I walked out of the house late this morning, again. Maybe I’d care if the client cared but I work with a fairly laid back group. People come in early, leave and return, work late, whatever we need to do. Basically we do what is needed to meet our release targets.
On the KTM, it’s 42 and damp. My legs are chilled from the wind blast. Vest and grips are keeping my core temperature up in a healthy range. 70 seems to be the contentious as I cruise at 62 with the pack pulling away from me.
The forecast is unbelievable. 4 days of dry weather are on the forecast. They have to be wrong. I know they are wrong. It’s raining on the other side of town right now! LOL I wonder what the weekend will bring. Will I escape to the hills or linger in the city?
I couldn’t sleep last night. I worked in the garage until after 23:30, then spent time installing new parts on the master bathroom shower. It was after 00:30 when I finally crawled into bed. Then I couldn’t sleep. I read for a while, which didn’t help. I learned about the “Query Pattern” and that got me thinking about some development I’ve been working on for the last couple weeks. I laid in bed ‘thinking’ until about 02 when I got up to play Peggle until 03:30. Read more…
It’s raining… again.
The temps are starting to climb. Spring is on the way. It was 50 degrees on my way home from the Yamaha dealership a few minutes ago. It rained really hard on me when I was driving home from work. Just now I got home with only a few sprinkles.
That is one of the quirks to Oregon that I have not gotten used to. It can be raining AND sunny. It can be pouring in one place and perfectly dry just a few miles away. We’ve got the Gorge, the Coastal and Cascade Ranges, the Willamette and Columbia rivers, plus a rather large ocean less than 100 miles away. So there are a lot of different inputs on the local micro climates. Back in misery, I mean Missouri, the weather was regional. It was hot (or cold) for hundreds of miles. Rain would cover a 4 state area. Snow from Canada down to Tulsa. Tornado bearing storms would cut through hundreds of miles of open plain without minimal damage. Different place.
It will be a while before the mountain snow melts and then the real fun begins. This summer I am going to spend some time in those mountains buring fuel.
Still, it is strange only having one bike. I sold my DL last summer which dropped me down to one moto. I’m still thinking about the SuperDuke. Thinking, thinking, thinking…
Last week, I spent over 9 hours in the saddle.
On Sunday, I spent 5 hours while on a “detour” as I headed down to my Mom’s. It normally takes me about 75 to 90 minutes to get there.
On Monday, I rode to work. As I was leaving, I took a right instead of a left. And so began a 3 hour ride up to the Gorge.
The rest of the week, I spent caged for various reasons. Only on Friday was it optional and I didn’t know that until about mid-morning.
Yesterday, I wanted to ride but I ended up digging drainage trenches with Tony. By the time we had finished the weather had turned. It was cold, windy and raining… hard.
Today, I am going back to my Mom’s. I haven’t decided on my mode of travel. Rain is in the forecast and I broke the zipper on my winter/waterproof boots last week. Hmm…
It was 47° and raining again as I stood in my driveway surveying the situation. I closed the door and came back inside. 30 minutes later, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I put on boots, cordura, jacked in my mp3 player and headed out. Fuel first, then down 6 toward the coastal range.
The rain ran down my shield as weekend traffic streamed past me. All heading into the city. Grips on low. My Vanson gloves keeping the water on the outside. The rain enforced reasonable speeds throughout the entire ride.
I took the scenic loop through Gales Creek, then over to Hagg Lake for a loop. I found Pepsi in a glass bottle at the corner convience store. I miss Pepsi in glass. It tastes different than when it is stored in plastic.
Darkness had fallen by the time I left the convience store. Back home without incident. My craving cured for a few more days.
It might be time to start peeling off bit and pieces to begin the color change from silver to flat black. Maybe. Maybe.
School starts again tomorrow. I have registered, but I think I might change one course. Traffic court on Tuesday afternoon. Hmm….
PS: I rolled 7800 miles today. Not bad for a bike I bought in August.
