Took my '08 Springer for a two day solo trip from Ohio into the Allegheny National Forest. As a kid, my dad and I would go up there all the time to my aunt's hunting cabin. Up there, he taught me a lot about life. He's 91 in a nursing home and, each day, it strikes me how little time we've got. No wasted days.
First trip in the rain, although I've been riding for almost two years. Rode 500 miles in two days. Weather was in low 60's. Wore my FXRG pants, coat and gloves with my 1/2 helmet and goggles. Also wore my Cruiserworks boots. I've got a 14" Windvest windscreen on the bike and a T-Bag on a sissy bar. A few observations.
TIME ALONE ON THE BIKE IS PRICELESS. Wow, what a cleanser.
It rained on and off for both days. I've read about the challenges of rain, but in the event the only thing that happened: I got wet. I'd packed a full face helmet just in case, wore it for about 30 minutes, and put my 1/2 helmet back on. Some sting on the face, but the sound of the pipes and rain on the face has it's own uplift.
Bandanna around the neck, and I was dry with the FXRG clothing. The FXRG gloves were a little wet inside at one point, but dried pretty well over night. Couldn't tell if they were wet from the inside out due to taking them on and off at various points for gas, etc. Not a drop of water in my boots. The T-Bag rain cover worked great.
No slips or falls except for a close call at a convenient mart where I put my foot down on an oil slick in a parking space. I can see how the roads would be plenty slick right after a new rain. Here, it'd been raining for awhile and there was good traction. I honked a lot at riders on side roads. It was pretty dark at some points in the trees and with the rain.
Don't get me wrong, who wouldn't want sunshine? But rain in the forest had it's own spiritual quality to it, and the combination of sun and rain added a whole new dimension. Up and down the mountains, in and around curves. No place to go and no timetable to meet.
So, more solo trips, longer, too. And who cares if it rains?
Like the Harley sticker says, "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand."
Here's to you, Pop.
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Topic: Rain was good for the spirit (Read 2511 times)