Took a Nice Sunday Ride

This past Sunday was the first sunny day we’ve had since I can remember. It’s funny how the memory goes when the sun never shines. I knew it was going to be a great day to ride, but when we woke up it was freezing outside. We had a waffle breakfast, and then waited until noon until it looked like the temps were going to reach the mid-40s.


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We got ready and decided to ride north to Marysville, take a left and follow Marine Drive north to Stanwood. Then we would go over to Camano Island and stop for lunch. That is exactly what we did. It required some freeway riding up through Everett and once we got off in Marysville, it became scenic vistas of green, grassy fields and farms, and above them in the far distance were the rugged, snow-capped Cascade Mountains. The sky was azure blue which brightened up everything below it.

Although the sun was out, and by then the temps had reached around 50 degrees, it was chilly while riding. My guess is about 40 degrees with the wind chill. So we stopped and had lunch at a little place on Camano Island. It turned out to have good Mexican food, but we felt like we had been their only customer that day. I think it was a new place. I had a hot bowl of pozolé soup, and coffee to warm up. That did the trick.

We headed back the same way we had come, and this time saw fields of snow geese that were solid white from a distance. Their long necks were sticking up and it was a sea of white. It was awesome, but I couldn’t stop to take a photo! We went through Lakewood and passed the top of Lake Goodwin on the way back to the freeway. The area was very rural, green and scenic with great riding roads. By the time we got back on the freeway it was crowded with Sunday evening traffic. There is always a rush of traffic heading south from Canada and northern ski areas on Sunday night. We had a good ride home and were glad to get home because the sun was heading down and it was getting colder fast. We logged 100 miles round trip for the day.

It was a great Sunday ride. Monday was also a warm day but I didn’t ride because of other commitments. I plan to ride to work Thursday morning and play it by ear after that. Looks like rain is coming back, but we might have a chance to ride this coming weekend. I can sure taste the oncoming of riding season, and am planning accordingly.

Happy New Year’s Day Ride 2008 and All Is Well

For the last 2 weeks I have had a virus that laid me out and made me want my mommy. It began with a fever, then a weird rash, and then I was stricken with viral arthritis. If anyone has ever had it you can relate. It affected my hands and arms mostly, and for a few days I was in agonizing pain and could not straighten my curled hands or move my arms much. The virus eventually passed and now I am slowly getting back the use of my hands and building up my energy and strength.

Needless to say, with the sickness and the rain/snow we’ve had lately, I haven’t been able to ride my motorcycle. I had made a commitment to ride on Christmas Day, as it is a personal tradition of mine. That didn’t happen……..

On New Year’s Day, I always try to ride as a tradition to start the New Year out right. I hope this will continue my riding good luck throughout the year. The weather cooperated for once and it turned out to be a warm 47 degrees with overcast skies. I grabbed my new camera, which I couldn’t wait to try out, and my husband and I went for a ride. My starting mileage on the Vulcan for 2008 was 381 miles. That's sick!

We cruised down the eastern shore of Lake Washington to a park on Juanita Beach.

There were mass quantities of ducks.

You can see the Seattle skyline across the Lake.
The ride was wonderful, as it was so exhilarating to be out on the bike. The cool air was clean and I made sure to open a few vents in my helmet. I didn’t even need to wear my thermal layer under my jeans. The traffic was light and I guessed it was because there were lots of football games on all day, and others were recuperating from the night before.

On the way home we took the freeway I-405. On my new bike I love to take the freeway and go fast, and challenge the on and off-ramps. The windshield keeps the wind from whipping my head around, so eases the pressure on my neck. As I was riding I felt that moment of Zen when you know you are at peace and harmony with the earth. The ride was so fun and I came home with a new attitude and a few ideas for some longer rides that I want to do in 2008.

So as I look back on New Year’s Day I have a sense of well-being and hope for the future and good things happening in 2008. The day’s ride was much needed and left me with a feeling of peace and calm. Ohmmmmmm………..

Still Riding in December

As a motorcycle rider living in the Northwest, I try to keep my rides in working order all year around. The last few weeks Mother Nature has been throwing some weather challenges at us and winter has just begun.

First, we’ve had lots of rain, more than usual for the Seattle region. This makes riding a little less attractive on those days. Second, it has been cold. I mean COLD. The temps have only dipped into the 20’s at night, but the days have been barely reaching 40 degrees if we are lucky. No matter how I try to bundle up, I always get down the road and have qualms whether I should continue or go back home to get the forgotten item that would make my ride more comfortable. Third, we’ve had a few snow showers that were unexpected, with many more to come. I, for one, don’t ride in the snow. I witnessed a few people around downtown Seattle last week who ride through rain, snow, sleet, etc.

I was able to get out and ride my Vulcan on Saturday. The sun was out, and it was cold. As I started out, my chin and neck felt the cold air hitting them. It was almost painful. I had forgotten my neck gaiter. I decided my chin would go numb soon enough, and then I wouldn’t notice it. I continued on.

The roads had been littered with gravel and debris from overflowing streams and water run-off from the floods we had last week. I knew there were a lot of places where I would need to be careful. I decided just to get the bike out and run it around town awhile, to keep everything circulating and the battery charged. I did a large loop around Lynnwood, took a stretch of I-5 and came back home another way. It felt good to be out.

The roads were remarkably clean. I had seen a few street-sweepers near my business park, and apparently they were working all over town to get the debris cleaned up. It was actually great for the motorcyclists, except for the potholes here and there where the road had given way.

I came back home and felt that I hadn’t ridden nearly enough. I worked my older bike, the Suzuki S-40, out of the garage from behind the other bikes. It hadn’t been ridden in a few weeks, so I started it up. She took a few tries, and then I had to let it warm up quite a while. Since I have the Vulcan, I am spoiled with no warm up time or choke to deal with. I finally was able to take off without the darn thing dying. I took a short ride around some hilly areas nearby, enough to get it warmed up and running smoothly. I had a happy Suzuki by the time I got back home.

It is a conscious chore to keep both of my bikes running smoothly over the winter, since I don’t use a trickle charger either. If I get them out at least every two weeks, and more often than that if the weather cooperates, they seem to run great. I usually try to do a Christmas Day ride and a New Year’s Day ride, however short. I’m looking forward to that this year too. Hope Santa brings more warm riding gear……..