My first ride of 'aught nine

Thank goodness for Louis and all the fine folks at Roy's Repair, and for the (brief?) respite the Twin Cities have experienced from the bitter cold of winter. WeatherBug reported 40 degrees Fahrenheit when R2 and I set out from my garage at 5 p.m. today -- gingerly crossing the most dangerous stretch of road I encountered, between my garage door and the curb, laden with slabs of slick melting ice.

And so, having reached the wet but grippy pavement of Garfield Avenue, I began my first -- and earliest yet -- ride of the year, delivering R2 for an annual check-up and some mods in preparation for the big departure, not to mention the riding I hope to pack in between now and then.

Thankfully, the journey was uneventful, except to remind me how inexplicably damn much I love riding a motorcycle. Happy journeys to you, wherever, however and whenever you take them.