2nd last ride of the year

[The Masons]

Saturday at 11:00 hr the temperature had reached a scorching 8C (45F), with 
a weatherman promising 12C (54F).  I decided to take a short ride to warm up 
the engine to change the oil.
I put on my cold weather gear including the electric vest.  Still haven't 
installed the grip heaters.  I planned to run to Eganville over to Doulass, 
Renfrw and home about 120 km.  Everything was going good at Eganville so I 
changed plans and headed out the Augsburg road to Ruby, Brudenell, and 
Combermere.  Combermere was my 2nd planned return point but I kept going to 
Maynooth, then the Peterson Road to Harcourt, Wilberforce and on to 
Bancrcoft.
Almost all the leaves have fallen there were just some traces of oak leaves 
showing their brassy glow amid the barren grey hardwoods and dull green 
conifers.  I had to be ever vigilant for deer as the season openned last 
Monday and the hunters are chasing them across roads.
I headed out of Bancroft on 28 then took the Boulter road at McArthur Mills. 
This brought me back to Combermere where I was hoping I could scrouge soup 
and a sandwich from my brother in law (in payment for the truck load of 
split firewood he scrouged from me).  He wasn't home so I headed along the 
Madawaska River, through Palmer Rapids, Latchford bridge to Quadeville. 
There's not much to Quadeville just a double "T" intersection.  I was on 
512, stopped at the Letter Kenny Road (Quadeville's main drag which is about 
100 meters long having a restaurant, a chip (French Fry) truck that's closed 
for the season and a gas station/general store.  I turned right onto the 
Letter Kenny road and then left onto 512 again.
When I got to the sign saying 50 kph ends I hit the throttle.  The engine 
reved up bu the bike didn't accellerate.  I backed off on the throttle and 
the bike picked up some speed, so I hit the throttle again and again a lot 
of engine noise but no increased velocity--its like I had a Harley.  I gave 
it gas once more and it was then I realized that the frost was coming out of 
the pavement and I was riding on ice.  I was afaid to try to turn around so 
I just continued at a sedate pace.  The hot tires were sticking to the 
frozen road ok and any where the sun got at the road the forst was gone.  I 
had about 20 km (13 miles) of this until I got to Cormac at the bottom of 
Foy's Mountain.
1/2 an hour later I was home, had lunch then changed the oil and filer on 
the bike filled the tank with gas and 60 ml (2 oz) of stabilizer.
Yesterday I rode the 32 km to Westmeath and parked the bike in the garage 
for the winter.

Jim
Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day --Harry S. Trueman