Summer Is Over...

[Paduan]

Summer is just a memory in Fairbanks.

It was 33F this morning. The ride was nice, but cool.

The smoke is beginning to clear a little. That's good.

It's time to break out the fleece underlayers.

I'm leaving for a 10 day fishing expedition tonite, so I will let you all have a little relief from my rants.

[JustJake]

Have a great time

[remy_marathe]

Sounds awesome, except for the part about the cold. I don't miss that one bit. But ten days of fishing...
A "woot" would be inappropriate. A smiley sitting on his ass, going "aaaaaaaaahhhhhh" with a fishing rod in one hand and a beer in the other. I AM envious.

[TeknoGTI]

That some pictures of those Lime Fish. :) :razz: Have fun on your trip. :chopper:

[midknyte]

Summer is over...

Are you sure about that (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050818/ap_on_go_co/climate_change_alaska_2) ?

[Bobthearch]

The end of summer here is good news. The Texans go home and I get my quiet, deserted highways back. :)

-Bob

[Paduan]

The end of summer here is good news. The Texans go home and I get my quiet, deserted highways back. :)

-Bob
Good news here too.

All the tourists will run for their lives.

Then we don't have to play RV slalom.....

[GundamPilotX]

Paduan,

Have fun!!!

If you like summer that much, come to Texas--it's "Summer" 8 months out of the year.

[RockyMtnRoadRash]

If you like summer that much, come to Texas--it's "Summer" 8 months out of the year.

Yeah, but then you gotta live in Texas. :P

[GundamPilotX]

RockyMtnRoadRash,

Ah, it's not so bad. The only thing I don't like is...IT'S HOTTER THAN HELL 8 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR!!!

:ugly_tock

[Paduan]

If you like summer that much, come to Texas--it's "Summer" 8 months out of the year.
Spent a week in Corpus Christi last November.

Thought I was gonna die....

[yossarian]

school starts monday... :(

This is California so weather wise we just have Summer and slightly chilly.

[Smitty]

Not happy to read of this or even think of it. I lost almost a month in part of June & July when I had an inner-ear-infection & so loss of balance.

Even this morning I noted it was quite a bit cooler sunny & all. To where from now on I might be tossing on a light sweat shirt over my T-shirt & then the riding jacket FOR once I am headed back it will be warmer & off with the sweat shirt.

[Bobthearch]

If you think the Texans are thick in New Mexico and Colorado, you should see them in Texas! They're everywhere!
:)

Fortunately, most Dallas commuters aren't driving RVs.
-Bob

[asp125]

It's coming up on the best time for riding in the Rockies. Finally done with the heat, cool enough for leathers, and in a month the aspens start turning golden.

[remy_marathe]

Got me to picturing that crisp Minnesotan fall air, and getting a little homesick. Summer always did go too fast, though, and it's a fast slide from lovely fall (the best of all seasons) to miserable, kill-your-housemates winter.
You guys should migrate. The warm season's just beginning anew here, now that the marine layer's intruding less. Anyone who says you can't get something for nothing never switched to a more southern climate.

[Paduan]

Got me to picturing that crisp Minnesotan fall air, and getting a little homesick. Summer always did go too fast, though, and it's a fast slide from lovely fall (the best of all seasons) to miserable, kill-your-housemates winter.
You guys should migrate. The warm season's just beginning anew here, now that the marine layer's intruding less. Anyone who says you can't get something for nothing never switched to a more southern climate.
Upon retirement, which should be within the next few years, I will be migrating between Naples, Florida and Valdez, Alaska.

Probably something like October thru March in Florida.

Looking forward to becoming a "snowbird".

[MaxiScoot]

Summer's over, huh? It was 105F here today. Send some of that cool air this way!

Enjoy your trip! I look forward to your fish tales when you return.

[Mer]

RockyMtnRoadRash,

Ah, it's not so bad. The only thing I don't like is...IT'S HOTTER THAN HELL 8 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR!!!

:ugly_tock Yea, but we can ride year round. Oh yea!!

[Smitty]

As a retired fruit orchardist I can say we always counted on the sunny days PLUS the cool evenings for the colour of the apples.

Mind you Autumn is a pretty time of the year to ride & especially in the North Eastern parts of the USA & North Southern parts of Cdn for the colour from the hard wood trees is something to see.

I have to admit, being born & lived in Western Cdn, all my life I never realized the amazing colour till I went twice to Ontario to road race in latter August & early Septemeber & the colours were simply breath-taking. Mind you not to bad in these part of the Cdn Rockies either & I have to admit Autumn is my prize time to ride for like others have said the tourists start to go away & we are left to the roads without line-ups of RVs, 5th wheels, campers, small trailers, boats on trailers & such.

[Triumph]

Summer can't leave fast enough. These 95 degree days are killing me. I long for the comfort of 20 degree weather and cool crisp air. Snow is welcome, too. I'll ride till it gets down to about 30 or whenever the bike has too much trouble getting started.

Summer is overrated in most regions of the country.

