January 1, 2009.  The start of a new, and hopefully better year. What better way than to start off with a motorcycle ride right?  Now normally on a rainy day I wouldn't want to hit the road on the bike -- but every year our Harley Owners Group Chapter has the traditional "Chili Buns Run", to start the year.  It's sort of a of "macho we'll ride in anything to prove we are real bikers" kind of thing.   We start down on Alki Beach, where a few souls will occasionally take a polar bear swim (no one this year), and the rest of us line up and have a police escort down along the shore for 40 miles or so to a tavern for Chili and Hot Dogs. 

Well it was raining when I woke up, and I called Tony pandabuff to see if he wanted to go.  He said no, he has a bit of a cold and didn't feel like getting wet (chicken!), and I thought better of it as well so I had breakfast -- and then changed my mind at the last minute.  So I struggled into the rain suit, with long-johns underneath and a sweater on top, put on the electrical heated vest and gloves and hopped onto the Rocker for the ride to the beach.  Heading up 35th Ave. I was really having second thoughts again -- it was a light rain -- kind of like a supermarket produce mist, but I figured I'd never hear the end of it from the Club if I didn't go, being the Lead Road Captain and all.  By the time I got to the beach however it had stopped raining and there was a donut hole of blue sky.  We only had about 50 bikes this year -- down from the 100 we usually get, but we lined up anyway and started down Beach Drive.