The Plain Ride

My rides are ordinary and often uneventful. If I don’t pay attention they can be boring.

Reading through a variety of motorcycle and scooter blogs the other day I realized that my rides are pretty plain. Nothing I do as a rider is beyond the reach of an enthusiastic beginner. I don’t push the performance envelope and I don’t ride long distances. My rather conventional use of the scooter for transportation and Sunday rides in the country have more in common with an Amish Buggy than the motorcycles and scooters I often read about. I’ve recently read about Matua’s plans for a 30 thousand mile ride crisscrossing North America as part of his Vespadition project to promote kindness, compassion and volunteerism. Or Sojourner's plans to ride in the South and address some fears and cognitive dissonance. I don’t undertake adventures like that. Perhaps someday but for now my riding is confined to commuting to work and the longer exploration as time permits. My riding world is closer to home and I have found that if I pay close attention, really look at what is around me, that those plain rides are new almost every time.

This morning I made a short detour before riding to work. Fog and mist seldom fail to excite my imagination and I covet any time I can spend in it. It was cold and damp though and the steady sprinkle had my hands soaked and aching in no time. The Gerbing Electric Gloves stayed stored away since they aren’t waterproof. Rides like this are akin to walks through a familiar park. If I pay attention each visit reveals new secrets.

The camera helps with revelations. Standing at the edge of the forest looking at the digital image on the back of the camera I was reminded of how much I like to be alone. Need to be alone. I take my solitude in large measures if I can. Each time I read about group rides and events I tell myself I should participate someday. Then I ride on alone.

On the way home from work I made a few more small detours that would bring me along a few open vistas. I stopped to make this picture of the gray sky overhead. I was surprised how insignificant the Vespa seemed in the landscape. I was careful managing that insignificance in the eyes of other drivers as I made my way home. Another plain ride.

A Good Deed

Walking to my scooter after work I saw Mike, a fellow Vespa rider, busily trying to kickstart his LX150. With earplugs in and helmet on I couldn't really hear anything when he demonstrated the sound the engine was making when he pushed the starter button. After taking them off it only took a second to determine he had a near dead battery.

I suggested jumping the scooter battery from a car. After a moment to convince him that the 12 volt system in the Vespa would be just fine with the car battery we got out the jumper cables and using the same technique one would use with a car brought the scooter to life.

In the winter if you aren't riding regularly a dead battery is common. It takes more than an occasional start of the engine and a few minutes of idling to keep the battery fully charged. A Battery Tender is in order if you aren't going to be out on the road at least weekly. At idle I think the Vespa headlight and tail light take more juice than the machine generates and won't help much to keep the battery fully charged.

The ride home tonight was sort of gloomy. Gray skies and mist in the air. I stopped for a gallon of milk at Meyers Dairy and got home just as the mist turned into a sprinkle of rain. I just can't wait for sun and warm air...

3 Prints Project: March 24, 2008

I wanted to skip the project this week. The desire to not shoot two rolls of film, mix developer, process the film, and make prints just seemed overwhelming. Even though I had the camera with me it took an act of self-will to shoot this week. Maybe it was a hectic schedule at work. Or more likely me shifting from slow to slower to stop. What ever it was I had to drag myself along.

I’ve felt the same about riding. Not just to work but riding in general. Sure, the weather isn’t all that great but it’s certainly reasonable weather. This morning I forced myself out the door on the Vespa. It was colder than I thought and I had to stop to put on a ski mask under my helmet. The temperature reading on the Vespa as the sun crept over the ridge was 21 degrees Fahrenheit.

I’m glad I forced myself out the door to ride and I’m glad I forced myself to shoot the film. I felt good once I was on the road and the same for the darkroom. My old brain is really good at convincing me I should take the easy road – in this instance drive the truck to work and skip the pictures. I can easily convince myself that the ride will be lackluster and the pictures insignificant. But you know what? None of that matters. Taking the ride, shooting the pictures, that’s what matters and that is what will feel good at the end of the day. I sure am ready for warmer weather though.

Here are the prints for this week.

Essa posing as a fine, soft snow falls

Sumac at intersection

Collection of winter debris and stuff in the deer den

2008 MBI Riders Choice Awards Announced!

The winners of this year's Motorcycle Bloggers International (MBI) 2008 Riders Choice Awards were announced and there were a couple of interesting results. The awards, voted by thousands of motorcycle riders in 77 countries, recognize significant achievements and serious lapses in judgment during 2007 by motorcycle and related product manufacturers, persons and organizations.

Piaggio continues to ride a wave of success with their new MP3 400 scooter which is nice to see. Someday I expect to ride one of those machines. And Lois Pryce won an award for her adventures on two wheels. You may remember her from an earlier post I did. But most interesting to me was the big thumbs down for the idea that Loud Pipes Save Lives. I was surprised to see voters around the world vote this way. I sort of thought that loud machines were the order of the day for most riders. Shows how much I know.

Here is a list of this year's winners:

MBI Riders Choice - Star Awards

- Object of Lust -- Ducati Desmosedici RR
- Best Concept Motorcycle or Scooter -- Honda Evo 6
- Best Manufacturer's Website -- BMW Motorrad
- Best New in 2007 Scooter -- Piaggio MP3 400
- Best New in 2007 Motorcycle -- Triumph Street Triple 675
- Most Environmentally Friendly Motorcycle - ElectricMoto Corporation Blade XT
- Wish We'd Thought of That -- KTM Bread Toaster
- Women Riders Booster of the Year -- Lois Pryce (20,000 mile solo ride, Alaska to the tip of South America on a 225cc bike)
- Thumbs Up -- Ewan McGregor/Charlie Boorman ( Enhanced image of motorcycle riders)

MBI Riders Choice - Fallen Star Awards

- Most Disappointing Motorcycle - Suzuki B-King
- Thumbs Down -- Loud Pipes Save Lives
- What Were They Thinking -- Babecage
- Worst Manufacturer's Website -- Cycleport/Motoport

The Riders Choice Awards are unique in that the nominees and winners are chosen by every day riders around the world, not by professional journalists. 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.

