Tag: nature

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