This past weekend was Easter weekend. Last year the wife and I rode the Goldwing to Rehoboth Beach Delaware to view the Sunrise Service at the pavilion at the boardwalk.
Weather was looking OK to ride. In low 50's and dry on Saturday then Sunday with cloudy conditions and some chance of rain on in the afternoon.
Stayed at a motel just a mile or two from the boardwalk. Nice quiet place. After our five hours on the bike we both thought just getting there, resting and doing supper at Cracker Barrel would be about all we had left in us. BTW, picked up a six pack. What kind of motorcycle riders would we be if we didn't do in a couple of beers.
Set the alarm for 5:00 am so we could get up, have a cup of motel coffee and ride to the beach prior to the sun coming up. Got there and parked. People were working on the bandstand and others were just standing on the boardwalk waiting for the sun. You could see several tankers out in the ocean steaming towards the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. As the sun brightened the sky but still had not risen, my wife was taking several pictures on the view out towards the ocean. She took several and some were really artful.
Once the sun came up the band started playing and people were singing and all was right in the world. We walked over to the bandstand and viewed the ceremony for a while. We looked at each other and agreed how beautiful this morning was. It was so different from last year but yet very much the same by being the morning the resurrected Christ rose from the tomb. Wow!!
At that we decided to go back to get breakfast at the motel, rest for half an hour and start our ride home hoping to get there before the rain.
The ride home was nice, a little warmer than the day before, cloudy but comfortable in our long johns, chaps and winter riding jackets and gauntlet gloves. We did not however make it home without some rain. It started raining about an hour from home. Just lightly enough that we did not stop to put on our rain gear. At about 30 minutes from home on Route 83 North it started to pour. We still did not stop for rain gear because the large windshield and the fairing around the Goldwing parted the waters so to speak. When we did get home and reviewed the status of our clothing, nothing was soaked, in fact we were both relatively dry. The clothing was damp but no running water through our leathers onto our bodies.
This was a great ride and we are looking forward to doing this again next year. We were talking about scheduling this ride for the local chapter of the Gold Wing Road Riders club to see if any others would enjoy the beauty of the beach on Easter Morning.
As a shake down trip for my cross country trip in about two weeks I would say this ride proved the cycle's worthiness. The bike just turned 90,000 miles and I have a check up appointment next week to replace the rear tire and go over the bike one last time before starting out. I still have not decided on a route and will be looking for ideas these next two weeks.
As a casual aside, today I went to Lowe's for some home repair things and when checking out mentioned to the lady at the register that I was retired and in no hurry. She commented that she was new that day and was learning the cash register. She said she always felt in a hurry and would love to retire. I advised that I had been retired a short time but could definitely say I felt I was slowing down and enjoying all that life has to offer. She thought that was wonderful and mentioned she could not wait to retire also.
So until next time.
TTFN
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