After I got home from work yesterday, I noticed the alley was very clear. The temperatures had been near 50F degrees, and much of the ice was gone. I took a few minutes and cleared the block of dangerous ice from the driveway, and then took a spade to a few of the lingering bits between my house and the street. Then I took the bike out for a little carb-clearing spin around the neighborhood.

I stopped long enough to take a snap.

Earliest ride so far! Feb 17, 2001. Oh, yeah!

Except for the narrow wheel-ruts turned waterway in the alley, and the occasional splash zone near intersections, oh, and the giant potholes due to heavy freezing, the roads were clear. It was a little before 5PM, so there was just a little traffic on the road.

I took a not so speedy (due to congestion) trek up the freeway for an exit or two, swung over to the next road I knew went through towards home. I stopped by an abandoned car dealership to take the snap, and then returned home.

The closest to trouble came from other drivers, of course. To be fair, I'm sure none of them expected any motorcycles to be on the road in February (although after a week of 40F and 50F temperatures, some idiot had to give it a try, right?). Nothing more than any other day riding near the hapless nitwits that think they're the only one driving on some kind of obstacle course.

In the end, especially after being so brutally attacked by the alley earlier, it was a righteous ride.