A Wet Wednesday Errand

SWMBO received a cheque through the mail.

• She: "I need this to go into the bank."
  
• Me: "I'll take it in for you." Street parking in Derby is free for motorcycles, cars are charged, so this gives me a good excuse to get the bike out.
  
• She: "Ok, why don't you stay out for a bit?" - she realises why I'm volunteering. Reads me like a book.
  
• Me: "Ok then, see you in a bit."

Other than 2-mile shopping trips, I've not been out for quite a while, not since my Bread run into the sun, end of November. Sometimes that's because of the weather, mostly because I don't want to leave my Better Half alone for too long, she's not been too well for a while.
Anyway, the weather is overcast, dull, misty, but not actually raining. So I note the temperature (8C, 46F) tog up suitably, make sure I've got Tomtom and camera with me. A quick 2-mile run into town, deposit Her cheque (this one did have her name on it, but even if it had mine on it, it would still be Her cheque, but that's just the way it is).

Walking back from the bank to the bike, I notice it's drizzling a little. Perhaps it won't get any worse. I am going for a little ride. Get back to the bike, put Tomtom onto its mount, and set off.

The drizzle turns into light but persistent rain. I put the screen up a bit to deflect the drops over my visor. I'm obviously not going too far, conditions are simply not pleasant, but still ...

Traffic is light. I'm just going to cover a few local roads, see where I get to. My Pinlock is struggling to keep clear, visor needs to be cracked open to keep it clear, it's that sort of dank, 100% humidity, wet.

Once out onto nicer roads I can start to overtake the traffic. I'm being relatively cautious, both because the roads look slippery, and drivers can be a little unpredictable, particularly in these conditions - we all know that!

Come to a stretch of road that I know well, there's no chance of overtaking traffic for miles, so I pull off to wait for the road to clear. While parked, I take a couple of pics.

(Click on image for larger view)

The bike The view (call that a view?)



Much of this route is through farming country, lots of fields either side of the road. Lots of muddy fields either side of the road. Lots of muddy fields either side of the road with gated entrances to the road. Lots of muddy fields either side of the road with gated entrances to the road, but a couple of miles to the next one. So, lots of tractors doing whatever tractors do on muddy fields, then driving to the next muddy field (or further) along the road. Leaving lots of muddy field on the road.

So, for much of the time I'm riding very conservatively.

The rain gets heavier. Some of the mud gets thicker. Eventually I decide I've gone far enough, the road isn't conducive to overtaking (my BT023's have behaved very well, but even with traction control the rear can get quite squirrelly after dropping even one gear). So I loop round and make my way back, arriving back home with a very dirty bike. And quite a big grin.

Polished stainless steel exhaust? Front doesn't seem too bad



Until you look closely



A Fenda Extenda can only do so much .

Tomtom's summary



So, not the best run in the world, but it got me out on the bike for a little while, only about 30 miles, 50 minutes (plus the unrecorded initial ride into town).

And, yes, in spite of the conditions, I did enjoy it.

The short rides can make an otherwise ordinary day special. I almost went out yesterday afternoon after returning from another round of appts at the local VA hospital. Didn't go out and regret it now since the normal Seattle rain has returned for a couple of days. I'll be out the next sunny day though. No problems with tractors and muddy fields to deal with the drivers in the rain are the same everywhere I think. Helps to have loose neck muscles and a Pinlock.

Always good to get out, even if it is a soggy / cold ride!

Thanks for sharing mcatrophy!

--G

Bravo Mac. Might want to fit some dual tread tyres on that bike though.

I can belive you were in the Pacfic Northwet and didn't even call. Derby sure looks a lot like my corner of the world.

Thanks for the quick tour. Very cool how a little ride can change your mind set.

Niehart said:

I can belive you were in the Pacfic Northwet and didn't even call. Derby sure looks a lot like my corner of the world.
Thanks for the quick tour. Very cool how a little ride can change your mind set.

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Only about 5000 miles from Woodenville (my route can be seen seen here), so if I'd gone a little further (and used some water-wings for half of that) I could have popped round. But, if your weather was the same as ours ...
As for the mind-set, it really does make a difference. All home concerns (and work worries for those not retired) vanish within the first couple of miles, replaced by the necessary concentration of riding, looking at the (sometimes a little damp ) countryside and just the exhilaration of riding the bike.

As has been said before, if everybody rode a motorcycle there'd be a lot fewer psychiatrists needed. And lawyers.

I know that our unseasonably warm February has done a lot for my attitude.

Although I haven't taken the FJR out of winter storage mode yet, I have had several nice rides on the KLR. Always makes you feel better.

I commend you for taking good care of your better half. Sometimes the short rides do the most good, thanks for the report!

As for the wet weather it has become standard riding weather for the west coast this winter. I'll just pretend it's a sunny day in the UK

Bugnatr said:

I commend you for taking good care of your better half. Sometimes the short rides do the most good, thanks for the report!

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Umm . . . it's Friday, right?