A Glimpse of Fall on a Winter Day

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The weather in South Carolina has been mild for the most part this winter.  Riding a motorcycle here is quite the treat, since you can ride almost all year long.  The roads are not in great condition, thanks to our politicians' graft and corruption, but the climate is just about ideal.

The scenery is nice too.  We live in the Piedmont -- which means the foot of the mountain; the Blue Ridge Escarpment -- so there are some nice hills and twisty roads winding through them.

In the fall, I took a short ride up to Whitewater Falls in the Jocassee Gorge area, just into North Carolina on SC-130.  It is one of my favorite destinations, as you can tell if you have followed this blog for any time at all.  The roads are good, the curves are somewhat challenging, and the falls are picturesque.

The pictures along the road show the fall colors well.  Those colors were to be gone just a few days afterward, and they will not return again for several months.

Here are some highlights.

This fellow coming the other way reached our so far that I almost could have touched him if I had been a little further to the left in my lane.  

 He seemed particularly enthusiastic about his ride that day.  It was an ideal time to be out on two wheels. 
 

Since that ride of just over a hundred miles back in early November, those leaves have fallen, but the temperatures have been very warm on many days -- sometimes into the mid 60s!  I have ridden quite a bit since then.

Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of rain in January and early February, and now the temperatures have taken a dramatic turn downward.

Take a look at today.

We don't often get snow, but it is now 32 degrees and the low is to be about 28 tonight.

No riding for a few days, I'm afraid.  

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Pretty, Even in Winter

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Here is South Carolina, you can ride almost all year long.  The temperature and rain/snowfall are generally compatible with riding on most winter days.

We have had a lot of rain this year, but it seems to have tapered off, so I went out for a ride this week. 

Recall that I live near the Blue Ridge Escarpment, so there are many roads that climb into the mountains to the north.  I didn't go into the mountains on this ride though.  I only went a hundred miles or so on some of our flatter back roads, but I noticed that the sky and scenery were quite pretty.

The temperature was in the low forties so I bundled up and was glad to have the heated grips and handlebar muffs already installed.  Those, along with good insulation elsewhere, allowed me to brave the cold and gusty wind.

Here are a few snapshots of the scenery today.

A little overcast yonder, but no rain is forecast.

I forgot to turn off the GoPro at a bathroom break -- again.

I didn't see any other bikers, but it was a great day to be out.

Hope to see you on the road this winter.
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Clouds on a Brisk Winter Day

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Yesterday, I went out for a few hours of riding.  We can usually ride all winter long here because of the moderate temperatures in South Carolina.

Although we certainly get cold weather, snow, and ice, it is usually gone in a few days, and the roads are once again calling to those who ride on two wheels.

The day's temperature started out in the mid-40s, so I bundled up, started the bike, turned on the grip heaters, and took off for parts unknown.  The weather was overcast when I first went out, so I didn't go anywhere that might otherwise offer a distant view, like the highest point in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain, or Caesar's Head.

Instead, I just meandered around in the lowlands and headed for Poinsett Bridge.  That is an old stone bridge used by stagecoaches.  I have visited there many times, and it is a picturesque sight.

As I ventured along on my meandering route, I noticed that the clouds were not as gray, and that there were patches of blue scattered about.  Some of the blue was, in fact, brilliant blue.

And the clouds became a panorama of beauty that changed as time passed and as my direction turned.

I could hardly keep my eyes on the road, in fact, for all the sights to be seen in the sky.

See what you think.

Two crescents of blue

But still mostly gray

More blue

And still more

Look at the pattern of those clouds in the center

Looks like billows of cotton

Sand on the road ahead, left over from the recent snow

And another pattern comes into view

What a display!

Following a yellow Goldwing for a while

More variations

Little clumps of clouds

Table Rock beneath the clouds

The water tower in Easley, the town where I live

Low speed practice on an empty court

 I only rode about a hundred miles, but the sky was the best part of the ride today.  

God is certainly a great artist. 

Don't you agree?


More clouds:

• Early Christmas Morning 2010 Ride

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