Error in Judgment

I walked out of my office yesterday evening to a snow covered Vespa GTS. After making the picture and brushing off the snow I made an error in judgment---I decided to ride home.

The morning weather forecast called for sun in the morning followed by a chance of snow showers or rain with no accumulation and temperatures approaching 40° F. I had already put my seat and rear bag covers on at noon in preparation for the moisture predicted to arrive. Through my office window I saw the flurries begin not concerned because in my head I was thinking of above freezing temperatures. Let it snow, it won't stick.

When I saddled up the snow was just beginning to stick on the parking lot surface. I'm thinking to myself that's OK. The rush hour traffic will wear it away on the road. Waiting to pull out of the parking lot I'm rubbing my feet on the road surface checking the traction. There is enough on the ground to plow little ridges of snow and slush around my boots. Not too bad I tell myself, it will get better once I am on the main road.

A mile later the road is completely covered in slushy grease and it is snowing hard----ice pellets and snow and the wind is gusting causing the Vespa to lurch. Feet go down in outrigger fashion to help stabilize things. At one point I with a Ford Explorer bearing down on me from behind while I'm traveling at the impolite speed of 20 MPH in a 25 MPH zone and am having a difficult time seeing as ice gathers on the outside of my visor while the inside fogs. I am trying to wipe both sides and control the scooter at the same time. At almost the last moment I see a pile of snow across the road courtesy of some thoughtful sidewalk shoveler who never caught up with the last snowfall. Feet down, slight rear brake to slow a bit before impact, I strike the pile hoping to follow a tire track through. The Vespa shudders to one side and I feel the front wheel break free. A food down holds the scooter up until I come out the other side and regain a bit of traction.

I turn off onto a side street to let the traffic go by and regroup. I'm thinking it was not a good idea to ride home after all. At least not with traffic this heavy. I consider an alternate route but the side streets are even worse. I'm not comfortable abandoning the scooter at this point so I determine that I will continue to ride home. I wait awhile at the intersection until I see a long gap in traffic and pull back onto the road. A long hill is ahead that I must go over and come back down the other side. The scooter navigates the uphill easily with the rear wheel only spinning once or twice. I'm already thinking of the steeper downhill side complete with a reverse banked turn. I pull over at the top of the hill to let traffic pass, clean the visor again, and think about how to approach this next hazard.

Several vehicles beep their horn. They are either indicating support or reminding me that I'm crazy. I can accept either sentiment. Once car stops. It is my daughter Hannah and her boyfriend Jason. They offer a ride home and when I decline they offer to drive behind me to keep the vehicles away from me. Now there's a plan.

I make it down the hill to the intersection with the main road out of town towards home. Four lanes of rush hour traffic thankfully traveling quite slowly due to weather and malfunctioning traffic lights. Jason and Hannah follow me about two miles where I turn off into their neighborhood and into their garage. The smart rider might have accepted the offer to park the scooter and take a ride home in the VW. I dried my visor with a paper towel and thought about the route home, another four miles wandering through neighborhoods and a back road into town. I knew there wouldn't be much traffic and I had come this far already so I make a decision to ride the rest of the way home.

I admit at this point it is a challenge. I want to know if I can do it and I assess the risk to be manageable. It is close to the edge though. The route now has seen much less traffic and the quality of the snow on the road is different, deeper, and much slicker. Feet come down more often. The wind is worse when I get to the open areas and I'm breathing heavily from the effort only making the visor problems worse. I stop to take pictures mainly as a chance to clean the visor.

The last long hill into town is slow going because the snow starts to fall faster and I have to keep my speed to about 10 MPH otherwise there will be no chance to stop or pull over if someone rushes up behind me. I'm wiping snow from visor and mirrors and trying to pay attention to my track on the road.

I finally pull into my driveway about an hour and ten minutes after leaving work. A 15-minute ride on a dry day by the direct route. I wiped as much of the snow and slush from the scooter and pushed it into the garage.

