Mostly packed up ready to head out.
Single digit temps, blizzard wind, so waited till next day.
Still single digit temps next morning, but overnight blizzard perrty much over. Still travel advisorys. This is I-196, not much traffic.
Got to Lakeland area, was in upper 70s... Ahhh.
Wife and I went for a few short rides (but thats a different story) from Lakeland area. Mostly to visit her folks in Polk City area.
I had one day to myself for a longer ride.
Followed DPEPs advice and took US33 north to 19 around and past a few lakes and thru the Ocala National Forest, kinda nice ride. Hey, any time I am riding in Febuary, its in the 70s, its a nice ride.
From there then took 40 into Daytona Beach.
Rode around Daytona without any direction, did find the ocean.
But thats about all I found before it was time that I had to head back.
Followed signs "to I-4" but that took me past the Daytona Speedway - four days before the 500. That was a crowded mess. All this time the clouds getting darker.
Got out on I-4 to head back to Lakeland. Get up to full speed ahead, might just make it back in time for a previously aranged dinner with frinds also visiting the area.
Kaboom-flash, a stroke of lightning, and about half a minute later a heavy downpour, heavy downpour like maybe I have seen only a few times in my life. The fairing is doing a good job of punching a hole thru all the water in the air, but the rain falling between the fairing and my face is causing me vision problems (face shield simipermanetly fix in open position- long story) with sun screen washing into my eyes. So I stop and hide under a gas station awning to put on rain gear and wipe off my face. Apparently with the downpour lots of cars got off highway and then wanted to gas up, lots of cars lineing up waiting for a spot at the pump, so I take out the gas pump nozzle and put it in my tank and act like I am filling up while putting on the rain gear.
Head back out onto I-4, still a downpour. Traffic heavy and moving along at 55-60 mph. Then traffic slows to a near stop, then stop-n-go. Then find 5-6 cars off to side of road, with the yellow police tape around all of them, but no cops nor emergency vehicals around. Hum, thats strange.
Traffic back up to speed, but having trouble with vision again, glasses all smeared up. SO I stop under an overpass to hide from rain, and clean off glasses, they probably were smeared up with the sunscrenn I wiped off my face, then got it on my glasses by using same handkerchief. SO this time I use my shirt tail to clean off glasses.
Back out on the highway, up to speed, traffic moving along, then traffic to a stop, then stop-n-go. Same as before, find 3-4 cars parked on shoulder with yellow tape around them, no cops around.
Then traffic back up to speed. By now its not raining so hard, but still raining some, roads still quite wet.
I must have been fatiqued, or annoyed or something. Traffic was comming to slow down again, but I quess I didnt notice it right away, cuz here is what my thought process was:
- Yikes. Brake brake brake..
- Oh, not good, oh, approaching the back of this car pretty fast..
- brake, brake, brake...
- Oh, man, this is gonna be it, busted bike, broken bones, here comes the back of that car....
- Ah, why did I let off the brakes? Oh, because I was fishtailing
Then I dont think I had any further concious thought, but the bike straightened out and I reacted and countersteered to the line between the lanes and went inbetween the lanes of cars, and ended up rolling along next to the car that was infront of the one in front of me. Scheeww, that was close, gasp, pant, if the car had moved over, or if the bike hadnt straightend out, man, that would have been it.
THis time the slowdown was a bad accident on other side, simi and crumpled up cars way up on embankment. Many cops and emergency vehicals, some on my side of the highway. I got to see a helocopter land on the other side.
Then sun came out, upper 70s, I am wet in my rain gear. But I am not complaining.
Made it back to Lakeland about an hour late. But had time to change into dry cloths and join our friends at a restraunt, just a little late. My hands were black from the glove dye, and the waiter noitices that my cash was wet. I dont mention the mear miss to anybody. This is the first telling of that part of the story. (and certain people dont need to know about it at all)
..
..
Single digit temps, blizzard wind, so waited till next day.
Still single digit temps next morning, but overnight blizzard perrty much over. Still travel advisorys. This is I-196, not much traffic.
Got to Lakeland area, was in upper 70s... Ahhh.
Wife and I went for a few short rides (but thats a different story) from Lakeland area. Mostly to visit her folks in Polk City area.
I had one day to myself for a longer ride.
Followed DPEPs advice and took US33 north to 19 around and past a few lakes and thru the Ocala National Forest, kinda nice ride. Hey, any time I am riding in Febuary, its in the 70s, its a nice ride.
From there then took 40 into Daytona Beach.
Rode around Daytona without any direction, did find the ocean.
But thats about all I found before it was time that I had to head back.
Followed signs "to I-4" but that took me past the Daytona Speedway - four days before the 500. That was a crowded mess. All this time the clouds getting darker.
Got out on I-4 to head back to Lakeland. Get up to full speed ahead, might just make it back in time for a previously aranged dinner with frinds also visiting the area.
Kaboom-flash, a stroke of lightning, and about half a minute later a heavy downpour, heavy downpour like maybe I have seen only a few times in my life. The fairing is doing a good job of punching a hole thru all the water in the air, but the rain falling between the fairing and my face is causing me vision problems (face shield simipermanetly fix in open position- long story) with sun screen washing into my eyes. So I stop and hide under a gas station awning to put on rain gear and wipe off my face. Apparently with the downpour lots of cars got off highway and then wanted to gas up, lots of cars lineing up waiting for a spot at the pump, so I take out the gas pump nozzle and put it in my tank and act like I am filling up while putting on the rain gear.
Head back out onto I-4, still a downpour. Traffic heavy and moving along at 55-60 mph. Then traffic slows to a near stop, then stop-n-go. Then find 5-6 cars off to side of road, with the yellow police tape around all of them, but no cops nor emergency vehicals around. Hum, thats strange.
Traffic back up to speed, but having trouble with vision again, glasses all smeared up. SO I stop under an overpass to hide from rain, and clean off glasses, they probably were smeared up with the sunscrenn I wiped off my face, then got it on my glasses by using same handkerchief. SO this time I use my shirt tail to clean off glasses.
Back out on the highway, up to speed, traffic moving along, then traffic to a stop, then stop-n-go. Same as before, find 3-4 cars parked on shoulder with yellow tape around them, no cops around.
Then traffic back up to speed. By now its not raining so hard, but still raining some, roads still quite wet.
I must have been fatiqued, or annoyed or something. Traffic was comming to slow down again, but I quess I didnt notice it right away, cuz here is what my thought process was:
- Yikes. Brake brake brake..
- Oh, not good, oh, approaching the back of this car pretty fast..
- brake, brake, brake...
- Oh, man, this is gonna be it, busted bike, broken bones, here comes the back of that car....
- Ah, why did I let off the brakes? Oh, because I was fishtailing
Then I dont think I had any further concious thought, but the bike straightened out and I reacted and countersteered to the line between the lanes and went inbetween the lanes of cars, and ended up rolling along next to the car that was infront of the one in front of me. Scheeww, that was close, gasp, pant, if the car had moved over, or if the bike hadnt straightend out, man, that would have been it.
THis time the slowdown was a bad accident on other side, simi and crumpled up cars way up on embankment. Many cops and emergency vehicals, some on my side of the highway. I got to see a helocopter land on the other side.
Then sun came out, upper 70s, I am wet in my rain gear. But I am not complaining.
Made it back to Lakeland about an hour late. But had time to change into dry cloths and join our friends at a restraunt, just a little late. My hands were black from the glove dye, and the waiter noitices that my cash was wet. I dont mention the mear miss to anybody. This is the first telling of that part of the story. (and certain people dont need to know about it at all)
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