I know it’s just another post. But this feels different. What started as a simple way to let my family know I was safe on a motorcycle trip to Seattle has truly become something enduring over decades of my life. This is post number 501. Let’s call it the button fly Levi’s post names after the San Francisco original.

The weather this month in the Bay Area has been nothing short of amazing. The downside for me? I’ve had to stay off my feet for most of this month. I had a minor foot surgery (well, more like a procedure), but let’s call it a surgery for the sympathy points, LOL!

Friday night, I hung out with some friends and fell in love with the show “Landman“—the drama about the West Texas oil business. I got so hooked that it turned into a full-on binge! By Saturday, I was completely engrossed in all the affairs of the fictional M-Tex oil business based out of Midland. Eight episodes later -> I had to pull my self away from the TV.

However, Sunday was supposed to be the warmes day of the weekend, but when I woke up, fog had completely enveloped the landscape. The temperature was in the high 30s, so any hope of motorcycling that morning was utterly crushed. My local riding group thought they were going to the top of Mount Diablo. Even there, due to the increased elevation to 4,000 feet, the temperature hovered around freezing. I really wanted to get out this weekend. The weather has been teasing me throughout my recovery. I mean, who gets sunny days in the mid-60s for the entire month of January?

Around 3 o’clock, I finally said, “f-it, I’m going.” The temperature had finally climbed to the low 50s. Most of the fog had burned off, but that winter-like haze still lingered. Today was a much shorter version of the #eastCounty ride. I wanted to keep the fluids in the Triumph Speed Triple moving. Motorcycles like to be ridden. A ridden motorcycle keeps the rider happy and prevents the problems that arise from being sedentary.

Red light after red light—I was grinding through the annals of modern suburban life. A good friend of mine once said, “Every red light on this road is a small piece of your soul.” I’ve thanked him over and over as I chose a place to live closer to the freeway and transit stations. The red lights always seem to taunt me when I’m headed to this part of the county.

Once the red lights were behind me, the road opened up. Marsh Creek Road is a fun ride on the east side of Mount Diablo out to the Sacramento Valley. In some ways, it’s this area’s Skyline Boulevard. The pavement is reasonably good, the turns are fast, and smiles always emerge.

For most of my motorcycling career I’ve always ridden adventure bikes. The suspension on these types of bikes is soft enough that any sort of ripple in the pavement is easily absorbed by the motorcycle. The Triple’s suspension seems really hard and out of sync. I don’t remember similar issues on the one I rode back in the day.

The suspension has to be adjustable – I just have to figure out how. This is a new part of motorcycle mechanics of not really explored yet as the V-Strom’s suspension didn’t have an adjustment other than preload. The GS simply does it all through integrated electronics. Notes for future rides!

I pulled off at the local county park just to take in the season. It was a moment to experience the Bay Area winter. The light gets decidedly bluer. The high-pressure system that keeps our temperatures warm also traps the smoke from fires and pollutants in the area, giving that warm orange glow. I’m blessed that we’re not covered in six inches of snow.

I loved the moment—in the photograph. It’s a gentle reminder that motorcycles are a year-round part of Bay Area life. Till the next ride!

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