I always knew the weather in Michigan changed fast…who hasn’t joked about that? But once again, one gains a new appreciation for nature and the natural elements when you are traveling without the shelter of a roof over four wheels and climate controlled heat in your auto environment.

Was there ever a choice today? It was either dinner in Mt. Pleasant and a movie, or - something else.

Yeah, the something else was a ride opportunity. I saw a flyer on a church dinner way out in the sticks between Breckinridge and Saginaw. A homemade turkey dinner with squash, real mashed potatoes, corn, and homemade apple or pumpkin pie. I had made the mental note and thought for several days. If the weather could be good enough, what a great ride destination!

Sunday morning came and it was overcast and damp. Moisture was filling the air and the air temp at about 45 degrees. The sun was nowhere to be seen. I was pretty sure it was gonna be movie time in Mt.Pleasant. But by 10:30 am, the sun was out, temps rising to nearly 50 degrees, cloud cover removed, and a beautiful fall sky.

I didn’t need further convincing. I had spent 2 hours on a 50 degree ride just a few days before without the sun. I knew I could handle the wind chill if I dressed right. Layers under the awesome protection of the leathers, which do amazing things for blocking winter cold winds. Besides, the sun was shining, so that would make it a better event than before.

I was pumped for the ride. I was also happy to be gearing up with the smell of the leather and the sweet sound of Harley rumbling at idle warming up in the garage.

I had mapped out the backloads ride days earlier. I pulled out of the drive feeling really great to be headed down the road with a happy food destination in mind. The ride there was truly awesome. Many of the trees were barren now. The air was cold and refreshing. Harley was so responsive and seemed happy to be unleashed from the stall at home. Every time I mount my bike it seems I do so with greater ease and confidence. The pleasure of it all evokes such joy.

I managed to find the church dinner doings with little trouble, aided by one guy at an intersection more familiar with the area than I. This place was indeed in the boonies, but the parking lot was jam packed. I wondered if I was really gonna get fed with all these people. And I thought I was early!

Needless to say I was the only biker there. I stood out like a cornstalk in a beet field. Mostly well dressed older folk and young families with children. I was stared at plenty, but I was just happy to be outa the cold. The building was warm and the aroma of hot turkey out of the oven filled the room.

The men at the door took my money, so I knew I was welcome. I grabbed a heaping hot plate of home cooked goodies and made my way to a place to sit down. That was tricky. Seating was according to round tables. I hated to bust in on someone’s family meal. But I figured as (my) luck would have it there had to be a table with no one seated at it. Sure enough, there was one and of course no one else ever dared seem to want to sit down and break bread with me (dressed as I was…LOL).

The food was great, so was the pie. My belly filled with steaming hot homemades, I was ready to hit the cold road home again. I was hoping to find a local guy that might know a back door to Wise road, so I wouldn’t have to duplicate the ride home. Persistence paid off, and while several people were clueless, one guy assured me there was a 2 lane blacktop back stretch of road that would get me to where I wanted to be.

He was right. The ride home was almost better than the ride in. But in a kind of eerie and wintry kind of way.

By the time I had Harley fired up the sky had changed dramatically from just an hour earlier. Seemed almost like snow clouds dark and dense moving in. Heading northwest the clouds got darker and the temp dropped to 45. The back road looked kinda unfriendly with the cold blustery winds confronting me. I felt it was me against the elements, and was comforted by the fact that the circumstance didn’t seem to intimidate Harley, who was still rumbling along with his sweet, low, massive sound of bad ass confidence.

About that time I wondered if this guy could be joshing me, setting me up for a walk in the woods as the 2 lanes became smaller and rougher. But then again I reflected - no one yet had ever steered me wrong on a back door home. I believed this guy was a stand up act too. Besides, wasn’t he church folk?

I was giving up on snow flakes about the time I saw cloud swirls dropping from the sky. That suggested to me it was raining just south and west of me. I tried not to think that I might get slammed by a nasty rain.

I powered on the throttle, probably a little too over confident of the absence of deer in those deserted fields. The lonely beauty of the dark gray skies, the bone chilling wind, the naked trees, the deserted road; it all added up to a moment. One of those very special windows in time that seem only to happen when I am on my Harley.

Twenty miles later… the church man was right, and my confidence in human nature was restored as I started seeing familiar territory and cross roads. Happy to be nearer home, still a little concerned at the black clouds ahead.

The sprinkles didn’t hit till I thundered into my subdivision. I made it without getting wet. This normally would have been a wash of a day. Sure, a movie in town would have provided some anesthesia against the isolation of the day…but wow…what a difference being able to ride made.

-JR
Posted 10/28/2003

Dr. Joseph Rivard, PhD, is an educator, motorcycle enthusiast, and former competitive handgunner. He has written extensively on topics related to the field of education, and now enjoys writing for pleasure about his newest passion - riding his Harley across the backroads of Michigan.

Joseph was born and raised in Michigan, but feels he is only beginning to appreciate the hidden beauty of the rural areas now that he is seeing it from a two wheel perspective. Joseph lives in Mt. Pleasant and looks forward to meeting new friends and fellow riders as he seeks out the best in 2 lane blacktop across the state. When not riding or working, Dr. Rivard spends much of his personal time with family, which includes his best buddy {who gets around on four paws}.

©Copyright 2006, Joseph Rivard, all rights reserved. No text, graphic, or video found on this site may be archived or redistributed without written consent of the publisher, Lee Wonnacott, Kannapolis, NC. Copyright 2006.