Suicidal Butterflies?

As we set out for our motorcycle ride on this warm but not too hot day, I had a goal in mind—work on scanning my environment for potential hazards and pathways of avoidance. During the week, Bill and I watched some YouTube videos on motorcycle safety. One was on what the Japanese version of the MSF teaches, and one was from a British instructor for their version of the MSF. I discovered I have a lot of work ahead.

One of the aspects of riding safety I have not been paying careful attention to is hidden roadway obstacles. For example when I approach an intersection, I know to scan for oncoming traffic, seek an escape route should I need to swerve, and slow down slightly. What I had not been thinking about is the road itself. Is the road smooth? Gravelly? Bumpy? What might be on the road that would cause me to lose control, even briefly, of my steering or braking. It was quite enlightening, and I worked on adding a scan of the road’s surface to my usual scans.

Also during the week, I had watched a YouTube video “What Motorcycling Really Does to Your Brain (Tokyo University Study)” which explained the neuroscientific benefits of riding motorcycles including the brain development and cognitive skills riding builds and maintains. I’ve explained how my motorcycle rides help me deal with stress, and there are studies showing a reduction in cortisol levels from riding and endorphin release, but I didn’t realize it would help keep my brain sharper as I age. I’ve been out having fun while I ride. But I am constantly figuring things out during the ride—where is the road smoother, obstacle free, hiding a potential crash. I also develop my brain while working on my slow-speed drills such as U-turns and fast stops.

And I gain the endorphin benefit of spending time in nature. In addition to the scent of honeysuckle, ligustrum, and magnolia blooms, I love that constant scanning allows me to also enjoy natural sights. I spotted the first cabbage white butterfly several miles into our ride. But the suicidal cabbage white was the fifth one I spotted during the ride. The first cabbage white went fluttering across Bill’s path, and so did the fifth. However, I watched Bill swerve sharply to the left and then flick his left hand in the air as the sixth cabbage white approached his motorcycle. After the ride, he explained that the butterfly was trying its best to collide with Bill’s right mirror. Luckily, Bill’s riding skills kept number five alive.

Traffic was odd during the ride because of neighborhood yard sales. But one benefit to a bad driver backing out of their driveway into our path was the sudden stop gave me a second look at the low-tide river and allowed me to spot the well-camouflaged great blue heron. I also spotted a bedraggled-looking osprey overhead perhaps just waking up for breakfast. We had gone out earlier for our ride in part due to the warmer temperatures but also to avoid the crazy traffic around my neighborhood for the nearby festival.

We have some summer weather heading our way this week complete with the daily chance of thunderstorms. But hopefully we’ll have a sunny day for next week’s ride, and the butterflies will have worked out their issues and just flutter pleasantly by.

white butterfly — Photo by Tu00f4n Thanh Chiu1ebfn on Pexels.com

Did You Miss Us?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Birds of Prey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taste of Summer Ride

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

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

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

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

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

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

Springtime Treats Ride

We’ve officially entered spring and happy motorcyclists are popping up everywhere. Riders who winterize their motorcycles have dusted them off, fueled them up, and are in the saddle again. We saw a group of six (or more) young people out on their sports bikes as well as too many Harley riders to count. The day was perfect for motorcycles; sunny skies and temperatures hovering around 70 degrees. At that temperature, as long as one isn’t sitting at traffic lights, the ride is quite comfortable with enough breeze generated to keep riders comfortable.

But motorcyclists like myself weren’t the only creatures out to enjoy the day. Before we headed out, I saw an osprey circling high above the river. A mile into our ride I spotted a young bald eagle diving toward the river. A few blocks later, I spotted a young cabbage white butterfly thrilled at the blooming trees and flowers, including the first bright red tulips of the spring. And yes, my little cabbage white garage friend was hanging around as we unloaded the gear.

The cherry blossoms are on full display, and I spotted white budding on the dogwoods. The azaleas will be blooming soon, and the pollen will thicken the air. I also spotted the first Canadian tiger swallowtail making its way across the road, promising more varied butterfly spotting on future rides.

Before we set out on the ride, Bill challenged me to work on turning my head even farther during a U-turn than usual and to focus on the lean out as the motorcycle turns around. By doing this, my two on-street U-turns were beautiful—a foot of tarmac between my tire and the berm. But it was a challenge, and I struggled on the gravel and had to dab on one of my turns. Even so, I managed two turns inside the two parking spaces.

I also remembered to check my rearview mirrors more through the ride, my own personal challenge. Next week my goal is to check my rearview mirror before all stops, something I should be doing but have gotten lazy about. Bill’s head turn challenge was also to make sure we aren’t getting lazy as our skills improve. As we finished our ride, our last springtime treat was a squirrel playing chicken with the Rocket. He only won because Bill came to a stop and beeped him off the road. A funny end to what was a beautiful ride—hooray for spring!

Yoshino cherry tree in full bloom with pinkish white flowers against a blue sky

Triple Whites

If you’re out on the road, I’m sure you’ve noticed an uptick in motorcycles out and about. Riders who winterize their motorcycles leap at the chance to get them out of storage and ride. Luckily for me, I’m a year-round rider, so I don’t have a withdrawal period. But I still love a beautiful day made for motorcycles which is what we were given this week.

The day before the weather surprised us with a wind shift that brought colder air in, but it didn’t last. We had a gorgeous day in the mid-70s and everywhere there were signs of spring taking over from winter. As we headed over for the ride, I spotted a small, brownish pink butterfly determinedly fluttering up the road. It was too far for me to guess the species, but it made me smile and confirmed a hope I had that as early as it was, the butterflies would be out.

Sure enough, half a mile into our ride, as I was watching a large Muscovy duck waddle across the road, the first cabbage white butterfly fluttered up on my right. Another mile up the road, as I looked to the left at a stop sign, I spotted another cabbage white in a frenzy of flutters. The camellias and daffodils are attractive, but additionally, the plum trees and sugar magnolias are beginning to bloom, giving the butterflies more options.

As we rode, we saw loads of people out walking, running, working in the yard, and playing because it was too beautiful of a day not to get out and enjoy it. And it was a restorative ride for me. I could feel joy spreading through me, chasing away the winter blahs. That joy translated into my ride. My on-street U-turns, while not the tightest, were both all pavement. My rear tire did slip a bit during the fast stop into turns drills, but I didn’t panic or dab; I just registered that my speed was sufficient to cause the backend to slip. I even successfully did the full U-turn inside the two parking spots on the gravel lot.

At some point during the ride, I registered that I was smiling. That feeling, that body-infusing joy one feels while cruising on two-wheels, that is what makes motorcycle riding so addictive—in a good way. I wonder if there is a study on the happiness of motorcycle riders and if, on average, we are generally happier than average folks.

The title of this week’s piece, Triple Whites, is a play on a popular BMW R1250/1300 GS color scheme—Triple Black. My triple whites are the cabbage white butterflies, and the third cabbage white made me happiest. As I rode my motorcycle up the driveway, across the yard the little guy fluttered toward me as if welcoming me home. I hope he’s the same butterfly that hung around last year, and I certainly hope I get to see him again during next week’s ride.

Finishing Up February with Fun

Spring is winning out over winter. While we did have some snowfall Sunday, the weather warmed back up and we had a near 60 degree day for our ride. The sun was out, the clouds were thin and stretched out, and it was another perfect day for riding motorcycles.

On our way over to the garage, we saw a young man zooming over 80 mph on his sport bike on the interstate. I realize the new MotoGP season has started, but zooming through heavy traffic is never a smart idea. And this young man only had his helmet on. His white hoodie was standard cotton, not Kevlar lined like my Klim jacket.

I risked my lightweight jacket and thought I might have made a mistake. As I geared up, I thought about the Velcro straps at my cuffs and cinching them up. But I don’t normally do that with the Klim, so I didn’t, but I very quickly came to regret that decision. The cool air slid right up my sleeves and gave me a chill. I turned on the heated grips, but I wasn’t comfortable until I reached over and cinched up the sleeves. Most jackets have this cinching feature, but since walking around doesn’t cause the air to flow up our arms, I am not in the habit of cinching except with the Schott’s leather. Those sleeves have zippers to cinch in the cuffs, and I always zip those after I’ve put on my gloves. I learned another lesson in appreciating my motorcycle gear.

