Pucker Factor=High

[SeaCat]

This afternoon I decided to make a short run on the bike. We had just had a storm pass to the north of us. The skies while gray weren't overly threatening and the temperature had dropped from a high of 95° to a nice comfortable 88°. We needed some bread as well as a couple of other small things so I decided why not take the bike.

The ride to the store was just fine. (Hey any time I'm on the bike it's good.) It's not far just five miles. When I reach the store I pull into my usual parking spot there, in one of the covered walkways. No cars can get to the bike there but people can get around it with ease.

No sooner had I pulled off my helmet but the skies opened up with a vengance. I later found out it dropped an inch and a half in thrity minutes. I wasn't worried about this as I was comfortably in the store and under cover.

By the time I had finished shopping, stashed my purchases and smoked a cigar the rain had stopped and the parking lot was steaming again. I pulled my helmet on and fired up the bike. Off I went.

When I pulled onto the road I had a police cruiser on my left, right behind my rear tire. I rolled on the throttle and brought the bike up to speed. I was having fun. The run home was mostly straight, although there is one nice curve.

Now this curve is about 45° and fairly tight. At the end of it there is a nice long deep dip in the road. What happened next was my fault. I knew about the dip but I was enjoying myself too much. I wasn't thinking about the dip.

I came around the curve with the police cruiser sitting right on my corner. I was fairly close to the left side of my lane when I straightened up the bike. I was looking ahead when I came around the curve and saw the problem right away. That dip in the road had filled with water. Just to make it more interesting there were a couple of cars stalled out in the standing water. I was on the brakes as soon as the bike was upright but I had to be a lot lighter on them than usual because the road was wet. (I've slid the tires once or twice and learned just how nasty that can be.) There is no way I'm going to be able to stop in time and I can't dodge to either side. On my left is the cruiser trying to brake just like I am and on the right is an eight inch high curb. I also can't go straight because of the water and the trunk lid of the car stalled there. I am not a happy camper.

By this time I have enough Adreniline in my system to nearly stop time. My ticker is beating away like a Hummingbirds but I can feel each and every thump in my chest. I see one chance and it's not great. The car in front of me had been running near the center line. There's a bit of a gap between his car and the curb on the right. I head for that gap and line the bike up as well as I can in the short distance I have even while I'm pulling brake. I already have the clutch pulled in so I kick it down a gear. Now I just have to hope for a couple of things.

I have to hope there's enough room to slip through. I have to hope I've lined it up right and I have to hope there's nothing like a storm drain in there.

I hit the water and fight to keep the bike going straight. The water works like one hell of a brake so I pop the clutch and roll on more throttle.

I make it through that gap without even ticking mirrors. (I'm truly glad I didn't have my cruising pegs down. They are attached to the outside of my engine guards and they would have hit it was that tight.) When I come out of the water I'm still slowing down so I look behind me in my mirrors. The cruiser that had been on my left is sliding through the grass of the Median. No one looks to be hurt so I keep on going. That was truly a pucker moment.

When I got home I was thinking I was going to need a crowbar to get the bike seat off my ass but I had relaxed enough by then to get up off the bike.

Getting through this had been skill, a lot of luck and a good bike.

Cat

 

[TE999]

Why the fuck was the law dogging you at 7:00? I HATE people who do that for the very reason you described. There's no room to maneuver in case you have to.That was one hell of a move, cat.

 

[SeaCat]

Why the fuck was the law dogging you at 7:00? I HATE people who do that for the very reason you described. There's no room to maneuver in case you have to.That was one hell of a move, cat.

Lord knows why he was sitting there. I hate people who do that as well but I'm kind of used to it. (The ones I truly hate are those who sit there when you change speeds, those are the ones I know are trying to play games.)

I'm glad my wife wasn't on the bike with me. Because she wasn't I didn't have to worry about her which would have possibly made me a bit more cautious in my dodging. I'm also glad I practice evasive moves on a regular basis. (Not only do I do low speed work in a local parking lot on a weekly basis but I do such things as swerves when I find myself in no traffic areas.)

Cat

 

[TE999]

Lord knows why he was sitting there. I hate people who do that as well but I'm kind of used to it. (The ones I truly hate are those who sit there when you change speeds, those are the ones I know are trying to play games.)

I'm glad my wife wasn't on the bike with me. Because she wasn't I didn't have to worry about her which would have possibly made me a bit more cautious in my dodging. I'm also glad I practice evasive moves on a regular basis. (Not only do I do low speed work in a local parking lot on a weekly basis but I do such things as swerves when I find myself in no traffic areas.)

Cat

They figure you're vulnerable, so they play games. I've cut off assholes who've done that to me either out of stupidity, inattention or game playing...of course I drive a truck. Yes, I know...road rage and all that crap...I'm not an aggressive driver and I'm careful...but I don't like getting boxed in either.

 

[penandpaper]

Nice move!

It's always a pleasant morning to wake up and read a story that has a happy ending.

 

[SeaCat]

Nice move!

It's always a pleasant morning to wake up and read a story that has a happy ending.

It's always nice when I do something stupid and survive it.

On the other hand rode the bike to work today. The wife wanted to ride and I'm always willing. The ride in was great, almost no traffic and it was fairly cool.

Work was a bitch and we were both tired and a bit cranky when we walked out of the hospital. We had both been delayed by the paperwork as well as the ectra work we had to do for some of the patients while our relief took their time getting ready for their shift. We didn't leave until 2000.

Noe if we had left on time we would have avoided the storm that blew through. A right grumbler, it lit up the sky and dumped a lot of rain. As it was as we walked out we were getting piddled on by a light drizzle.

We geared up and climbed into the saddle and headed for home. The roads were wet and a light rain was still falling. If we ran into the heavier rain that had just gone through the ride would get wet and miserable. Neither of us really cared though, we just wanted to get home and get changed.

A funny thing happened though. As soon as we hit the road for home it was like a switch had been hit. Everything just fell away and both of us started relaxing. The cool air, the sound and feel of the bike, the bieng in the now was what we needed.

Yeah we dealt with a couple of idiots on the roads and yes we got a bit damp but that just didn't seem to matter. BY the time we got home we were both smiling.

Cat

 

[penandpaper]

Ah, the power of physical labor. It can make you happy. It can take your mind off all those heavy burdens. It's a great thing.

My question is, what happens when a person gets too old to exert themselves like that? Hopefully, they'll be in a mindset to walk and smell the mist from the rain. We can all hope.