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The Rocky Mountains can get a lot of snow during these winter months, but eventually we get a mid-season dry spell. A couple times each winter, a high pressure system parks itself over Utah and we get sunny days, moderate temperatures and no snow for a week or so at a time. We finally got ours this past week. After snow almost every week for a month, the streets are dry a clear. Time to get back in the saddle and knock off some of the rust.

The only drawback to the dry spell is an inversion. This unpleasant phenomenon manifests as the gradual decline of air quality and temperature over a period of several days. The lack of storms (ie …. wind) causes cold air to be trapped near the ground by a blanket of relatively warmer air above. The mountains surrounding the area act like a bowl and keep the cold air from escaping. Eventually the air gets stagnant and pollution starts to build until a breeze blows it out of the valley. This is basically what LA experiences all the time due to the cooler air moving in off the Pacific Ocean, trapped by the warmer desert air spilling over the Sierra Nevada mountains.

But I digress. The point here is that I’ve been able to commute to work on a motorcycle for the entire week. And for someone who gets the jitters after going more than a week or two without a moto-fix, it’s a godsend. Even though it’s been only a bit above freezing, the heated grips and vest makes the riding tolerable. Of course there are still a few icy spots and cagers aren’t expecting to see two-wheelers this time of year, but all in all, it’s good to be leaning into the turns again.

For the most part, I don’t mind the winter ’cause it gives me a break from riding and that helps renew my attitude when the weather gets nice again. I also get a chance to catch-up on my wrenching and save some cash for whatever that next purchase might happen to be. I kinda like snow skiing too. But it feels great to be scootin’ around again for a little while until that next snow storm blows through.

Rhino