April 16, 2020

Ride covid-19: day 35 | US: GA | info | act

Photo by Giles.

So I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to take the Scrambler out for a bit. The weather has been so beautiful, it’s sinful not to go out. And really, I’m still social distancing, so what’s the issue?

Giles accompanied me from his car, but I took the lead on my Scrambler. We covered almost 70 miles, and I never took my helmet off, though we did stop a couple of times; the photo to the right was taken in Juliette, about two-thirds through our journey. I had consulted Google maps earlier and traced a route I wanted to try: a bit circuitous, northwest to Forsyth, over to Juliette, and back south toward Macon. The day was beautiful—and I even got a bit cold at points, though the sun was was alone in the blue sky. I thought traffic might be light, but it seemed normal for a Thursday afternoon, especially on 23.

Rides like this allow me to clear my head, and this was no exception. I get fatigued quickly riding the Scrambler—probably because it’s a naked bike, so 75 miles is about right. I still dream of getting my BMW R 1200 R one day. That bike should go the distance. Until then, I need regular repeats of days like this. Thanks.

                    

I posted this on r/Triumph and feel a bit bad because of the first comment. It seems some countries are much more draconian in their enforcement of stay-at-home than the US is. I guess it’s the nature of our country, eh, and why we’re getting hit so hard. Yes, much of it has to do with the ineptitude of the federal government and the ignorance of many of its supporters, but we Americans are . . . assertive. Willful. Obdurate. While I took precautions during my ride, maybe I shouldn’t do this again.