I keep thinking I want to stop and get a picture of the motorcycle in front of the snow & ice draped scenery, but it's COLD out and I find that I must HURRY to get home. While speeding is out of the question and one must proceed very slowly, stopping for a picture is a notion that... well, requires actually stopping in the cold and standing in it long enough to get a picture. Maybe if somebody will erect a warming hut in one of the pull-out parking lots in Rock Creek Park....
Riding along roads and streets edged with snow and ice, in sub-freezing temperatures does not seem like a very wise thing. Nevertheless, when I read that friends were gathering at a Hard Times Cafe in Reston, Virginia, and that some of them--women--I knew were further away than I was, I had to venture out. I knew that the streets would be fairly empty by that time in the evening. I promised myself that I would employ extreme caution; and I did.
The ride to Reston went well. I found the restaraunt despite it being beyond the memory of my Garmin V's meager 28-megabytes of memory. The chili at Hard Times Cafe is always good. Add to it a single beer followed by a couple hours of conversation with other BMW riders energized by the cold and I actually looked forward to the ride home.
Another rider, a retired Air Force veteran, lived a bit past me and we agreed to do the ride together. Ever cautious we slowed to actual recommended speed limits for corners. In low places where there might have been ice from collected water, I made sure we were going no faster than 35. It was hard as 35 seems pretty slow on a motorcycle, but I knew that I didn't want to impact the ground with my body going any faster. As time and time again we found good traction in the corners, I almost stopped feeling surprised.
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