No Bones About It, I Had a Great Ride

Apparently the theme for this years Halloween is skeletons. In addition to the giant half-skeleton coming out of the ground from last week’s ride, I saw some people having some fun with their bone buddies. As we headed into the cul de sac where we do our on street U-turns, one neighbor had placed a skeleton in a lawn chair and a Green Bay Packers jersey waving. Across the street, a second skeleton in a lawn chair was hanging out and waving back. I liked those Halloween decorations much more than the house that had a giant scary clown blow up in front.

I also noted a lot of spiders and webs strung about lawns. I can enjoy the seasonal décor because I’m riding past everything on a beautiful, sunny day. Even the creepy clown isn’t too scary in the bright sunshine. But there was more to look at than just the Halloween decorations. The most exciting sight was what I believe was my first ever Diana Fritillary butterfly. I spotted her two miles into the ride as she floated across the street. At first I thought it was an odd looking swallowtail, but it was furry looking and smaller, so I think it was the Diana Fritillary.

She wasn’t the only butterfly out. I spotted five cabbage white butterflies during our ride. And I was startled by an Orange Sulfur butterfly that appeared over my left shoulder and nearly flew into my visor before heading out away from me. I find it odd how last week I only saw two butterflies the whole ride, yet this week I spotted seven. The weather for both days was very similar, and we were riding at about the same time of day. At some point I should do some more in-depth research on butterflies and their behaviors because the more I ride, the more curious I am about them.

We encountered two large gaggles of Canadian geese of twenty-plus. Or we encountered one very large gaggle of over forty that had spread out over half the block. And of course, there were squirrels being squirrely. I don’t mind, though, as this gives me quick braking practice. I did dab my foot during the second on street U-turn which led me to think about why I dab. Obviously, there is a feeling of unbalance, but I have experienced that feeling and been able to increase my speed and rebalance the motorcycle. So I wondered after the fact if I could have saved the turn without dabbing. But I think dabbing is more of an instinctual reaction to the unbalanced bike. I would like to work on saving the bike without dabbing, but that’s rather difficult because I would be risking dropping the bike on asphalt. If I still had the field behind the school, I might risk the drop to work on this skill.

I was disappointed that we didn’t head up the curvy road for two reasons. One reason is my enjoyment of riding the curves and counter steering. My second reason was getting the motorcycle to 2000 miles. I’m at 1998, but I will have to wait for next week’s ride to break 2000, and I am looking forward to it!

Diana Fritillary butterfly--black with orange tips on wints

One and a Half Butterfly Ride

It was a beautiful day for riding motorcycles—sunny and highs in the upper 70s, so I set off expecting to see lots of butterflies enjoying the day. But it was more of a squirrely day than a day of butterflies, another sign of autumn.

As we rode, I was on the lookout for butterflies, but the flutterings I spotted were leaves falling. The maples are showing their fall colors, but most of the trees are still in green leaf. I spotted some more mums planted for the season, but mostly what I saw were more Halloween decorations out as we have officially entered October.

We had our first squirrel encounter half a block into the ride. This guy was smart enough to stay near the curb and hop up onto the grass as we rode past. I worked on staying smooth with my engine braking, and I was very successful. We did work on some slow-speed maneuvers including U-turns and fast braking. I kept my ABS shudder to a little bit at the end; I need to work on releasing and the reapplying the brakes as I come to the sudden stop to eliminate the ABS shudder entirely. My practice got put to good use as I had to come to a sudden slow down due to two indecisive squirrels bickering in the middle of the road.

I spotted a cabbage white more than halfway into the ride enjoying the second bloom azaleas. As few as the butterfly sightings were, they were more plentiful than the Canadian geese. I didn’t spot a single goose during our ride which is very unusual. I mention the half butterfly because I did catch a quick glimpse of a tiny summer azure butterfly. These butterflies are tiny, as I spotted one when I got home and was unloading the gear.

As my fall rides continue, I’ll see more and more leaves and less and less butterflies. One of the bittersweet truths of seasonal change—loss and gain. At least our rides will be more comfortably cool, and I’m sure I’ll see even more Halloween decorations go up in the next few weeks.

