at least i remembered where I was going….
I took Tuesday off, but the weather on Wednesday was too perfect not to ride.
I got Blue out of the garage and realized I had forgotten that my left rear signal light wasn’t in the best of shape. It had been fastened with zip ties and electrical tape after having been damaged in drops. When I tested the signals, as I do before every ride, I saw that it was hanging down at a 90-degree angle. I got some electrical tape and wrapped a couple more layers around to hold it in place and went in the house to get scissors to cut the tape.
I had decided that I need to spend more time stopping and starting to improve my balance and avert what have become annoying and sometimes painful drops at stops, so I re-instituted my previously regular practice of riding around the neighbourhood before I ride around the Highlands.
After 4 kms of corners and stop signs, I texted my plans to The Crew so someone might miss me if I were to meet with a mishap or collide with a ditch. We use a Messenger group chat.
I’ve been around the block a few times (LOL),” I wrote before I set off. “Now I’m going to Blakeney, up Panmure road, right on Dwyer Hill Road, right on March Road, and left on Golden line towards Ashton.”
“Sounds like you know where you are going. Lol,” Adam replied. “Be safe and report if anything is up. Most of all have fun out there.”
“Call if you need anything (i.e. help),” James wrore. “No wheelie-ing!”
Awesome afternoon for a ride :), Jacques chimed in.
I forgot there’s no warning for Golden Line on the way into Almonte, so I missed it entirely and had to go down to the roundabout to ‘u-turn’ and come back at it from the other direction.
When I checked in at Ashton, James replied:
“We’re going to Carlton Place Show & Shine around 420 ish. Wanna come?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I could meet you there…”
That generated a trio of thumbs up.
“Right now, I’m going to Perth via Derry Side Road turning right on Richmond Road turning right on the 7 taking Tennyson road from Blacks Corners and then yeah, I’ll see what’s next when I get to Perth.”
I forgot to turn the Relive tracking back on, so you’ll see a straight line instead of the actual route down Derry Side Road (part of which has been newly paved), Richmond Road, etc.
“I just gassed in in Perth. Now I’m gonna’ take the 511 to Lanark where I will turn right and I don’t know the name of that road, but it goes past the gravel pit then I will turn left onto Rosetta, then right onto Wolf Grove Road, then right again on the eighth concession to Carleton Place and I’ll see you at the Canadian Tire.”
I didn’t mention then that I had forgotten my wallet at home and had to pay with the loonies in the emergency change purse I keep in my tank bag. Neither did I tell them about the roll of electrical tape hanging from my left rear signal light. I had forgotten to get the scissors when I went into the house and hadn’t cut the tape at the start of the ride.
I laughed out loud when I saw it dangling from the signal light. OMG!
The Crew was about an hour late getting to the Show & Shine, but I found a bunch of car folk to sit around and shoot the breeze with. When I left, James and Adam captured me on video riding off into the sunset. Literally. It’s in the Relive below.
I was about 20 kms shy of 200 kms for the ride, so I went home to Almonte via Pakenham to bump the total up to 206 km. Typical motorcycle rider behaviour to take the long way home.ro
It was a good ride. Lots of stops. No drops.
© 2025 Susan Macaulay. I invite you to share my poetry and posts widely, but please do not reprint, reblog or copy and paste them in their entirety without my permission. Thank you.
