Sometimes ...

So it's near the end of January and pretty much smack-dab in the middle of winter, and we get a forecast of 70* and mostly sunny ... in ... JANUARY! WOW!

Ivor had asked me the other day if I could sneak off and play on the bike since the weather was going to be so nice. Initially, it didn't look possible as this coming weekend I will be headed out of town on the bike anyway. However, I found that Melissa was off on Tuesday and said she had no plans to go anywhere, so it looked as if I would indeed be able to jump on the bike for a short run.

I am in need of bottle caps anyway, so I set a course to end up in Knoxville, which is about 40 miles away from here as the crow flies. My route picked up some tasty twisties and more resembled a bat's flight path than what a crow may do!

I opted to take the KLR because the Bandit still has a bald (like race-slick bald) rear tire and I am going to need every bit of that to get me to Mo's where I will change it this weekend. The KLR's rear is getting thin in the middle, but I didn't plan to use the middle much for this ride anyway.  ; )

We planned to meet up at the corner of US 411 and TN-92 at 10:00 AM. This would be about a 40 minute ride for Ivor and about 10 minutes for me. It also was a good starting point for the route.

I showed up at 5 minutes before 10. HONEST! I was EARLY. No ... REALLY I was!

Sadly, Ivor was not there to corroborate this. As a matter of fact, he showed up at  a very "Ed-like" half hour late. It was comical. He got his helmet off and immediately began apologizing and laying out why he's late -- just like I tend to do when I am late. He's going on about why, and I'm snickering to myself because for once it isn't me having to do that.   ; )

Anyway, after a short bull session, we get going. 92 isn't a bad road, but it was far from the highlight of the day. Still, it offers some nice, easy, non-technical fun. The road was damp, though. It must've rained overnight, although I never heard it at the house. Luckily, it was just damp and not frozen,, so we could get away with being a bit aggressive and not lose traction.

We were on 92 for about 40 miles and turned south when we hit Rutledge. This would be a long, boring, flat stretch until we hit TN-61, which is an absolute hoot!

I *do* love that road. It winds in an east-west direction across the countryside, over mountains, next to creeks for 100 or so miles ... and it's all fun!

We finally get to it and I make my right turn onto it, and apparently wasn't paying attention closely. and as I downshifted, hit it one extra time to go into first. DOH! I meant to be in second entering that curve!

The bike bogged down and damn near came to a stop and I had just started to lean in as I let the clutch out. Crap! I look in the mirror to see Ivor taking evasive measures. Luckily, there was no traffic to deal with and he had an escape, but I felt like such a dolt!

Just one moment's inattention can get you into trouble. I am glad he had a safe following distance and that his attention hadn't lapsed, that could've been ugly.

Anyway, we are now scooting along on 61, and I am in a nice rhythm. I am cruising right along, smiling in my helmet, and then I see the street sign that 61 turns left -- as I pass it. I was having so much fun with the road, I didn't have time to slow down to make the turn. I pointed to the sign so Ivor didn't miss it and I proceeded to turn around and get back on track.

ZOOM ZOOM! right back at it. MAN! it's so sweet when you, the bike, and the road are one!

Then we got to the area just east of Big Ridge SP and it gets a little technical there, which translates into "even more fun! ". The roads are still damp, but even while playing I never *once* lost traction. Good times!

Ivor needed to place a call around 12:30, and we finally came across a gas station and I thought it was "around" 12:30 and a quick perusal of the watch indicated it was 12:37 ... not bad! He made his call, then we BS-ed a bit. The blue sky we had earlier had by now given way to gray clouds.

We were just about done with the fun stuff, and about to turn back, so if it must rain, now is the best time for it. About 10 miles up the road, the rain started spittin'. That was all it did, though. It wasn't even enough to get my suit wet, which was just fine with me.

Upon arriving in Knoxville, we split off as I had a few places to stop. I got my bottle caps and stopped at the liquor store and picked up a sixxer of Sierra Nevada's Ruthless Rye. I had brewed this before but never had seen the original anywhere. I knew they had gotten it in stock this past week, so I definitely wanted to grab some.

Arrived home with about 180 miles on the odometer and a smile on my face. Topped off a great day with a couple Ruthless Rye's and gained another smile, as I liked mine better than Sierra Nevada's. Closed out a great day with a nice long catch-up chat with my mother.

Sometimes, the stars ... they just fall in place!

loyalty

.... yeah loyalty! It's hard to beat a dog's loyalty! Really!

Tonight I watched "Eight Below" (great movie by the way) with Melissa. Impressive!

It makes you realize how dogs "feel". While dogs were not the main characters of the movie, they were an integral part of the story. You really feel like one of the pack. The director and actors did an awesome job relaying how much a team of dogs is not so much a unit, but a collection of individuals that actually give a damn about one another.

In the society we live in, this premise can easily be forgotten or set aside. We get busy, we have obligations (whether they are where we need to be or not, we have perceived obligations), life goes on and we get so caught up in our self-serving, self-centered/focused lives ... that we lose sight of the big picture.

It's hard to do everything alone. Yeah, okay, *some* things are easier to tackle than others but as a socially driven species we still need to help one another now and then. This movie tugs at that very premise; but from an obtuse angle.

Dogs get it! They really do! Undying love; this is what dogs have that we do not.

We, as humans, are conditional; everything comes with an asterisk. We come home from work mad at .... who knows? It doesn't matter, you get home, your dog is tickled that ... you're home! You are frustrated with some aspect(s) of your day and fail to acknowledge him/her ... yet he/she is happy that part of the pack has come home.

Dogs "feel" more camaraderie, and, more self-preservation for the most part, than humans do. It's amazing how much a dog will sacrifice.

Maybe I have been hardened/de-sensitized, but I have seen too much human behavior that does not represent this quality on a case-by-case basis. There are some good people out there, sure!, but on the whole, we, as a species, are nowhere near what a canine is!

Funny we consider ourselves to be "above" animals, but don't hesitate to call a dog an animal. Movies like this make you think it's the other way around. "Eight Below" is a great flick that exemplifies a canine's demeanor, and makes me wish I were as good as a canine.

(caveat -- yes i watched the movie. i KNOW that there is a human element and applaud that representation, but there is nothing like pack mentality as opposed to the sheeple we have become)

COLD!

Cold and alone here in this shell,
I have condemned myself to this Hell.

Those that care and those that try,
Are excluded from me and I have no answer "why".

It's not fair, it's not right,
Still I persist on this flight.

Sometimes there is no escape,
Sometimes I wonder why I go on,
Yet I allow myself to keep doing wrong.

Am I doomed? Is this fate?
Why cannot I avoid this trait?

I am not dumb,yet I cannot understand
Why I cannot take the upper hand!