Just because I made it home without incident I am not sure if I made the right decision. Had I known at the beginning how bad it would be I might have parked the scooter in the parking garage at work and took the bus home. I admit to some apprehension at leaving it parked all night like that but it may have been an error in judgment on my part. At the very least I was riding at the edge of unmanageability.

The Short Ride

“I’m going to return the movies.” I told Kim, a strong desire to rid the house of two particularly awful movies and a chance for a short ride on a sunny day. If you ride you probably are already familiar with the tendency to volunteer to do things if it means you might have the chance to ride.

The heavy snowfall of two days ago had disappeared from the road surface and with the temperature hovering at 34° F and the sky blue it was ideal for a quick ride. It was also the first chance I had to try out my new polarized clip on sunglasses in the dazzling light reflected from a snow-covered landscape.

Riding down the road from the house the sky expanded in a sweep of blue filled with soft white clouds. I veered south at the first opportunity so I could extend the movie errand into a short ride. Cruising over the first crest I was greeted by snow blowing across the road.

The wind buffeted the GTS badly in the open areas but I was more concerned with the blowing snow. I discovered when I got home that the wind was blowing at a steady 30 MPH with gusts reaching 45 MPH. The Vespa’s temperature display switched between 32° and 34° during the ride creating a slight chance that the snow would freeze to the road.

Road conditions aside it was a beautiful day. Anticipating blowing snow and drifts was pretty simple as I picked my way along. Only once crossing a snowy patch did I feel the front tire want to break loose. I had both feet down in outrigger fashion ready to provide any emergency support.

The ride home involved a direct route free of snow but with considerably more four-wheeled traffic. Not sure which route posed the greater risk.

Sitting here in the living room with Kim and Essa pushing the pen across the page (yes, I write my posts with a fountain pen in a little notebook a lot of times) I am amazed at how much I still feel compelled to ride, and how much I completely enjoy it. Even in the cold. Especially in the cold.

Riding is important as it continues to work as a powerful tonic for the noise and weight of things collected on a daily basis. Turn the key, thumb the starter, and twist the throttle…

2007 Riders Choice Awards Announced

Motorcycle Bloggers International (MBI) has announced the winners of the 2007 Riders Choice Awards. MBI is an association of some 97 motorcycle bloggers spread around the world, from China to Chile and holds an annual award for the best of the best (and the worst of the worst) in the motorcycle industry. The awards, nominated and voted on by readers and riders in 88 countries, recognize significant achievements and serious lapses in judgment during 2006 by motorcycle and related product manufacturers, persons and organizations. The nominations and voting is done by readers (millions of them), and this year the results are in!


Scooter in the Sticks was named Best Motorcycle or Scooter Blog this year! I want to thank all of you who visit here for your support and encouragement. It means a lot to me to receive this honor. Thank you!

This year’s winners are:

MBI Riders Choice - Star Awards

• A Rider's Dream - To ride the Silk Route, from Istanbul Turkey to Xian, China
• 2006's Best concept motorcycle or scooter - Desmosidici RR
• Best exhibition of 2006 - Intermot
• Best looking new in 2006 motorcycle - Triumph Daytona 675
• Best manufacturer’s website - BMW Motorrad
• Best motorcycle or scooter blog - Scooter in the Sticks
• Best new in 2006 every day motorcycle - BMW F800S
• Best new in 2006 scooter - Piaggio MP3
• Best new in 2006 motorcycle - BMW F800ST
• Object of lust - Ducati Desmosedici RR
• Thumbs up - Ardys Kellerman
• Wish we’d thought of that - Piaggio MP3
• Women riders booster of the year - Ardys Kellerman

MBI Riders Choice - Fallen Star Awards

• Thumbs down - Billy Lane
• What were they thinking? - Speed TV Superbikes
• Worst manufacturer’s website - Icon Motorcycle Gear

To see all awards and descriptions, plus runner ups, click here.