Half giant skeleton appearing out of ground — Some of the seasonal decor I spotted on my ride.

Just a Pleasant Ride and a Butterfly First

I wasn’t feeling well this Saturday morning so, despite the warm day of mid-80s and sunshine, we delayed our ride until I was feeling more up to it. We opted out of the Alpinestars for the heat, and Bill planned on a short ride since I wasn’t 100%. We set out to cruise the neighborhoods and enjoy the day.

As we headed out, Bill didn’t lead us up to the twisty road which surprised me. But because of the detour away from the twisties, I spotted my first cabbage white butterfly of the ride. And because we had to take a second detour to get away from some slow-moving traffic, that little butterfly flew right across my path. I would see four more cabbage whites during my ride, all enjoying this summer flashback day. I find it interesting that the cabbage whites are the first butterflies I see in the spring and seem to be the last butterflies in the fall.

There are more mums out now and the dual bloom azaleas are in full flower. I even spotted a small cluster of white blossoms defiantly blooming in a row of crape myrtles who already had red and yellow leaves. I also spotted some clematis blooming, so there are plenty of flowers to tempt the butterflies. It was around one of the azaleas that I saw my first ever eastern-tailed blue butterfly. It was a little more black than blue, but the white markings on the wings helped me to identify it.

I enjoyed cruising along, feeling the breeze, and seeing the sights. I did start to feel tired toward the end of the ride, so we did cut the ride shorter. But a short ride is still a ride and so much fun!

Eastern-tailed blue butterfly — Photo by TheWonderOfLife on Pexels.com

Super Special Final Ride of the Summer

Riders know when it’s their day to ride. When the weather is wonderful, just a little warm, and special events like the Oceana Air Show is in town, riders come out in droves. As we headed over to the garage, I saw too many motorcycles to count, mostly cruisers, though there was a Yamaha R1 that went zipping by until traffic caused it to pull up. I joked to Bill that there were two motorcycle gangs—a group of three riders. I keep the gang at a minimum of three so Bill and I won’t be mistaken for a gang (LOL).

The week’s wind and rain had made an autumnal impact on the crape myrtles. Blossoms were sparse and several trees were nearly denuded of their leaves already. I hope the other trees will hold onto their leaves long enough to give us some spectacular fall foliage to enjoy. Still, there were enough flowers still blooming—the second chance azaleas, vincas, and some more mums—to attract a few butterflies. I spotted two cabbage whites as we rode and even saw a monarch go by.

We were about halfway into our ride, and I hadn’t seen any Canadian geese. I was a little too deep into thinking about where the geese might be and had to do a sudden stop as Bill surprised me with a turn. We headed up the on-road U-turn street, and I was successful in staying on the road for both. My second turn is almost always better than my first, and I believe that is because during the first turn, I’m paying attention to where Bill is in his turn and not just focused on mine. By the time I get around for the second U-turn, Bill has already zoomed up the road, so I can totally focus on getting my head completely around and keeping the turn tight. I worked on my swerves as well and need to continue to practice because I realized I wasn’t using my legs on the tank like I should.

When we turned off this road, I finally spotted some geese. At first it was just a pair, but then I saw the rest of the gaggle a few houses up the street. I also spotted more Halloween decorations including a skeleton jazz trio complete with instruments and capes. The rest of my ride went smoothly including my sudden stop practice. Except I did stall the bike at the same stop sign I stalled it at a few months ago. I don’t know why I stalled other than I missed the sweet spot. Bill had gone sailing up the road, so I had the opportunity to roll on the throttle and play catch up.

