Drip, drip, drip

[SeaCat]

Took the bike out today to do some errands. Talk about warm, it was 93° with a very light breeze. Translated under my denim coat and leather vest, and under her leather coat my wife and I were sweating like pigs. (She actually did better than I did, her jacket is vented so she gets a breeze through it when the bike is moving.) About halfway through the riding we stopped just to get a couple of bottles of water, which were quickly drained.

Oh we did things like dropping off Alvin and the Chipmonks. We picked up what I needed to make the gravy and we picked up stamps.

As we came out of the grocery store we could see the clouds coming in and we made sure the things like her purse and my cell phone and wallet were in Ziplock Bags. (The stamps were in her purse.) We were ten miles from home and the bike was parked under an overhang next to the store. I hunkered down next to the bike while my wife hustled inside only to return a couple of minutes later with two cups of coffee. We sat there and watched as the sky opened and the rain just sheeted down.

After about half an hour we had finished our coffee and were ready to go. No we didn't have rain gear, but what the hell. The rain was letting up so it shouldn't be too bad. I wasn't worried about the roads because the rain had been pissing down long enough to clean them off. When the rain had slowed to a sprinkle we fired up the bike and took off.

After about two miles Mama Nature decided to remind us she hadn't forgotten us. Once again the skies opened up. At the lights, and there were many, we got absolutely soaked. I had mu visor at half mast and was peeking between that and the top of my windshield so I could still see.

By the time we arrived home we weren't just soaked, we were drenched. The only parts of us that were dry were our heads, and they weren't all that dry because we did sweat. My one neighbor saw us pull in on the bike and sat there on his patio staring at us and shaking his head. He shook his head even harder when he heard us laughing as we walked to our place and let ourselves in.

We hung our gear on a bar I set up over the tub for my dive gear. There it hangs drip drying. We skinned out of our wet clothes and changed into dry ones after rubbing down with towels.

Afterwards we sat out on the patio drinking coffee and laughing some more.

It was an absolute blast and the bike handled the water like a dream.

Cat

 

[fifty5]

In or on any vehicle, coping with rain, fog, or snow is part of the challenge of being a good driver. Meeting that challenge successfully can be a blast.

Good for you!

 

[SeaCat]

In or on any vehicle, coping with rain, fog, or snow is part of the challenge of being a good driver. Meeting that challenge successfully can be a blast.

Good for you!

I'm one of those lucky, insane few. I grew up in New England and parts north so I dealt with plenty of snow, rain and Fog. Much of it on a small bike.

Then when I lived in Euro all I had was a bike and I rode it every day. What the hell, I was 18 and invincable. I dealt with rain, snow and some of the worst fogs I have ever seen. This was a bit different though, I was on a much heavier bike and dealt with some of the most insane drivers ever. I did it though and loved it.

Then I didn't ride for 20 years. I lost some of the skills and reflexes. I've been relearning these quickly and again I love the feeling of being on a bike even though I am no longer 18 and know I'm not invincable.

Riding in the rain, after it has been raining for a bit doesn't bother me. My bike has almost as much traction on wet pavement as it does on dry. Riding in the rain on the pierced steel planking of the Draw Bridges on the other hand is something I could easily avoid doing. When it's dry the bike feels strange on this surface. When it's wet the bike gets absolutely squirrely. (It's like riding on grease.)

Cat