Full Frog

I went full frog today.

Normally, when there's a possibility of rain, I'll hold out, wait to see if I can make it through the storm, tough it out, and enjoy the ride with an open faced helmet and without the Frog Toggs, generally accepted as some of the best wet weather riding gear by motorcycle aficionados. But when I left Troy, New York this morning, home of the original Uncle Sam, statue above, there was no doubt that I'd have to go full frog, closed helmet, full wet gear.

This was disconcerting as my motorcycle generally elicits comments of "Hey is that the bat cycle?" The black Victory Cross Country, almost 1800 CCs of raw V-Twin muscle, exudes the vibe of "Hey, I'm Batman."

My Frog Togg gear, especially with the lime-green protective vest for high visibility, exudes more of a "Hi ho! Kermit the frog here..." vibe. Uncool. But it is what it is, as they say, and to follow another cliche, you don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. It was going to rain and it would be cold.

It was time to hunker down, pay the price for all the relatively nice weather I'd had up to that point, minus the generally horrid day before. Today would be different, nasty, even worse than the day before, wet and worst of all, cold. The Frog Toggs would add yet another layer, and as it turned out, they helped but not too much. If I had had my actual cold riding gear, the heated top plugged into the bike's 12 volt charge, I would've been much more agreeable to the weather, comfortable even. But as I rode through Buffalo, New York, with signs everywhere to go see Niagara Falls, instead of making the turn to see the majestic views, taking the detour, I huddled into the Toggs and counted the number of miles it would take to get to the Knific's, my next stay.

Glenn and Mary Ellen Knific were my hosts for the evening and we had a great time in their beautiful house in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. They fed me well, steak - medium rare, thank you - and we imbibed in libations, a BV, Rutherford, and then a wonderful Napa Cabernet for me. The perfect way to warm the blood after a cold, brutal ride from New York through Pennsylvania and finally into Ohio.

I'm lying low in Cleveland for a couple of days looking to take in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow. The weather should be grand and I'm hoping to recuperate in time for my next push into Wisconsin.