Winter...

[Daniel Meyer]

That's why I'm out here. That's why I ride. Road weary. Torn. Alone. Battle worn and astride my battered machine, and still the sheer joy...the power over my destiny, and the melding of man and machine manage to lift my soul.

It lifts it to a place only a hardened few ever find.

Last year about this time...

http://lifeisaroad.com/blog/2013/01/07/a-moment-or-a-lifetime/

[.]

Maybe it's your writing style or maybe it's my insistence on being out riding in temperatures that prompt normal people to stay indoors but reading that puts me right out there alongside you. Excellent piece. 

[Oldfishguy]

Nice piece!  Demons, that's a nice touch and perfect word.

David

[Oss]

true that 

[Willow]

... Road weary. Torn. Alone. Battle worn and astride my battered machine, and still the sheer joy...

Yes!  Makes me want to go out and get some wind.   

Oh, wait.  There's snow on my roads.   

[Otus]

Reminded me of my first trip up to where I hunt on a motorcycle. Decided to travel at night, taking the two lanes all the way. It was September and they had reported that a cold snap was coming, supposed to get down into the 40's. I was going up for the early September hunt all my gear had gone up before me in a cage. I was wearing insulated boots with toe warmers, my full insulated camo pullovers with my leather over them. Decent gloves with hand warmers in them, and my full face with a scarf sealing my neck. About 3/4 of the way there people started waking up and I saw a small diner with some construction trucks in the parking lot. I thought to myself, bet they have good coffee. So I pulled in and parked right in front of the picture window. There was a guy sitting on the other side of the glass, he glanced out did a double take and said something and then there were a bunch of heads looking out the window. As I got off the bike I realized the the whole bike was spiderwebed  with frost (looks pretty cool on black). When I walked in the door the waitress pointed at the counter and said there's your coffee. It was good, when I got up to leave I asked what I owed. She told me it was on the house, I thanked her and got back on the road. About another 30 miles and I pulled up in my friend's driveway, it was 28 degrees. By the time my hunting trip was over the weather had straighten up and I had a beautiful afternoon ride home. And yes there was a forest rat following me home on the cage.

[old2soon]

Probably was going on when I was younger but since I've gotten more miles and more years on me-well I seem to notice it more.  That cursed cold NEVER EVER gives up or quits.  It's absofrikkinlutely relentless.  It will and does find the openings when you get up to speed.  As always Daniel-good read.  RIDE SAFE.

[R J]

Good read Daniel.

I enjoy those writings.

They put ya right there with ya.

Have a super good 2014 Bro. 

[Hoser]

I try to ride all year, and got in a couple hundred mile ride on new years eve.  Not a bad day, but cold enough to put on all the gear.  low 40's.  Gonna be a while now, below zero and snow for the next few days.    Hoser

[musclehead]

45 and dry this morning, practically a heat wave. unless you are a year around florida resident, in which case people look at you funny

yesterday we had a bunch of rain bands move across the state. I manged to hit gaps on the way in and home. I'm a lucky guy 

[specialdose]

Daniel , while I enjoy most of your writing , the poetic waxing in this one does romanticize riding but I've been riding 45yrs (first ride at 22) and freezing my goobers off does not enhance the riding experience for me. I make several trips a week 100 miles each way to visit my mother in a nursing home. Lately some of those in 29 temps. 80 on my GURL = 7. I have the gear to keep me warm. (no electric).

Keep writing, I enjoy your musings a lot but as for me, I enjoy the miles much more on my Phat Gurl when my 67yr. old bones don't hurt.

[Oldfishguy]

I'm going to bump this thread up in light of recent weather; Daniel caught it. 

You see, I spent a year living in Ft. Hood Texas.  It was a long time ago and I drove a motorcycle for that year; it was my only transportation.  The central Texas winters are different than most of us experience.  To run at night on a bike is a refreshing experience; I've traveled those same roads at night to clear my head.  If I still rode down there I probably would run without electric gear too; electrics take you out of the element slightly. 

Daniel is not waxing poetic, he is simply telling the truth of his environment, and being perfectly on pitch poetic.

Another example of being poetic of an inanimate object.  Watch it twice and just think of a bike instead of the guitar.

THIS OLD GUITAR - John Denver (LIVE) His Best Version

A poet, is a poet  . . . is a poet.

Go ahead Daniel, proclaim yourself a poet, and a really good poet at that, and be proud of it . . . just be careful with that proclamation in a biker bar though.

Keep doing what you're doing, you're hitting it square.

David