is the hibiscus.  There is a tall stand in someone’s yard—six to seven feet in height–of the scarlet rose mallow swamp hibiscus.  And then there is a smaller, four-foot bloom down by the river, planted by the birds.  It’s funny but most people associate the hibiscus with Hawaii, but there is a native varietal to Virginia—I have the Eastern rose mallow variety in my yard.

            Speaking of birds, we spotted several flocks of Canadian geese, proving that the fall migration is well underway.  Fitting, I suppose, as this ride is the end of my summer rides.  I look forward to the cooler days which make the rides so much more enjoyable.

(PS—the sale of the 310 fell through as there was something hincky going on.  The potential buyer sent me an email at midnight the night before the deal went down to inform me he was paying with check.  From his initial contact, the offer was for cash, so there was something off with the last-minute pay by check.  We have a potential buyer coming to look at it in a few weeks, but we get to enjoy the 310 for a little longer.)

On Wednesday we made a Virginian from Daleville very happy when we sold him our Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled Fasthouse.  From the moment he jumped down from his Ford F-150, he couldn’t stop smiling as he looked at the motorcycle.  He even said, “I don’t need to ride it; I want it.”  The transaction took half an hour, and we found ourselves the owner of only three motorcycles but not for long.  We have a buyer set up for my little BMW G 310 GS for this Wednesday.  I’ve been thinking about these two motorcycles and my experiences on both.  I find myself sadder about losing the 310 than the Scrambler. 

            The 310 was my first motorcycle bought a week after I passed the MSF course.  It has a 313 cc engine with only 33 HP and 28 NM of torque, so it is not a power motorcycle or a bike one blows out at the track.  The engine has a purr to it, and from my experience, I have to say it is a great motorcycle for developing riding skills.  It was light enough for me to haul up and save from a drop (385 pounds dry).  The friction zone is a challenge to learn, but on a beginner bike, I think that’s a good thing.  The skills I learned finessing the friction zone on the 310 transferred to both the Ducati and the R Nine T, meaning I didn’t stall the motorcycle much.

            The 310 is also a relatively gentle motorcycle; even when I rolled a little too strongly on the throttle, I never felt as though I would fly off the back of the bike.  The Ducati several times tried to throw me off the back.  Please don’t misunderstand; that is a thrilling feeling especially if you’ve held on!  That was my experience on both the Scrambler and at times the R Nine T.  I loved it.  I enjoyed the 73 HP and 48.8 NM of torque; it made me feel more like I was riding a “real” motorcycle, which is being unfair to the 310, but I am trying to illustrate the difference between the bikes.  The Ducati also had more of a motorcycle grumble magnified brilliantly when we put the LeoVince exhaust on it.  But I had issues with the bike.  Because it is a bike made to go off-road as well as on, it is a tall motorcycle (seat height 33.9 inches), and I struggled with the bike’s top-heavy weight (425 lbs. dry).  I’m sure my mixed feelings toward the Scrambler is due to the two drops.  Ever had a teacher you really disliked?  You were relieved when you got out of her class, but later on upon reflection, you realize you really learned something from that teacher.  That’s how I feel about the Ducati.  I learned to be much more careful in my handling of the motorcycle.

            The first drop was due to my mindlessness.  I got off the motorcycle after parking it at the bottom of the driveway.  Except I hadn’t parked the motorcycle because I forgot to put the kickstand down.  I now take a few moments when I’m parking the motorcycle to ensure it is in neutral and that the kickstand is down and solid before dismounting.  My second drop was due to incorrect thinking.  I was backing the bike out of the garage and had kept it in neutral instead of shifting into first gear.  So when I had the bike perpendicular to the driveway which meant my right foot could not reach the ground and the motorcycle started tipping to the right, I couldn’t let out the clutch and use speed to help get the bike upright.  Since that experience, I’ve worked diligently on using speed to correct the motorcycle when it starts to tip.

            The worst part of the Ducati for me and for where I live and ride is the engine heat.  It is one of the top three aspects Ducati owners dislike about their motorcycles.  It made riding in safety gear incredibly uncomfortable, and on some rides I had to dismount the bike and sit and cool off in the shade.  This engine aspect of the Ducati makes me like the BMW R Nine T’s boxer engine design where the engine is well below me.  However, the Ducati did build my riding skills; I learned to handle a heavier, more powerful motorcycle, helping me get ready to ride the R Nine T.  I think handling the top-heavy Scrambler on slow speed maneuvers has made handling the lower-weighted R Nine T much easier.

            I hope the new owners of both of these motorcycles enjoy their rides on them.  I had some great rides and many wonderful learning opportunities on both, and I know riding different motorcycles has benefited my skills development greatly.

(We did have another early morning ride on Saturday during which I spotted a goldfinch zooming out of a bunch of brown-eyed Susans, and I learned that my right-arm numbness has nothing to do with the jacket, but more on that next week.)

            After last week’s full blast of summer, we were treated to a lovely week where the temperatures didn’t get out of the 80s.  And even though we were inundated with rain on Friday, with a bit of patience Saturday morning, the roads dried out and we were able to ride.

