To the Cape and back

We retrieved Maria's '94 K75S from Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles in Cape Girardeau, Mo., this morning.

We were up at 6 a.m. and on the road by 7:25 a.m., arriving at Grass Roots sometime around 9:30 a.m.

Maria entertained Cleo, the shop dog, while I settled up. The bill was  more than expected (of course): $421. But that's about all we've spent on maintaining that bike in the past five years, so I guess we  can't complain.

I'm way out of practice when it comes to riding in chilly weather, having been spoiled by the 10-month riding season here in northeast Arkansas. I figured I would be comfortable in the low 50s with a turtleneck, Gerbings heated jacket liner and BMW Savanna jacket and pants. I also had my Gerbings heated gloves, but chose not to plug them in because they get too hot in all but the coldest weather. Hah!

The heated liner generated a pathetic amount of heat and I felt uncomfortably chilly for the first 96 miles of the ride, which took us to the Dairy Queen in Kennett, Mo., hometown of Cheryl Crow. Fortunately, Maria had brought her new Columbia fleece jacket, which she lent me for the rest of the ride. It made a huge difference.

It I'd had my wits about me, I would have worn one of my windstopper pullovers over the turtleneck, and then my old First Gear TKO jacket with the Gerbing-wired liner, which performs way better than the stand-alone liner.

We got home about 1:30 p.m., in plenty of time to get down to the paper by 3:30 p.m. to photograph trick-or-treaters in their costumes for a couple of hours.