New Year's Eve Ride

12-31-13 It has been so dreary with the weather inversion.  There has been freezing fog nearly every day since the storm right after Thanksgiving.  High temperatures over the last several weeks has been in the 30's and the freezing fog has made the roads too dangerous to ride.

It was supposed to get warm over the weekend but the freezing fog persisted till well into the afternoon.  Suddenly the sun came out and the ice melted from the trees which made it "rain" in our yard.  Too cold for me.

Today the sun finally came out and I could see it through the window at work.  I got off work at 3:30pm and the sun was still out.  I got to my car and the temperature was 47 degrees.  That is my cutoff temperature for riding!  I had a singular idea - get my ass home and get on my bike for a short ride!

I got home, put on my boots and took off!  I planned on a short ride so I didn't put on my chaps.  I was pretty warm at first but it was already late afternoon and the sun starts to set at 4:30pm. 

It was getting cold fast and my legs got cold - until they went numb!  I took the freeway home and may have fractured the speed limit just a little (HaHa!) 

The sound of the roaring engine made my heart beat faster!  Already looking forward to my next ride!

Slipping & Sliding

12/10/13 Tuesday

The big winter storm is still in effect.  People were spinning out on the ice in front of me on the way home.  I had errands so I took a different way home and drove down a stretch of road that I haven't been on since my last motorcycle ride.

I felt a longing for the road and I miss riding!

Pictures of a scary ride to Phoenix, Oregon on Saturday.

Biggest icicles we have ever had at our house!

Thinking warm thoughts about my next ride!

Schooooools Out!

12-4-13
I just turned in my very last assignment for school.  I can't believe I'm finally done with my Bachelors Degree in Nursing (BSN).  I been taking classes for many years now and have wondered about the courses and what they contribute to my nursing skills.

There hasn't been much patient centered classes and they have all been full of writing papers.  I wish there had been more about patient care, you know, anatomy, physiology, etc.  Nope, none of that!

So, I'm reading my last posts from fellow classmates and one of the guys actually points out that he could do more with his certificate as a paramedic than he will be able to do with a bachelors degree in nursing - unfortunately true and so sad.

He said the BSN is worthless. 

I told him I thought he had a HUGE pair of balls for saying that - but I agreed with his statement.

I got so much out of my associates degree.  I learned a lot about how to care for people and the different diseases and how they are treated.  But the last two years have all been writing papers.  Sure I learned a lot but I don't feel it improved my nursing skills.  I did learn about the importance of using evidence based practice.

I'm proud of myself for finishing my degree but I have felt that it hasn't added anything to my nursing skills (except for writing and research) for a long time.  I'm not sure if that was the point or not.

If you know me, you know I'm not done with my education.  For my next classes I'm going to do stuff that will actually contribute to the care of my patients.

Post T-day ride

Thanksgiving is over, the family is headed home and there is snow in the forecast.  Today is a beautiful day though and I must ride!

I took this picture up in Rogue River.  It looked so fresh as if the paint was still wet! 

Dust or Ghosts?

Depends on who you talk to!

There was an article in the Medford Tribune a short time ago about suspicious floating orbs which appeared in photographs of the Jacksonville Cemetery.  Some people believe they are just specks of dust which are reflected in the flash and others believe they are photographic proof of ghosts!

Orbs of light 'haunt' Jacksonville Cemetery - Unexplained orbs of light captured on camera at Jacksonville Cemetery raise ghostly speculation

 

I was on a bike trip with my husband and father a few years ago in Northern California.  We stopped overnight in Fort Bragg and I took this picture of our motorcycles.

 

 

Like the cemetery pictures the orbs don't show up in every picture and I probably took a dozen pictures of the bikes and this was the only one I got with the orbs in it. 

 

Do you believe?

 

Update: 2014

I went on a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and one of my pictures came back with orbs in it!

 

 

 

I

Winter Riding

Winter is upon us and many people talk about winterizing their bikes and putting them away till spring time.  My response is "WHY??"  We live in Medford, Oregon not Alaska.

Sure it snows here in Medford and sometimes it actually accumulates on the roads but that rarely lasts for more than a day.  My husband calls it "Designer Snow" because it puts a pretty layer on the surrounding mountains but rarely accumulates on the roads.  There can be a blizzard up on Mt. Ashland and be sunny and 65 degrees in the valley.

It was 70 at our house and snowing in Ashland.

When it gets very cold, the city is very good at putting down salt and gravel which can cause adverse conditions for riding, but I don't ride when it's that cold anyways.  The gravel is heavy in corners so it's best to avoid real knee-scraping turns in the winter!

I have heated hand grips on my bike and I love them!  I don't deny being a fair weather rider but the heated hand grips sure extend my ride time.  They are especially great on road trips when there are time tables to adhere to and you can't wait till it gets warmer to start your ride.  I've been on rides where my hands are so cold I can't squeeze the brake and that's not a good place to be.

The proper clothing is also important.  Warm hands don't mean much when the rest of your body is shivering. Layer your clothes and if you do get cold, pull over and warm up.  I always store a sweatshirt and a t-shirt when I ride in case the weather changes. (Hello, Oregon!)

Here is a great website with tips on winter riding:

http://ultimatemotorcycling.com/seven-tips-winter-motorcycle-riding/

 

Ride on and keep the shiny side up!

Crisp Ride

11-16-13  Fall foliage in Jacksonville, Oregon.  Looking across the vineyards.  It was a beautiful day and warm enough for a nice ride despite the forecast for rain (90%).