The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

My usual rides are on Saturdays, and I was trying to psych myself up for the ride. It’s funny how a 50 degree day in the winter is a gift of warmth. But a 50 degree day in the spring is cold. Clearly, it’s all in one’s perspective, but I was in the midst of debating whether I should pull out my leather jacket or if I could tough it out for one ride. It didn’t help that the skies were gray and threatening and the wind was gusting enough to make it feel 10 degrees colder. After a brief discussion with Bill, we opted to risk the ride on Sunday because it promised to be 10 degrees warmer and at least partly sunny.

Well the sun did come out tomorrow. While there were clouds and it didn’t get quite as warm as promised earlier in the week, the warmth from the sun made for a mostly comfortable ride. I dressed in layers with flannel and thermal shirts in the mix and wore my Rev’It leather pants and only had a bit of a chill on my thighs that went away as the sun beat down on my black pants and the motorcycle warmed up.

The sun decided to shine on us throughout the ride, and the curvy road was passable again, so we zoomed up and down it. The Canadian geese are back in smaller groups and mating pairs—it is springtime. The azaleas are approaching peak bloom, and I rode by a house with a phenomenal array of azaleas with blooming dogwoods completing the landscaping. Reds, white, pinks, and purples arrayed in front of the white and pink blossoms of the dogwoods. The pink dogwoods are at peak, while the white dogwoods are a mix mostly of blossoms and leaves, though a few late bloomers were peaking. I also spotted the knockout roses beginning to bloom and am amazed to see several camellias still in bloom. I also spotted my first blooming clematis, and I expect to see more in bloom next week.

The day was so beautiful, Bill led us on a long cruise. I thought we might do some slow speed maneuvers because of the cool day, but our only turnarounds were in cul-de-sacs or the square lot. While I was turning in the square lot, I was reminded of my MSF test and the box—a twenty foot square box in which I was supposed to U-turn inside the lines. I didn’t stay inside the lines at the time but, as I made a tight turn, I recognized that part of the reason I couldn’t turn tightly was the motorcycle I was riding. A cruiser like the old Kawasaki Eliminator has a longer rake meaning the front forks are more angled and the front wheel is stretched out more. On the R Nine T, I’m in a more upright position and the forks are more up and down, so I can turn the wheel in a tighter radius. I realized that on my motorcycle, I would pass the box test no problem. And I was glad the instructors at the MSF course let me slide on my box test.

I spotted four cabbage white butterflies during my ride; I think they came out because of the sunshine because it was cool. I had hoped I might see an eagle since we went up the curvy road, but no luck. However, we did spot an osprey soaring up above the river and he put on a bit of an aerobatic show for us. I also saw the snow goose was back with the flock of Canadian geese. Mostly, however, I saw crows flitting all over; they get quite active in the spring.

The ride lasted longer than our usual rides, but I still hated heading back to the garage. However, I was really hungry, and I know I’ll be back on my bike for next week’s ride.

Ten Cabbages and One Mystery

We’re on the cusp of hot weather riding already as March finished up. But today’s ride was just below sweaty as temperatures hit 78 degrees under sunny skies. I’m nearing the end of comfort in my leather riding pants and will have to switch to my baggy jeans for next week’s ride. I already only wore my Hanes t-shirt under the Alpinestar jacket and needed to lower my Klim jacket zipper to stay comfortable.

We did get a bit of an earlier start, so the temperature was only up to 76. As we head deeper into spring and closer to summer, our rides will have to get earlier. At midday, there was a lot going on. People were out and about and the traffic was much heavier than we’re used to. And lots of people were enjoying the beautiful day, working in yards, walking, riding, and running. Bill detoured us into a cul de sac and one point to let the cars thin out, and we’re riding through neighborhoods.

I spotted my first tulips of the spring in bright red, yellow, and pinks. The whitish yellow daffodils were holding strong, but the bright yellow ones are wrinkling and withering already. The Yoshino cherry blossom trees hit peak blooms this week. As I rode around, it was as though I was attending a private cherry blossom festival.