Our beautiful ride, however, was thwarted a bit by unusual traffic. Three times during the ride we found ourselves edging past cars that had just stopped in the roadway. Apparently it was random stop in the road day and no one told us. The worry was these stopped cars might abruptly start again and pull out without looking. I was worried about one mini-van that almost started but stopped for Bill because I wasn’t sure they would realize I was behind him. Luckily they did, but the odd traffic did put a damper on the ride and Bill cut it short.

But before it was over, I did two beautiful on-street U-turns and managed not to let my tire slip on all the little broken off branches littering one of the parking lots. The Rocket’s front tire did slip and Bill had to dab.

I thought I would see more daffodils blooming, but I think they took a beating by the arrival of second winter and are keeping their heads down. I did see my first spray of bright pink phlox blooming and more camellias are flowering. Heading over I spotted a great blue heron, but nothing but crows and buzzards during our ride. And squirrels, lots of squirrels, lots of excited squirrels out enjoying the early signs of spring. Next weekend looks to be a full-on spring day with temperatures forecasted for the mid-70s; the squirrels and I will be out loving it!

Mix and Match Ride

Our weekend is mix and match weather—partly sunny skies and 60 degrees followed by rain and highs in the mid-40s. Luckily, the sun was out enough to let us ride, and I had both my warm and cold weather riding gear. I had my Klim summer jacket and summer gloves on, but I wore my long sleeves and Klim wool jacket underneath. And I was perfectly comfortable throughout the ride.

The buzzards and crows were acting up with the weather, flitting and circling about. The day was warm enough that I wondered if it might confuse a butterfly into making an appearance. It didn’t, or course, but the nice day brought the kids out and the dog walkers. The impending storm, with snow forecasted, caused people to be out, and we encountered traffic everywhere.

My ride went really well. I was glad to have the light weight gloves on as they give me the best feel for the throttle, clutch, and front brake. I figured if my hands got chilly, I could turn on the heated grips. But with the sun shining down on us for most of the ride, my hands were fine. I made an interesting emergency stop. As Bill was leading us around on the on-street U-turns, he stalled the Rocket in front of me. I saw Bill dab his left foot and realized I would need to stop in the midst of my turn. So I straightened my wheel quickly and stopped with no wobble or need to dab. I was a little disappointed because my turns were set up really sharply, but then I realized that I had the opportunity to practice a rare skill.

I also had good U-turns on the gravel lot. I’m almost ready to go inside the wooden board two parking spot section and see if I can stay inside the wood. During the fast shift-down turn drills, I wanted more roadway to accelerate because I really enjoy that drill.

When we started the ride, I looked for clouds and saw some building in from the north. About halfway through our ride, the clouds quickly overtook the sun, so much so I wondered about rain. The forecast hadn’t shown any rain for today, but I thought maybe the storm might have arrived early. No rain came, but the temperature began to fall as we ended our ride. As we headed home, the temperature had already fallen 10 degrees, so I was glad I had my mix and match layers.

Of course, the big question in my mind was what would next week’s ride be like? Will winter return? Or will we be gifted another spring-like day to air out our motorcycles? I can’t wait to find out.

large cloud overtaking the sun — Photo by Samir Smier on Pexels.com

If You Don’t Like the Weather, Wait a Week

One reason we don’t winterize the motorcycles is the precariousness of the mid-Atlantic coastal weather. Last week we were bundled up against the cold with our motorcycles warning us of icy conditions. Today’s ride was 74 degrees, so the summer gear was on and my R Nine T was smiling (well, I was smiling on the R Nine T). The rain had passed by earlier and, while there were a few damp patches of road in the shady spots, most of the roads had dried out. The sun even peeked out enough to require sunglasses. I can already sense the days are beginning to lengthen as the sun is higher in the sky and not shining right into my eyes.

I was grateful for my 50/50 tires. There had been some roadwork during the week, and I rode over several patches of gravel. I had my guardian angel bell attached under the chassis, and I hoped since I had my helmet vents open and the visor cracked, I might hear a jingle. But no such luck; I only heard the roar of the boxer cylinders. But I felt its protection as I worked on my turns in the gravel lot. The slight slips of the tires as I came around did not cause me worry as I balanced the motorcycle.

