maybe i really don't care...

so two weekends ago i added a clock to my bike... i was worried that i might start paying more attention to the clock and worrying about getting to my destination...

ended up taking about a 200 mile ride sunday... i'm happy to say that the clock didn't become a distraction - in fact, i probably looked at it less than i thought i would. i can remember looking at it as we were heading out of the parking lot after brunch. what's funny is that i don't remember what time is was - i want to say noon. during the ride, i remember looking at it one or two more times. again, i don't remember the time, although i think it was 3:00pm when i looked one time...

soooo, it's a relief to know that having the clock on my bike isn't a distraction. i wasn't too keen on the thought of removing, especially after buying it!! so the clock can stay...

200 miles there and back...

took off yesterday for another great ride... the temperature was perfect for riding with a short-sleeve shirt - not too hot, not too cool. sky was slightly overcast, so we didn't get beat up by the sun. started by meeting a couple of the "regulars" for brunch at lucky32. after eating and chatting, we took off for points north. we started north of raleigh and headed to louisburg via 401. after a quick stop for fuel in louisburg, we headed up 561 to 4 to lake gaston.

as we're riding, i'm thinking these roads look familiar. i can't quite place them... i'm fairly sure i've never ridden my bike along these roads - but why else would i have been out here?? we finally pass a sign - medoc mountain, 5 miles. of course, these are the roads we took when we went camping with the boy scouts last fall. i remember now that while we were camping, there was another couple camping. they were traveling by motorcycle. what a fun trip that would be - sure, it would be rough, but it would be quite an adventure.

finally we make lake gaston. jim's friend, brian, has a house on the lake. what a host - as soon as we pulled up on our bikes be was inviting us in, breaking out drinks - very gracious. we visited, talking bikes, boats, jet skis, rc planes - just hanging out on his dock. must say i was very disappointed the battery in my camera was dead. (note to self - recharge all batteries the night before - never assume the batteries are charged. a lesson i should really know!!!)

after about an hour, it was time to head out and let brian and his family get their peace back... after heading north and getting lottery tickets in virginia, it was time to head back... we took 48 back to 561 through louisburg. on the other side of louisburg we stopped to split up and say goodbye. some were heading further south while the rest of us were starting west. the last leg of the journey was nice, but too short. i was home before i knew it...

200 miles in a leisurely day. not bad. although i could have ridden longer, it was nice to get back home to the family.

does anybody know what time it is??

...does anybody really care?? apparently i do...

one of the things i noticed and i like about being on the bike is that mileage and time don't really seem to matter... when i'm taking a longer trip in a cage, it seems i'm always looking at the mile markers on the side of the road, the odometer and the clock in the cage and calculating how much longer i have until i get to my destination... when i'm on the bike, i don't do this. about the only time i really pay attention to the odometer on my bike is for maintenance and sometimes to calculate gas mileage, although three quarters of the time i forget to do that!! i think it's rooted in the "journey" concept and i'll get there when i get there...

but yesterday, having a harley certificate waiting to be spent, i bought a clock for my bike... i've toyed with the idea of buying a clock for a while and since it was about the only thing within the price range of the certificate that i could get, i decided to get it...

after mulling over three locations for the clock, i finally decided to mount it to the underside of the left grip.

i haven't had a chance to take a longer ride with it yet, but i'm not sure i really like it... i guess it's okay - it looks nice on the bike. as my wife reminded me after seeing it mounted - it's more stuff for me to keep clean on the bike... great, i already spend enough time cleaning the bike... so now i'm wondering if i'm going to become more concerned with time while i'm riding... will it pressure me to push a little harder to get there if i'm running late?? even when i don't have to be there on time, will i start watching it more, missing out on some of the scenery while i'm riding?? maybe if i'm running early, it will encourage me to take a little more time, take a different, longer road home...

guess i'll just have to get out on the road and find out...

old v. new

so i mixed a little pleasure with business today. i had to go out to roxboro today and decided to take the bike... this road seems to be a regular route for me now - it seems that all my longer trips lately have involved this path.

the roads are pretty much two lane country roads, mostly old farm land, some still active. as you take these roads you see old dilapidated homes and trailers, some still being lived in, some abandoned years ago. i've often wondered what happened to the people/families that used to live in the now empty homes. what did they do when they lived there?? were they happy?? i'm thinking most of them used to be farmers. were they successful?? or did their farms lose so much value that they had to give it up, living their final days in poverty?? it makes me sad to think they may not have lived their final days happily.

the road is also mixed with subdivisions filled with new, sometimes expensive houses. and there are signs of more subdivisions coming. old farms for sale to builders or farms staked out with lots for sale individually. what do these people do?? certainly not farmers. do they commute in to work?? or do they work from home?? i can see why people would move out to this area - it's so beautiful. and probably cheap - at least cheaper. still mostly farm land, not a lot of congestions, with the exception of the subdivisions, you have some room between your house and your neighbor's.

i've seen this before. but today i start thinking about the old and the new. the urban sprawl seems to be taking over the once beautiful country side. how much longer until the farm land and country houses and barns are replaced with subdivisions and shopping centers?? until this area is just considered another suburb or raleigh or durham?? or both?? the two lanes become four lanes or six lanes?? the countryside isn't so quiet any more, isn't so peaceful.

okay - so this is change i can see happening now. i start thinking even further into the future. what happens when the new becomes the old?? what will replace the subdivisions and the shopping centers and the six lane roads?? what will be the "new"?? and will it seem better at the time?? will it be better?? is it better now?? i don't know...