Used to be that Labor Day marked the end of summer’s heat and we had a good September’s riding before the glaciers returned to the northern tier. Now with CO2 having passed 400 PPM with no hint of slowing its rise gearhead events have fled July’s heat and probably soon June and August too.

Been debating my Labor Day direction for a couple weeks now, as with politics out here becoming an exercise in frustration I don’t do parades much Labor Day weekend or any other anymore. Looking at my options theres the legendary Rollag Steam Threshers Reunion 200 miles to the north, The Chief Blackhawk antique motorcycle show, swap meet, and race 450 miles east southeast in Davenport, SCCA’s week of Autocross championships 275 miles south on the big slab in Lincoln, and an Airhead Tech Day/Get Together in Hot Springs, SD 450 miles to the west= Tough choice!

Tough choice in normal times at least, but our weather long ago ceased being “normal”, with new records set almost daily. When defining the range of temps we humans find comfy, it helps to use the centigrade system, where 20 degrees C (Centigrade) or 68 F (Fahrenheit) seems “just right”. Were’ still pretty comfy at 10 degrees C either side of that, from 50 to 86 Fahrenheit. But below that range we need bulky clothes and motorcycling becomes a losing battle, and above all the sweating we can manage can’t keep us cool and comfy. So I tend to look for destinations where the weather will be within that 10 to 30 C range. Now in the last century I ran into 0 C (freezing) temps around the north side of Lake Superior and across Colorado in early September, but for the last few years with this changed climate you’d have to approach the Arctic Circle to find temps that cold.

Instead Davenport, Lincoln, and Hot Springs will see temps above 20 C and in some cases well above, making the 450 mile ride or drive to Davenport and Hot Springs out of the question. Lincoln is iffy, especially since my sympathy for SCCA is waning as I find out how expensive it will be to race in even a supposedly low budget amateur class with them. The Lincoln airport’s slab is devoid of shade for obvious reasons, but the weeklong event runs through next Friday so I’ll probably pop down for at least a day or night though.

But Rollag’s getting a cold front tomorrow that should keep the temps below 25 C, so I’ll be making my first trip to the Steam Thresher’s Reunion !

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