Posts Tagged ‘winter’

Cold Snap

Posted: December 1, 2023 in Advice, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , , , ,
20

I don’t know about the weather where you live, but we just went through a cold snap. Luckily, we had most of the leaves picked up off the lawn, and the deck swing tucked away. I always hated taking the swing down, but with winter coming on, it couldn’t be helped.

At least I’d managed to get in one last amazing ride on the back of a motorcycle first. I’d talked Ramos into taking me to a cemetery to visit the grave of a young man whose cold case I’d just solved. I won’t bother you with the details, but it was definitely gratifying to give his family some closure, and made all that I’d gone through worth it.

After finishing up with my errand, I hurried back to Ramos and his motorcycle, ready to head back to work. That’s when Ramos suggested a slight detour before going back. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going, but, in all honesty, I would have happily gone on a ride anywhere. We both knew it was one of the last beautiful, fall days we had, and it would be a travesty not to enjoy it.

Still, I never expected where we ended up. Who knew places like that even existed? We headed toward the hills, but further south than normal. A short time later, Ramos turned into a residential neighborhood and meandered through the streets until we were just below a wooded area where a narrow road branched off and headed deeper into the hills.

The winding road took us to the top of a hill where the air was warm and the sun bright. The road leveled out before dropping down into a small ravine, bringing a drop in the temperature that cooled my chin and neck. Taking in the road ahead, it didn’t look like it went anywhere specific, and there wasn’t a car or home in sight. It reminded me of the poem about the road not taken. This one definitely qualified, and, in the space of a few short minutes, it was like we’d passed from one reality into a completely different one.

Coming out of the ravine, we climbed to the top of another hill before the road took us back down again. After the third time it happened, it hit me that this was the whole point of the ride. With all the ups and downs as well as taking several curves, it was like riding a roller-coaster. Climbing steadily, we reached the top of the next hill, and my stomach tightened. This was the steepest one yet, ending in another ravine way down below us.

Ramos slowed before plunging down the hill to the bottom, and my heart rose into my throat and butterflies filled my chest. I clung tightly to Ramos like my life depended on it. Holy hell! With my heart racing, we finally reached the bottom and I could breathe again. I wasn’t sure I could handle another hill like that, and I let out a sigh of relief when the road ahead climbed slowly upward until we were back out of the gulch.

We continued in that direction, heading into a narrow canyon, and Ramos slowed to pull off onto a small look-out point. As he turned off the bike, the sound of rushing water reached my ears. He helped me off the bike, and I pulled off my helmet, hoping my legs wouldn’t give out. “That was some ride.”

Ramos removed his helmet and his lips twisted. “I thought you might like it.”

It was exhilarating, but it kind of scared me too. “Yeah… it was really something. I mean… my legs are still shaking.”

“Oh.” He seemed surprised. “In that case there’s one more thing you need to see. It will make it all worth it.”

I followed him down a dirt path toward several large boulders. As we took the path around them, a ravine opened up, with a river down at the bottom. Leafless trees lined either side of the river, and I followed Ramos to a rocky ridge overlooking a gorge. “Have a seat.” He motioned to one of the large rocks and pointed downstream. “Now look over there.”

He pointed to the other side of the ravine where a small waterfall spewed over the ridge in a graceful arc. The sun caught the water at a perfect angle, making a rainbow out of the mist. It took my breath away.

“Whoa.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the constant motion of falling water, combined with the sparkle of colored light from the rainbow. “It’s amazing.”

We sat in silence for several long minutes, drinking in the beauty until a cold breeze sent a shiver down my spine.

“Time to go.” Ramos rose to his feet. He was thinking that this little jaunt had taken a good part of the afternoon, but it was totally worth it.

“You’re right about that. Uh… do we have to go back the same way we came?”

His brows rose. “You didn’t like that?” He thought I enjoyed holding on to him so tightly.

“Well… yeah… but that last hill was a doozy.”

He snorted. “Don’t worry. It’s not the same going back. In fact, going up that steep hill is a lot different than coming down.” He glanced sideways at me. “Since I usually do this ride solo, it might be a little tricky making it up with you on the back.” At my widened eyes, he shrugged. “But don’t worry. I’m sure we can make it.”

I shook my head. “You are such a tease.”

His grin widened. He was thinking that he definitely enjoyed teasing me, but it was going to be a challenge getting up that hill. He’d probably have to gun it to get to the top. Still… it would so cool to catch some air before coming down on the other side. “Just hold on real tight, okay?”

My heart stuttered. “Are you serious?”

“No… I’m totally kidding. There’s nothing to worry about.”

I listened real hard, but he’d closed off his thoughts, so I had to take him at his word. I made sure my helmet was on real tight, and my jacket zipped and buttoned. Still, I couldn’t help the nervous tension that skittered through my stomach as we mounted the bike and headed back.

