small houses 02

location: hwy 49, between auburn and grass valley, ca
a couple years ago i was working at a job where i travelled all around northern california. one morning i had to head up to grass valley from sacramento and i figured i'd take my little honda cb360. the weather forecast mentioned spotty showers throughout the day, but as i woke up that morning and went outside, the sky looked mostly clear. so i loaded my stuff for the ride and the overnight that i would do up there and headed out. at the time i didn't have real riding gear. i'd usually put on some thermal underwear if it was cold, and then jeans and a t-shirt over that. i had a decent leather jacket though and a pair of doc martens boots.
the ride started out beautifully. it was cool and grey and occasionally i felt a little spit from the passing clouds, my favorite conditions. but as i moved off hwy 193 and onto n49 the spit started to turn into a more constant drool. my helmet was an old open face and i was wearing cheap imitation halcyon goggles that didn't really shed the rain. so every few seconds i had to lift my hand from the grip and wipe each lens with my left finger. this worked for a while, until finally the steady rain opened up and started coming down hard. i lifted up my goggles and spotted a little road that turned off the highway and pulled over. i looked up the road and there was a little shelter. so i rode up and parked inside.
it couldn't have been a more perfect gift at the time. here were me and my little bike, both ill-equipped for the pounding storm, and suddenly a refuge. at first i was a little upset, i was on this business trip. and now i was running late because of a little weather. but sometimes it's good to stop, even when it isn't our choice. i stood there checking out the beautiful rolling mist coming over the green hills as cars raced by on the wet pavement. i studied this little structure that was now my temporary dwelling, no doubt a place where the local kids waited for the school bus on days like these. surprising how dry it was. yeah, sometimes it's good when we get stopped. we're forced to just look at things.
anyway, the rain finally lifted enough for me to head out again. by the time i got to grass valley i was pretty well soaked, but i felt like i had earned the journey. now with some decent gear, i regularly ride in the rain with no ill effects, which is great, but there's something raw about being in direct contact with the elements. on another trip up to gv (a little sunnier this time) i stopped and snapped this photo as a reminder to stop and take a look around every once in a while.