Winter weather can dampen your riding spirit for quite a long time, depending on where you live. In North Texas, we are fortunate to have nearly year-round riding. During the months of January and February, it can be quite cold and rainy, which can
keep you off the road. There are times when the weather will surprise you and make for a very nice day to take off and ride.
Feeling Depressed So I Went Riding
Yesterday was one of those days. I knew from the forecast it was going to be in the low 80s. At first, I was just going to ride to work. As I cruised along the highway and neared the office, my spirits took a turn for the worse. I almost decided to just ride past my turn and keep going. My sense of responsibility kicked in so I exited the freeway and went to work. Upon arrival, I powered on my laptop and sat there looking at the screen. A sinking feeling came upon me which could almost be likened to a state of depression. I just didn’t want to be at work. There wasn’t a positive feeling or initiative I could muster up that changed that emotion. After 10 minutes of fighting and struggling against the negativity, sense of responsibility, duty, whatever you want to call it, I packed up my laptop, got on my bike, and left for the day. It was a renegade decision, and quite frankly, I didn’t give a damn. I needed the time away.
The Road To Breakfast
Keep in mind my day begins at 5 am, so it was dark. My first thought of destination was the Koffee Kup restaurant in Hico, TX. A nice 2-hour ride for breakfast seemed like a good start. No freeways were the idea and I pretty much managed to hold fast to that the entire day. From Cedar Hill, TX, I went through Venus, Maypearl, Itasca, Covington, Blum, Morgan, Walnut Springs, Iredell, and finally Hico, TX where I had a fantastic breakfast. Up until Iredell, all was not shiny fluttering butterflies, though. There was a thick fog during this part of the day and the ride. That caused a heavy mist and made those farm and market roads slick and dirty. My shins were soaked, and my bike became unbelievably dirty. The cool morning air felt good, though, and the air was fresh. It was very quiet on those back roads that early in the morning, and the thickness of the fog muffled perimeter sounds. The Harley was running great and cast its lonely rumble along the empty stretches of back road. This was one of those rides where you know something special is happening, the feel of the road and bike is right, and the joy of life reaches a momentous height.
Breakfast Then More Riding
While eating a superb breakfast at the Koffee Kup I read some news and sent an email to work that I would be out for the day. My next stop of the day was going to be Waco. There is some good country riding you can take to get there from Hico and I wanted to make the best of the day seeing as I took off to ride. The skies had cleared completely by now and it was as sunny as any summer day. The next stretch of roads took me from Hico, TX to Fairy, Cranfills Gap, Clifton, Valley Mills, and Waco. I went to Waco Harley Davidson to hang out for a while and look at the new lineup of bikes they had. It was surprising how many people had stopped at the dealership and were out riding. By now, it was noon, sunny, and 75.
The Return Ride Home
While in Waco, I stopped by the Texas DPS driver's license office to get my renewal since it was almost due. The Waco branch isn’t nearly as long a wait as the branches in DFW, so it seemed like a good time to take care of that. While waiting, I plotted my journey home. I could have just taken an interstate from Waco and been back in less than 2 hours, but it was just too beautiful out to do that. So again, to keep the ride alive, it was back roads to get home.
My ride went through Elm Mott, Gholson, Aquilla, and Whitney from Waco. In Whitney, I took a route across the Lake Whitney Damn into Laguna Park. Next, I headed north to Kopperl, Brazos Point, past Cleburne State Park, Bono, Godley, and finally back into Fort Worth. From Waco, TX the day remained sunny with a slight wind at my back and touched 82 degrees to make for a phenomenally perfect day of riding.
Today I am back at work writing this post. Today I am depressed again, wanting to be on the road instead of at work.
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