Today was another gorgeous day in GA. The rain finally stopped early this morning. I didn't think I would have a chance to ride today because I thought it was going to rain again. After all, it has been raining since yesterday and is supposed to snow tomorrow. Wouldn't you know it, not only did it stop raining early (w/ plenty of time for all of the water to drain off the roads) it also got up to 68 degrees today. *shut up!* really? I ran to my bike after checking the weather report...clear until this evening. I thought maybe I would go on a relatively quick ride, but it was so nice out that I just kept going and ended up on my new favorite path. I so love this new ride. I wish I could take all of my online bike friends out on this ride...it's that good.

Now the reason for the subject title... Close to home there is a 3-lane merge. It happens very quickly. Most bikes go to the extreme lane to get around the slow moving vehicles and also avoid the cluster of cars merging. I do and did today. funny... Every now and then someone, usually a guy, races me from the lights that breaks up the merging process. That is what happened today. As I surveyed all of the lanes in front of me I noticed that the lane directly in front of me had 3 separate large puddles of water and the next light had changed to red. I decided not to push the issue as the 3 lanes merged to 2 lanes and I didn't want to brake in the puddles. I knew that at the last light (& the last merge) I could get out front and away from the cluster of cars and the dude racing me. I did... Why oh why do some dudes want to race me at the light?? The hubby tells me that they probably want to see a chic get on her bike. Maybe that's it? Any opinions on this??? boys are weird...

Beautiful riding weather today. It must be 65 degrees. ...get your motor running...get out on the highway... "ok" Out on the highway I went. I took my new favorite ride. It's about 63 miles round trip. It's a beautiful ride on several country highways. You see big farms, old farms, old burned down farms. The ride is very curvy and hilly. There are moments to get on it and moments to just enjoy riding a curve at a fun clip. But, the downside is that there are lot's of driveways and hidden intersections on country highways . You have to keep your radar up. There are plenty of moments where you need to slow down just in case cars actually do pull out of the many hidden driveways. I had my first car pull out in front of me. I was totally prepared. Only a foolish rider expects that other drivers have their head screwed on right. There are plenty of signals that someone is feeling froggy such as a tightly turned wheel, a head only focusing on the turn, and of course the bummer -a front end that is lifting up due to weight shift as the driver gives it gas. My left-hand turn driver gave me the previous two signals so I let up on the throttle and dropped about 10 mph off my speed. As soon as they went for it I gently braked and dropped two gears (& checked my side view mirror to make sure the car behind me wasn't going to rear-end me). All was fine, and I rode away just shaking my head. Sometimes it's a bummer for the cars behind you when you drop your speed as you prepare for the unexpected. I'm sure the driver wondered what was up with me as I matched my speed to visibility. But, perhaps the lesson of the car not yielding to me was a lesson for them as well. Don't follow motorcycles too closely as they can stop on a dime...your car cannot. Also, I might save both my butt and your butt by riding with active radar.

I still had a wonderful ride and was sad when I finally pulled up my driveway. Maybe I'll ride tomorrow. The weather looks pretty sketchy over the weekend. At least I got a nice bike fix today.

At the end of a somewhat pleasant ride (why, does traffic start soo early around here?), I had to use some sign language to communicate my displeasure with someones driving skills. I was in a dicey area so my radar was really "on." Out of my peripheral vision I saw this lady who started to pull over into my lane. I was right next to her. She must have been deaf, as my bike is loud as, well LOUD. She was not on her cell phone, she was just a super dip shit that didn't look before moving into a lane. The beauty of this incident was that she KEPT pulling into my lane after she saw me. I rolled on some throttle and turned around and gave her the BIG BIRD. I couldn't *wait* to see her at the upcoming stop light. She was a somewhat older lady (not old at all, just not young). She did all she could to avoid eye contact with me. What? You don't want to actually look at the person you almost ran over? *This* is what I mean when I write/state "ride like everyone wants to kill you." because some dip shit really does want to kill you...

Times like these were made for a big flame thrower mounted to the front of yer bike (hummed to the tune of the old Tasters Choice commercial).

Ok, so many folks want to know why one rides a motorcycle. This question is typically followed by an uncool statement about how "everyone dies" riding a bike, which I will address shortly.

I ride because I believe in living my life my way, because any day for any reason could be my last. My philosophy is the much quoted sentiment (at least by people like me), "My body will be ridden hard, worn-out, and bruised when it goes to the grave." Or something like that... probably a little more poetic. For me, I feel alive when I ride my bike. I feel electricity flowing through my veins. I'm aware of everything and nothing at the same time. I'm awake with the tension of fear, excitement, and a love of life. The wind buffets my body and my bike and I feel uplifted. I pull up next to my husband at a light and we look at each other with bug-eating grins, closer ...on a different plane.

Now, to those freaks who insist on telling me and mine some sick story. I'm not sure what your problem is... because your stories and warnings are certainly NOT meant to keep me from riding (cuz yer too late). I think you are a killjoy, lame-o, that is trying to take the joy out of someone else's life. This message is for you...

1) No, dude, not everyone wrecks or dies in a bike accident (why on earth would they be legal if that were the case?)
2) A large portion of people who do die in wrecks are killed in wrecks caused by 1) rider error (read... lack of real training -learning from your buddy doesn't count... unless s/he is a rider instructor) OR 2) jerks who "didn't see the bike" (read I was too busy with my own life, talking on my cell phone, to actually look for anything larger than a SUV).
3) The previous point means that rider training mitigates quite a bit of risk (learning to ride defensively with skill means you can react to idiot car drivers).
4) A lot of people die in car accidents, or did you forget that?
5) Everyone dies. You are going to die too (probably from cancer or heart disease).
6) I've been around four deaths. None of the deaths were related to bikes and two were due to car accidents (it's not fun trying to pull a car off of someone struggling for their life)
7) I almost died after two of my surgeries (not related to bikes...heart paddles anyone?).
8) The point I'm trying to make with the previous two points is that I'm completely aware that I could die due to any number of causes at any time. So, I choose to LIVE my life like each day could be my last (b/c it could be).
9) Keep your negative attitude to yourself.