Spring Is Here

After a brutal February with back to back snow and ice storms, the weather is finalizing stabilizing. We had a few intermitent days where you could go out but the past week has been nice. I have been enjoying riding to work and now with the time change, staying out later is now an option (and not having to ride in the dark).

This past weekend was very nice. Saturday was high 70s and Sunday was mid 70s. After the funeral I had to attend Saturday morning, I was fortunate enough to be invited to a group that really rides. They love good long rides with some nice stop in-between. I could not meet up with them at the first stop but after the funeral, headed down to South Caroline to meet up at a bar/restaurant called Frogs.

The day was gorgeous! I had a 90 minute ride down there but enjoyed it all. Nice cascading backroads with wonderful temperatures. I got there and met the folks that put on the ride. What a very nice group of people. And for once, I was not the only non-harley in the group (there was another Honda). We hung out there for quite a while enjoying the outdoor area. The staff was excellent! Finally it came time to move on to the next spot - Smokin Rail. Never been there before so was eager to give it a go.

While we were gathering up, the skies started to turn. We notice a number of dark clouds beginning to form but based on our radar apps, it looked like it was miss us. So all of us mounted up and taking the nice backroads, headed over to Smokin Rail.

The good news is that the weather held. Once we got there, we all got a drink and header to their nice outdoor area. Once we all gathered around, it did not take long. We could here the thunder and skies kept getting darker. Finally after about 20 minutes, the rain started. We all grab out gear and sat on the outdoor covered porch. Then it hit. The rain really started to come down. Thunder, lightening....the whole nice yards. It seemed like a typical spring downpour. Luckily, we were all dry and enjoying ourselves OUT of the rain.

Eventually the storms died down and eveyrone decided to make a break for home. It was still rainging a bit so I donned my rain pants (as my jacket is waterproof) and headed home. The first 30 minutes were in the rain but then it stopped. As I got closer to home, the roads were dry.

So the rain did put a small damper of the festivitied, it was not until later. I still got in around 150+ miles of riding and took advantage of most of the good weather for that day. Looking at the forecast, Sunday temperatures were going to be nice as well.

For Sunday, the forecast was all over the place. Some said rain, some said later, some said maybe. Because the temperature was so nice, we decided to head out to Beavers Den. The ride down there is fantastic. Nice curvy roads, no traffic. Just a beatiful ride. I will admit that it was never really sunny but I met my friend at a central location and we road down. It was a fantastic ride.

Once there, we sat outside and had a wonderful lunch. The temperature was fantastic. When we finished eating, we looked a the radar and decided we should probably leave. We got about 10 minutes down the road and it started to rain. We stopped and geared up. Glad we did since the next 30 minutes was rain. I had to split off to go home but just like on Saturday, the closer I got to home, the better the weather got.

Overall it was a great day. We did get hit with about 30 minutes of rain but not really a big deal. As long as you have the right gear, it makes riding not so bad. I got home and was a bit damp on the outside but my clothes, dry as a bone.

I am glad we decided to venture out that Sunday even though the forest said it may rain. I love riding with my buddies and had a great time at lunch. Yea, it would have been better without the rain but it was not that bad. You just drive a bit slower and more cautiously. I am loving that the warmer weather is here and cannot wait to head next weekend for St. Patricks day.