The Riders Choice Awards are unique in that the nominees and winners are chosen by everyday riders around the world. The awards reflect the judgment of the motorcycle buying public, not motorcycle industry insiders. Anyone could vote, there was no restriction on age, gender or country. Even non-riders could vote. No registration, nor email addresses were required. However, a system of storing and analyzing IP addresses was put in place to minimize duplicate voting.

After the success the first Awards had last year, membership in MBI skyrocketed from 12 to 95. Millions of readers worldwide read about the 2006 Awards.

Again, thank you for voting for Scooter in the Sticks. there are so many fantastic motorcycle, scooter and riding blogs out there that its hard to describe how it feels to identified with this award. I will try to repay your support by continuing to ride and report here.

Steve Williams

Riding Alone

My default choice is to ride alone. This picture was made last Saturday morning on a short photo trip. It reflects the sort of solitude I seek out while riding. The road was glazed with ice so I was on four wheels instead of two but I would still stop to make those images I would while riding. Imagine the GTS in this picture. When I am looking for photographs I drive slowly in order to see the things that are easy to see while riding. This means creeping along at sub 30 MPH speeds.

Yesterday I rode with my friend Paul on the first long ride of the year and the first on the new Vespa GTS 250ie. I won't review the performance at length here other than to say the GTS performed wonderfully and I am nothing short of thrilled. The ride took us up and down through the mountains and it was really nice to ride with plenty of throttle left at all times. This scooter outperforms my riding style leaving plenty of performance in reserve. And it was nice to ride with a friend. It's different than riding alone but rewarding in its own ways.

The sun was glowing just below the horizon when I left and the temperature was 39° F. I bundled up as I do for colder weather and rode off to meet Paul. With only a vague idea in my head of where I was going we started down roads that at this time of day call for a careful eye for Whitetail deer. The deer are active at dawn and dusk. When I choose a route I am usually moving towards less civilization and more open landscapes. At the first stop I told Paul I just can't pass a dead tree in a field and while half-kidding I do have a lot of photographs of single trees in empty fields.

Despite any plans to be healthy the scooter is drawn towards diner breakfasts.

This was a great one. So good that I didn't think to use the camera until it was gone. You can use your imagination here. Breakfast was at the Family Chill and Grill, the only restaurant available traveling this day's route. I've been there before and will be again.

Paul was riding his Suzuki DRZ400 Super Moto today and testing his new electric gloves. By the time we left the temperature was 41° F.

Traveling east over the mountain and into Clearfield County we followed winding roads through land that not long ago had been stripped of coal. Nature is reclaiming much of that area but the remnants of that activity are still evident. I need to be there more before I can pick up the camera.
Coming down off the Allegheny Plateau into one of the community watersheds led us past the Tipton Reservoir. Snow and ice still covered the mountain and water but the road was clear save for scattered patches of gravel that always seem to heap up in curves. We stopped to take a few pictures and just take in the scenery.

Paul has been recuperating from a recent back strain and took stops as an opportunity to stretch his back. Lying down in the middle of the road gives you an idea of how much traffic there is.

I wanted to be home by noon so the ride turned towards home. Good planning meant we didn't have to ride on any main roads and were able to wander along through the woods and fields.

By 11AM the temperature was 60° F and the sun was out. The long roads the cut through this area seem magical to me and I often stop just to appreciate how they look.

The last stop was made so I could adjust my new glasses. For some reason the helmet tends to push them around in a way that makes them uncomfortable. I made this picture as a possible replacement on the little color business cards I made up for Scooter in the Sticks.

The ride was pleasant and relaxed. The GTS worked perfectly and I couldn't have asked for a nicer day. My body could tell I haven't ridden on any longer trips for a couple months. Four hours in the saddle caused a few creaks and groans to surface. Amazing how fast I can get out of shape. Commuting to work and making little side trips just doesn't prepare me for the longer rides.

Windows of Riding Opportunity

As I get older I'm not willing to tolerate cold like I did only a few years ago. Dropping temperatures, rising winds and falling snow provided an opportunity for personal challenge and satisfaction. Hiking, backpacking and more recently riding. Now I wonder what life in a warmer climate would be like. Fire ants keep me in the north.

