Heading out this morning on my way to work, bundled in layers and heated gloves, I was still a little concerned about how cold it might be as the temperature was a crisp 42° F and 60 mph down the road for 30 miles can be chilly.My fear was quickly overcome, and I have to admit that my morning commute turned out to be the kind of ride that resonates in perfect cadence with your soul.
As I said the morning air was a cool 42° F, and as I pulled out of my drive way my warm breath fogged my goggles over a little. One left turn, then a right, and I was out of town, business as usual. The goggles cleared up almost instantly as I shifted into 5th, cracked the throttle and crested the last ridge on the edge of town. Only then did I begin to notice just how amazing the morning was.
I have a 30-mile ride through what some of you would describe as 'boring flat farm country'. However this morning offered another picture, almost as though I was riding through a Norman Rockwell painting. Traffic was sparse enough not to spoil the view and what a view it was.
With the fall season starting and the early morning hour, the sun was low on the horizon and I was riding straight into its warming rays, without a cloud in the sky. The angle of the light brightened everything it touched, but at the same time created shadows that made every barn, every tractor, and the rolling of the prairie covered in the crop stand out.
My senses became heightened to the point that time seemed to stand still…..The color palate was amazing… the blue of the sky reminded me of the Pacific Ocean just west of the Panama Canal, the grass along the roadside was as green as any pasture in Ireland, the fields of soybeans were a mixture of green, yellow, and golden brown. The corn harvest had begun in many of the fields. Still wet with dew, the red and green combines, tractors, and wagons glistened in the sun as they lay waiting for the day to begin. The smell of dust from yesterday's work in the fields lingered on the air just enough to remind you of fall and make your mouth water with the thought of the turkey and pumpkin pie that will be coming around the corner. I'm sure many riders were turned away by the cool temperature, in my opinion a small payment for the beauty of today's ride. For me, the icing on the cake was enjoying this beauty to that sweet song being played from my 95-inch twin cam.
As I rolled closer to town, time began to move forward again and I came back from this dream like state. My senses no longer in communion with the road, but now redirected to the real world. As I parked and carried my gear up to my office, I reflect on my ride and gained a better appreciation of the tried but true “Live to Ride, Ride to Live”…..
