Just Ride.

Should this ride thread be just a.... well, thread? Or should there be a dedicated Forum topic?

  • Yes, it's own topic in the Forums

    Votes: 19 90.5%
  • Nah... threads good enough.

    Votes: 2 9.5%

  • Total voters
    21
  • Poll closed .
Ms Elie loves the snow. Here she is in full attack mode, ears laid back concurring the hill
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We got a foot of snow with this one...
 
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Well poop, I decided to drive to work today as the street was covered in a sheet of ice. Once more the service failed to treat our street. This is day three of no motorcycle rides due to weather.

As I was driving the truck to work, I was listening to the radio and all the car crashes in the area. I was starting to have second thoughts about taking the truck now, as driving seemed to be dangerous. I made it to work ok without slipping much but my reasoning was confirmed that I should have ridden instead. I did not hear of one single bike crash in all of the news this morning. I really dodge a bullet in my truck today as I was at a much greater risk than I would have been on either of the bikes
 
Sunday started off at 3 Celsius. By 11am the temperature was 7 Celsius and the Sun came out finally after 3 weeks. I stuck my Winter gear on and off for a ride. With the Sun out I started to overheat at one point. Was a nice hours ride after being stuck in side all Christmas...:lmao:

I then changed the oil so the bike is ready for all the fine weather we are now owed :bs:
 
It’s another bright sunny winters day here in The Valley of the Sun 😎 , at 10:00 am this morning it was 46 degrees, I threw my gear on and took off, I rode South from my house, following a tree lined road that skirted farm fields. I passed fields of carrots being harvested, tractors were pulling wagons out of the fields , brimming with carrots. As you might expect the air smelled like fresh carrots, it was actually quite pleasant.
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Trees in the desert tend to be small and twisted and thorny, more like scrub brush. These stately giant eucalyptus trees are an exception, they don’t seem to mind our scorching heat and drought. There used to be very many trees like this on the edge of town but they are sadly disappearing. They’re being cut down and plowed under along with the farm land to make room for houses.
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I turned West and headed for the mountain foothills, I wanted to ride the roads at the very edge of the mountains.
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Recent heavy rain has the desert just about ready to burst with blooms. The creosote bushes were all budded out,
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And so were the brittle bush
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Soon I will be able to ride out and catch some wildflowers blooming.
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Well, I always say “ All roads lead to lunch” and today was no exception. I stopped at the King of Burgers and had lunch on the patio.
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I rode for about another hour after lunch and then headed back to the Casa. I was out toolin around for about
three and a half hours , just an easy 40-50 mph. At those speeds my bike feels so happy and relaxed. It was a very nice morning, just to be out.
 
Was making a left turn in highway traffic this afternoon, needed to pull up onto a raised median and wait till the left lanes were clear. Since it was raised, I swooped to the right first and then went up on the median so I wouldn't hit it at a too shallow angle. Semi truck coming towards me thinks I'm out of control and headed under his wheels. I'm stopped on the median at that point and he goes by blowing his horn and shooting birds. LOL. He must have had too many little white pills.
 
Was making a left turn in highway traffic this afternoon, needed to pull up onto a raised median and wait till the left lanes were clear. Since it was raised, I swooped to the right first and then went up on the median so I wouldn't hit it at a too shallow angle. Semi truck coming towards me thinks I'm out of control and headed under his wheels. I'm stopped on the median at that point and he goes by blowing his horn and shooting birds. LOL. He must have had too many little white pills.

I'm a bit confused. are the US road rules such that you are allowed to, or it is a part of the road code, for a bike to be able to park on a raised median strip, (seems it is difficult to get onto it without some effort), to wait for traffic to clear so you can go ahead........
 
^They look like this. Concrete ramp up about two inches to a blacktopped bi-directional turning lane. Pull onto it and wait until the left side is clear. It's the only way to make a left turn w/o getting rear-ended if you have to wait. Some are about 1" and don't have the ramp.
road.png
 
^They look like this. Concrete ramp up about two inches to a blacktopped bi-directional turning lane. Pull onto it and wait until the left side is clear. It's the only way to make a left turn w/o getting rear-ended if you have to wait. Some are about 1" and don't have the ramp.
View attachment 205277
Here in the great white north no raised or curbs on the center turn lanes cuz snow plowing. I suspect your trucker "buddy" was thinking you were going suicide by truck, not uncommon, and mighty hard on the truck driver's psych.
 
Here in the great white north no raised or curbs on the center turn lanes cuz snow plowing. I suspect your trucker "buddy" was thinking you were going suicide by truck, not uncommon, and mighty hard on the truck driver's psych.
I've never seen one of those here, either.
 
It’s another bright sunny winters day here in The Valley of the Sun 😎 , at 10:00 am this morning it was 46 degrees, I threw my gear on and took off, I rode South from my house, following a tree lined road that skirted farm fields. I passed fields of carrots being harvested, tractors were pulling wagons out of the fields , brimming with carrots. As you might expect the air smelled like fresh carrots, it was actually quite pleasant. View attachment 205230
View attachment 205229

Trees in the desert tend to be small and twisted and thorny, more like scrub brush. These stately giant eucalyptus trees are an exception, they don’t seem to mind our scorching heat and drought. There used to be very many trees like this on the edge of town but they are sadly disappearing. They’re being cut down and plowed under along with the farm land to make room for houses.
View attachment 205231

I turned West and headed for the mountain foothills, I wanted to ride the roads at the very edge of the mountains.
View attachment 205232

Recent heavy rain has the desert just about ready to burst with blooms. The creosote bushes were all budded out,
View attachment 205233

And so were the brittle bush
View attachment 205234

Soon I will be able to ride out and catch some wildflowers blooming.
View attachment 205235View attachment 205236

Well, I always say “ All roads lead to lunch” and today was no exception. I stopped at the King of Burgers and had lunch on the patio.
View attachment 205237

I rode for about another hour after lunch and then headed back to the Casa. I was out toolin around for about
three and a half hours , just an easy 40-50 mph. At those speeds my bike feels so happy and relaxed. It was a very nice morning, just to be out.
I do envy your weather at this time of year. Not sure about the summertime though. Great photos too.
 
Well, that's a new one on me. We don't have those in the UK.
Not only is it a bi-directional turning lane, but it's also a traffic island for pedestrians crossing the highway. That's the reason it's raised probably. Notice further down a real turning lane cut out -- big corporations get those; it looks like a national chain restaurant on the left. Locals don't get their own private turning lane. Pretty interesting
 
Not only is it a bi-directional turning lane, but it's also a traffic island for pedestrians crossing the highway. That's the reason it's raised probably. Notice further down a real turning lane cut out -- big corporations get those; it looks like a national chain restaurant on the left. Locals don't get their own private turning lane. Pretty interesting
I'm glad I didn't raise the :bs: on you. I never knew anything about this. Live and learn.
 

Attachments

  • ContinuousRaisedMedians.pdf
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Not only is it a bi-directional turning lane, but it's also a traffic island for pedestrians crossing the highway. That's the reason it's raised probably. Notice further down a real turning lane cut out -- big corporations get those; it looks like a national chain restaurant on the left. Locals don't get their own private turning lane. Pretty interesting
Further down is an intersection with a left turn lane at the traffic light.
 
I'm glad I didn't raise the :bs: on you. I never knew anything about this. Live and learn.
Haha. Your attachment seems to describe TWLTLs vs raised medians which block turning. The pic is of a more evolved critter, TWLTL + (raised) pedestrian traffic island; technically not a "raised median" although that's literally what it is...
 
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