And Another Thing...

[DDT (12)]

And Another Thing..
 
Yep, and then there is that ole weather thing… Surely I can’t be the only rider who grapples with that… It’s been said that misery loves company; however… all things considered I’d have preferred to be the one scooter-jockey to have ideal conditions every day he rode… Hah! If one rides, one has to deal with less-than-ideal conditions just about every single time the starter button is depressed… Oh well, nothing wrong with fantasizing, I suppose…
 
Well, as I age and my wherewithal continues to spiral downward… slowly mercifully, but inexorably nonetheless, I continue to indulge in fantasies now and then. I suppose it’s a coping technique I’m trying to employ, but… Truth be told, there simply is nothing we can do about that aspect of riding but endure… and attempt to find ways to become comfortable with and accepting of whatever comes our way.
 
If one strains a bit and tries really hard, it can be likened to that gem of sage counsel provided once upon a time by an uncle of mine regarding women. “Boy,” he thoughtfully mused, “If you find that women ain’t measuring up to your standards… you need to lower your standards…” I see a parallel here with weather considerations…
 
Griping never actually helps, of course, although like most folks, I do my share of it anyway. Moaning and groaning can offer some release to relieve ill feelings, I reckon, but it cannot produce any changes in the object of one’s chagrin. Positive thoughts won’t actually change anything either, per se, but they can improve one’s outlook and OK-ness with what actually is available… And that brings us to my current ‘place’. We were in east Texas at the time this was written, hunkered down and allowing the daily rain for a few days to fall without our girl having to transport her soggy rider hither and yon.
 
We’d been in southwestern Virginia following IZ and a couple of days with Big Wolf in West Virginia. I was pondering how to kill a couple of more weeks or so before the next appointed doctor visit in Montgomery. A fairly long tether, but still a limiting factor by any measure on how far we might roam! Throw those pesky weather issues into the calculus and… it can become a downright complicated matter, no matter how you try to dress it up with positive thoughts and grand projections!
 
I pondered riding north, but… Well, they have weather up there, too. Some of it can be absolutely great, but it can just as often be nasty as well. Besides, each time I’ve been to New England in recent times, it’s seemed to be a bit wetter and a little more crowded than the last time… More my vivid imagination than reality, I’m sure, but still a counter argument to any thoughts I might entertain about returning… It’s also a long way from Montgomery to cover, especially should one of those nasty weather periods set in… Their forecasts were not all that exciting, either…
 
This time of year it is hot and humid below the ‘Smith & Wesson Line’… Dry heat or ‘wet’, it’s still uncomfortable and exhausting when riding a scoot on bun-burner days… The first adjustment is to shorten the length of riding times… per stretch and per day. The second is to alter the time of departure… earlier and earlier in the mornings, but usually limited to sometime shortly after daybreak. Gotta remember we also share space with critters, too, so being able to at least see ahead is a huge plus… but most certainly no guarantee!
 
More of a feel-good kind of thing than anything, I think. Most of my close encounters with wild things in the woods have happened in broad daylight, but they occurred so quickly I didn’t even realize it was on until it was over! The deer that had struck us in Wyoming a couple of years ago had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and everything that happened occurred so fast that I made only reflexive moves… no time at all for any reasoned thought! My Guardian Angel sure got a good workout that morning!
 
At the time, it had appeared the ‘Coastal Empire’ of the Carolinas held some modicum of promise. Nah, way too humid down there, besides the weather there can change dramatically and rather quickly… It later turned out that a tropical storm popped up and quickly made landfall… I’d guessed right, for a change… Or so I’d thought for a fleeting instant.
 
There is no ‘right’… only degrees. Is the weather good? Mostly or not much, but almost never simply yes or no. Every day or three we found ourselves having to lay over a day here or there, but nothing serious… until… I had a change of strategy.
 
We were making our way west, thinking west Texas would almost certainly be dry… if not, then we could always continue westward into New Mexico, perhaps even north to Colorado. Of course, it would also be hot! A mixed bag, but everything winds up being some sort of compromise anyway. When rain threatened, I fixated on finding 'dry'. When it was mercilessly hot, I fixated on cool… I struggled with whatever I found, no matter what it was! Maybe I just needed to lower my standards, huh…
 
Sooner or later rain would engulf us, no matter what we did or which way we traveled… I decided to just hunker down in east Texas for several days… Still within reach of Montgomery in two or three days, but away from the bulk of Gulf of Mexico moisture streaming northward and leaving widespread flooding in its path. No relief in central Florida this time of year, so no real need to return there anytime soon…
 
Following the doctor visit I’ll begin to wander in a northerly direction… Certainly no hurry, so I can pick and choose the riding days and routes as they please me or strike my fancy. No need to be anywhere in particular until the Yooper Ride at the end of July… We’ll see… weather pending, of course…
 
DDT

[..]

Tis the season..