Last winter I rode more often. And farther. Partially it's my reluctance to risk the new Vespa on icy roads. Partially it's me. Mostly it's the erratic weather that has kept moisture, ice, or the threat of either squarely in front of me. Because of these I have had to search for windows of opportunity.

The image at the top of the post was made this morning on the way to work. Twelve degrees Fahrenheit. Patches of ice scattered randomly along the way. I almost feel down in the driveway moving the scooter out of the garage. Clear skies and the promise of warming temperatures forced me to abandon the Ford Ranger. A $45 dollar trip to the gas station helped too. So I suited up and rode to work taking a few side trips to explore and had an enjoyable early morning scoot. I have to take those little rides when I can get them.

The following images were made during the past week on other little rides stolen during breaks in the weather. Each was just as enjoyable.

Last Saturday morning I rode north as skies cleared and the temperature moved towards a balmy 40° F. Even with 35 MPH gusts the ride was completely pleasant.

Not far down the road the valley opened up and the sky seemed larger than it should for a Pennsylvania landscape. The fields were thick with moisture and the heavier GTS sunk into the ground more than the LX150 ever did.

Riding on across the valley and on through Bellefonte eventually led me to a little road that winds along Spring Creek. This little building has always fascinated me and I figured I should make a few photos before someone tears it down.

This last picture was taken on Sunday, the last day I could ride until today. Dark skies and snow squalls marked the morning. I sat in Barnes and Noble talking to friends during one near whiteout. The wind blew hard and things were slippery. My plan to venture out along little farm lanes was stopped by crusty snow and ice formed from the previous day's melting. Despite the weather I still managed to find a few enjoyable moments on two wheels.

LAST CHANCE!!!
2007 Riders Choice Awards Voting Still Open
Let the motorcycle industry know what you think.

The voting will be over on Monday so if you haven't voted now's the time!
Your vote will let the motorcycle industry know how you feel about things in the 2007 Riders Choice Awards sponsored by Motorcycle Bloggers International. Dream bikes, dream rides, the good and the bad, and of course if you are so inclined Scooter in the Sticks is in the running for best blog! Click HERE to see the ballot.

A Person Who is Looking for Something Doesn't Travel Very Fast

The trip to and from work today was slow and deliberate. Random patches of ice in the morning and patches of gravel this afternoon required careful attention. And adequate attention translates in speeds below normal.

E.B. White's quote used in the title of this post reaches beyond the obvious. It means more that the resultant slow speeds at which I rode to safely manage hazards on the road surface. White suggests a necessity of deliberation for anyone engaged in a search. Moving, acting, and living slower is not the default mode of popular culture or the majority of the riding community. Traveling from point A to point B as fast or packed with as many mini-experiences as possible often is the travel mode of choice. Motorcycles and scooters capable of triple digit speeds are not conducive for 25 MPH meandering. Each of us makes our own choices and riding is no exception.

My ride today reminded me of how much I am looking for -- inside and out. I stopped on the way home to look at the snow covered corn stubble reaching across the valley I call home. I'm looking for something I can't describe or explain. While there a bicyclist stopped to ask if I saw a bear. Each of us was obviously looking for something different.

I'm fortunate to have open roads so near to home in spite of growing development pressure. The road above is typical of many of the secondary roads that loop through the countryside.

I wasn't sure this morning if I would ride to work. Temperatures hovered near freezing insuring there would be some icy patches would remain. I'm glad I did ride because it provided a chance to look at the morning sky. I'm still not sure why but I never look carefully while driving or riding the bus. I just get plugged into the fast lane.

2007 Riders Choice Awards Voting Still Open
Let the motorcycle industry know what you think.

Your vote will let the motorcycle industry know how you feel about things in the 2007 Riders Choice Awards sponsored by Motorcycle Bloggers International. Dream bikes, dream rides, the good and the bad, and off course if you are so inclined Scooter in the Sticks is in the running for best blog! Click HERE to see the ballot.

