yesterday i had a wonderful drive up to visit my dad. he's doing pretty good and the urologist is saying he is not only on track, but may be a bit ahead of schedule, recovery wise.
the move is almost over with and there is only a few more things to grab from the other apartment along with some cleaning. now we have a ton of boxes to wade through...oh well. so, as a treat, i zipped up to Sussex to see my dad. took the long way, of course, down around the coast. beautiful drive with minimal traffic and lots of twisties. it was kind of chilly, but that's to be expected around the coastal areas. i can't describe how wonderful it is to see trees in full bloom now. with every turn, i was riding through a sea of green with smells that i have long since missed.
while visiting, we chatted, had a snack, and chatted some more while i cleaned Selene. actually it was more like i ran around in circles "trying" to clean Selene while the black flies and mosquitoes chased me. still it was fun, and she desperately needed a cleaning.
took a different route back, more inland, so that it would be warmer, and had a wonderful view of the sunset. also had a wonderful view of every bug smacking my visor. at the end of the ride, my helmet looked fuzzy...due to all the bug wings sticking off it. oh well, doing my part for lower the mosquito population.
it was exhausting, but i'm getting used to riding the distances now and that's something i need to do. i have a 12 hour drive coming up in august and i have to be well prepared for it.
small observation
i've recently noticed something that i do. i never really had a reason to notice it up until the last couple of days. i avoid putting my feet down and try to keep the bike up as much as possible.
let me explain. heavy traffic is very unusual around my area. you can have a straight shot to work and never have to stop, aside from the red lights and red signs. for the last couple of days, traffic has been ridiculous for no apparent reason. so here i am in this long line of metal, coasting along. while was doing this, i realized that i was leaving a gap of one or two car lengths between me and the vehicle in front of me. instantly you think, "well, that's for safety reasons." i'll agree with that and add one more thing. i don't want to stop, i don't want to put my feet down because i'm only going to have to do it again in the next couple of seconds. so i coast along, slowly closing the gap with the cage in front, hoping that the line of traffic will start moving along again.
mind you, i don't think this is a bad thing. i pass it off, in my mind, as practice for keeping the bike up at very very slow speeds. and i am getting better at it. i can keep Selene rolling while the speedometer is barely registering movement.
in light of that, i was wondering if anyone else does that or something similar to it. i'm sure that in larger cities, you aren't going to get away with leaving that much space between you and the cage in front. i'm guessing you would get some honks and a few wonderful hand gestures. consider me curious. :)
let me explain. heavy traffic is very unusual around my area. you can have a straight shot to work and never have to stop, aside from the red lights and red signs. for the last couple of days, traffic has been ridiculous for no apparent reason. so here i am in this long line of metal, coasting along. while was doing this, i realized that i was leaving a gap of one or two car lengths between me and the vehicle in front of me. instantly you think, "well, that's for safety reasons." i'll agree with that and add one more thing. i don't want to stop, i don't want to put my feet down because i'm only going to have to do it again in the next couple of seconds. so i coast along, slowly closing the gap with the cage in front, hoping that the line of traffic will start moving along again.
mind you, i don't think this is a bad thing. i pass it off, in my mind, as practice for keeping the bike up at very very slow speeds. and i am getting better at it. i can keep Selene rolling while the speedometer is barely registering movement.
in light of that, i was wondering if anyone else does that or something similar to it. i'm sure that in larger cities, you aren't going to get away with leaving that much space between you and the cage in front. i'm guessing you would get some honks and a few wonderful hand gestures. consider me curious. :)
cars / cages
i've been meaning to banter/rant about cars for a while now. especially about the difference that i find from driving a car to riding a bike. it's something that i've had on my mind for some time now, long before i picked up Selene.
the thing that bothers me about cars is the fact that they really aren't a vehicle so much as they are a lazyboy with wheels. you open a door, sit down, and turn a key. once that's done you may as well be in a mobile home. you have the stereo, controlled climate, walls, someone next to you and a great big tv screen in front of you to watch the world go by.
i hate how relaxed you become while you drive. it's like you don't have to pay attention to anything around you. you're sealed off and you don't really experience anything so much as you view it. the one thing about riding a motorcycle that i love is that every part of you is doing something. each hand has a job, both feet have things to be doing and your brain has to keep all those working along with minding the road and all it's hazards. you aren't just riding or driving...you are a part of the machine and you both have to work together to get from point A to point B.
