Another Ride
Posted by Jim Zeiser on Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Sorry that it's been so long since I last wrote. I feel silly after a while saying, "The weather stinks so I didn't ride" so I tend to stretch out my entries. The temperatures are finally looking up so I've been itching to have a reason to hit the road. Today I made one trip into town for groceries in the car since it was about 29 degrees this morning but it warmed up this afternoon. I discovered I had missed a few items and given the incredible gas mileage of my 50cc mini-motorcycle I didn't flinch to run in and pick them up.
The bike was only a little balky warming up in the 40 degree heat but seemed amazingly peppy once rolling. I passed over the first incline about ten miles an hour faster than usual and knew right away that I had a tailwind. Sure enough a cloud of dust on the side of the road seemed about as fast as I was and I had my evidence for the added speed it was delivering. We were rocking!
Now you have to laugh with me at what happened next. I'm cruising along loving the easy speed when the sky suddenly darkened where I was. Suddenly I was in a snow squall that fortunately wasn't hurting the road conditions but left droplets on my faceshield. I thought, "Oh great. I'm going to get wet and cold as this stuff makes me soggy" but just as quickly as it started I was through it and the sun shined again. The climate here is just like that. One minute sunny, the next heavy snow blankets you.
In town I breezed through my purchases and left for home expecting the wind to slow me down a lot. I need not have worried. The bike ran just fine against the light wind being thrown at us. Of course as I got up the road the snow that hit me coming in was still coming down and I was dusted for a minute by small flakes. Why not, Spring hasn't taken hold just yet.
Hopefully I'll be seeing my two wheeled fleet in use a little more often and the weather throws us more nice conditions. Somehow it's not as much fun buying groceries in a car as it is on the bikes. Come on Summer!
The bike was only a little balky warming up in the 40 degree heat but seemed amazingly peppy once rolling. I passed over the first incline about ten miles an hour faster than usual and knew right away that I had a tailwind. Sure enough a cloud of dust on the side of the road seemed about as fast as I was and I had my evidence for the added speed it was delivering. We were rocking!
Now you have to laugh with me at what happened next. I'm cruising along loving the easy speed when the sky suddenly darkened where I was. Suddenly I was in a snow squall that fortunately wasn't hurting the road conditions but left droplets on my faceshield. I thought, "Oh great. I'm going to get wet and cold as this stuff makes me soggy" but just as quickly as it started I was through it and the sun shined again. The climate here is just like that. One minute sunny, the next heavy snow blankets you.
In town I breezed through my purchases and left for home expecting the wind to slow me down a lot. I need not have worried. The bike ran just fine against the light wind being thrown at us. Of course as I got up the road the snow that hit me coming in was still coming down and I was dusted for a minute by small flakes. Why not, Spring hasn't taken hold just yet.
Hopefully I'll be seeing my two wheeled fleet in use a little more often and the weather throws us more nice conditions. Somehow it's not as much fun buying groceries in a car as it is on the bikes. Come on Summer!
null