Riding in Winter Breaks

It was 14° F when I started the Vespa this morning. The weather forecast promised temperatures rising into the mid-20's under sunny skies. These kinds of days always provide a break in the bad winter weather and allow a ride if you are so inclined. Roads were free of snow and ice with only an occasional patch of gravel or salt. Still cold enough for ice where springs wash across a back road or an energetic car washer allows water to run out onto a neighborhood street or road. As always, special attention to the road surface is required in sub-freezing weather.

The first destination today was to meet my daughter and her boyfriend for breakfast at the Waffle Shop. I had the best of intentions to share the hearty feast photographically with camera in tow but as the food arrived my attention went directly to the home fries and bacon and the camera remained untouched.

As much as I enjoy a hearty breakfast during a ride I'm not sure how an idea it is when it's cold outside. Gearing up for the next leg of the ride I could feel the heat heading towards my stomach to begin work on breakfast. No matter how much I am wearing I have to accept a level of chill that nears discomfort. Gratefully the sun was bright and the reflection from the snow made it easier to imagine I was warm. Ten miles down the road the temperature had raised to 20° F and things felt absolutely balmy.

Other than few errands I had nowhere to go and nothing to do but enjoy the ride. My choice today was to swing south through some of the open farmlands and long undulating roads. The Vespa seems like it's made to ride on these roads and I am never disappointed regardless of weather. If I had time today I would have made it a 200-mile day. I had to be satisfied with 40 miles for this ride. This picture was made along one of the roads that cut across the valley south of town.

Before returning home I stopped at a local store to pick up a few chocolate chip cookies to enjoy with an afternoon cup of tea. As many times as I see the cow on top of this restaurant I can't help but smile. Every town needs something to make you grin.

Photo Project Update: February 20, 2007

By pushing myself to expose a roll of film every week I am slowly beginning to get back into a photographic groove, or at least recognize one exists. When I commit to exposing film, not making good photographs, I get better. Like a musician, dancer or athlete I am practicing. I'm able to quiet the critic and editor in my head and just respond to the things I see in front of me. The same applies to looking at prints and contact sheets. When I let go of expectations I learn things. This lesson for me this week arrived in the form of the portrait of my dog Essa.

Low light required a slow shutter speed and large aperture setting resulting in a very shallow depth of field. This isn't rocket science. What was intriguing to me as I looked at the photograph is how preconditioned I have become to having everything sharp and in focus from foreground to background. It is an automatic response most likely honed from years of working with a large format camera shooting landscapes. It is so ingrained in my camera thinking that I am blind to other possibilities. These laws I build for myself cut me off from freely exploring with the camera. So I have something to work on. That's the way it is when I work. Questions come up. Maybe about a place or subject, or maybe about how I think about things. And I use the camera to explore for answers.


The cold and snowy weather kept me close to home and largely off the road with the Vespa. I did manage to ride one day and expose three frames during the ride. The three frames along the bottom of the above contact sheet were all made during a ride that also took me to our local Vespa dealer where I purchased a Vespa mug and black T-shirt. I'm anxious for the roads to clear a bit so I can ride more. I'm hauling the Mamiya 7 in the MotoFIZZ back that's strapped to the rear rack. I wrap the camera in a lens wrap hoping to keep any vibration to a minimum. I don't want to subject the camera to the vibration and heat that surely would be present under the seat. If anyone has had any experience hauling camera equipment around I would be curious to know if vibration has been an issue.



Everything else was shot during walks with the dog and in places I would probably not be riding the scooter. One in particular required crawling under some electrified barb wire.

2007 Riders Choice Awards Voting Still Open
Let the motorcycle industry know what you think.

Your vote will let the motorcycle industry know how you feel about things in the 2007 Riders Choice Awards sponsored by Motorcycle Bloggers International. Dream bikes, dream rides, the good and the bad, and off course if you are so inclined Scooter in the Sticks is in the running for best blog! Click HERE to see the ballot.

A Few Words About Safety

It’s snowing outside again. Not hard but enough to influence a decision to stay off the road. I had my riding pants on before deciding to keep the Vespa in the garage. The roads are wet, mostly free of snow, and with temperatures in the high 20’s a ride is not out of the question.