[Smitty]

Weather like that Triumph forces me to spend 30 minutes or more getting into warm riding gear & then the idea of honking it along the mtn roads at 100 to 120mph is a no-no due to the chill factor, so most you can do is ride to work & back, possibly to a m/c shop or to a drinking joint. It is NOT the wearther for a day's ride to be 5 to 8 hrs. Besides even at temperatures you mention once on the hwys I am cooled off due to the pace & the wind.

[Triumph]

True, winter isn't the ideal riding time, but just in general, I prefer colder temperatures. This heat is torture. I don't know why people are so attracted to it.

[x_cuesme]

I saw a brown, dead leaf on the road today and did "the happy dance"- 'fall' has got to be around the corner somewhere....

True, predicted heat index for tomorrow is 100- I'm with Triumph, I like it COLD!

We can normally squeeze in 8 months of riding here, too- granted, one or two of those is a bit 'slower'- with fall/early winter the absolute BEST time to ride!

[azpenguin]

I'm just waiting for September... the town starts waking up soon after September 1st. The heat is still there, and we're still getting into triple digits. But there just seems to be less of an edge to it, and the nights finally start getting a little cooler. Football season starts. The hummingbirds start migrating, and in some places a dozen will fight for a feeder. Later in the month highs in the 90s are the norm and not the exception to the rule. That's when the hope starts here that the summer is over. (This July was the hottest month ever in the area's history. It's been a brutal summer.)

But leaves? Nah, the leaves out this way don't start dropping until late November/early December. ;)

[Triumph]

Where are you in AZ, penguin? I've spent a lot of time out in Yuma, and although it is freakin' hot in the summer, the winter months are actually quite nice. The scenery is definitely great, too, but not too many roads that curve.

[azpenguin]

I'm in Tucson. The winter months are awesome for riding indeed. And you definitely got that right about twisty roads. Yuma? What in the world takes you to that God-forsaken place? The only thing Yuma holds for most of us is the promise of a gas stop on the way to San Diego...

[Missy B]

But leaves? Nah, the leaves out this way....

OK, Tucson native....

There arent LEAVES out this way. They are needles. :mrgreen: :slap:

You'll find real leaves in Durango. ;)

[Chrystal]

Have fun on the trip!!

[Smitty]

Nice bright sunny day YET I put a light sweat shirt over my T-shirt along with my heavy fabric jacket & yes it was needed along with the zippers to be done up. Now 2.5 hrs later on I had removed the sweat-shirt & was able to ease off the top of the front zipper----------so signs of it getting cooler.

Next step will be a heavier sweat-shirt then next will be long sleeved mogue jersy along with the heavy sweat shirt & soon after that, since I have ALSO switched over to heavier JR fabric trousers to-day it will be a set of double cotton drawers to help me stay warm.

Like the cold can move in to fast ESPECIALLY in the morning like 8:00 t o 8:30am or evenings like 8:00 pm. So in that case you can pretty well start counting how many days you can ride in September (though many "good riding weather riders" will have put their bikes away for '05) & in valleys like this one in the Cdn Rockies it will not be unheard of to find all the passes over the mtns will be closed for a day or so due to snow & same will come to haunt us late in September & often the roads will be darn cold & parts continually shadowed by trees to other Mtns can also mean BLACK ICE.

[PerrydaSavage]

Paduan, ... feels like summer is over as well here in Newfoundland (which BTW has been described as the "Eastern Alaska" ...). Had some pretty nice sunny, warm weather these past few months, but it's been raining now for 5 days straight and the temps have dropped off to the low 50's ... forecast is for a return to summer for the weekend ... but I'll believe it when I see it (or at least feel it ...).

[Paduan]

26F this morning, nice coating of frost on everything.

Leaving tomorrow morning for 9 days up in the mountains.

The Annual Red Meat Hunting Trip.

Moose, caribou, bears - yummy.

[remy_marathe]

If you end up with entirely too much meat, let me know and I'll give you an address you can ship it to. Call it the freezerspace relief fund.

I do what I can.

[Chrystal]

Leaving tomorrow morning for 9 days up in the mountains.

The Annual Red Meat Hunting Trip.

Moose, caribou, bears - yummy.

Nice!

Hope it goes a little better for you than the fishing trip from hell.

Be sure tell us how it when you get back.

Who knows, maybe I'll be the first one to repond.

[Paduan]

If you end up with entirely too much meat, let me know and I'll give you an address you can ship it to. Call it the freezerspace relief fund.

I do what I can.
I acknowledge your offer of help, but must decline.

Our party, 3 others and myself, always give any "excess" meat to the nearest native villages.

This is always much appreciated, because they still depend partly upon a subsistence lifestyle.

Wasting game meat is a felony in Alaska. And a sin against nature.

[remy_marathe]

Anyone else feel like a bad person after reading the things Paduan does for his fellow man?

[Paduan]

I spent a year as a Paramedic for the Alaska Smokejumpers.

We often set up base camps next to the villages.

We were treated with such respect and hospitality that I can spend the rest of my life and never repay that debt.

[Paduan]

Nice!

Hope it goes a little better for you than the fishing trip from hell.

Be sure tell us how it when you get back.

Who knows, maybe I'll be the first one to repond.
You will be the first person I contact....