wfooshee
O, Woe is me!!
Ah, September! Autumn!
One page of the calendar gone, and you feel the promise of cooler temps and relief from the summer heat. Football scores are in the newspaper (all 3 kinds of football - high school, college, and NFL!) so the season is right for Southern riding!
Therefore I gear up for a nice evening ride. I'm out of soft drinks, and the farthest store I can think of that's open 24 hours and still in the county is 22 miles away. Mrs. me has gone to work so there's nothing else to do anyway. I see lightning flashes way to the north over the horizon, but I'm not going north, I'm going east.
I'm 3 blocks from the house, and I have to open my visor to wipe sweat out of my eye. Well, I had to walk the bike out of the driveway, what with all the clutter, so I got a little warm. It's OK, it's September, now.
I'm heading out of town on 390 east, limit is 45 which is murder at this hour (being alone on the road) but Lynn Haven LEOs are not very understanding, so 48 indicated it is. Not enough speed to get much wind through by HRX jacket, yet.
Ah, here's the light at the end of 390, ready to get on 231 and some highway speed. Damn sensor doesn't see the bike, though, even with the kickstand trick. I sit and sweat for a few minutes wondering how I'm going to sneak across 4 lanes of 65-mph traffic. Finally someone pulls into the adjacent lane, trips the light (fantastic!), and I'm off again.
Headed up 231 now, looking for the sweet spot in the windshield. You know, where it's not blowing right in your face, but not blocking all the air, either. Ah, there it is, just a bit more than halfway up, and I feel cooling air coming around on my sides. Feels good! Reminds me a bit of a ride I took last week, back in August.
I get to the store, and damn if they aren't closed!!! WTF!!?!???!??!11111!!! I pull off my helmet and unzip the jacket anyway, take a little break. Would be nice for the store to be open, I could get a drink. . . I give the door the finger (maybe they've got video and can enjoy it later) and mount up to head back. I mop my head a bit first before putting the lid back on.
South on 231, take the right onto 390. Hey, there's a Tom Thumb store here that's open, and on impulse I decide to swing in there. Need a hard stop to make the driveway, check the mirrors once more (even though I know nobody followed me off 231 3 seconds ago) and it's clear, grab brakes and clutch, kick it down to 1st and turn in real smooth-like. Stow the lid and the jacket in the bags, go in the store. Wow! The A/C kicks ass in here! That's NICE! And they've got 2-liter Coke products for 89 cents!!!! Is this kismet or what? 4 of those will go in the Givi real easy. Need some bread, too.
They've got a calendar on the desk, open to September. Looking at it (nosy bloke that I am) I see there's a date 3 weeks from now marked Autumnal Equinox. Hey, I know what that is!! That's the first day of ---- Wait a minute! It's still Summer!!!!! No wonder my ride tonight doesn't feel any different from my ride last week, back in August!
Damn, it's hot!
Still!
But I've got something to drink when I get to the house.
One page of the calendar gone, and you feel the promise of cooler temps and relief from the summer heat. Football scores are in the newspaper (all 3 kinds of football - high school, college, and NFL!) so the season is right for Southern riding!
Therefore I gear up for a nice evening ride. I'm out of soft drinks, and the farthest store I can think of that's open 24 hours and still in the county is 22 miles away. Mrs. me has gone to work so there's nothing else to do anyway. I see lightning flashes way to the north over the horizon, but I'm not going north, I'm going east.
I'm 3 blocks from the house, and I have to open my visor to wipe sweat out of my eye. Well, I had to walk the bike out of the driveway, what with all the clutter, so I got a little warm. It's OK, it's September, now.
I'm heading out of town on 390 east, limit is 45 which is murder at this hour (being alone on the road) but Lynn Haven LEOs are not very understanding, so 48 indicated it is. Not enough speed to get much wind through by HRX jacket, yet.
Ah, here's the light at the end of 390, ready to get on 231 and some highway speed. Damn sensor doesn't see the bike, though, even with the kickstand trick. I sit and sweat for a few minutes wondering how I'm going to sneak across 4 lanes of 65-mph traffic. Finally someone pulls into the adjacent lane, trips the light (fantastic!), and I'm off again.
Headed up 231 now, looking for the sweet spot in the windshield. You know, where it's not blowing right in your face, but not blocking all the air, either. Ah, there it is, just a bit more than halfway up, and I feel cooling air coming around on my sides. Feels good! Reminds me a bit of a ride I took last week, back in August.
I get to the store, and damn if they aren't closed!!! WTF!!?!???!??!11111!!! I pull off my helmet and unzip the jacket anyway, take a little break. Would be nice for the store to be open, I could get a drink. . . I give the door the finger (maybe they've got video and can enjoy it later) and mount up to head back. I mop my head a bit first before putting the lid back on.
South on 231, take the right onto 390. Hey, there's a Tom Thumb store here that's open, and on impulse I decide to swing in there. Need a hard stop to make the driveway, check the mirrors once more (even though I know nobody followed me off 231 3 seconds ago) and it's clear, grab brakes and clutch, kick it down to 1st and turn in real smooth-like. Stow the lid and the jacket in the bags, go in the store. Wow! The A/C kicks ass in here! That's NICE! And they've got 2-liter Coke products for 89 cents!!!! Is this kismet or what? 4 of those will go in the Givi real easy. Need some bread, too.
They've got a calendar on the desk, open to September. Looking at it (nosy bloke that I am) I see there's a date 3 weeks from now marked Autumnal Equinox. Hey, I know what that is!! That's the first day of ---- Wait a minute! It's still Summer!!!!! No wonder my ride tonight doesn't feel any different from my ride last week, back in August!
Damn, it's hot!
Still!
But I've got something to drink when I get to the house.
