The seasons last ride It was with a resigned sense of the inevitable I pulled the cover off for the final time of the season. Under low, dark and threatening cloud cover I grabbed the clutch and pressed down on the gear change lever and headed down the laneway, dodging the deepest of the puddles as I went. A left and a right, with few more traffic stops and off to the highway to ride one of my favorite loops before adding the fuel stabilizer and home for the fall ritual. A final wash and buff, fog the cylinders, remove the battery, up on the stand and replace the cover for the next five months or so. Make the left, over the bridge and roll it on, enjoy the feeling of acceleration, hear the bark from the exhaust, notch the next gear to do it all over again, now that’s what it’s all about! Up the hill past the auto parts store, past the new Japanese joint on the left and the out of business burger place about to be an Indian place on the right, the empty parking lot of the dying mall and the busy one of Walmart’s. The road narrows to a two lane and best to watch for the left turners in the dim light of a dark afternoon, a short left hand sweeper and most of the traffic is now behind. Once again roll the throttle on and another reminder of what’s so great about two wheels, the air’s a little colder now so drop the visor and pick up the pace just a touch. It’s the last one of the season so no point in hurrying too much, enjoy every last minute, every gear change, every direction change, every start, every stop, savor the moments to last through the cold and snowy days ahead. So now the half way part of the ride, it’s nothing special, just a rest stop on the highway, a point I’ve chosen because it’s about an eighty kilometer round trip from our house. I often take this as an after dinner short jaunt or on a day when the weather is about to turn just to get some saddle time in before the sky’s open up. A quick photo to commemorate the occasion then back behind the bars for the short trip home. As I make the right to head back up the lane to my driveway and the place where my prized possession will spend the next while in motorcycle limbo, I make this wish for every rider who must also put away theirs. May Mother Nature grant us a short, mild winter and a warm early spring, may she bring us a long summer, full of many miles and even more smiles and bring us back to this time of year in good health and with grand tales to tell.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 00:13:39 +0000
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