I'll Huff..and I'll Puff...and I'll

Be blown all over the road.

First ride of 2008 was....errrrr....windy!

Well, the ride up wasn't too bad. My friends and I decided that a ride northward to Denver with a lunch spot at my favorite salad bar, Whole Foods, was the plan for the day.

The day started perfect. No wind, a few clouds in the sky. I had a few prep items to take care of--firstly putting my saddlebags back on my motorcycle...since I had removed them to be repaired. Secondly, the TCLOCS check. For those of you that don't know what TCLOCS is....

Tires...front and back, wear, tread, pressure
Controls...throttle, clutch, brakes, horn
Lights....beams (low/high), tail light, brake, signals (front and back)
Oil...and fuel
Chassis..suspension, seating
Sidestand....

Yeah, I know, my front left turn driving lamp is out..the turn signal still works...fuel is full...but I know I need air in my tires. I'm about 10 pounds down in the back, 8 in the front. Fuel or not, I have to stop at the gas station.

Once I'm up to speed, I'm ready to head down to the meet spot. I have no idea who is going to be there as a whole slew of folks were invited.

LOL...well, we have a party of three and one we are picking up along the way. The route was Hwy 83.

The ride up was terrific, we picked up our rider along the way...and managed to have a terrific time at Whole Foods up at Cherry Creek.

Packing up, we all (well, everyone else decided while I was in the ladies room) was fine to head back down to the Springs via I-25.

Needless to say, there was a front blowing in...and yes, we were blown all over the road. I knew it was a pretty heavy wind when I looked down at the fringe on my levers and they were blowing forward instead of the usual backwards!!! Not to mention that the Sunday afternoon traffic around Denver was pretty heavy. Not as heavy as commuter traffic, but certainly did add to the misery of the ride.

As my exit approached, I said a prayer in thanks for finally being home and being able to not ride at interstate speeds and almost out of the wind. A quick peek at my thermometer and I'm seeing 24 degrees.....yikes!

Everyone got home safely...and it was a fun time in spite of all the wind, traffic and, temps. And yes, finally, the first ride of 2008!!! Whew....

Keep the Shiny Side Up!

~The Rainbow Wahine