Zen in Spring - Brother bikers

Finally it looks like spring is peaking its head out of the clouds and the mercury is going to stay on the north side of 40 for a few days. Even better than that, there is this big orange thing in the sky, which if I remember from somewhere back in October or November was the Sun. However, it could just be a figment of my rain and snow addled mind.

It is good to see other bikes on the road again. Being a year round bike rider it sometimes gets lonely out on the road. However, the opposite of what you would expect, where you can usually assume NO ONE SEES YOU, it is funny that when it is 20 degrees and while the roads are clear there is snow on the ground, the fact that you are on a bike catches people off guard enough that YOU ARE SPOTTED. They not only see you, they point, and almost drive off the road and cause accidents looking at you, which you then have to watch out for their reckless shocked reactions, rather than just the indifference you become used to. Which just goes to the saying, don’t get too comfortable.

While it is good to see more other riders out again it did have a surreal experience the other day…

It was the first REALLY beautiful riding day we have had around here in a LONG time. Temp in the high 50's-low 60's sunny with dry roads. It was great. I was on the bike Downtown Tulsa, as I am during the day (I work there). Another rider on a Harley look-a-like pulls up next to me at a traffic light, we exchange nods, and he says...

"Isn't it nice to be able to get the bikes out again?"

I'm dumbfounded! What I want to say is, "I don't know about you but there have only been about 14 days all winter that I haven't been on this bike." OR, "I rode to work the day it was 9, why haven't you been riding?" OR, "I put this bike back on the road after the snow the first day I thought I could safely find a wet but not icy path to the office."

What I actually said was...

"Well, it is nice to not have such a cold wet day to ride."

As I pulled away I thought to myself, did he not look at my bike as he pulled up behind me, it is covered in road grime because I haven't had time to clean it up (my motto I'd rather ride than polish.) And I though, surely road grime can't be mistaken for garage dust?

Not that I expect everyone to ride like me, heck at times I think I’m silly for choosing to ride on the days I ride, but I have always dreamed of living my life on the back of a bike. It was the assumption that I had just pulled it out of the garage that got me. I learned a LONG time ago not to make such assumptions. Such as, the big guy covered in tattoos with long hair and a beard down to his chest… don’t assume he rides a Harley (I’ve got a couple of Goldwing riding buds who look like they came straight out of the outlaw clubs, and for all I know they did.) And NEVER assume they are outlaws! It amazes me how many of those old tattooed guys are former military, police, firemen, and other very “structured” professions. So I may comment on the weather, but I would never assume just because someone’s chrome was all polished that they were a weekend rider, or just pulled the bike out of the garage. For all I know they own a detail shop and keep their bike pristine even riding it all winter in all weather…. Enough rambling….

Now for the Oklahoma spring weather…. Bring on the tornados.



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