Thursday, January 22, 2009

Squeeze in One Last Day?

I was able to ride to work one more day this week, yeah!!! Today it started off at actually 39 degrees!! It was a virtual heat wave by golly. Unbelievably though, was that the last two mornings at 33 and 34 degrees felt warmer than this morning. There was a slight breeze this morning and maybe that contributed to it. Maybe there was moisture in the air? I just don't know.

I don't have too far to ride to work. It usually takes about 15 minutes. So these cold temps don't seem too bad, considering. I told a worker the other day that the cold hurts my neck, but I don't usually like to bother with my windless neckgater for such a short ride. I just "suck it up," a phrase my husband loves to use around the house. My co-worker reminded me about the warm and snugly fleece neck wrap she gave me for Christmas. So this morning I used it. It's very comfortable and blocks most of the cold. The wind does go thru it, as it's not windless. You just got to love the windless stuff out on the market these days. I will have to (ahem) find my windless neckgator and use it. Just to try it out.

When I got off work today it was 60 degrees outside. But, to my surprise, it was very noticeably overcast. Many people around me were saying snow is due tomorrow. I say "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" I actually heard a few days ago that the bad weather wasn't due till maybe Sunday. Predicting the weather is just that - predicting. I don't hold the poor, and sometimes confused, weatherperson to their predictions like some.

So, hopefully I get to squeeze one more day of riding to work this January before the snow flies.

Wishing you a good day in your part of the world,
Biker Betty :)

PS ~ Have you noticed the days are starting to get a wee bit longer?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Betty you are one tough biker :) I enjoyed reading about your winter ride to work. I'm thinking if you install a ski on the front wheel you won't even have to let a little snow stop you.

irondad said...

You're not the only one hoping for the snow to stay away. I'm teaching the first class of the year this weekend. Yeah, I know, already! Last year we got 9 inches of snow on the second day. There's a prediction this weekend. If we both keep our fingers crossed maybe we'll be ok!

Kathleen Jennette said...

So glad you got another day in. You are a brave ride chickadee riding in those temps. I think you are getting our rain which turns into your snow... on the way. Hope it doesn't last long for you!

Baron's Life said...

You are incorrigeable, maybe that's why we love reading your stuff...but seriously if I was your husband, I'd spank you for taking so many chances.

Biker Betty said...

Hi Sarch,
It's great hearing from you. I'm actually going to be riding my motorcycle to Texas for a few days this summer.

I have to say that I don't feel brave. When you get used to these temps it doesn't seem so cold. There is something about being on a motorcycle that warms the soul.

Hi Irondad,
I will cross my fingers and toes that there is no snow for you this weekend. I think that weather permitting, they give the MSF beginner motorcycle course all year round here. My husband and I took ours in February 2005. It was beautiful that weekend. We were very lucky. The weekends before and after were horrible.

Hi KT,
I'm so glad, too. It seems you've had some pretty cold rides that I read about recently, too. It seem that between October - Apr/May any moisture that falls from our skies is the white stuff. There are times I wish it would rain, like when I lived in California growing up.

Hi Baron,
On the days I have been riding there have been many other riders too. I really try to watch out for the gravel and this is the first time I've had a slip (okay, maybe twice - but the other was last year and it was a little slip). We get gravel on our roads from construction in the summer, so there is no getting around it.

My husband would be after me if he thought I was taking too much of a risk. Of course, maybe I had better make sure my life insurance hasn't been raised, lol, after all he's not riding when he can.

Biker Betty said...

Hey Sarch, I was thinking that I would be riding in your neck of the woods briefly this summer, but then I realized you live in Alabama and not Texas.

stan said...

a female biker! awesome! I've left hps, little machineries w running motors on surfaces only to see them fall off in Matrix slow-mo and curse myself for being so careless when I notice that dent/scratch. I guess tt's human frailty and stupidity. Haha.

"Joker" said...

I'm curious. What do the kids at the school you work at think about you riding a motorcycle, especially at this time of year?

Biker Betty said...

Hi Stan,
Isn't it aweful to watch mishaps in slow motion? You run and try to catch it, but to no avail at times, ugh!

Hi Joker,
The kids think it's very cool. I work in a somewhat big school and some of the kids still don't realize I ride. I'm in the middle of my second year at this school. When I walk out the front door, wearing all my gear, and head for my bike, I still sometimes hear "No way, Way cool, and some admiration I can't repeat (they are older kids, lol). It's the girls I really hear.

The guys out in the open are more reserved, but have come up to me in the halls to say they think it's pretty cool. They all admire the motorcycle. There are four of us staff members that ride. One Harley (I think it's an electa glide), two crotch rockets, and my V-Star. We all park in a special place right out front. The Harley has always been riding. Then I came along and then two other staff members bought theirs.

I don't get any comments about that it's winter and their ideas on that. Other staff ride in the winter as weather permits.

There was a police security conference at our school last year and the police chief loved my motorcycle that was parked out front. Our own school police officer (hired by the city) loves that I ride. The staff likes it too, not that I'm out for approval or anything like that. We all ride because we love it, whether anyone else approves or not (my in-laws hate it).

So, long story short, the kids love it that I ride.