Romance on Wheels
Writing is a dream come true for me. Reading was something that helped me escape unpleasant things in life. Being able to blog about books that transport me to different times and places, well that's another dream come true.
What do bikers do in the winter?
I'm sitting in my living room, watching American Idol and wishing like hell it was summer. Yesterday, our weather here was down right brutal. It was -30 to -40 with wind chills and absolutely inhuman. Today, we managed to get 4 inches of snow. It's here, winter is here. But, I'm optimistic.
We didn't have snow for Christmas, it's the first time I can remember not driving through a snowstorm or at least snow blowing across the road on the way to church on Christmas Eve night. And, I was encouraged.
Last year we had snow in October and it didn't let up until April. Then we had the rainy season and we didn't pull the bikes out of the garage until the very end of May. Not having snow at Christmas this year, I thought the Lord was giving us a reprieve. After all, we paid for it last year, this year certainly will be better weather for us, right? We are anxious.
You see, we've been planning our big biker vacation since October. That's what bikers do during the winter, we plan for summer. We buy bike parts and put them on in the garage. On the bike, not ourselves. We polish our bikes, we add doo-dads and pretty things. We add all the little things we got for Christmas presents to our bikes, because, let's face it, we all ask for Harley parts and paraphernalia for presents. Shirts, pants, gloves, bandanas, jewelry, shot glasses, wall hangings, glasses, coffee mugs, bag liners, new mirrors, shift linkages, stereos, GPS, new bags or organizers. You see, Harley makes something for everyone. We feel excited.
We get together with friends and maps and drinks and we plan our routes. We call hotels or rentals by owners and find a place to stay while on the road. We discuss food and beverages, whose bringing what and we organize. Then, if winter is still blowing around us and showing signs of staying longer, we plan some more. Because, at the first green bud of spring, sometimes before, when the roads are no longer wet from melted snow, the birds are singing and the bees start to buzz, we are loaded up and heading somewhere for the day, the weekend, a week or longer. Riding where we can, even if to the grocery store. And we are exhilarated.
