DDT (12)
Member
Posts: 4112
Sometimes ya just gotta go...
Winter Springs, FL - Occasionally...
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« on: June 17, 2022, 02:18:22 PM » |
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The More Things Change… Diary of a ‘Fair Weather’ Rider…
All those years of vacation and long weekend riding… of diligently striving to maximize the very limited opportunities to be out there. Yep, that naturally resulted in riding in all sorts of weather conditions, and some of that was not only unpleasant, but it was also downright foolish. A corollary of that experience was the fantasy it produced of extended riding almost totally free of those downside aspects. I’m pretty certain I’m not alone with this line of thought…
Well, the time finally came when this blossoming ardent practitioner of the long ride could turn his focus away from the more usual pursuits of normalcy and do what he so longed to do: To blissfully ride anywhere and everywhere in near ideal weather conditions. I was as giddy about that imminent prospect as a schoolboy about to receive his very first long-anticipated romantic kiss!
The first problem with that notion is the simple fact ideal conditions almost never exist! Sometimes they can approach ideal, but most often they are simply to be found somewhere within a perceived ‘acceptable range’ of conditions… OK, that isn’t so hard to grasp…
Now, about that ‘range’… Of course that will vary considerably among different individuals, but it will also vary considerably over time for any one rider, too. As we age, as our health ebbs and flows, as the urgency to actually ride waxes and wanes, what we consider tolerable or desirable will shift a bit one way or the other, also.
Sudden, unexpected weather developments, social commitments made, not to mention changing moods, and whims can catch us with our guard down and send even veteran riders off into… Yeah, I’m talking about those self-inflicted, uncomfortable boo-boos that give us pause while producing furrowed brows, exaggerated grimaces, and blushing red faces!
My usual reaction to unpleasant or especially to adverse weather conditions has been to simply not ride. Yep, I’ve been known to hunker down for days at a time, even weeks on occasion. There are even a few instances where I’ve remained on the bench at the big game for a few months! No need to explain, of course, that passively observing from the sidelines is woefully lacking compared to the exhilarating excitement of actually logging game time on the field of play… Oh well, choices have to be made and consequences have to be accepted…
Last winter’s unusual rain and cold temperatures, often combining, drove us to the southernmost tip of Texas for about three weeks. When nasty weather patterns appear to set-in, or if I figure to be someplace for more than a few days, the choice of a house, cabin, or apartment short-term rental comes quickly to mind. I rented a house for most of our time beside the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Gulf of Mexico last winter, for example.
Those units are far better than a motel room when maximum mobility and/or flexibility are not essential needs at the moment. Those obviously have more elbow-room available, but they also offer opportunity to pursue the elusive culinary arts. The word ‘elusive’ used here is emphatically a gross understatement!
Some progress has been noted, however, as bacon is no longer routinely burned… although, ‘extra crispy’ is still a bit too frequent. Ribeye steaks are no longer automatically converted to leather on a grill, either. Alas, the production of decent biscuits ‘n gravy has never materialized, but that does remain a strong desire.
This summer we’ve found ourselves trapped in the deep south in the midst of a prolific and seemingly protracted heat wave! The weather experts have all sorts of charts and graphs, radar screens, and impressive sounding explanations and forecasts, but the bottom line is, it’s downright hot and likely to remain so for another extended period of time! Yep, our girl’s rider decided to wimp out, hunker down, and seek refuge in a rented ‘bungalow’ for a couple of weeks.
Wimping out ain’t hard, my friends, and that postulation is becoming easier to verify all the time! All ya gotta do is take the easiest path by simply not riding. Naturally that is not a good long-term solution for any true rider, but for the faint of heart, weak in the knees sissies among us, it does offer a viable temporary alternative to certain discomfort. I know of what I speak here, as I’ve seen me do it myself many times!!! Soon, that strategy will be employed yet again…
Yep, I’ve rented a small house in North Carolina for sixteen days, and I plan to give their A/C unit a vigorous workout. Naturally, that stove will see some action, as well. Who knows, some sawmill gravy might even be given more attempts. Hey, I haven’t even ruled out experimenting with the gas grill included in the deal, either. Mostly, though, I plan to just lie around continuing my mastery of the art of being lazy… cool, to be sure, but lazy, nonetheless. Funny how this all started…
We had to miss InZane this year because of a must-make, can’t change appointment in Montgomery, AL, with my urologist the day after IZ began in Montana. Oh well, sometimes we simply have to prioritize our activities maturely and legitimately. Well, I received a call from MitchO and SmokinJoe while in Montgomery suggesting I ride out there anyway, as they planned to hang around awhile in the northern Rockies after IZ.
That sounded really good to this rider who longed for some new adventure anyway! I began thinking about all the enjoyable aspects of such a trek… Then, I checked the weather… Oh my, the ride all the way out there would be near brutal, so quite naturally hesitation soon overtook the advancing fantasy so recently begun. I resolutely decided we’d just do our riding earlier in the day then get off the road earlier and limp out there anyway. Then…
The morning of departure, I strolled out at 4:30am to remove our girl’s cover and then do the loading exercise… Dang! It was dark, of course, but it was also still surprisingly warm, plus it was as humid as a jockstrap following a rigorous workout in the gym! Say what?!!! Do we really want to ride long days in this every day for the next week or so? OK, looks like it’s time to start working on some plausible, manly sounding excuses to offer my friends for not showing up after all…
So, instead of riding towards a Great Divide rendezvous amongst the snow-capped mountains of western Montana with my dear friends, I clicked on the AirB&B website icon and began pondering where we might land that wouldn’t require much foul-weather riding… and that ‘bungalow’ seemed to beckon to me. Next thing I knew, I’d committed and paid for the rental, so no turning back now…
I imagine that while I’m there taking a break from the heat, I’ll also engage in more than a little fantasizing about riding exclusively in fair weather conditions… just like I’ve always done! Dang! The more things change, the more they do indeed seem to remain the same!!!
DDT
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