Maggie Valley forecast is Thunderstorms for the next 2 weeks.

We know how good that forecast can be. 

[Beardo]

“Smith and Wesson line”     I’ve never heard that term before. 

Safe travels Bruce. Personally, I don’t know how anyone can handle that southern heat. Heck, I have a hard time even with Northern heat, which is typically 10-30 degrees less. Mercifully, the 110 degree heat BC had last week is gone and is now a bearable 90ish.

Wife and I take off tomorrow for our annual “I wish I was Bruce” pilgrimage (except last year), sadly we can’t go to the States but will spend around a week or 10 days zigzagging around BC and Alberta. The weather and fires will likely guide our routes as well.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

I do look forward to all these thoughts you write about so well . Stay safe my friend 

[The emperor has no clothes]

“If one strains a bit and tries really hard, it can be likened to that gem of sage counsel provided once upon a time by an uncle of mine regarding women. “Boy,” he thoughtfully mused, “If you find that women ain’t measuring up to your standards… you need to lower your standards…” I see a parallel here with weather considerations…”



  Your uncle was a wise man 
 

[Oss]

Raining toad stranglers all week sometimes in the am but usually in the pm and well into the 90s

Trees down blocking lanes of traffic and some good foot or so stretches of water to be found even this afternoon

A respite is coming, or so it is said

I had enough excitement on the way to IZ to last me a while   

AC in the car for me this week

That west Texas idea sounds like the ticket going toward santa fe

[DDT (12)]

Well, crap! I just did a pithy response to each of the replies above, then I went to 'Preview' what I'd written for 'proofing' and such... I got some kind of message stating my session had timed out... so, everything was lost! Drats! Doubt I'll attempt anything again anytime soon... alas, my typing finger is plum tuckered out... OK, maybe I should also add that I do appreciate all the replies and comments! Your take on things surely adds to any topic submitted... Thanks, y'all!!!

DDT

[The emperor has no clothes]

Well, crap! I just did a pithy response to each of the replies above, then I went to 'Preview' what I'd written for 'proofing' and such... I got some kind of message stating my session had timed out... so, everything was lost! Drats! Doubt I'll attempt anything again anytime soon... alas, my typing finger is plum tuckered out... OK, maybe I should also add that I do appreciate all the replies and comments! Your take on things surely adds to any topic submitted... Thanks, y'all!!!

DDT

There are advantages to my discourteousness, unpithyness, unproofreadingness of posts.  Just kidding, there are no advantages other than it just comes naturally to me.

We who respond (and those that don’t) to your stories get much more out of the bargain than you. 

[..]

Well, crap! I just did a pithy response to each of the replies above, then I went to 'Preview' what I'd written for 'proofing' and such... I got some kind of message stating my session had timed out... so, everything was lost! Drats! Doubt I'll attempt anything again anytime soon... alas, my typing finger is plum tuckered out... OK, maybe I should also add that I do appreciate all the replies and comments! Your take on things surely adds to any topic submitted... Thanks, y'all!!!

DDT

Whenever I write a ream of pith (rarely) I Ctrl C and save it before clicking POST, then if anything goes wrong I've still got a load of pith available.

[DDT (12)]

Rob,

Nothing pithy comes to mind with which to respond to that... Except to say simply, thank you very much!

DDT



Paul,

When it comes to pith conservation, you do have a simple but most effective solution! If only I'd have thought of that, I could have saved myself some... pith loss. I'm going to experiment with that right now... Thanks for this, BTW!

DDT

P.S. I didn't have to use that 'insurance', but it was comforting to know I had it this time! Thanks again, Paul...

[f6gal]

With all this pithy talk, I can't help but think of it coming from someone with a lisp (s coming as th).  Kind of hilarious if you replace all the th's with s.

P.S. Sorry sometimes I just can't help myself. 

[DirtyDan]

 

Dan

[Rams]

An excellent read Bruce, keep doing what you do so well.   We all look forward to reading about it.

Rams

[DDT (12)]

With all this pithy talk, I can't help but think of it coming from someone with a lisp (s coming as th).  Kind of hilarious if you replace all the th's with s.

P.S. Sorry sometimes I just can't help myself. 

Connie,

Now that's funny right there!  A thought like that likely would never have occurred to this simple ol' rider... Still, it is an interesting take on our dialog, but it does make me wonder what being a fly on the wall at one of your 'couch sessions' might be like... On the other hand, it also serves to reinforce what I've said before about the 'fleshing out' and broadening of topics provided through replies to posts... Thanks for your interesting contribution!

DDT

Dan

Dan,

Ditto!!!

DDT

An excellent read Bruce, keep doing what you do so well.   We all look forward to reading about it.

Rams

Ron,

Thanks, my friend... It is fun to make so many memories... Also quite enjoyable to share them with others who find them worthwhile. I'm busily making more, BTW, so stay tuned!

DDT