How hot is it?

 

 

Yeah, the line, once again, from a Johnny Carson bit.  Seems I've mentioned the heat more this summer than in the past.  We go north in the summer to escape that Texas heat.  It has been warmer than usual in South Dakota.  And, from what I see from the weather weasels, it has been hotter in most places.  Record-breaking heat is forecast for most of the next week in the western US.

Local schools are releasing kids at 1:00 today, due to the heat.

I got out before 8:30 on my motorcycle, after walking Rufus and getting in a bicycle ride.  I stayed on back roads, where you feel the cool air in the valleys.  Only one stupid person on the road today: a guy in a white pickup with Florida plates stopped on one of the curves on Iron Mountain Road.   Then, he slowly pulled over to the side of the road and stopped again.  I assumed he was letting me get around him - he wasn't.  As soon as I started around him, he pulled back into the lane again.  And stopped.  Again.  I could see his mouth hanging open in his rear view mirror; I wondered if he was having a medical emergency.  He rolled forward 50 feet or so, to the opening of a parking area... and stopped again.  On the road.  At this point, I stayed put behind him - I wasn't going to give him the opportunity to swerve nearly into me again.  Then, he drove forward another 50 feet or so and pulled into the "Exit Only" opening to the parking area.  He was no longer my problem.

The rest of the ride was uneventful since the traffic was light.  Not even much going the other way.  Once off Iron Mountain Road, I stopped at a shady spot in Keystone to get get a drink of water... important to stay hydrated on these hot days.  A guy on the boardwalk there stopped about 6 feet away and just stared as I backed the bike in, turned it off, opened my helmet, and got into my trunk to get some water.  When I was ready to leave again, he was still there.  Still staring.  I said to him, "You look like you might have a question."

He said, "Me?  No, I was just looking at your motorcycle.  I always wanted one.  Are you really from Texas?  That's a long ways away."

I chuckled and said, "We live in the very southern part of the state, and it is a long ways just to get out of Texas.  It's hot here today - it'll be even hotter there.  I'm just glad to be where I can enjoy the riding."

He told me to "Be safe," then his wife told him it was time to move on.  Back to enjoying the ride.

:-)