I received a note from a fellow rider this week that described my riding and writing as revealing “the beauty that dwells in the middle”. He went on to explain this as a marked contrast to the media culture that pushes extremes. I smiled when I saw an advertisement on the online version of the New York Times announcing the coming episodes of National Geographic’s Planet Carnivore. I don’t live there.

Before moving on to safety I confess to a wonderful comfort in the middle. I am not an adventurer, warrior, or adrenaline seeker. I look at and think about the world in front of me and wherever I find myself it is enough. There are more discoveries still waiting for me in my backyard. As a photographer I find connection and direction in the work of Czech photographer Josef Sudek and his ability to find beauty right in front of him.

As a rider I am still learning. I don’t expect to stop until time or circumstance prevents me from continuing. Living in the middle as a rider means thinking about safety and carefully considering what that means to me and what risks I am willing to take. I don’t confuse living safely with managing riding risk. If I wanted to live safely I would not ride. It’s here that things can get sticky for some would be riders that want to live safely, carefully, and want to believe that accidents will never happen if they follow steps a, b, c….

The notion that accidents should not happen if everyone follows the rules may be how someone justifies a legal action for an accident. Unmet expectations on the road might lead to anger and rage when others don’t perform as they should. This angry energy gives rise to more and more unsafe drivers and highways. And it leaves me with more difficult questions related to managing risk. What can I do?

Safety breaks down into four areas for me:

1. State of mind
2. My physical condition
3. Mechanical readiness of the scooter
4. My skill and experience in making and executing decisions

Each of these can respond to work and energy that I put into them. None fall into the Act-of-God area. All benefit from practice and attention and will make my ride safer. And I know they make me a better man. When I look at this short list and ask myself if I applied it to driving before I became a rider the answer is no. Riding safely, managing risk, and riding “in the middle” works together like magic to sweep away the curtain that make it difficult to appreciate the quiet places and moments in front of me.

The snow has continued to fall while I have typed this post. The house is quiet save for Kim turning pages in a magazine and I am living in the middle. I’m grateful that riding has made it much easier to accept and appreciate the life I have.


Don't forget to let the motorcycle industry know how you feel about things in the 2007 Riders Choice Awards sponsored by Motorcycle Bloggers International. Dream bikes, dream rides, the good and the bad, and off course if you are so inclined Scooter in the Sticks is in the running for best blog! Click the image to get to the ballot.

2007 Riders Choice Awards Voting Now Open!

From now until March 12th public voting for the 2007 Riders Choice Awards is now open. These awards are sponsored by Motorcycle Bloggers International, an organization of bloggers creating original content from around the globe. It is a chance to vote for the best and worst of the motorcycling world for the year 2006. You go to your voting ballot click HERE.

Now I feel weird saying this next part. Scooter in the Sticks is a finalist in the Best Motorcycle or Scooter Blog category this year. Many thanks to those of you who nominated me! The competition is good with some exceptional motorcycle sites on the ballot. I feel fortunate just to be in the running as a writer about my Vespa riding experiences.

Check out what's on the ballot!

Latest Ride


I managed to get out this past Monday for a last ride before the snow started to come down yesterday. I planned to do a non-stop 60 mile run to test the effective duration of my non-electric riding gear but the temperatures soared to 29° F and I already knew it would be fine at that temperature all day long at 55 MPH. I want to try it around 15° F though.

The reality of my riding is slow with many stops to take pictures. I almost never ride continuously. I am always stopping to take pictures or look around so it is hard to know how good my gear would be for a long-range commuter.

Until the temperatures drop I will continue to ride through this area to get a better feel for the GTS and slowly work my way through the 600-mile break in period. The sun was out and it was a relaxed ride.


I did manage to get the scooter stuck in the snow at one point trying to run down an unplowed farm lane. I felt kind of stupid for a second thinking I would not be able to get it out. Kicking snow and pushing instead of riding did the trick!

