Ohhh Nooo, his first trip and it rains. Poor Mr. Bill! Welcome to my riding world.
If you set out for home and it is raining, it's easy to see you should put on your rain gear - assuming you are one of the mortals that needs rain gear over your normal riding attire. You people with 'Stitches (the 3 that don't leak like a sieve) can just avert your eyes to the pictures on the right for the next couple of paragraphs.
The decision to don rain gear on an overcast day is a far more complicated decision. Let's think about the factors. Is that just mist? Is it raining? Is it going to keep raining. Are you riding toward more rain or clear. What am I wearing, what is my passenger wearing? Is the air temp cold. We're ok for mist. We're ok for 30 min. How much farther do we have to go? How easy is it to stop. Can we take cover to put gear on? What bike am I on, how much protection does that offer. And on and on it goes. Misty rain, and indecision can leave you all wet.
And for arguments sake, let's pretend we actually have our rain gear with us. When Lisa and I travel, I don't always have all of it with me. This weekend I brought my rain coat, and Lisa's coat & pants. I forgot the rubber gloves in my tank bag, so my deerskin gloves were going to be out of luck no matter.
Heading home from a fun weekend in Maine we knew the forecast was for afternoon showers. The sky was gray. We'd seen drops here and there, but mostly grayness. We made a gas stop and the mist was obvious. I had full Rev'IT gear on and riding boots. Lisa had mesh pants and leather jacket. I can't remember the last time Lisa and I rode 2 up on the GT. But it does afford more protection around the legs because of the faring. You can tell where this is going?
The mist turned to intermittent drops, the country road was exchanged for the interstate, and before you know it, we've not geared up, we're on the highway and it's a steady rain. Screw it, the temps are comfortable, and we're 45 minutes from home...HIT IT. The Rev IT held up fine, just a little dampness at the top of the collar, and where my hair wicks in the water. Lisa was in even better shape the front of her pants were just as dry as can be, and only her pigtails took the weather. You know, once you've been caught in 10 hours of torrential downpours...45 minutes is a walk in the park!
Well ...here are some pics from the Lobster Bake. Hope you had some late summer fun!
Before
Good Night Mr Lobster, steam well
Oooh Nooo, Lisa and Irene just figured out what is happening with the lobsters
Getting all steamed up
Ummm, no after pics, my hands were to buttery!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Art of a Ride Report.
Every Picture Tells A Story don't it?
The other day a ride report came into my mail box. Now I get my fair share of unsolicited mail from fellow riders, but seldom do I get anything of quality.
The quality of a ride report is not necessarily tied to the rider's destination but in his/her ability to spin a story, with words and pictures. I have a link on the right side bar labeled the Best Damn Ride Report ever, if you've not clicked on it - don't! Unless you are prepared to have 3-4 hours of your life sucked up in the best tale of adventure ever.
I am too polite to put in links to the worse ride reports, and of course that is entirely subjective. But diary accounts of a trip, with little or no pictures are just deathly. "I was going to leave at 7 AM, but the cat yacked on the rug, so I was delayed. I put on my glove, I put on my boots...I left the house..." You know what I'm talking about. And if the bad reports don't drone on in detail, they are short precise and boring. "Rode 562 miles today, put in 1/2 quart of oil. It was a hot, long day". Uh yeah, that kind of report can make the Rocky Mountains seem boring.
What an interesting ride report...not
So back to my inbox..Dan from PA took a trip to AK. It's been done before, I yawned as I clicked on the link. And then I spent the next 45 minutes enjoying the pictures and solid simple language he used to support those pictures. Ah yes, pictures...that is the way to tell a story. Draw your reader into your adventure. Leave your reader thinking, "I'd like to do that". "No way I'd go there!". A picture of the 756 miles for the day on your GPS won't do that. Thanks for the great story Dan!
The other day a ride report came into my mail box. Now I get my fair share of unsolicited mail from fellow riders, but seldom do I get anything of quality.
The quality of a ride report is not necessarily tied to the rider's destination but in his/her ability to spin a story, with words and pictures. I have a link on the right side bar labeled the Best Damn Ride Report ever, if you've not clicked on it - don't! Unless you are prepared to have 3-4 hours of your life sucked up in the best tale of adventure ever.
I am too polite to put in links to the worse ride reports, and of course that is entirely subjective. But diary accounts of a trip, with little or no pictures are just deathly. "I was going to leave at 7 AM, but the cat yacked on the rug, so I was delayed. I put on my glove, I put on my boots...I left the house
What an interesting ride report...not
So back to my inbox..Dan from PA took a trip to AK. It's been done before, I yawned as I clicked on the link. And then I spent the next 45 minutes enjoying the pictures and solid simple language he used to support those pictures. Ah yes, pictures...that is the way to tell a story. Draw your reader into your adventure. Leave your reader thinking, "I'd like to do that". "No way I'd go there!". A picture of the 756 miles for the day on your GPS won't do that. Thanks for the great story Dan!
Monday, August 2, 2010
BMW RA Rally - Pownal, VT
There are no bad roads in Vermont. Add a few sunny days in the low 80's and you have the makings of an ideal weekend rally.
The RA is no MOA, it's not even the poor cousin. It's basically a large local club organizationally. What this bare bones rally lacked in amenities it made up in location and great people. Lisa and I made our first camping excursion of the season and shared many miles and smiles.
Back to basics camping
In the weeds
Morning fog lingers over the camp site
Lisa braids her hair in the camp mirror, getting ready for a day of riding.
Breakfast of champions, Wilmington, VT
That was one filling brownie!
Bikes from the weekend
15 year old Lisa hams it up with 78 year old Ardys Kellerman, who dropped in from her Texas home.
Traditional Mid day stop for ice cream
Ready to hit the road at 7:00AM
Don't forget to do something wacky this summer!
The RA is no MOA, it's not even the poor cousin. It's basically a large local club organizationally. What this bare bones rally lacked in amenities it made up in location and great people. Lisa and I made our first camping excursion of the season and shared many miles and smiles.
Back to basics camping
In the weeds
Morning fog lingers over the camp site
Lisa braids her hair in the camp mirror, getting ready for a day of riding.
Breakfast of champions, Wilmington, VT
That was one filling brownie!
Bikes from the weekend
15 year old Lisa hams it up with 78 year old Ardys Kellerman, who dropped in from her Texas home.
Traditional Mid day stop for ice cream
Ready to hit the road at 7:00AM
Don't forget to do something wacky this summer!
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