Rain for a Motorcycle Rider

While driving a motorcycle on a long trip you become very aware of the weather, particularly the issue of rain. Its not so much the actual rain; rather, it is the potential arrival or departure of rain that really triggers the emotions.
If you are driving along and the skies begin to darken on the horizon you become a little anxious. You wonder - are those cumulous clouds? Is my rain gear easy to get in a hurry? The darker the clouds get the more worried you become. Sometimes the dark clouds are off to the side so the questions become - will we miss the rain? which way is the road turning? are the skies getting darker? - hope mixes with apprehension. You watch the cars coming from the other direction and look for the dreaded tell tale sign of windshield wipers and the other bikers (headed to bright skies), do they have rain gear on? If this occurs, there is no more uncertainty you know you are going to get wet. By this point the only thing left to do is pull over and put on rain gear - apprehension has turned into resignation. And the questions become - where can I pull over? how long do I have? did I put Rain-X on the windshield?
Actually driving in the rain is not that bad as long as you have decent rain gear and it is not raining too hard. If the tire ruts in the road fill with water then you have drive in the oil slick between the two tire tracks (created by the fluids that drip off of travelling vehicles). Both of these situations are dangerous and definitely not pleasant.
Rain is also really scarey on busy interstates where you have to travel more slowly due to the above challenges. This creates another worry - how many trucks will be passing us and cascading us with dirty spray?
When driving in the rain the brightening of skies on the horizon brings hope. The brighter the skies become the more hopeful the rider becomes. Finally a strip of blue sky appears ahead and it is only a matter of time until the wipers on the oncoming cars have stopped and happiness returns. When on a long bike trip, you have to be prepared for all kinds of weather and you know that you WILL drive through everything....and so the question becomes - when will it change?? and the answer is - quit worrying and enjoy!!