Farms are Cool

Pushing the pen across paper while my dog noisily gnaws on a large Milkbone makes it really difficult to attend to my writing. Farms are cool places to look at and the surrounding landscapes are my favorite photographic subjects. Mountains, old growth Pacific forests, Yosemite, the ocean----they are all beautiful. But I am disconnected from them because I live here. Photographing those traditionally beautiful places leaves me with postcard images. I never have time to get close enough to see past that pretty veneer. And it would take months, maybe years.

On the ride home from work my instrument panel showed 23° F. With the sky clear and the sun bright as it headed for the horizon it was warm enough for a detour through the landscape I love to look at. Almost immediately after leaving the main road I came upon Meyers Dairy Farm. Those red barns just glow in strong sunlight. The remainder of the ride home was a slow puttering event that allowed me to be a tourist again in my own neighborhood. I didn't have the big camera with me but plan to haul it out this morning.


Arriving home I decided to do something about the salt and grime that has been collecting on the Vespa for the past two weeks. With a sponge and bucket of really hot water I was able to remove a lot of it. Perhaps today I will do a bit more.

A few have inquired about my non-electric solution to staying warm---especially my hands. I wear expedition grade Black Diamond Mittens with a pair of thin polypropylene gloves underneath them.


I added the gloves because I needed to slow down the chilling of my hands when I stop to take pictures. The metal body of the small Canon S50 digital camera is like holding a small block of ice. The thin gloves slow down the numbing effect on my hands. If I fiddle too long with the camera I will warm my hands on the headlight before slipping them back inside the mittens. Once my hands are really cold it is difficult to bring them back without returning to a heated area.

After a bowl of cereal I'm going to head out on a photo ride. No idea where I'm going or for how long. Most likely my hands will dictate course and duration. It's 14° F right now with a promise of higher temperatures this afternoon. After a check of oil levels, air pressures, lights and things I'll be off.

Cold Commute

Nine degrees for the ride to work yesterday morning. A number of people at work commented on how cold I must have felt but the truth is I was overdressed and should not have worn a long underwear top. That item rode under the seat on the way home, considerably warmer at 18° F but then I did take the freeway home for a 70 MPH spin.

Riding again I realize that the cold is more a mental than physical challenge. Looking outside after I get up, checking the temperatures, the resistance I feel is related less to the data in front of me and more to my desire to still be in bed. The actual ride to work has no bite of cold, no numb hands, nothing like that. What it does have is the exhilaration of riding found anytime of year. And the bracing air I feel when I crack open my visor at a stop sign or traffic light just reminds me how great it is to be able to do this.

The thermometer shows 12° F for this morning's ride. Saturday looks to be the same with temperatures rising to 25° F by afternoon so I may try a longer ride on the GTS.

Photo Project Update: February 7, 2007

The weather has not been the best for riding. Any plans for photographing the wanderings by Vespa will have to wait until the frigid temperatures rise and snow and ice clear from the road surfaces. Adhering to my modest plan to shoot a roll of film each week I managed to carry the camera along during walks with the dog. I remember not so long ago when I had a camera with me always. Making photographs was second nature. Recapturing that habit is difficult. My brain resists the discipline of shooting and instead spends its time generating reasons to postpone or short-circuit any photographic activity.

I'm not seeing much now and that's ok. I made this photograph of my dog as she inspected an old farm building. The more I shoot the easier it will become to engage the process and the more times I trip the shutter the more I will see. It is a simple idea and I have seen it work over and over again. Photography by the pound.


The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with temperatures rising to 20° F in the afternoon. I may brave the 5° F temperature in the morning to commute to work. And maybe I will take the camera with me. I need to get into the riding habit again. The snow has made me lazy and diminished my energy to ride and photograph.

A Search in the Cold

Opening the online version of the local newspaper this morning revealed 10° F. Hardly the riding weather of choice. I decided to take the dog for a walk instead. Didn't take long to confirm the paper's temperature indication especially since they neglected to mention the wind. During the walk a young dog appeared and followed us along hoping to get Essa to play. Noticing his lack of identification or license reminded me that my own dog was illegal.

