gatorcast from paul smith

Tonight after the gator basketball game I decided to try a night ride.  I was unsure at first, but once I decided I wanted to do it I did it.  I needed to go help Patsy with her computer and decided on the route I was going to take.  It was 9:30 pm and I knew the traffic was real light.  So I started out and immediately realized I had more light from the bike and street lights.  Plus the lights on the motorcycle are very cool anyway. 

I found out that it is actually more visible at night, althought I would imagine on roads with no light it would be very different.  At night I can see all things coming from side streets, front and back. This is good of course assuming people have their lights on.  The air was much cooler and hardly no one on the roads.  It took about 15 minutes to get there.  I rode West down NW 39th Ave, around SFCC and over I-75, then back to W Newberry Road.

When I was done about 11:30 I started back.  First I  texted Lisa that I was on my way home, and then headed back east from W Newberry Road and passed I-75 and then the Oaks Mall.   It was very cool and I got a very different perspective from that of a car.  I must have ridden thousands of times on this road in a car but never as fun as this.  I wasn’t going fast or doing anything unsafe but I had this great feeling of doing something that I thought I would never do.  I felt safe and enjoyed the cool air.

When I got home I was pumped up and  glad I decided to try.   Before I left Patsy’s house, I said to myself, “I can’t believe I’m actually riding a motorcycle home at 11:30 at night.” Crazy.  But I was and I never felt better.