My turns went extremely well during today’s ride. My on-street U-turns were all pavement. And I really enjoyed our fast braking into turns drill, feeling the acceleration and then the dive as I hauled on the brakes then let up. I can understand why people love to race motorcycles.

Bill and I weren’t the only riders out enjoying the day. As we were conducting our fast-braking drill, a rider on a bright yellow Harley-Davidson Pan America rode by giving us the motorcycle salute. That was the first Pan America I’ve seen on the road, and I liked the color as the bright yellow nearly matched the bright yellow on my R Nine T.

It was still winter as far as the animals were concerned. I spotted some vultures up riding the thermals, and we had one squirrel crossing. But other than the ubiquitous crows, there was not much wildlife about. The camellias are blooming, adding their reds and pinks to the browns and greens.

Unbeknownst to me, as we were heading back to the garage, Bill put me to a test. We have a left turn out of the fancy neighborhood into my parents’. There was a car ahead turning the opposite left from us and Bill turned in front of that. But by the time I came to the left turn, there was another car coming up from behind and moving around the left-turning car. If I were crazy, I would’ve accelerated and zoomed into the turn in front of the car, but instead I slowed down into first gear and waited for the car to pass. Afterwards, as we were taking off our gear, Bill told me I had done what he had hoped I would do—deal with the intersection on my own and not just follow him blindly.

It can be a danger when riding with another or others to fall into trailing mode and just do what the leader does. Luckily for me, I have a leader who’s very conscientious of my limited riding experience. However, I am practicing my riding skills every week, and I will be out next week, when winter returns, working on my motorcycle skills.

Itchy Nose Ride

Today’s ride was wintry for sure. The sky was gray and the wind was bitterly cold bringing the temperature down to below 40 degrees. But I was bundled up well and my heated grips were working, so I was mostly comfortable except for chilly fingertips.

Even under the gray skies, I managed to spot a white egret flying overhead as we started off and two more in the low tidal waters at the park. I also spotted two ospreys, one in each neighborhood, as we rode, and the squirrels were busy in the yards but keeping off the roads. Yet there seemed a quietness as we rode, that winter stillness that seems to settle over the land.

I noted that despite spotting a few pink winter roses and some newly planted purple pansies, there was a brown hue to the landscape as we rode by. The pines and other evergreens and grass are greens muted by the winter brown. One of the joys of riding my motorcycle is experiencing the seasons from the saddle and enjoying their unique features.

About midway through the ride my nose started itching. Now while riding a motorcycle, it is possible to take a hand off the handlebars. With cruise control some riders even take both hands off the handlebars. So theoretically I could take my left hand off the bars, lift my visor, and bump my nose with my gloved fingers. But I didn’t want to open my visor in the cold air.

To distract myself from the itch, my mind went to how in today’s society, so many needs are immediately met. Are you hungry? Uber eats will deliver nearly anything you want. Feeling ill? Medicine is on its way, or you can get a virtual appointment and a prescription without getting out of your pajamas. But riding my R Nine T, dressed in my safety gear with its extra layering for the cold, scratching my nose was not a simple task. And what if I just endured the inconvenience of an itchy nose? Would the delayed gratification feel better? Or, as did happen, would the itchy nose cease to itch? And am I better person for having endured it?

I realize how silly this is, but my ride did distract me from the itchy nose. During a U-turn in a cul-de-sac, I was letting out the clutch to increase my speed a little. I was , in the full bars to the left, front wheel turned, and the bike wasn’t accelerating. I tried a little throttle, and I only got engine revving. I had mis-shifted into neutral and had to quickly shift into first and accelerate to maintain the motorcycle in an upright position. Luckily, the boxer engine saved my balance and let me save the turn. And I soon forgot about my itchy nose.

As the ride ended, I had a new focus as I dismounted—the bathroom. Eventually, due to my recovering from a cold, I did get to scratch my itchy nose.

And, in the immortal words of Monty Python, “now for something completely different,” my motorcycle Christmas gift. Bill surprised me with Dream Apparel’s motorcycle bell. The bell says, “Never ride faster than your angel can fly.” It is a guardian angel bell to protect me from road gremlins. Next week, we’ll get it affixed to my motorcycle. I don’t know if it will protect me from itchy noses though, but I’m willing to keep riding to find out.