            There were many more Canadian geese about; I saw four groups during our ride and passed a very large flock driving to and from the motorcycles.  Fall migration seems to be underway which means cooler riding weather is coming.

            Yesterday’s rain knocked puddles of crape myrtle blossoms onto the pavement—pretty to look at yet not good for stopping.  Luckily, these bloom puddles were on the edges of the road and easy to avoid.  Unfortunately for some largish insect—maybe a locust—it was unable to avoid my helmet.  It flew at me from my left, and my only awareness was from the loud thump of impact when it hit my helmet.  Perhaps the main downside of motorcycle riding is there is no windshield for insect splats just the rider.

            The only butterfly I saw during the ride was a small Aphrodite Fritillary though I did see some Cabbage Whites as I drove back home.  There were some large dragonflies zipping about, fattened up on all the mosquitoes.  I was lucky enough to spot two raptors on this ride—an osprey hunting over the river and what I believe to be a sharp-shinned hawk zipping from tree to tree.  Though I am being unfair to all the “regular” birds I see during my rides—the robins, cardinals, thrashers, morning doves, and crows.

            My ride went very well.  I managed a footless stop definitively.  The reason I know this is, not only was the speedometer needles on the zero, but the bike lurched toward the right due to the stoppage.  My response to the lurch was to let out the clutch and roll on the throttle; increasing the speed helps to straighten the motorcycle.  I was not as quick to increase my speed when we were doing the on-street U-turn.  I was making my tightest turn on the street when I felt the bike wobble, so I started to stick out my left leg.  But I caught myself before the foot touched pavement, pulled the leg back in, and increased my speed.

            The air was cool as we rode along.  I did remember to switch Alpinestar jackets with Bill to see if that prevented my right-hand numbness.  It didn’t, but it wasn’t as bad.  I’ll look into getting a larger sized jacket if one is available.  Either that, or I need to make my arms into spaghetti noodles.  Whatever I do, one thing is for sure, I’ll keep riding!

            As pretty much everyone in the country knows, we’ve had some hot weather this week.  We’re pretty much at the height of the triple H summer—hazy, hot, and humid—with many days building into afternoon thunderstorms.  So we strategized for Saturday’s high of 96 degrees by getting up and heading out before 8:00 AM.

            I got a little nervous as we drove over and saw raindrops begin falling on the windshield.  Luckily, no storm developed until later in the afternoon, and the clouds gave us some extra cooling at the beginning of our ride.  I was wearing a plain white cotton undershirt and, with the 82 degrees and cloudy skies, was comfortable for most of the ride.

            Due to the earlier start, I was able to see a small gaggle of Canadian geese beating the heat and getting an early breakfast.  We also saw several squirrels acting squirrelly, in the road and not sure which way to go for safety.  And there were many dragonflies about maybe breakfasting on mosquitos who got too early a start on their day.

            Because we had gotten up earlier than normal for a Saturday, Bill led us out for cruising and we avoided slow speed maneuvers.  I took this as an opportunity to figure out a way to shake out my right hand.  I forgot to switch Alpinestar jackets with Bill, a strategy he suggested last week to see if my jacket is cut tight and causing the numbness.  Since we stayed on the roads and cruised, I didn’t get my chance to park the bike and work my hand.  I certainly didn’t want to cut our ride short, so I found a solution.  As I come to a stop, I use the rear brake (foot only) which means my right hand is temporarily idle.  Once I come to a stop, get my left foot down, and know the bike is stable, I pull in the front brake usually.  My strategy was to shake out my right hand as I came to a stop before pulling in the front brake.  It helped, but I came to the realization that I would not be able to do a long ride on the R Nine T if it didn’t have cruise control.

            I found myself during the cruise thinking quite a bit about motorcycle types and riding positions.  The R Nine T is what is known as a retro bike but it has a bit of naked bike styling to it.  A naked bike is usually a sport bike without a faring (a faring is like the body work on a car that helps create aerodynamic wind flow).  One of the main complaints about the sport bike riding position is that the rider has to lean forward putting pressure on the wrists.  The R Nine T riding position has me leaning just slightly forward, so it doesn’t put a lot of pressure on my wrists.

            However, I’m not on a cruiser like Bill’s Triumph Rocket 3.  The cruiser position (think most Harley-Davidsons) has the rider sitting upright with the legs forward (though Bill opted for the mid-range peg position).  Cruisers are meant to be ridden for long periods of time on the straight highways of America, so they are built for rider comfort.  My thoughts, though, were mostly wondering again about the comfort of the BMW R 1250 GS. 

            Of course I can’t blame the R Nine T outright for my discomfort.  My left hand doesn’t get numb.  One theory as to why my right hand goes numb is that my right arm (I’m right-handed) muscles are larger and this causes my Alpinestar sleeve to pinch.  I’ll see next week because I’ll remember to try Bill’s jacket.

            I also hope next week I’ll still get to enjoy the spectacular colors of the crape myrtles.  The summer thunderstorms have really benefited these trees as they are heavy with their pink, purple, and white blossoms.  I hoped to see some butterflies among them, but all I spotted was a black butterfly zip by too fast for me to clearly identify it.  I’ll be on the lookout for it and more on next week’s ride.