Chilly


Thirty-six degrees F my wife's fancy digital weather station reported as I laced my boots and pulled on my riding leathers. This is the weather that causes me to pull on the thicker gloves, wear a fleece scarf around my neck, and don the fullface helmet. It's not unenjoyable to ride in this weather. It just makes you feel a bit more alive.

Until this week, I have daily arrived at work around 8am to find the parking lot jammed with cages and one motorcycle sitting to one side of a parking spot very close to the front door. Thanks to this rider's courteous actions, I slide ride into a front row parking spot. That all changed this week. I guess it's too cold for the rider that has been arriving earlier than me for the last several months. I ponder this as I noted that at one point this fall our office building had 7 motorcycles and a couple scooters sitting in the parking lot. Now there is one BMW sitting out about 5 rows back and my Harley Road King, Rosie.

As I left the house this morning, I pulled up to the red light at the intersection for GA-400 and set patiently in the line of cages in the turn lane. I see another Harley pull up to my right in the turn lane and see a guy in an open face half-helmet wearing a half-face facemask. "Nice day for a ride", he says. I chuckle. "It sorts out the men from the boys", I respond.

I do not see a single motorcycle headed the other direction in opposing traffic all the way to work. A few weeks ago, it was a steady diet of bikes. On my way home this afternoon, I passed one Honda Potamus. I guess the fair-weather riders have parked their bikes for the winter. It's a shame. There are a lot of folks living in the North that deal with ice and snow that prohibit them from riding year round. Here in the Atlanta area, we have it pretty good. If you invest in a little gear, you can ride twelve months out of the year.

I wonder how long the BMW rider will ride this winter. Something tells me I'll see his bike back on the 5th row all winter. He'll be seeing my Harley all winter for sure.

-Peace

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