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 *

My Ride of July 26, 2007

July 26: 2007:
I had a law seminar I needed to attend this morning. It started at eight. In the morning. That meant an extra early wake-up time if I expected to get in a trip on the Low Rider.

So, I was up and at 'em by 4:45 a.m. Sarah didn't seem to mind. A quick check of the weather radar revealed showers on the way, but not here yet. A peek outside confirmed that the street was dry.

Sarah and I headed out for our walk. It was cloudy, and lightning was appearing on the southern horizon. Not surprisingly, we had the streets to ourselves. Or so I thought.

We were on the last leg of our walk when we passed a parked truck. This is a pickup that we pass every day. This morning, a gray cat let out a loud screech and attacked Sarah, who had not even seen it, so far as I could tell. The cat must have been under the truck. It actually went toward Sarah. At a fast clip. The cat seemed to swipe at Sarah, and then it ran off into the bushes. The noise and movement startled both of us. Sarah made no move to attack the cat. Just as my adrenaline level was going down, the cat came back, charging directly at Sarah while screeching loudly. And I mean "charged." The cat ran full speed at Sarah for at least fifteen feet. Sarah was no threat to the cat as it launched its preemptive strike. I yelled at the gray form, and Sarah seemed unconcerned. She never growled or snapped. The cat, after making its appearance, ran off again. Weird. I checked Sarah, and saw no blood. She let me pet her without wincing. She seemed no worse for the wear.

We continued on home, where Sarah demonstrated a good appetite. I suited up and headed out. The tire presure was right on. I backed the Low Rider out, started it up as quietly as possible, and headed out. It was barely 5:30 a.m.

After warming up, I entered I-10, heading west. Traffic was non-existent. The clouds, however, were gathering. I took my normal workday route. At one point, on the North Loop, I saw a glint of something shiny on the road. I went on full alert. I dodged one box, then another. The light must have reflected off the strapping tape. The Low Rider's agility was appreciated. Next, I came upon a thrown retread. It was just outside the left-hand tire path. Fortunately, I was traveling on the right-hand tire path, so no evasive action was required. It looked like a complete tire tread. By the time I passed the area on the second circuit, some vehicle had hit it and moved it into position where the lane stripes were. It rested there when I returned on the third circuit, out of harm's way.

I had a wonderful ride. I watched the odometer hit mile 800 as I headed down I-10 on the second lap. I was also watching the time, and used the minutes gained by my early rising to take one more tour of the freeways.

When I pulled up to the driveway, it was barely 6:30 a.m. Rain was threatening. And I had mile 822 on the bike. And a grand 800+ miles it has been. I have not given in to the temptation of resume daily blogs on my rides. I intend to return to my practice of only detailing Memorable Rides. And that means rides I think others will find of interest. As for me, they are almost all memorable. So, 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.