H is for Honda!

While the cat’s away, this mouse will play! Last week, I was given the gift of freedom when I was lent a Honda by my favorite cook. He was heading to Anchorage and thought I would like to get out and about. His wife, not knowing I’d ridden one before, was worried that I would crash. I reassured her that while I’m from Jersey that I know how to ride a honda. Before they left, I was given the orders to “ride the hell out of it”, so that’s what I planned to do.

However, mother nature had some other plans in place and of course the first three days after I got the honda were rainy, windy, and cold. Knowing that it sat in the shed, waiting to be ridden, was killing me. Finally, on Friday I was able to take it out for about an hour and I was like a kid on Christmas. I flew down the beach, simply enjoying the fact that I could do so. I think I could have gone up and down the beach for hours and it wouldn’t have gotten boring. 

My plan had been to get out for a few hours on Saturday, but of course luck was not in my favor. When I went out to start it up I encountered a problem; it wouldn’t start.. After trying unsuccessfully for about 15 minutes in which the weather had taken a turn for the worse, I retreated back to my house. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Having the honda in front of my house, right in my sight, and knowing that I could not ride it was torture. 

While I don’t like to bother anyone out here, especially on the weekends, I also knew that I couldn’t sit back and waste away my Sunday inside. I went out and gave it my best shot at starting it up and again had no luck. So I texted the mom who owns the dog that I run with and asked if her husband could spare any time at all to take a look at it. Within minutes, he was knocking at the door and had already begun to give the honda a charge. After a few minutes, he was able to get it started and instructed me to let it run for a little while before heading out. I thanked him over and over again and then I ran inside to get on some warm clothes on. I can’t describe how excited I was that he had been able to get it running. 

Twenty-five minutes later, I was cruising down the beach, in the direction that you can only travel with on a honda. Down the beach a little ways sits a group of houses that belong to the set-netters who come to fish over the summer. I’ve wanted to get down to see these houses since I got here in August. Better late than never right? I drove around and snapped some pictures (which we all know by now means too many) and then went to ride around the village. During my ride, I ran across some of my students who were clam digging which was cool to see. I was also able to watch about 30 or so beluga whales swimming in the bay. Watching them never gets old. I still can’t believe that I can see them on almost any given day!

It was raining and pretty cold so I only stayed out for two hours. My co-op thought I was crazy for going out in the rain, but she also understand my need to get out and explore. By the time I got home I couldn’t feel my fingers (I had gloves but didn’t take my really warm ones out), but it was worth it. I am hoping that I’ll be able to keep it until this weekend so that I can get out again. Seeing as how I’m the first to drive the honda since fishing season, I don’t think this will be a problem. It’s blowing rain right now as I write this, so fingers crossed that the weather clears up a bit before then!