A Warm-ish day with Big Feet

So, Leo, my motorcycle has been sitting out in the 20 degree weather in the snow for about three weeks now while I sit inside  This has not been agreeable for either one of us.  Yes, I am warm and dry inside, but I want to be out riding  ...and Leo wants to get going because it's the only way he can get warm.

But, since the ice adventure I have not been too keen on getting out until the ice melted.  Well, we recently had a 40ish degree day and Leo and I hit the road.  Down into Ellet Valley and out through Luster's Gate.  It was a beautiful ride...

...except, there was a ton of snow melt on the road and a good bit of gravel from the snow plow trucks.  Strange, but it seemed that all of the water and gravel was concentrated on the curves.  I haven't ridden enough on the streets to know how fast I can take Leo on dry pavement, much less wet gravely curves.  

To add to that, I could hardly change gears with my new motorcycle boots.  I got them for Christmas and was really excited to wear them.  But, they are so stiff and big I couldn't get them under the shifter easily and once I did I couldn't flex my ankle.  It might not sound that bad, but when you can't change gears easily it's not fun.  I tried lifting my foot rather than bending my ankle.  That worked a little better, but sometimes my foot would slide off and shoot into the air ...never when I was alone though, only when I was where people could see me.  I am sure they were curious about my kicking into the air.  Maybe they thought I was taking a little time to practice karate, or tae kwon do, or my swing dancing.  Who knows?

 

 

So, there I was out on a glorious day kicking my foot in the air and clenching my teeth on every turn.  Not exactly as I had expected.  Leo told me to calm my ass down and enjoy the day.  Just then I rembered reading about another guy with new boots that found that he could use his heal to up-shift so I gave it a try.  It did entail me kicking my foot out a little to get in front of the shifter, but not up in the air as before.  A definite improvement.

All in all, I had a good time.  At least I was out.  Leo got to stretch his legs.  And I learned that I have a lot to learn about shifting gears with big stiff boots on.