We moved along at a steady pace and I tried to stay calm. I kept my gaze on the road ahead and did my best to enjoy the solitude of the ride. Then I made the mistake of glancing up at the monstrous hill. I caught Ramos’s excitement and his determined focus to keep a steady increase of speed and getting in the right gear to make it to the top without slowing.

Starting up the steep hill, I held my breath and squeezed Ramos so tight that I could feel his stomach muscles clench. He leaned forward and I molded to his back. As we increased our speed and raced up the road, my butt slid to the back of the seat, and I tightened my leg muscles to push against the pegs with my feet, holding on for dear life.

Before I could blink my eyes open to see how much further we had to go, we soared up over the top. My stomach flip-flopped as we briefly left the pavement to land safely on the other side. Ramos let out a whoop, and I let out the breath I’d been holding.

As we continued down the road, Ramos relaxed into his seat, and I managed to scoot closer so I wasn’t hanging off the back of the motorcycle. The next few hills and valleys weren’t so steep, but still sent a thrill through my chest. I may have even let out a whoop or two of my own. As we reached the residential neighborhood, he patted my hands, and I finally loosened my steely grip. We took the rest of the ride back at a nice, leisurely pace.

By the time we pulled into Thrasher, I was calm and collected. Still, once I dismounted, I had to keep a hold of Ramos’s arm to make sure my legs didn’t give out. After he slid my helmet, jacket, and gloves into his trunk, I picked up his worry that maybe he’d pushed me a little too much. Had I been scared?

“Oh no. It was great. I loved it.”

He wasn’t convinced. “You sure?”

“Of course. It was really fun… most of the time… I mean.. I guess I was a little scared. That hill was crazy.”

“Yeah. We caught some air on that one.” He was thinking that was his favorite part of the ride. Well… that, and hearing me scream.

“What? I didn’t scream.”

He huffed and shook his head. “Yes you did. And you held on so tight, I might even have bruises on my ribs.”

I smacked him, but he just laughed. I couldn’t help it, and laughed right along with him. “Since it’s so late I’m going to take off, but thanks for the ride. It was amazing.”

He nodded, glad he’d been able to show me one of his favorite spots. “It’s supposed to turn cold tomorrow, so I’m glad we could go.”

“Yeah, me too. Hey… let’s go again in the spring. I’ll bet that waterfall is huge then.”

“You know… I’ve never seen it in the spring, but I’ll bet you’re right.”

We said our goodbyes and I hurried to my car.

Now you know why this cold snap doesn’t bother me as much as it normally would. All I have to do is remember that roller-coaster ride and all the thrills… and maybe a little screaming… and I’m good to go… especially since I know there will be more to come.

If there’s a motorcycle… I want to be on it.

Posted: March 5, 2021 in Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , ,
21

The only thing I don’t like about winter is that it’s too cold to go for a motorcycle ride.

But the days are getting longer and the temperatures are rising. Maybe that’s why I like spring so much. This last week was unusually warm, with the temps climbing up into the sixties. So naturally, I decided to be prepared yesterday when I went to Thrasher Development for a meeting with Uncle Joey. I made sure I had my leather jacket, along with some warm, black leather gloves in the back seat of my car. I even threw a scarf in there… just in case.

At the end of my meeting, I walked out to find Ramos leaving to run an errand for Uncle Joey. I ran to stop him, and breathlessly asked if he was taking the bike.

“Uh… it’s a little cold for that,” he said.

“It’s in the sixties… I just checked the weather app on my phone. That’s not too cold. I could go with you.”

His brows rose and he was thinking that I had no idea how cold I could get, but he could tell that I was desperate, and he kind of liked it. “Okay. But only if you brought something warm to wear.”

“You know I did.”

He shook his head. “All right. I need to get my gloves and coat. I’ll meet you in the garage.”

Barely containing my excitement, I hurried to my car to grab my things. I slipped on my leather jacket, wrapped the scarf around my neck a few times, and slipped on my gloves. Ramos came out of the elevator and stepped toward his motorcycle. Instead of his leather jacket, he wore a black parka. He also wore a pair of outer pants over his jeans, and he carried a pair a black leather gloves that fit halfway up his forearms.

As he pulled the cover off his motorcycle, I joined him, and he glanced at me with a critical eye. “I thought you had something warm to wear.”

“I do. See? I brought my jacket and gloves, and a scarf.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s enough.”

“Sure it is. It’s sixty-four degrees outside. I’ll be fine.”

He sighed. “Okay… but it’s not my fault if you get cold.”

“I’ll be riding behind you. It will keep me warm enough.” I almost said, I’m always hotter when I’m with you, but I kept that part to myself.

