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I had business in Annapolis, an hour's ride away, so the stuff I was going to take went on the back of Suzy instead of the back of the Toyota.
There were big active clouds, but the south wind was refreshing, and the trip over went smoothly. The clouds built up, getting more active, with trees blown "inside out" and loose plastic bags blowing up over the trees. In Annapolis, the wind blew my gloves away after I took them off and laid them on the seat.
Work done, I headed back to DC with even more active clouds. Traffic was light, and Suzy ran smoothly. The horizon, however, was a darker shade of gray. As I got to the beltway, the dark gray was leavened by flashes of lightning, generally considered a hint. Suddenly the warm south wind was replaced by cool blasts. Traffic slowed down, and the first raindrops started. I looked at the over passes, but I was only 20 minutes from home, and I didn't feel like huddling so close to home.
The sky opened up in earnest. I slowed down to 30 along with the rest of the traffic and hugged the tank to keep on track. In a full tuck, the rain hit my shoulder armor and I kept a little dry. At first. Then cold trickles started running across my chest.
The rain redoubled. Now the shoulders were ~3" deep in water. Something under the tank got wet, and one cylinder went out. Now I couldn't get reasonable power under 5000 RPM. I moved over to the breakdown lane to get it sorted, but I didn't stop. The only complication was the other drivers who had pulled into the breakdown lane and were stopped, forcing me to pass by getting back on the road. It became clear that I had enough power to get me home, though I would be limping. The rain was leaking into my helmet behind the visor, so I had to open it to get a little better view.
I got off the freeway and on to the local roads. At stop signs I needed to keep the motor revved to 5000 to be sure of keeping it going. When I put out my feet, I could feel the hydroplaning of my shoes on the water. We were still under a waterfall of rain, and the top of my head was the only thing still dry.
As I made the last few turns, slipping the clutch to keep the rev's up, the rain tapered off, leaving the sheets of water running across the streets. Suzy had bursts for better power, but was still very low on power below 5000. I pulled up at home and cut the engine.
Quite a ride. After things dried out next day, Suzy ran as well as she even had.
There were big active clouds, but the south wind was refreshing, and the trip over went smoothly. The clouds built up, getting more active, with trees blown "inside out" and loose plastic bags blowing up over the trees. In Annapolis, the wind blew my gloves away after I took them off and laid them on the seat.
Work done, I headed back to DC with even more active clouds. Traffic was light, and Suzy ran smoothly. The horizon, however, was a darker shade of gray. As I got to the beltway, the dark gray was leavened by flashes of lightning, generally considered a hint. Suddenly the warm south wind was replaced by cool blasts. Traffic slowed down, and the first raindrops started. I looked at the over passes, but I was only 20 minutes from home, and I didn't feel like huddling so close to home.
The sky opened up in earnest. I slowed down to 30 along with the rest of the traffic and hugged the tank to keep on track. In a full tuck, the rain hit my shoulder armor and I kept a little dry. At first. Then cold trickles started running across my chest.
The rain redoubled. Now the shoulders were ~3" deep in water. Something under the tank got wet, and one cylinder went out. Now I couldn't get reasonable power under 5000 RPM. I moved over to the breakdown lane to get it sorted, but I didn't stop. The only complication was the other drivers who had pulled into the breakdown lane and were stopped, forcing me to pass by getting back on the road. It became clear that I had enough power to get me home, though I would be limping. The rain was leaking into my helmet behind the visor, so I had to open it to get a little better view.
I got off the freeway and on to the local roads. At stop signs I needed to keep the motor revved to 5000 to be sure of keeping it going. When I put out my feet, I could feel the hydroplaning of my shoes on the water. We were still under a waterfall of rain, and the top of my head was the only thing still dry.
As I made the last few turns, slipping the clutch to keep the rev's up, the rain tapered off, leaving the sheets of water running across the streets. Suzy had bursts for better power, but was still very low on power below 5000. I pulled up at home and cut the engine.
Quite a ride. After things dried out next day, Suzy ran as well as she even had.
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