I'll donate. This is something I wrote, an honest bit of storytelling from last summer. Here goes ...

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So, being unemployed, when nice days present themselves you can bet I'll be on two wheels at least some point during the day. Today, being a Monday, I have things to do, a honeydew list, etc, but hell - 70s by 9am? I'm geared up and I'm out. Just a brief ride is all I want.

One of my favorite roads in CNY is route 13 south, from Chittenango to Cazenovia. It just so happens Caz has a little coffee shop called Common Grounds, too. Route 13 passes Chittenango Falls, and the stream follows the road most of the way to boot. It's a gorgeous ride, no matter what your means of transport. Of course, if you happen to be on a motorcycle, it's chock full of twisties.

So, I'm off. Almost. First lesson learned almost the hard way: check your gear before you go. Before I left the house, I did a precursory little once-over - make sure there's no glaring accidents waiting to happen. The bike has been out a lot, so I figure not much has changed since I had it out last (yesterday). Well, two corners out of the driveway and I think I need air in the rear tire. Yah, down to 18-20 psi. BAD, especially in 16" tires on the twisties. So that only cost me $.50 at the local stop-n-rob to air up.

Finally moving, and it's beautiful out. Hot, if you stop in traffic in full gear, but a 70mph wind feels wonderful. To make matters better, there's basically zero traffic on rt 13 (which has only two places to pass) - I come up behind a box truck & an 18-wheeler right at the last passing zone. Score!

The bike feels great, the roads are nice, tires are hotted up and it all feels like craftwork. Even better, passing the state park (at the falls) two sunworshippers point & wave. I knew the scenery was nice, but today it was fantastic.

I came around one of best tight chicanes, which opens up into a good 1/4 mi straight right before a nice banked RH sweeper. I'm usually giggling like a madman by this point (today being no different). But there's something in my lane up ahead. It looks like a full sized tire & rim off a car. On the brakes hard - a little ire ozzing out at having my favorite mix-up cut short. I slow down to check it out, and it's an enormous turtle. I mean, HUGE. Now, I've saved some big turtles off the roadway before, but this thing was immense. Just flopped on the road, hanging out. It was probably 8" high just laying there, and when it got up, the top of its shell had to be a foot off the ground. It's shell was about 15" wide and 2' long. Add the head & tail and it was easily 3' long. It had seen better days - lots of old, old scars on its tail and hind legs. I can't imagine how old this thing is.

Now, I passed an 18 wheeler a way back. This isn't a big road; it's back-country with no run-off to speak of. This could be a really flat turtle in no time. So I wait. Here comes the truck around the bend, and I'm standing in the road waving him down - slow down, slow down, move over, etc. I got a nice big wave & thumbs up. Cool. Then comes a woman in a little Mazda (?) with fairings about 3" off the ground. She would've killed the turtle, but my money is on the turtle taking out the Mazda in the process. So she stops, we gab a minute, she leaves and now I can move the turtle. He's gotta weigh 30lbs at least. I didn't bother keeping my gloves on, because if he was going to bite a finger off, they wouldn't stop anything (plus I'm sure they'd smell after picking up his soggy butt). He didn't care - he let me move him and that was that.

So ... the ride is almost done, I take it easy and just enjoy the scenery (ok, maybe a little faster than most people would like, but leisurely for me). I stop at the coffee shop, get my usual jump start (shot of espresso, shot of coffee). Waitress asks me if there's anything else for today. Now, earlier today, before the ride, I had commented to somebody in an email about how pleasantly satisfying fresh warm chocolate chip cookies are. I don't see any, but I ask: if you have a chocolate chip cookie back there, I'll take it.

And didn't some just come out of the oven? I mean, come on now. So I sat outside, inhaled both coffee & cookie (still hot and gooey). Inhaled some fresh air too, and just sat in appreciation of things. Stared at the motorbike for a little while. Reveled in the weather. Said hi to some folks I didn't know; they said hi back and smiled. Then I geared up, took my time coming home and just felt like exactly that much is right in the world.

:thumbup:


oh, yes. nice. thanks, Jake.

Very good :thumbup: