Man I hate waking up early on weekends. :glare: On Saturday and Sunday I want to wake up when I wake up, without benefit of a #$&% alarm clock. So if I do wake early to an alarm clock on a weekend, it’s got to be for a damn good reason.
Going on a local motorcycle ride is rarely a damn good reason. Not for me anyway. Five days a week I wake up early to an alarm clock and get to go on a motorcycle ride. Sure, it’s just to work, but that doesn’t mean it ain’t fun, exhilarating even. Some might say death-defying. In any event, it’s a great way to start the day. But not on weekends.
Now, waking up early for a road trip, that’s something different. Road trips are special. For a road trip I’ll even get up as early as 7:00, like I did going to Colorado last summer for NAFO. Hell, I might even get up at 6:30 for a road trip.
-----------------------------
Yesterday morning was Saturday, and my alarm clock went off at 05:25 AM. (I recommend the classical station, BTW.) That’s earlier than I get up to go to work, earlier even than Old Michael gets up, and we all know how early old people get up. And if you’re reaaaaaaaly old, so old that your avatar is “Old Michael,” well then you get up freakin’ early. And if on top of it you’re as ugly as Old Michael, well then, you know, you’re just pretty damned ugly. (I know that’s an ugly thing to say, Ugly Old Michael. So, sorry. The truth hurts.)
Old Michael's Alarm Clock:
So at precisely 5:25, Moondoglioogle’s Pepperincini concerto or some such intermingles with my intermingling of (or is it with?) Scarlett Johansson to snatch me from her dreamy grasp (or was it grasp me away from her dreamy…. Never mind).
Sigh....
-------------------------
“F**k it’s early,” I mumbled to myself as I planted my feet on the ground next to the bed and buried my face in my hands. “This had better be good.” I stepped over Fang, the dear, who was sleeping off her evening’s dance with the gin bottle, and crept across the dark room into the shower.
What had better be good, the “this,” was Lee Parks’
Total Performance Advanced Riding Clinic in San Mateo. For me, improving my riding skills and, hopefully, my survivability probability out on the street, is more than a pretty good reason to get up early. It’s a great reason. I had to be there by 7:30, an hour’s ride away.
-------------------------
After a hearty breakfast, some coffee, my usual back exercises, and a quick once-around the weight bench to limber up for what I knew would be a long day on the bike, I suited up and hit the road by 6:30.
The sky was just freshening, and although I knew the temps would be in the 80s by the afternoon, this morning it was about 50 degrees and overcast as I left the house. So I was bundled up with my heated vest and winter gloves. I pulled away well rested, well fed, caffeinated, limber, frustrated, and toasty. It promised to be a good day. (That sure was a shame about Scarlett.)
Traffic was light out on the freeways, so the feejer naturally wanted to cruise at triple digits. But I kept a tight rein on her for fear of cops, and cruised between 70 and 80 MPH. At that speed I felt like I could get off the bike and run circles around it.
When I got to the venue I spotted a knot of motorcycles and riders in one corner of a vast parking lot. I pulled up and immediately spotted a Black Beauty—a 2008 FJR. Then I spotted and recognized the rider, who spotted me at the same time. It was Chris from the Sacramento area (actually it's John, but he goes by Chris. :blink: All I know is that, at the end of the day, he walked away with the certificate for some guy named John).
We had met on
an earlier ride. (
Here's a picture of Chris on that ride. He's the one in the middle with the not-a-do-rag black hat.)
John Chris, you don't happen to remember your handle, do you???)
This was great!—I’d have a friend to share the experience with after all, since Uuuuuugly Oooold Michael had to back out at the last minute the night before. Not that I was at all bitter about that. I understood. Because as John Lennon famously said, life’s what happens when your busy making plans to let your buddy down. :glare:
----------------
TBC....
:drinks: 
