Riding Season Ends in January
by Linda Carruth

LAST RIDE OF THE 2006 SEASON - WINTER IS HERE

Friday, January 12, 2007
The forecast for today was forty-six with rain likely. Saturday and Sunday were supposed to be cold with rain, possibly mixed with wet snow or sleet. We figured that if it was reasonably dry today, we could get the bikes out for a bit. We met with John and Sherry last night and we all had a nice long visit, but I was still all wound up when they left. I had trouble settling down to go to sleep. Matt got up a few times, Jason came home late and was kind of wound up himself about the progress he and his buddies made with their gaming/creation software. One thing after another and it was close to 4am before I was getting off to sleep. Scott was up by nine and I had trouble waking up enough to tell him how to use the cordless headphones. I had changed the configuration the day before. But then I was awake. I drifted off a little bit after that, but never for very long. Scott had the TV turned off, but I turned it on with the volume soft just to blend in with his noises. When it's quiet like that, I hear every little noise. Breathing, sighing, squeaks of the chair or floor… it drives me crazy. I woke up to the Weather Channel forecast saying that it was currently fifty-one degress. Fifty-one degrees? In the morning? Then pretty soon it was fifty-two. But they were predicting a high of forty-nine. How is that possible if it's already fifty-two? They do that a lot and I'll never understand it.

Anyway, Scott asked me if I want to get the bikes out. I said no, that I didn't get enough sleep. Scott said he was going to get his bike out, even if only for a little while. I told him to go ahead while he can. I could tell I was tired as I sat still, but I knew sleeping was out of the question already. I asked if there was coffee. I was already rethinking my decision.

I got up and make some hot chocolate, adding a splash of the leftover coffee from the pot. I softboiled an egg and made a piece of toast. If I'm going to have coffee, I'd better not have it on an empty stomach. Scott asked if I was thinking about going afterall. Yeah, I was. He said it didn't take much for me to change my mind. Does it ever? I told him I was wondering if it was such a good idea with me being so tired and all. He said I'd be all right because we wouldn't be going far or for long.

Good point. But then I can start having my doubts very easily. I ate and got ready to go. Scott checked our tires and disconnected the battery tenders. I got a last minute phone call that I had to take. That got my brain going some. Lucky thing that call came. Someone up there was watching over me, I guess.

I go out and get the rest of my gear on. I had to run back in the house and pull my rings off. I didn't want to snag up the inside of my insulated gloves. Scott had already warmed up my bike, closed the choke, and checked my brake lights and turn signals. He had me ready to go. I was just a tiny bit nervous, but I stalled a little on the bike. It sounded good though. And felt good. My heart was melting as I threw my leg over.

We left out and headed up through the neighborhood. I usually have my feet out a little as I turned off of our apron, but today I had my feet on the pegs and just leaned it going out. There was no car parked there, so I guess I just got a little brave there. We cut over to Tuxedo and headed on up to Broadview, where we had to creep a bit behind some traffic and then we made it through the light. We were getting a LOT of looks. I didn't have sunglasses on so I didn't make eye contact, but I could see what was going on.

We continued on up to Brookpark. It felt weird to be out, just on the side streets. I was not quite myself, but I continually reminded myself to stay alert. It's been just over three weeks since we last rode the bikes and that was just over to Bedford Reservation.

The coffee had started to kick in. That helped. It may have been fifty-one degrees out, but I was cold; colder than upper forties on a sunny day. It was gloomy today and looked like it would rain any minute. There were a few spotties on radar that had passed through, but all looked clear after that. Of course, that doesn't always mean anything, especially on a gloomy day like today.

We headed down Brookpark, in Friday lunchtime traffic. I had a pickup truck behind be that kept back a little, but I still watched him. I was creeping through a lot of lights, and things were coming naturally to me. I was trying to enjoy this, but I was clearly tired.

From Brookpark, we turned right onto Cloverleaf Parkway, which becomes West Canal Rd. We turned back onto Canal at the first bridge. We only cut down that way when traffic starts backing up at the light at Brookpark and Canal. Turning where there is stacked traffic isn't too safe, anyway.

We rode Canal Rd, making the light at Rockside. We moved on to the gentle curves that showed very little in the way of remnants from the flooding of the weekend before. There was slow traffic in front of us, which made us go slow. Another lucky thing, as this wasn't a good day to be hot dogging it down Canal.

We didn't turn onto Tinkers Creek Rd, which I was glad. Sometimes the park is a mess after a lot of rain. We continued on Canal, I watched and kept reminding myself to be alert to my surroundings. Soon we were heading up the hill and I was thinking that we were already going farther than I thought we would. I thought I saw some drops on my face shield, but just a couple. I wiped them away and pretty soon there were a couple more, but nothing on my windscreen or tank that I could see. I was relieved that we didn't turn on Chaffee. I felt like the classic underachiever today.

