ANYWAY, (sorry, I got off topic). The fact is, I usually only get time to myself for things like, oh, I don't know, Say, riding a Harley or writing a blog, for instance, Late at night or early in the morning, when everyone else is asleep. Sometimes my schedule gets even worse and it will take me some time to get back. Don't think I've forgotten ya'all, ok?
For these same reasons I try to combine things I have to do with things I want to do. It may be the only way to do what I want. For instance, I HAVE to go to work... at least until my career as a lottery winner takes off. I WANT to ride...(almost) anytime, anywhere., so when I got Kate, I bought saddlebags so I can haul my tools & stuff for work. Now I ride to work. This actually works out very well. Except this last week.
I was working at a Casino on a Native American reservation about 50 miles from my house. Every morning before work I get up & get online to check the weather at the job site. Monday through Wednesday, It looked very cold at that time of the morning, so I drove the car. When I got to work it felt much warmer than the temperature said it was and I ended up regretting not riding. Finally, on Thursday I looked at the temps. It said that at that zip code the temp was 54 degrees. NO PROBLEM!
Yeah, right.
The casino I work at is at the bottom of a canyon. That 54 degrees... yeah, that was at the top of the mountain. Had I looked at a few of the surrounding localities I would have found that the actual temperature at work was 37 bone chilling, finger frosting degrees. Holy Hell, I thought my fingers were going to fall off. It was about an hour after I got there before I could pick up my tools with any dexterity.
Granted, the temperature raised significantly before the day was done, to a high of about 92 degrees. Which provided a new problem.
Working in the desert, I filled the free space in my saddlebag with a small lunch (A protein bar & a banana), and bottled water. I did not save room for my vest, and if I had, I wouldn't have had room for my leather jacket for the ride home. So, for the ride home I went to the opposite extreme and wore my leather jacket, with the vents open (I'm not STUPID) and the sleeves sticking to my arms from the mixture of sweat & sunscreen (I think I've discovered the formula for superglue!).
But, you know what? I loved every second of the ride, both ways. There are very few things that can take a person's mind off of southern California traffic, But the ride, combined with the pinpoint focus brought on by extreme temperatures managed to make the traffic disappear. Although on the ride home, I saw something that set my mind to wandering, So, I had to share.
Vacation Anyone?
Please forgive the picture quality, I took this with my cell phone & I couldn't really see the screen due to the glare of the sunlight.
This place is just about a mile down the road from th Casino.
And, For the record, No, I did not climb the wall to look inside. (I've already been asked). I would be afraid to. I know the thoughts that come to mind feature beautiful young naked women playing volleyball (or tennis according to the sign... Hmmm. Don't trip...) but the fantasy is probably better than the actuality, so, I'll just hang on to the mental images & not take the risk.
What do you think?
Oh, and for the record, I drove the car on Friday... I'll make it up to Kate by giving her a bath & taking her for a ride to buy a new cover... Does anyone else ever feel guilty for not riding or taking care of their bike as often as they should?
