Downtown!

I rode downtown today for a workshop. I haven't ridden downtown very often and never during business hours. I left early enough though that I didn't have much stop and go at all. But, driving east in the morning and west in the afternoon sure ain't fun. But, it was fun to have that experience. It is a different kind of awareness for that ride. My normal scanning heading to work is for prairie dogs, deer, coyote, elk, and that sort of stuff. In the city, it is bikes, scooters, pedestrians, drivers in a huge hurry, and that sort of stuff. No worries though. It was a nice ride. :-)

I was able to stop in at MotoGear Outlet on the way home and pick up my chin curtain for my helmet. Yay! Now maybe I won't get so much stuff in my eyes.

The other day I stopped at a place on the way home that turned out to be closed. But, in the time it took me to park, get my helmet and gloves off, walk to the door, turn around and walk back to the bike, a bee had decided to attack my left hand grip. I didn't see it until I after I'd put the key in the ignition. Then I jumped back and did the fear of bee thing that most of us do. I wasn't sure what to do really so I just put my gear on quickly and closed my helmet just in case it decided my hi-viz yellow jacket would be attractive. I really didn't have to do anything though. It is just that irrational fear of bees that most of us have that kicked in. I'm not even allergic so it wasn't critical or anything. Anyway, it did just fly away shortly after I got all my gear on. So, I jumped on the bike and drove off.... as if it might chase me or something. Pretty silly but, oh well. :-) All the way home I felt like I had bugs in my jacket.

Spring/Summer

So, today it is back to feeling like spring. Yesterday it was a hot summer day. I should have pulled over and bought something cool to drink on my way home. Towards the end of the day I started feeling icky. I had an earache and some popping going on which had me worried that I was getting sick. So, I was a bit tired by the time I got on the bike to head home. My first stoplight puts me facing into the sun for what seems like a long time. I have to sit with my head down just to keep from over heating. That's the first problem. (I need to research my route out of Boulder again.) Then I kept talking myself out of stopping to get something to drink. That's usually a good indication that I am tired or over heated. At any rate I made it home without stopping. Hubby looked at me and said I looked over heated. I felt it too. I took my boots off, and drank two glasses of ice water. Then we went to dinner in my car with the a/c on and sat in an air conditioned restaurant. By the time we were home again I felt much better. Still tired but not over heated.

That is not a good way to ride.... Note to self.

And it isn't even summer yet.

Road kill practice?

So, the other day, riding to work, I passed quite a few road killed prairie dogs and I had this thought. How soon will it be before I hit one of those living prairie dogs? They are everywhere along my routes to work. They dart out unpredictably all the time. Not long ago I was behind a car that nearly hit one as it darted out then back and the right rear tire of the car barely missed it. But the dumb thing stood up at the edge of the road. Fortunately it didn't run back out in front of me and all was well. But.... my thought later progressed to, with all the road killed ones out there, should I practice riding over a couple??

I know, that's pretty gross and all that, but maybe it is worth it just to get some practice about how the bike might handle it. It creeps me out just thinking about it really but if it is me or the prairie dog, well... And I know it wouldn't be a real world type of experience but there could be some benefit. But, I also worry about creating a habit of target fixation on the critters. That would be bad. Ideally, it would be best to avoid them all together.

Nothing creeps me out more than driving over an animal. I do the whole freaked out screaming girl thing when I hit a squirrel. That's what worries me the most really. I'm sure the bike would be fine but mentally, I cannot prepare for it.

Should I practice??

Ew.