He popped the trunk of his car, and handed me my helmet before grabbing his own. Ready to go, he rolled the bike out of the space and started it up. Extending his arm toward me, I took hold of it, and swung my leg over the back to settle into the seat behind him. He made sure my feet were on the pegs, and my arms arounds his waist, before pulling out of the parking garage.

Just like always, a little thrill shot through me, and I couldn’t help the big smile that crossed my face. We pulled onto the street, and Ramos expertly maneuvered through traffic until we made it out of the busy city. He turned onto a frontage road and we stayed on it for several miles with only a few traffic signals to stop our progress.

That’s when I realized I had no idea where we were going, or how long it would take. Still… it hardly mattered since I was right where I wanted to be. Pretty soon, my nose started running, and I had to keep sniffing since I couldn’t wipe it. Not long after that, I noticed my toes were going numb. But that was nothing compared to my knees.

I took turns holding one hand over my kneecap while holding Ramos with the other. I did this several times, but it didn’t seem to help. How far were we going anyway? Pretty soon my eyes were watering from the cold, along with my nose, but under the full-sized helmet, I couldn’t wipe them. If we didn’t stop soon, I’d be a freezing cold mess.

Luckily, Ramos slowed and pulled onto a different road that led to a private airfield. It was another ten minutes to the airfield office, and I had begun to shiver. We finally came to a stop in front of the building, and Ramos helped me off the bike. I staggered a little and had to grab his arm to stand.

After he dismounted, he pulled off his helmet and glanced my way. “You okay?”

I nodded, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to pull my helmet off since I wasn’t sure how presentable I’d be.

“Let’s go in and warm up.”

I nodded again, and waited until he turned his back before I pulled off my helmet, and wiped my nose. I grabbed a tissue out of my purse and cleaned up my face, hoping I didn’t look too bad. Ramos held the door open for me and I could barely get my legs to move. I’d never been so stiff in my life.

Inside, Ramos greeted the manager who seemed surprised we’d ridden in on the bike. “Come on into the break room,” he said. “And have a cup of coffee. Looks like you need some warming up.”

He was looking at me when he spoke, thinking that, without the helmet covering my face, I would have frostbite for sure. I shuffled into the break room while Ramos took care of the business part of our visit. After pulling off my gloves, I poured a hot drink into the first mug I found, and wrapped my hands around it, reveling in the warmth.

Soon, Ramos joined me, pouring a cup and taking a few swallows. “Are you going to drink that?”

“Yes… I’m just getting my fingers warm first.”

He smirked. “Colder than you thought huh?”

“Yeah. I thought it was warm enough outside… guess I was wrong.”

“Yeah… it’s easy to underestimate.”

“What about you?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

“Sure.” He took my hands in his, surprising me at their warmth.

It gave me an idea. “Hey… do you mind putting your hands on my knees?”

His brows rose with surprise, but he did as I asked. “Holy hell. They feel like ice.”

I closed my eyes. “Oh… that feels so good. Thanks.” He held my knees for a few more minutes before the manager came in. The manager thought we looked funny sitting there with Ramos’s hands on my knees, but I didn’t care. I stifled a groan when Ramos let go to take the folder from the manager.

After sliding it into his messenger bag, Ramos glanced at me, hoping I was ready to go. Besides needing to get back, he was getting hot sitting there in his warm clothes. With a shake of my head, I finished off my drink, feeling marginally better. Standing, my frozen legs even held me up, and I could almost walk normally.

The ride back was a test of endurance. Ramos had offered me the use of his outer pants, but I’d refused, knowing he would take most of the brunt of the breeze. I tried tucking my knees in closer to his body, and that helped, but they were still nearly frozen solid by the time we got back.

After I staggered off the bike, Ramos shook his head, feeling sorry for me. He slipped our helmets into the trunk of his car, and glanced my way. “I tried to warn you.”

“I know. It’s not your fault.”

“Go home and get warm.” I nodded, but before I could move, he pulled me into a hug. His warmth felt amazing, and I couldn’t get over how he wasn’t freezing like me.

He let me go and I smiled up at him. “Thanks. I feel better now.”

“Good. Maybe we’d better wait until it’s a little warmer next time.”

“Yeah… you’re right.” I picked up that he regretted taking me, and he hoped it hadn’t put me off going on motorcycle rides with him. I chuckled. “Oh… you don’t need to worry about that. Sure, it was freezing cold, but I still enjoyed it.” He sent me that sexy smile of his that turned my insides to mush and I grinned back. “See you later.”

After I got home, it took two hours before my knees warmed up.

Still… I would do it again… only I’d be sure to wear warmer clothes… and snow pants on my legs.

But… with spring just around the corner, next time I wouldn’t have to.