in a car, you have one foot on the accelerator and usually one hand on the wheel. the foot that's on the accelerator also governs stopping the car. what do you do with that free foot? nothing (unless you drive a standard). then you have the stereo to block out the world oh...and those wonderful inventions...cellphones.
i have never been really comfortable with cars because you aren't a part of the vehicle. it's just a cage that's pulling you from one destination to the next. i find it a little hard to explain, but it's like sitting down at the dinner table. you just kind of sit there, do what you have to do and that's that.
the bike is a different experience...a different animal. you are a part of that machine. your senses are alive and that machine responds to everything you ask it to do. going down that road is no longer a trip, not a point A to point B thing. it's an experience. it's alive with sounds and smells. you are hovering over that blacktop with nothing but a small patch of rubber holding you up. your brain is calculating at a ridiculous speed, making sure that all hands and feet are working together and keeping an eye on any and all things that could possible be a danger to you on the road.
i apologize if this seems kind of jumbled or nonsensical, but it's just thoughts on paper...digital or not. i only check for spelling errors, not continuity... :)
i couldn't be happier to call myself a motorcycle rider. i only wish my climate gave me the option to ride all year. you wouldn't find too many days that i wouldn't be riding.
the thing that bothers me about cars is the fact that they really aren't a vehicle so much as they are a lazyboy with wheels. you open a door, sit down, and turn a key. once that's done you may as well be in a mobile home. you have the stereo, controlled climate, walls, someone next to you and a great big tv screen in front of you to watch the world go by.
i hate how relaxed you become while you drive. it's like you don't have to pay attention to anything around you. you're sealed off and you don't really experience anything so much as you view it. the one thing about riding a motorcycle that i love is that every part of you is doing something. each hand has a job, both feet have things to be doing and your brain has to keep all those working along with minding the road and all it's hazards. you aren't just riding or driving...you are a part of the machine and you both have to work together to get from point A to point B.
in a car, you have one foot on the accelerator and usually one hand on the wheel. the foot that's on the accelerator also governs stopping the car. what do you do with that free foot? nothing (unless you drive a standard). then you have the stereo to block out the world oh...and those wonderful inventions...cellphones.
i have never been really comfortable with cars because you aren't a part of the vehicle. it's just a cage that's pulling you from one destination to the next. i find it a little hard to explain, but it's like sitting down at the dinner table. you just kind of sit there, do what you have to do and that's that.
the bike is a different experience...a different animal. you are a part of that machine. your senses are alive and that machine responds to everything you ask it to do. going down that road is no longer a trip, not a point A to point B thing. it's an experience. it's alive with sounds and smells. you are hovering over that blacktop with nothing but a small patch of rubber holding you up. your brain is calculating at a ridiculous speed, making sure that all hands and feet are working together and keeping an eye on any and all things that could possible be a danger to you on the road.
i apologize if this seems kind of jumbled or nonsensical, but it's just thoughts on paper...digital or not. i only check for spelling errors, not continuity... :)
i couldn't be happier to call myself a motorcycle rider. i only wish my climate gave me the option to ride all year. you wouldn't find too many days that i wouldn't be riding.
huh, what now?
you have got to be kidding me.
i'm still trying to figure out if this is Canada wide or not...
Under the proposed increases, the annual insurance premium for vehicle registration on a motorcycle with an engine displacement of 701 cubic centimetres or more would jump to $430 in 2007 and $527 in 2008 from the current $253. Fee hikes for "sport" motorcycles would be even steeper.
i'm still trying to figure out if this is Canada wide or not...
rain today.
it's been about a week since i've been able to actually ride and it feels like i'm missing something. so last night i checked what the weather was going to be like. sunny in the morning and afternoon, rain in the evening. no big deal, just pack my rain suit and i'll be good. i wake up to fog and mist. i said the hell with it and rode in to work anyway. it was a little cold and it started raining a couple of minutes away from work, but it wasn't too bad at all. i was only wearing my splash pants, so they didn't protect my legs from the water beating against me. but i made it in with only a few wet spots on my pant legs. i have my rainsuit in my back pack, so i'll be wearing that on my way home tonight. to be honest, i like night time drives in the rain. there's something so solitary about it. i find it relaxing and invigorating at the same time. knowing that everything around me is wet and i'm being protected by a thin barrier of rubber. i get all cozy inside. :)
