Hidden Treasures Along the Way

Fall has been good to us so far.

We have definitely stayed busy and have had some downs (mostly Nate struggling with pain in his back) but overall it's been a great time.  We even got a camping trip in with our friends Jon and Holly.  The photo above is from the park we were camping at.  The weather couldn't have been any more perfect.  Warm during the day and cooled off just enough at nice for perfect sleeping.  We took a walk around the campground and checked out the lake.  I really enjoy the colors of fall and the smell of fall.  That great dry leaf smell when you step outside and take a deep breath, you literally smell fall in the air.

I had a great drive up when I went to visit my family this weekend and had a good amount of time to soak in the sun as the beams where shining in through the windshield.  Nice dry roads and the hum of the tires  to sooth away any tenseness in the muscles.  We have been having those perfect days that warm up just enough during the day but cool down nicely at night so that we just this week broke out the winter comforter again much to my delight!  Oh boy, do I love to cozy up under that thick warm comforter!  We have to be careful not to cook Nate however, so I let him make the judgment call to determine when it's cold enough for it.  Until then, I layer blankets on my side of the bed.

I'm also looking forward to a small road trip to Ohio this weekend.  We are going to visit family and plan to leave Friday afternoon once I finish work and Nate finishes class.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather stay as delicious as it has been the last few days.

Road trips are always a fun time for us to talk and dream together, to listen to a new album or new Vinyl Cafe, to pop into an undiscovered coffee shop or lunch stop.

Here's hoping we find a hidden treasure along the route this weekend.

From Icy Toes to Iced Coffee

Just this last weekend we checked the temperatures which were hovering around 50 degrees and quite chilly, looked at the motorcycle, and then looked at each other.

"You wanna go?"

"Let's do it!"

And the next 15 minutes found me pulling out and putting on:
a long pair of leggings, long underwear, pair of jeans, pair of wind pants, tank top, long sleeve t-shirt, long sleeve turtleneck, winter coat, 2 pairs of socks, tall boots, two pairs of gloves, scarf, toque, and helmet with a face shield.

I found out last fall it's impossible to overdress (for me at least) when taking a cool fall ride.  The more I have on, the merrier the ride will be.  The only complication comes from not being able to bend as easily.  The trick of swinging on and off the bike can get more interesting the more layers I have on.  But every layer is still worth every modified movement!

We had it in our heads that we might take a little longer ride but ended up traveling and hour or so out, took a break for lunch (soup and a bagel)  and then rode the hour or so back.  The sun came out for short bursts the last 5 minutes before we got back home and within 30 min of returning all the clouds had dispersed and the sunshine was in full swing.  That being said,  it was still lovely to see the turning fall colors, pumpkin patches, and people out and about doing their fall yard work.  We passed signs reading "Mums for Sale", "Pups for Sale", and "Pumpkins for Sale".

Upon our return we were both tired and I couldn't feel a few of my toes, but I had a strong sense I wouldn't lose any to frost bite and just figured it would be good to curl up on the couch in some sweats (just one pair) while the feeling returned.

Fast forward 2 days and I'm in the McDonald's drive-thru ordering an iced coffee to cool down while I'm on the road for work.  What a difference a few days make.  The fall temperature changes are always unpredictable, but I'm happy to be back in the 70's this week.  I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe we might even get in one more warm weather ride!