A trip in the country...

Last weekend was pretty much a peach as far as the weather went. It was a little on the warm side if anything, but certainly not too hot to enjoy a ride out in the countryside to see my daughter and her hubby. I find that when the air is hot and humid, it does a better job of carrying the scents of trees and flowers. It's simply the best time of all for riding, as far as sensory perception goes. Fall riding may be the overall champion by far, but hot summer riding has a special place of it's own in my heart.

It was early afternoon as I flashed up Baby and headed down the Anderson Road. I was being bad, as I opted to leave my riding jacket home. It was just too hot to consider wearing one. Baby hummed along as we threaded our way along the back roads which would lead us to Bank Street, also known as CR 31. I took my time, enjoying the feel of the wind against my body. I made a mental note to look for a lighter pair of riding gloves... something that wouldn't make my hands sweat in these temperatures.

Before long, I was turning off onto John Quinn Road, past the llama farm and toodling down the two-lane blacktop, watching for deer. I hooked up with the 31 just North of Snake Island Road. There is a little, black Yamaha cruiser which rests under a shade tree there. It looks so forlorn sitting there, with it's little 'For Sale' sign pasted to it's windshield... I keep thinking it would be a perfect first bike for my better half... The coast was clear so we wheeled left onto the 31 and headed South for Winchester.

Even though this road is still a two-lane road, the pace of traffic is a little brisker here. Nothing under 100kmh, unless there's nobody else riding your tail. I tend to like going a bit slower, as you never know when a critter is going to decide to make a guest appearance in your day. I was fortunate in that the traffic was relatively light and I wasn't forced outside my comfort zone, speed-wise. I stopped at the Timmie's in Winchester for a short water break.

As I pulled in to the parking lot, there were several 'Hardly-Dangerous' riders who were involved in an animated discussion. I noted that they were from 'The Dark Side' and after I leaned Baby onto her jiffy stand, nodded at a couple nearest me. They turned away, rather than engage in a conversation. No sweat off my back... I'm used to bumping into pretend riders by now. I'm sure that for riders from Gatineau/Hull, making it to Winchester must seem like a really long ride. Yeah, right... I just ignored 'em. Their friends were hard at work, trying to impress one another with tales of how many overpriced, bolt-on, genuine H-D parts they had added to their rolling boat anchors. The funny part was that they seemed to believe that some people actually cared about that shit...

I gave my little girl a call and provided her with a sitrep on my progress, before downing the remainder of my water bottle. I was glad that I had brought a couple of bottles with me today, although a black leather saddlebag does not make for a really great cooler. I heaved Baby off her jiffy stand and we lit out of there. I only had a short jaunt from there to reach the Little Nation Road. Heading South once more on the 32, we arced over the overpass which sweeps gracefully to the left. I always like the view from this vantage point. It's all very country and farmland.

Before long I was threading my way along the side road which would take me across the Little Nation River and to my daughter's homestead. Arriving there, I backed the bike into the top part of their driveway and dismounted. I was greeted by a series of incredibly loud cock's crows. My daughter and Matt met me outside and I was taken for a tour of the shed, where they had quartered the mama duck and her brood. As we passed through the entrance, I could hear the loud humming emanating from what was left of the recently-discovered beehive. Best not to piss them guys off...

The ducklings were just too cute. There were 12 of them all bustling around their mama. Their resident rooster, Walter (named after Walter Cronkite, due to his stern demeanor...) made a guest appearance to check out the new arrival in the coop (me). He was the one I had heard as I arrived. We then sat and chatted for a little bit outside, before being forced to retreat inside by the relentless sun. It was much cooler indoors and we busied ourselves checking out sailing sites and viewing pictures of a recently renovated property of theirs.

We chatted about their recent interest in sailing and 'the life nautical', as it were. They are weighing their options with regards to abandoning their life on land, in favour of one on the water. There was plenty of discussion of things to consider, recent innovations for living aboard and stories of those who had made the transition. It was a very enjoyable visit. As I was leaving, Matt showed up with his camera and took a few shots. It was very nice of him to do so, as I had been whining about not having any shots of me and Baby. I even got to do a ride-by with a little parade wave which he captured perfectly.

I thoroughly enjoyed the ride back home. The air was sultry and warm and the breeze created by Baby and I thundering along the blacktop was just perfect. Another by-product of the air being so warm... less bugs. After I arrived back home and housed Baby in the shop, it took less than 5 minutes of cleaning to have her back in showroom condition. The rest of the evening was spent in air-conditioned bliss...