Chillin Wind

February 8, 2000

I got asked a question the other day which prompted me to do a bit of research on the web...

The way it is explained by the TV weatherman, or lady, or wannabe as the case may be, is that when the wind blows, it makes it seem colder that the number on that thermometer hanging outside my window.

Now, I needed a TV anchor person to know that. Really I did...

So here are a couple of sample numbers:

Temp 27 degrees Fahrenheit and a wind of 50 miles per hour = a wind chill of -11.4 degrees Fahrenheit, or if your are of the Celsius persuasion, -24.1.

Crank the speed up a bit, to say 80 mph, and the wind chill gets colder.

All that to answer the question, "Have you ridden your motorcycle lately?"

I think the question was asked with a corresponding though, of course not. Hey, it's very winter here, and if you were dumb enough to ride a motorcycle when it was 27 degrees out, you would probably get cold quickly.

Well... I though so too, so when I had a few spare moments on Christmas day, and the sun was shining, I figured, why not put all that cold weather ski gear to the test.

Besides, everyone knows that you gotta go for a ride now and then, all dem parts gotta get lubricated.

Well, the cold weather gear passed, sort of. I can only stay out at 27 degrees for about 20 or 30 minutes, but hey, in 90 days or so, we should be in the middle of a full blown spring.

Meanwhile, I've ridden about 3 times since Christmas day. I just got out again on Sunday, after about 6 weeks of wishing, because it's the first time the streets in my subdivision have been without snow. The way I look at it, it was 30, and that's warmer than it was on Christmas day.

Yep, wind chills. A warming trend is on the way. I just wish I could get those fingers warm after a ride.