My Motorcycle Blog: Memorable Rides
by Donald Ray Burger
Attorney at Law

* November, 2006 blog * * October, 2006 blog * * September, 2006 blog * * August, 2006 blog * * July, 2006 blog * * June, 2006 blog * * May, 2006 blog * * April, 2006 blog * * March, 2006 blog * * February, 2006 blog * * January, 2006 blog * * December, 2005 blog * * November, 2005 blog * * October, 2005 blog * * September, 2005 blog * * August, 2005 blog * * July, 2005 blog * * June, 2005 blog * * May, 2005 blog *

Second Regular Ride on My Harley

July 25: 2007:
Today I got up earlier than my usual time so that I could get in a long ride. Sarah was not upset by this, and Maria is out of town.

I went downstairs and checked Weather.Com. Rain is coming, but there was no activity at 5 a.m. I took Sarah for her walk. The skies were dark, as one would expect at that hour. However, I also saw flashes of lightning on the southern horizon. Frequent lightning. And, although it started out as sheet lightning, by the time we were headed home, thick lightning bolts were making their appearance.

I quickly fed Sarah, and suited up. I checked the air in the tires (it was fine) and headed out.

After warming up, I headed for the gas station, to top off the tank. Thus infused with fuel, I made a quick u-turn under the freeway and entered I-10, heading west. It was still dark, and not yet six o'clock. The headlight on the Low Rider provided good illumination down the road. Traffic was light.

I did two quick workday circuits, going west on I-10, north on the West Loop, east on the North Loop, south on Highway 59, and back west on I-10. Because there were few cars, I was making excellent time. After completing the second circuit, I glanced at my odometer and did a rapid calculation in my head. With luck, I might hit TC Jester just after the next circuit--right as the odometer turned to mile 700. I decided to try for it.

The third circuit went quickly. The lightning disappeared, and rain did not pour down. I watched the odometer as I approached TC Jester for the fourth time this morning. At the exact instance that I passed the exit for TC Jester, the odometer hit 700 miles. This is the third day in a row that I have hit a hundred mile mark at TC Jester. Pythagoras, eat your heart out.

When I got to the exit for I-45, I headed north to the Beltway. I then went east to the exit for Highway 59. Once again, I enjoyed the high banked exit onto 59. And, once again, the skyline was obscured by overcast conditions.

When I got to the exit for 610, I took the North Loop eastbound to I-10. I was still making excellent time. I was contemplating adding some miles to my run because I had not encountered any morning rush hour slow-downs.

But then, as if to squelch this idea, traffic came to a stop. We all creeped forward in one-car-length jumps. It seemed that a truck had lost its load. Mostly, the debris was on the emergency shoulder, but I spied bits of two by fours (complete with exposed nail points) here and there on the road. I guess the good news was that the slow speeds made it easy to dodge the nails.

Anyway, I decided to call a halt to the ride. I stopped by the gas station, filled the tank, and headed home. It had been a great ride. Even better than yesterday. The lack of traffic surely helped. And missing those nails was an extra bonus.

When I pulled up to the driveway, the odometer registered 764 miles, and it was barely eight o'clock. I felt great, and the bike had performed flawlessly. And the rain had stayed away. See you on the road. And don't forget to think.

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For the November, 2006, blog entries, click here.

For the October, 2006, blog entries, click here.

For the September, 2006, blog entries, click here.

For the August, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the July, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the June, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the May, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the April, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the March, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the February, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the January, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the December, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the November, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the October, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the September, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the August, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the July, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the June, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the May, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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*Note to Law Enforcement:

All statements of speeds on various streets are simple estimates, and solely for novelity purposes. Actual speeds vary, but are always lower. I'm sure that legal speed limits are never exceeded, anything in this blog to the contrary nowithstanding.