By the time we got home the sun was bright in a clear blue sky and my dog needed a license. The temperature has risen to 15° F. After a moment of mental wrestling and q quick examination of the road I decided the Vespa was ready for a trip to the hardware store for a license.

Rolling through the unshovelled driveway (the has to melt that snow soon) I thumbed the starter and the GTS came to life unaware of the near zero temperature it has slept through last night. The air temperature readout on the instrument cluster flashed 18° F. I moved out onto the road with feet down to test the surface. Some icy patches but generally clear. I would have to monitor the road surface carefully and adjust carefully. A few miles from home I realized my usual dog license supplier had gone out of business and I would have to ride farther to get one. The well-traveled roads were generally clear with only scattered snow or ice mostly where wind would continue to deposit new coatings. As long as I was upright and traveling in a straight line I was fine but curves, especially blind curves, had to be handled more slowly than normal and in several instances taking them so slowly that the scooter didn't lean.

A long loop south of town took me through open farmland where the wind blew steadily. The scooter handled the wind and road surface challenges well and my comfort level is growing with each ride. I stopped at a local pet supply store for the dog license only to be told they were sold out. From there to another place that didn't carry them but offered directions to a place ten miles away that surely would have a dog license. Rather than ride the back roads I thought it would be a good time to try the new Vespa on Interstate 99. I stopped at the ramp to view the road surface and it was clear and dry, at least what I could see. Still in the break-in period I had no trouble maintaining an indicated 70 MPH, well under the Piaggio admonishment to keep the scooter under 80 percent capacity for extended periods. I did twist the throttle once to bring the GTS to an indicated 80 MPH for a few moments with throttle left. The Vespa is surprisingly smooth and stable at that speed even with a crosswind. I was extremely pleased in the performance of my First Gear Kilimanjaro IV Jacket and Black Diamond Mittens. Running along at 70 MPH in 18° F air I was warm and toasty until I returned home after almost two hours on the road. And I was reminded once again how much I enjoy riding in cold weather.

I'm sure I made the right decision to move up to the bigger Vespa. The increased power and weight will expand the things I can do on the road. I never did find a dog license though. The last stop at Tractor Supply Company was a bust. So I suppose I will have to ride farther to make my dog an upstanding member of the community.

No Riding, No Writing

My dog enjoys the snow. She'll happily lie outside until she's covered in snow. I'm coming up empty though. Neither motivation nor content for any new posts. Other than this picture I made last Sunday during a snow squall I have not been riding.


My Ford Ranger faithfully transports me to work. The Vespa sits in the garage because snow on the ground, snow in the air, the threat of snow, and temperatures in the teens and single digits conspire in my head. A quick check of the weather report this morning shows 16° F and snow for the next five days doesn't have me pulling on riding gear. While I might have ridden the old scooter on one of these days I don't trust myself yet with the GTS. And come to think about it I don't want to ride in snow or when there is the threat of snow. So where does that leave me?


I've never been good or overly interested in scouring the Web for interesting material to post here. If I stumble across something I will share it but I would rather ride and write about riding. My riding. It's unique to me and to you if you're interested.

The ride on Sunday followed a short nearly snowless ride on Saturday. Sunday found snow in the air and for a while snow everywhere on the road. It didn't take long for things to melt leaving just a beautiful landscape to ride through.


I tested the GTS as best I could in the snowy areas and it seemed to perform OK. I am comfortable that if I were caught in the snow I could slowly and carefully negotiate my way to safety. But I would not want to routinely venture out knowing there would be snow.



So that's where I am, waiting like many of you for the weather to improve. Right now if the roads are dry and the temperature is above 15° F I will ride to work. If the temperature rises above 20° F I will consider a trip. For the past few weeks I've been looking for clear pavement. No end in sight for snow free forecasts and even though on many days we don't get the snow I don't want to chance it. I'm beginning to think the bigger scooter has robbed me of something...