Clarksville, TN – The winter months have always been my least favorite time of the year. Obviously when I was a kid, I loved the snow and all that came with it, but as an adult, a biker, and a man who has a few “achy” bones, winter is NOT fun for me.
One of the greatest things about this blog and all of you who follow, is that I get to learn so much about you and the part of the country that you live in. I’ve never been so blessed by anything in my life as I have with this motorcycle and the people and places it brings me.
In the south, specifically Tennessee, we have what I describe as “schizophrenic” weather. It doesn’t know if it’s coming or going.
One day we will be sunny and mid-sixties, and by the weekend, it’s below freezing with snow on the way.
All in all, I’ll take it over some of the weather in other parts of the country. At least I get a few days where I can suit up and take a ride, but that’s not the case with some of you.
Further above the Mason/Dixon line, winter is WINTER! Some of the bikers I hear from tell me they have to “winterize” their bikes, never to be seen again until the first day of spring.
Others tell me that their winters are so dominated by cold weather, snow and sleet and extremely cold conditions, that they just put away any thoughts of riding their bike until April.
On a day that I don’t have that much to do, and mother nature cooperates, I can always just mount up and take a few hours on the bike. My entire mood changes dramatically. Just walking down to the garage and seeing my beautiful black steed waiting for me, is an exhilarating experience.
In the meantime, what do we do on those days where we can’t ride?
I’ve heard from people who entertain themselves with “indoor” sports, or projects around the home and garage. Some guys have told me they take advantage of the down time to work on their bike.
Bikers who are stuck in the “great white north” are accustomed to this time of the year and it’s no big deal to them. It’s “normal.” It’s what they’ve always known.
For me, it’s depressing. I’m not a fan of driving in snow and ice. Not because of MY ability to do so, but the idiots who are out driving who have NO business on the road.
Just going to the store can be a pain. People scrambling for all of the “basics” to survive the “apocalypse” with no regard for anyone else shopping in the store with them.
People can be at their worst when things get a bit “stressful” and I’m not a fan of the “ugly” side of people when they’re being this selfish.
My Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico friends describe for me a scene that seems right out of the North Pole with their winter weather. Somehow I just can’t see Arizona under several feet of snow, but it happens.
New Mexico always sounds so “warm” to me, so when someone tells me they got a few inches of snow, I’m always a little surprised. But then again, I’m not real good at geography, so locating the parts of the country that would be considered “winter” havens, is not something I’m good at.
The best thing about the winter months is that I hear from SO many followers of this blog, sharing their lives with me. The motorcycle brought us together and we continue to get to know each other, and grow in the “brotherhood.”
Regardless of what we all deal with at this time of the year, we know that it doesn’t last long (in some parts of the country) and when that first day of spring arrives, our whole attitude changes and we’re like a newborn baby, gasping for that first real breath of life.
How SWEET it is!
