Born to be mild

Last Saturday I donned my newly purchased rain pants and hit the road. I went to a pub outside of Ottawa called The Cheshire Cat at the suggestion of my old friend Roy whom I haven't seen in decades. We had a great meal and a great chat, something we should repeat as I don't think I have that many decades left. As we prepared to leave... that is when the rain started. Quite a bit of it at first. Daytime or no, those back roads were no safer feeling than an overcrowded highway. Visibility was no good at all and, even though most of me was dry, I might have benefitted from zipping up my sleeves. My arms were wet to the elbows and when I got home, even the seat of my pants. I wonder if my girth stretched the seam of the rain pants a bit? The run into Orleans was trouble free. I have to thank another friend, Gabriel, for pointing out that - regardless of name changes - Sussex Drive goes all the way from downtown Ottawa into the heart of Orleans. It's a pretty drive as well.

I have only recently encountered rain on my new bike. The first bit didn't last very long, only my legs got wet & they had dried by the time I got home. A few evenings ago though... different story. I had gone past Eganville to visit a fellow motorcycle enthusiast and show off the bike. As it darkened I took my leave. A 45 minute ride, and the sky started to look seriously moody just minutes into the ride. By the half way mark I had been seeing a lot of lightning and hearing thunder VERY soon after the flashes. The rain started a little after the half way mark. Heavy rain. When there was oncoming it was very hard to distinguish where the lines on the road were. Some folks seemed to think my headlight was too bright and would high-beam me making it ever harder to keep in my lane. Also - wet. Quite wet. My jacket kept that part of me dry as did the helmet but my waterproof boots soaked from the top down. Pants wicking into socks & thus boots. Not a lot of fun. On a high

Thursday I dropped off my bike at Freedom Harley Davidson for it's first oil change & hopefully to get a few of my accessories installed. Saturday I dropped by to pick it up and ALL the accessories were either waiting for me or on the bike. YAY. Nothing is without trouble, the helmet I wanted was (I was told) not compatible with the bluetooth headset as one needs pockets in the ears to put the speakers... so I purchased the recommended helmet. When the headset arrived it was an earlier iteration, a simple set of headphones that DO NOT work with my helmet. A bit of a waste of cash and a sad misunderstanding. I will either buy a new headset or a new helmet - whatever is cheaper. A cleaning was part of the service, the bike looked all shiny & great when I took it over to my brother's place. Later that day on the ride home I encountered some rain. Not much but it made the bike look really dirty. Upon washing the bike I noticed this: The washer under the screw tha