We turned right on Boyden and I noticed that the pavement under me was starting to seem wet. I took it easy. Even Scott was taking it easy. As we rode further, the pavement got just a little wetter. It was apparent that it had just rained there. When we stopped for the light at 82, Scott asked if I was alright. I said yeah, I guess. I told him I was cold. It was colder the last time we were out, but it was dry. It was damp today, and it's been cold lately. That gets my asthma going, and although I'm on less medication now, once it gets cold, I seem to need more of a warm up. I was doing okay though. Scott asked if I wanted to go home and I said I did. He suggested we go up to Vaughn Rd (Highland) and then go back. That was fine, and I agreed.

We continued on Boyden. We turned right on Highland and rode down to Riverview. We took it easy; we were riding on wet pavement. We could see more snow on the slopes at Brandywine (Ski Resort), more than last week anyway. At least the mud was off the road now. There was enough remnants of it to be slippery though, so we were very careful.

We turned right on Riverview and headed north. The roadway was wetter now, and though it wasn't raining on us, I could see the water spitting out from behind Scott's back tire. Yup, these roads are wet. I still enjoyed the ride on Riverview. As we climbed the double hill right after Vaughn Rd, a police car was coming down the hill in the other direction. We were just putting, so no worries.

I had hoped Scott would stop under the 82 bridge. I had to go to the bathroom already. I could wait, but would rather stop. He went right past and we headed up out of the valley and stopped at the light at 82. Scott's left turn signal flipped on and at first I thought we were going up 21 or Broadview or something. Maybe even State Rd. When I stopped up along side of him, he motioned over to the saddle shop. I nodded. When the light changed, we turned left and then left again into the parking lot of the Clippity-Clop Saddle Shop.

We parked just inside the lot and peeled some stuff off. Scott said he figured we could go in and look around and warm up. And since we were going in, Scott wanted me to take my helmet liner off. I was going to just put my ball cap over it, but he bugged me until I took it off. I should have put the ball cap on, but I didn't. We went in and looked at boots and gloves. I never got to the jewelry; that stuff's hard to resist. At one point, Scott said he was going to the restroom, so I followed him like a little puppy. They the bathrooms were down the hallway. I never knew they were there.

I got a glimpse of myself in the mirror. That's when I realized I should have worn the ball cap. I had a chunk of bang sticking straight up. I met Scott back in the store, but we didn't stay long from there. We went back out and got ready to go. I suggested we go back the same way we came. I really didn't care to go down lower Riverview as there is a spot there that floods so badly they have a sump pump set up along side the road. Scott was game to take the same way home, but he said I'd get cold again just going home from where we were. I told him I could handle it.

We got ready to go. We looped around the parking lot and headed out. I can remember a time that I didn't do so well with that. Not today though. We headed back down Riverview. I took in what I could of the scenery, finally feeling a little better. It was pretty cold and damp and downright dismal. We turned left at Vaughn Rd and headed up out of the valley. We turned left again on Boyden and headed over to Valley View Rd, where we turned left. Heading down towards Canal, I had a white pickup on my rear. We were under the speed limit. I looked in my mirror and shook my head. He didn't back off any.

We headed down the hill and along Canal Rd. To my relief, the white truck turned off by the Pleasant Valley/Alexander Rd ramps. We putted along Canal, enjoying the ride a little more now. We made it through the light at Rockside and passed a cop watching for speeders. Traffic was a little heavy for that, but whatever. We turned left on Brookpark, heading for home. Scott was going kind of fast by the vet, where that light is, and so much traffic, but we ended up making the light. We continued on and turned off on Tuxedo. We headed down through the neighborhood and cut over to Lincoln to head to the gas station to top off the tanks. All total, the bikes didn't even take four dollars worth. While Scott went in to get change, I remember thinking that winter is finally setting in now. This will probably be our last chance to ride for a while. Of course we've been saying that, but today felt different. As I looked around, it looked like one of those cold mid winter days. The dampness and gloom were ever present and the only thing missing was the smell of dirty snow on concrete, that damp, watery cold smell that says winter in Cleveland.

We headed out of there and went home. My rolling right into the driveway was bouncy. Scott had said he was going to wipe the bikes down when we got back. thry were pretty splattered up and so were our chaps. We parked in the back yard and I took a few pictures. I fully intended to help him but I checked my messages and there was a message from a publishing house in Chicago about a new job. I told him I was going to stick by the phone. I wiped down my chaps and he washed both bikes. I'll have to do his chaps for him. I didn't want to leave to go to the store, so we ordered pizza. Second time this week.

Just after our pizza arrived, Vaughn called. He asked if we were snowed in yet, and I told him no, that we'd had the bikes out earlier today. He told me yeah, just rub it in. And then he said I'd probably heard that he's selling his bike. He said he had to do something about his kitchen cabinets, that what was there was all he could afford twenty-three years ago. I said yeah, I heard, and that I told Scott not to get any ideas. He laughed. He asked me if I had gotten used to riding, and if I liked it better now. And was I more relaxed about it. Oh hell yeah, I told him. Gee, hadn't he heard by now? 39 miles today.

©2008 The L.W. Wallace Co., Inc.