After our ride, we took advantage of the beautiful day to wash the motorcycles. As we were washing my bike, a cabbage white butterfly flew in low right over top of the motorcycle before sailing away. If she had lingered a bit, I might have been able to snap a photo. But today was my day to miss amazing photos. While we were washing the motorcycles, we could hear some of the jets from the annual Oceana Air Show. Now my parents’ house is miles away from Oceana, but jets being what they are, the distance is nothing. I came out of the garage and spotted the Blue Angels flying by in a four-man formation; it was beautiful and up close and would have been a phenomenal photo. I kept looking and hoping they would fly back around—this time with the cockpits visible, but all we saw the rest of the afternoon were contrails as they performed loop-de-loops for the crowds. The only image I got was a slight contrail, and if you squint and look at the bottom right corner of the photo, you can spot it. I must say that having a Blue Angels flyover on the penultimate summer ride of 2024 is spectacular and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I suppose the lesson here for all of us isn’t that we must all ride motorcycles, but we should all spend some quality time outdoors.

Top of magnolia tree, blue sky, jet contrail — Contrail from a Blue Angel jet as seen above a magnolia tree.

Is the Tank Half Full?

One of the biggest complaints about my 2021 BMW R Nine T Urban GS motorcycle is its lack of a fuel gauge. Nearly all new motorcycles have a fuel gauge, and many will even indicate remaining mileage range. But my R Nine T is a retro motorcycle, and as Bill has told me, his first Harley didn’t have a fuel gauge, most bikes didn’t. My motorcycle has an old-fashioned looking clock for the speedometer, but there is a small LCD screen that shows my mileage, and it lets me access the different ride modes and settings. But it’s small, maybe two inches long and 3/4 of an inch high, so there’s no room for a fuel gauge or remaining range.

Now Bill and I have assumed that a low fuel warning light will come on should I actually get nearly empty the 4.5-gallon gas tank. However, I’ve never gotten low enough to find out because Bill’s Triumph Rocket is a gas guzzler. His motorcycle has a fuel gauge and a range indicator. When the Rocket needs gas, we go ahead and gas up the R Nine T as well, so we’ve never gotten close to emptying that tank.

I mention the fuel gauge because that influenced today’s ride unbeknownst to me. It was another perfect day for riding motorcycles as evidenced by the many bikers we saw on the drive over to the garage. It was comfortably cool enough with partly cloudy skies and a northerly breeze to fully gear up. I was thinking the gray skies would keep me from seeing any butterflies as I sat on the bike waiting for Bill. And just as that thought occurred to me, I spotted a black swallowtail coming around the house across the street. I watched hoping she would fly towards the bikes, but she proceeded to pass in front of the house and go around the other side. Out of curiosity, I kept my gaze on the gate where I first spotted the butterfly and, sure enough, she came back around on a similar trajectory. However, on her second pass, she flew in front of half the house before heading up and over the roof.

I didn’t spot any more butterflies as we headed out, but there were multiple flocks of Canadian geese migrating for the upcoming winter. We rode out onto the curvy road, and I thought about lean angles and how the MotoGP riders lean and place their bodies between the bikes and the road. I sometimes feel myself trying to lean opposite the lean of my motorcycle, but today I let myself lean more in line with the bike. Of course, I’m leaning at 25-mph, not nearly 200-kph, so the forces are quite different. But today I think I understood better why the race riders lean like they do.

We rode along, skipping the on street U-turn road entirely and moving wide in our turnarounds. I notice clematis in bloom again as well as some of those two season azaleas that will bloom in the spring and the fall. I even spotted the first potted bright yellow mums of autumn. The leaves on the trees blowing in the wind look tired, and there were more dead leaves piled in the gutters than I had seen.

As we headed into the square lot, we had to move around the police’s large multi-horse trailer parked in the entry lot. I looked around in hopes of spotting one of the horses, but all I saw was a large bouncy slide over by the third precinct. Hopefully some children got to see the horses.

When we headed up the fast road, which we only did twice, I was easily able to keep up with Bill. That should’ve clued me in as to what was going on, but I was too lost in the enjoyment of a beautiful day’s ride. Another clue was when we didn’t go into the hospital lot for slow speed maneuvers practice. I did start to wonder if Bill was tired or not feeling great as our slightly shortened ride came to an end. It was only after we had dismounted and removed our helmets that I learned his low fuel warning had come on right at the start of the ride. He headed out with a fifteen-mile range and managed to still have two miles of range left when we finished. Meanwhile, my motorcycle probably still has half a tank at least.

