Does riding in fog make you nervous or feel unsafe?

Two days in a row of the thin gray fog of morning.  At the same time it’s quieting yet exciting.  For me at least.  Out of the house an hour early just so I could explore a world shrouded in gray in hopes of seeing an elf or unicorn, the boundless thoughts of young unfurled by fog.

I love it so.

But fog does not engender those reactions in everyone.  Some feel nervous riding amidst the diminished visibility while others will never venture out of the driveway.

Fog makes the world fat with possibility.  Predictability are shrouded in secrecy behind the thin gray fog.  Imagination fills in the blanks painting a canvas of serenity or terror depending on the artist’s state of mind and experience.  One rider’s heaven is another’s hell.

I’m in heaven as I witness the quiet splendor of a local park.  I’m no longer in central Pennsylvania, I’m at the edge of the moor, or at the edge of the Brandywine in Middle Earth.  There is nothing mature or adult in my transformation.  I’m free to let go.  I’ve traveled far even though this scene is only a few hundred yards from my front door, a place I pass each day on my way to work.

Heading up a forest road left the fog behind as the Vespa moved toward the sunlight burning away the grayness.  As inviting as the road ahead seemed I turned around to be lost in the murk.

Riding in fog requires some extra attention and consideration of what’s actually happening in terms of visibility and making choices accordingly.  I was asked if riding in fog ever makes me nervous?  The answer is yes but seldom.  I can remember two times I was concerned about being on the road in the fog.  And both times was because of the severity of the fog — thick pea soup where I could literally now see more than 50 feet in front of me.  Once, on the road I had my visor up to listen for traffic I knew was hidden from view.  More than once I pulled over to consider a course of action and was delighted to emerge into the light.

The second time I was concerned in fog was similar except in addition to the thick nature of the fog I was riding a Kawasaki KLR 650 on an interstate highway where drivers are notoriously overconfident as they hurtle down the highway at the same speeds they travel on a clear day.  Finding the first exit was high on my list of priorities.

Sometimes you just need to know when to say uncle.

I never did find a unicorn but did manage to entertain a giant flying fish.  In the thin gray fog anything is possible.  And for a time I relish the experience which always has to end.  In the scooter’s dream (and my own) the ride goes on forever.

Are you a fog rider?