I hadn’t been on the bike for quite some time due to being sick and then in the hospital with pneumonia. Not COVID… I was tested and it was negative. This was the weekend Road America was allowing attendance for the MotoAmerica races as well, but due to still not feeling 100% I opted not to attend, and even if I was feeling better, I probably wouldn’t attend anyway because it was in the 80s with very high dew points, and my body cannot handle this type of weather for long periods of time.
This was also a concern for me for a ride today, but the extended forecast is predicting 90s with dew points in the 70s for the next week and beyond. I of course opted for the air-flow jacket today. Given the extended forecast this also means I will not be partaking in a Fourth of July trip on the bike next weekend either. Sure wish our pool here was open, but still not due to COVID.
I stopped by Kevin's after a meeting in the morning, shortly before noon to check to see what his thoughts were for riding, and he suggested to go for some lunch at Karen’s Hip Hop Diner in Fox Lake. So I went home, made sure the bike would even start, and it did. Then changed, and upon leaving I noticed my bike was almost on E from the last time we rode. That meant a stop for gas at the nearest station on my way to Kevin’s and wholly buckets, even in the shade I was over-heating, and then the pump wasn’t cooperating. After fueling up it was quite the challenge trying to get back onto Hwy 23 by Menard’s. I was so relieved after we left Kevin’s to get out of town.
Due to our late start and needing to be in Oshkosh at 4:30, we didn’t take any back roads. Cty D through Oakfield to Hwy 49 into Waupun and then Hwy 68 to Fox Lake.
Karen’s was extremely busy. Good thing we were on the bikes or we would have had to park on the side street. Instead we were able to park behind the building in some shade, which was perfect for keeping the bikes cooler. We were seated inside because there wasn't any outside seating available. Inside was a large group who were extremely loud. Kevin could hardly hear me, nor me/him. Once I noticed an outside table became available I asked if we could take it. It felt comfortable enough to be outside since there was a nice breeze and being under the umbrella.
I planned a route home on mostly highways west, north and east from Fox Lake, and then Cty T. Although it was only a brief afternoon ride, we still put in 87 miles and I was very happy with that, including glad I opted to get in some seat time.