We’ll gas up and be ready to enjoy next week’s ride; I am loving these September rides.

Sunday Funday Ride

A rainy Saturday morning postponed our usual ride until Sunday with the weather bringing us a spectacular day for riding—sunny and comfortable with temperatures in the low 70s. Another indication summer is ending, and autumn is arriving.

Because it was Sunday our day to relax, we took a relaxed approach to the ride. No slow speed or tricky maneuvers; just cruising about and enjoying the sights. There was a rather ominous start to our ride. As we mounted the motorcycles to begin, a turkey buzzard was circling close above us. I snapped a picture of the bird which seemed no more than twenty feet above us, but I couldn’t focus the camera too well in my helmet, so the buzzard looks too small in the frame. I’ll just point out that the buzzard was close enough to us that I looked around for what it might be seeking to snack on. Luckily for me, I didn’t spot anything.

The buzzard floating above us as we got started but soon spiraled out of sight. I spied some harvest themed decorations—scarecrow and small pumpkins. One person with a sense of humor had a skeleton set out on his steps waving at passersby. These decorations were spotted early in the ride, and I was hopeful I would see more. But it is too early in September and too far from Halloween for most people to decorate. There are more and more political candidate signs appearing, but those aren’t very much fun.

I was happily surprised to see a number of butterflies out on this Sunday afternoon. I even pondered if butterflies and nature in general “slept in” on Sundays. My first butterfly encounter was with a low-flying black swallowtail that passed by in front of the car windshield as I drove over to the garage. I actually hit my brakes to keep the butterfly off my windshield. I then spotted a yellow Sulphur flying over my parents’ yard as we unloaded the gear.

During the ride, I saw three cabbage white butterflies along the curvy road. I then spotted what I think was an Atlantis fritillary butterfly before spying another black swallowtail. One tiny butterfly flew up by my helmet, and from the coloring I think it might have been a ceraunus blue butterfly, but it went by too fast to see the black spot. I saw a couple more yellow Sulphurs and began wondering if I’d ever in my life seen a pink butterfly. There is a species called the pink-edged Sulphur and a phaon crescent butterfly, but I don’t think I’ve ever spotted one.

I enjoyed my relaxing, butterfly-filled ride. I know I soon won’t see any butterflies until next spring, so I’m glad they seemed to be out in force during this ride. And I look forward to whatever sights I can see next week as I ride.

Turkey buzzard circling above in a blue sky — An ominous sign that contradicts the beauty of my ride.

Waning Summer Ride

Yellow leaves are intermingling with the green on the cherry trees. The crape myrtles are beginning to mix orange, red, and brown with their green leaves. And the Canadian geese are flocking in larger and larger groups. Our relatively mild August is moving swiftly into autumn as the summer wanes.

But summer is not going quietly. We had a return of the heat this week, though the worst of the heat hit midweek. Saturday was in the mid-80s with plenty of sunshine, just enough to feel the lingering summer heat. I opted not to wear my Alpinestars jacket which kept me mostly comfortable throughout the ride. It also allowed us some slow speed maneuver practice without overheating.

As I headed up the driveway to open the garage, I noticed the shadow of something flying overhead. When I turned around to see what it was, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was a black swallowtail butterfly flying over us. As we prepared to gear up in the garage, a tiger swallowtail flew directly toward us and even entered the garage before turning back from the shadow. At the beginning of the ride, I also spotted a little yellow Sulphur and what I believe was a Henry’s elfin butterfly in the culvert near the park.

During the ride, I focused some on my counter steering. I hadn’t been consciously thinking about it in my recent rides, but I enjoyed the sensation of the counter steer as I moved down the twisty road. My engine braking shifts have really smoothed out, and I find riding my motorcycle to be an almost sublime experience. Even in a mistake, as when I rode into the grass while making my first on street U-turn, I knew that I had stayed too close behind Bill and needed to adjust so as not to overtake him. I was able to correct on the second on-street U-turn though not one of my tighter turns.