I fully expected to see many butterflies, and I did spot our garage cabbage white buddy before we started our ride. The next one turned up a mile and a half later, but then there was a long gap before I spotted another. Five more miles into the ride, I finally saw another cabbage white, and then they seemed to be everywhere—ten spotted throughout the ride. As we headed into a quiet cul de sac to turn around, I spotted a yellow butterfly high in the trees. I think it was a young tiger swallowtail, but unfortunately, it fluttered away from the roadway, so I couldn’t get a good look.

I noticed something about the trees as we headed up the long road. More trees are budding as their leaves prepare to open and, if you look at large group of trees, the colors of the buds very much mirror the various colors of autumn. There are greens of course, but also yellows, burgundies, even burnt umber. It was quite beautiful. I noted the dogwoods are beginning to bloom and even some azaleas, the ones with the small flowers, were already blooming.

My ride continued smoothly with me focusing on counter steering as I weaved back and forth on the roads. I also enjoyed turning tightly in my U-turns and feeling the lean of the motorcycle on my turns. After our ride, Bill pointed out the heat will probably keep us from doing too many slow speed maneuvers. I don’t mind; I enjoy success at slow-speed drills, but I really prefer cruising. And I’m not the only one. We spotted eight motorcycles out and about as we headed over for our ride; six of them were Harley-Davidson cruisers and two race bikes.

My smooth ride ended on a blip. Inside the garage I couldn’t find neutral with the shifter. After several attempts, I went ahead and shut the R Nine T off and reached down with my hand to move the shifter into neutral. As Bill explained later, motorcycles have personalities, and my shift quirk is part of the R Nine T’s character. I can live with the quirk especially since it doesn’t impact my ability to ride.

Sargent's cherry tree with pink buds and white blossoms

The Butterflies Are Back

Officially spring begins this Thursday with the March 20 vernal equinox. But it was already abundantly clear that spring has sprung. The forecast was for clouds with the sun making an appearance around 4:00, but the sun pushed the clouds aside and shone brightly down on a gorgeous Saturday in the mid-60s. As I set the gear out, I looked out the window and saw a very small cabbage white butterfly making the unofficial start to spring “official.”

Later, as we were gearing up in the garage, another cabbage white flew from the left to right across the top of the garage. The spring riding season has been butterfly blessed. And I spotted the first cabbage white of the ride two miles in and the second one a few seconds later. All in all, I spotted five cabbage whites during the ride moving about the dandelions, daffodils, camellias, and flowering trees. The sugar magnolias are reaching peak bloom as was the one plum tree I saw. I also spotted two star magnolias in bloom and wished I could smell the blossoms. More trees are showing buds especially the red buds on the oaks. I did get to enjoy the crisp smell of freshly mown grass as there were several early mowers out trimming lawns.

My ride was very smooth. I focused on engine braking and “no look” turns. A no look turn is actually a turn where I look in the opposite direction for oncoming traffic. For example, if I’m making a right turn, I look toward the left. Again, I was very pleased with how easily the skills returned. It was such a beautiful day for riding I found myself weaving back and forth several times in sheer bliss.

Since we’ve entered daylight savings time, the sun remains higher in the sky for our rides, so there’s no issue with light in my eyes. On this ride Bill detoured us to the side of the road to discuss the approach to a tricky intersection with a yield sign. He pointed out that on our motorcycles, we are essentially unseeable by drivers who approach the yield sign and, if they don’t spot large movement from a vehicle, blow right through it. It doesn’t help that there’s a large patch of pampas grass and some cedar trees impeding the view. So Bill explained why he slows down and goes a little wide as we approach this yield sign to give us an opportunity for avoidance.

We did a little bit more with slow speed maneuvers, heading into the small church’s parking lot to do a few figure eights. I spotted a small group of Canadian geese in the field beside the church, a duck and drake enjoying a swim, and lots of crows. I was surprised to not see any vultures, and I wondered if it was too warm for them, and they prefer to float later in the cooler part of the day.

Soon the mating osprey will start building nests, and I hope to spot a bald eagle, though we haven’t been up the curvy road due to construction. Still, the eagles have to build nests too, so I’ll keep my eyes open. And of course, as we officially move into springtime, I’ll start to see a greater variety of butterflies during my rides; plenty to look forward to.

red leaf buds on oak tree branches against blue sky

Blossoms and Butterflies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wind Chill

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

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

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

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

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

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