If you went riding with the group on 178 around the middle of the summer (the weekend they the cops popped all those trucks for leaving trailers at the pull-offs) I finally have a photo online I can share with you guys. This isn’t one I took (seeing as how I’m in the photo), but it’s one another one of the girl’s (Summer) riding with us took. I was finally able to hunt down a copy from her.

Click for a slightly larger version.

DH got stuck today in something he didn’t want to ride in. He got stuck riding in the rain while out shopping for my Christmas present. (I asked for something like this Seagull lighting for the dining room.)

While riding in the rain may not be that big of a deal it is to hubby. He had a pretty nasty wreck back in August that happened because he got stuck in a downpour on the mountain on a very bad section of road. He ended up with a broken ankle and another foot that was badly beaten. He couldn’t walk without crutches for about 6 weeks.

I felt really bad for him because he basically had a panic attack when he got stuck in the rain today. He was about 45 minutes away from home when it started to sprinkle, so he tried to keep himself calm while he headed home. The closer he got to home the worse the rain was. He finally had to pull over because the rain started coming down so hard he decided it just wasn’t safe for him to ride any farther. It took him almost 2 hours to make the 45 minute trip.

I’m actually very proud of him for pulling over. Old DH would have “played” in the rain. He used to love riding in it, and although he was very conscientious about staying off the wet paint he wouldn’t let rain hold him back. When I would make remarks about going slow and being safe when he got stuck in the rain on the way home from work, he would tell me I was overreacting. It’s nice to see that he’s had a change of heart, and he’s taking his time now to ensure he makes it some safely.

You know what’s great about riding with other females who have been riding bikes for years? They always have an answer to my problems. One thing I won’t do is ride without my riding gear. I do have a textile 3 in 1 jacket that I can wear year round, or I can remove the rain and thermal liners for a nice breathable summer jacket. Unfortunately it doesn’t always provide the protection I need.

When I know I’m going to need extra protection I wear my leathers. I’ve got a 1 piece racing suit as well as the Icon Kitty Jacket and chaps that I wear when I’m not needing complete protection from the suit. I always have a problem with the leathers though. Being a large chested girl I have to buy my jackets a little large so I can stuff my boobs into them. That leaves extra room at the bottom leaving my stomach vulnerable to cold air in the winter.

One of my female riding friends has the same problem, and she gave me a great solution. She wears corsets under her riding jacket! Not only do they look super cool, but she can tie the corset as tightly around her stomach as she needs to prevent cold air from hitting her. I think I’ll have to pick up a corset so I can try this!

It looks like DH is indeed going to be stuck riding the bike to work for the next month. Thankfully he’ll have a little time off to recover from the cold ride during the holidays, but I found out today that the Blazer won’t even go to the shop for a thorough inspection until January 11. I could get it into another shop 45 minutes away on January 3rd, but I don’t know the shop nor do know what quality of work they do. I’m not sending my truck to a place I don’t know. I’d rather just wait it out.

On that note, DH has decided that with his recent record of wrecks we need to look into getting life insurance. He admits his bike wreck was poor judgment on his part, but the Blazer wreck just couldn’t be avoided. No matter how hard you try to stay safe, you just can’t protect yourself 100% of the time. Now I need to start looking at some life insurance quotes to find something that’s suitable for us but affordable.

The Blazer wreck has really set me back. I’ve got 6…well okay it’s midnight so 5 days until Christmas, and I’ve put off buying all my gift cards I’m giving out as presents until the last minute. I still haven’t gotten anything for my Grandparents. I think they would like one of the dehumidifiers I checked out, but now I don’t think I’m even going to be able to afford the rest of my Christmas presents thanks to having to come up with my deductible. Insurance companies suck!