When we got to the footless stop Yield sign, I worked the bike down to a “0” on the clock. I wondered if I could do the same with a digital clock such as the R 1250 or R 1300 GS has. On a boxer engine, I believe I could rather easily.

We had a beautiful, surprising sight when we rode close to the river. It was low tide which I had noted earlier due to the odor of the mud. As we approached the cul de sac, a large gray heron down in the riverbed took flight, albeit low over the water, startled by our motorcycles. The benefit of seeing it flying so close was gaining an appreciation of its nearly six foot wingspan. The startled heron settled about 100 feet upriver from where he was. Leaving the cul de sac, I looked down at the water and saw the head of another heron who chose to remain still rather than fly away.

I got to practice sudden stops when not one but two squirrels ran in front of the Rocket both heading left to right across the road. I also worked on my emergency stops in the hospital lot. I still have some shuddering from the antilock brakes, but as we enter more fully into fall, I will be able to get more practice.

Heading around on our final route back to the garage, I was slightly startled when a juniper hairstreak butterfly flew up at my face from the right. I love the up-close nature riding a motorcycle provides. It can be annoying if there is freshly mown grass blowing up into my raised visor. But I wouldn’t trade that inconvenience a second for the joy I feel out and about in nature on my motorcycle.

Yellow leaves among the green on a Yoshino cherry tree.

Do Crows Eat Goose Poop?

Yes, I am asking the question—do crows eat goose poop? This puzzlement is one of the many thoughts that play through my mind as I ride. But there is a specific incident that led me to this particular pondering.

First, let me start by saying today was probably the prettiest August day for riding ever. The whole week has been kept comfortably cool for late summer by winds coming down from Canada. Daily highs have been in the mid-70s with low humidity and plenty of sunshine. Luckily, the weather held into Saturday; it was so comfortably cool for late August that it didn’t matter that we had a late start and didn’t head out for our ride until after 3:00. In fact Bill had joked that had we gotten up to ride at 6:00 AM, we would’ve needed to wear our leather jackets.

So here I was on a late summer day not getting wet underpants because I didn’t sweat at all during the ride. And we weren’t the only ones out riding, though we were the only ones on motorcycles. I spotted more than ten bicyclists out and about including two intrepid youths out with their training wheels. One boy on his bike looked at us as we passed and I waved to him to keep his future dreams of motorcycles alive.

Before we headed out, I spotted a bird of prey. At first I thought it was an osprey, but as it flew closer overhead, I made out the white head and brown underside of a young bald eagle. I smiled at this wonderful sight and was hopeful for more fun wildlife during the ride. Despite the beautiful day, though, I only spotted one sulfur butterfly before our ride and one eastern tiger swallowtail later during the ride. And I saw a turkey vulture circling high in the sky with another large bird; however, this bird’s wing shape was different from the turkey vulture. From my research I believe it may have been a gray vulture, but as he was very high in the sky, I can’t be sure.

The squirrels are a bit more assertive this late into the summer. Two ran out in front of Bill during our ride and both just kept right on going as though they owned the road. One of them had something large and white in its mouth, maybe a pale squash though it seems too early for squash. We did have an unexpected sighting. Someone’s pet dog, I believe a little Lancashire heeler, was out in the road. I looked around and only spotted an open garage. He didn’t try and chase our motorcycles, but he was friendly and began approaching us before we moved away. When we came out of the footless stop, which was totally full of feet as a truck was coming so we had to stop, the little dog was heading up the road.

But we rode on, heading up the fast road. We turned into the square lot for U-turn practice where I spotted the crows. As we rode into the square, I looked around to see what so many crows were feasting on. But all I saw was the Canadian goose poop that covered the parking lot. This observation led me to wonder if crows do eat poop; the best answer I could find was maybe. However, it is the ability to make such detailed observations from the seat of my motorcycle that lets my mind wander into such profound thinking (HA!). I was grossed out knowing the goose poop was getting all over our tires, but there was no way to avoid it.

We circled back to check on the little dog, but he had made his way home by then. I was happy about that. One disadvantage of motorcycles is they aren’t ideal for carrying things or dogs. Bill isn’t too shot with carrying passengers on the pillion, which is why I get a motorcycle of my own to ride. I could still ponder goose poop eating crows and spot butterflies and birds from the back of a motorcycle, but I wouldn’t have any where near the fun I have working the clutch, rolling on the throttle, and working with the balance of the motorcycle as I turn it around. I also think it’s very healthy and helpful for my aging brain—to multitask with working the motorcycle while observing the wonders of nature around me. I can’t wait for more brain work next week.

A Pleasant August Ride

We are halfway through August and signs of autumn are beginning to appear. Soon the meteorologists will be recounting how this was the hottest summer on record. And I won’t believe them. Two weeks into August, past what should have been the dog days of summer, and we’ve been sitting with temperatures in the 80s. For the mid-Atlantic coast, this makes for a balmy summer. It sure made for a comfortable summer ride.

The sky was cloudy as well, though no rain was in the forecast. The cloud cover contributed to the comfortable ride. Still, because it is still summer, Bill led us on a cruising ride with no slow speed drills. I did get to practice my footless stop—another 0 on the speedometer. And I continued working on my engine braking with only one full pull in on the clutch during the whole ride.

As we rode, we passed three groups of Canadian geese, each one progressively larger than the other. The third gaggle was over twenty geese; this many groups is a sure sign of fall migration. Fall of course is spectacular riding weather, and I am definitely looking forward to those cooler days and the colors of autumn. Not that I mind still seeing the crape myrtle blossoms, roses, brown-eyed Susans, and brightly colored vincas still flowering. I was surprised, though, to still see flowers in bloom on the magnolia trees and credit that to both the milder summer and the abundance of rain we’ve had.

I spotted a spicebush swallowtail that’s been hanging around my yard as I sat in the car waiting for Bill. During the ride, a different spicebush swallowtail flew aggressively toward Bill on the Rocket before backing off and fluttering away. I will miss spotting butterflies as we head into the colder seasons. But I am hoping I’ll see some bald eagles as they have been conspicuously absent this summer. When I get to ride my motorcycle, I can find something wonderful in all the seasons to enjoy.

Spicebush swallowtail butterfly--black with blue, gold, and orange markings — Photo by Thomas Elliott on Pexels.com

Caught by the Rain

Hurricane Debby made landfall this week bringing devastation and destruction to a wide swath of the east. The outer bands passed over this area giving us days of rain. Cooler air came along with the storm which was nice. When Saturday came, rain was in the forecast, but we hadn’t paid enough attention to it to avoid the precipitation entirely. As we geared up in the garage, Bill checked his weather app which predicted 70% chance of rain. We headed out to get whatever ride in we could.

We were able to hit the curvy road where we ran into several cars leaving their driveways. Bill even cut into the gravel lot of the historic house to let one of the cars go past us. I realized then that while I am engine braking coming to stop signs, I don’t have it as a habit to help me in sudden slow downs and stops. We passed five Canadian geese and just as I was beginning to feel sad about the odd one, we zoomed past three more. With all the recent rain, the geese had split up to enjoy different puddles.

As we hit the long road into the ritzy neighborhood, I spotted something on my visor that might have been a raindrop. Half a second later, we rode into the downpour. We had to do an on-street U-turn and began to head back to my parents’ garage. Oddly, though, as we entered my parents’ neighborhood, the rain stopped, just a few blocks from the downpour. So we began riding around that neighborhood. I spotted a few butterflies, but under the gray skies, I couldn’t quite make up which species.

We zipped around for a few minutes before passing a car with its windshield wipers in full gear. Two seconds later, we hit the rain again and decided to call it a day. It was an interesting image to see the demarcation in the air between the rain and no rain.

Next week promises sunshine and low 80s for our Saturday ride. It will be a long week as I have to head back to work, so I’m hopeful for a great day of riding ahead.

Raindrops on the pillion seat and taillight of the R Nine T.