About MBI
MBI (whose motto is "Riding and writing is what we do") is a group of 161 international motorcycle weblog authors from China to Chile.

Membership is open to any motorcycle rider who maintains an active motorcycle-related Internet weblog or news web site with original commentary. With a combined readership over 5 million readers per month, the awards represent a true feeling what lives amongst the biker communities. The awards are not given by professional journalists, commercial publications or companies, but by the public.

More information about MBI, its members and the complete list of nominees will be found at the MBI web site http://www.mbiweb.org/.

3 Prints Project (Digital): March 17, 2008

This post marks a modification in the project format. Beginning last week I started shooting digital pictures and plan to alternate between digital and film. For the digital weeks I'll shoot at least 100 digital pictures, then the next week 2 rolls of black and white film. I'll do this for at least a year. Or so the plans go right now.

This change is the result of a gentle suggestion by a friend who believes my working in film might be limiting me. He proposed working digitally would allow me to release the tight control I exert when shooting film. A quick look at my contact sheets bears out that theory. I wasn't sure if I should make the switch and posted the question on a forum I belong to for additional feedback and the digital/film question is as active as the motorcycle/scooter one is. If you want to have a look at that discussion check out The Empty Mind -- Film vs. Digital.

At the end of the first week I've noticed differences. That's strange considering how much work I do professionally with a digital camera. But for personal pursuits it's like none of that counts. I made 242 exposures, more than triple the amount I make with film. Perhaps I am not hearing the money adding up the same way I do with film. And there is color to take into account. And I've noticed I shoot more verticals digitally. Not sure what that's all about.

I'm still looking at what I've shot and trying to figure out what's going on. It's sort of an exciting puzzle for me. It was difficult to make three selections from everything I shot. That's probably another learning opportunity. So here are the selections from the first week of digital:

15 year old Essa posing for a portrait upon returning from a morning walk

Empty parking deck after work

Tree near research greenhouse

Gray Skies, Cheap Fuel, and Mud

An odd mixture adds up to fun on the Vespa. Wasn’t sure what the weather would be like when I crawled out of bed but a quick look out the window had me reaching for my Tourmaster riding pants. A quick shower, a walk with the dog to inspect the garden, a few dog biscuits and a fast wrestle in the livingroom was all I had to do before rolling the Vespa out and heading down the road. First stop was the ATM for some cash. Second stop was my favorite Sunoco station to fill up the tank with high octane fuel. The Vespa never fails to impress me at the pump. Paying for $5.24 of gas is so much nicer than the typical $56.00 for the Ford Ranger.

With little traffic on a Sunday morning I was heading down the valley with a long, looping ride in mind. Even though the temperature was a reasonably warm 42° Fahrenheit I still wore the Gerbing Electric Gloves. My hands have hardly uttered a complaint all winter. Stopping to make the above picture I gazed at the mountain side and the snow still draped along the ridge wondering if the mountain roads would be freeze of ice. They can get pretty bad and I remembered driving a Jeep down one shaded road once with the driver side door open so I could jump out before the thing went over the edge and into a ravine. Unexpected ice covered roads on a steep incline were too much for a Jeep without chains or studs. No reason to tempt fate with the Vespa.

With the snow mostly gone, lots of rain, and slowly warming temperatures the fields look as if they are ready to spring to life. Before leaving this morning I saw lots of green pushing up out of the ground. In a few more weeks the world will be a different place.

Riding across the valley I had the road to myself. I still pay close attention for traffic though especially when I stop to make a picture. With the helmet still on and earplugs in I really need to rely on my vision because I’m not going to hear tire noise creeping up on me. Snow was still piled along the roads in wooded areas that don’t get the wind to help with evaporation.

Ever the master of good choices I choose a dirt road to explore. Make that mud. It wound through one of the larger State Gamelands but it wasn’t much fun pushing the scooter so much. And the Pirelli tires are just worthless in mud. I managed less than a mile before my mind (and stomach) suggested I head towards an eating establishment for breakfast.

I stopped at the Pump Station for a Jump Start --- eggs, bacon, and cheese on a bagel, and some orange juice. It’s nice and just sit alone and watch the world go by. At times like that I don’t have a care in the world. I couldn’t pass up a picture of the buffalo clock. There was one with a horse too I think but the buffalo caught my fancy. It’s been a few years since any of those roamed naturally here.

It was a short Sunday morning ride. Maybe 35 miles. Warm weather and months of things falling from our trees meant I needed to start raking and getting ready for the rush of new growth. It’s good honest work. As I type now just about all body parts are crying. I’m either getting old or out of shape in ways I cannot imagine. Riding just isn’t much in the way of physical exercise. Maybe if I had kept on that mud road things would be different…

26 Degree Morning, 53 Degree Evening

Walking the dog before leaving for work found me in crisp air under clear skies. The sun hadn't sweep through the yard yet but promised to warm the 26º F temperature during the day but not before I would ride to work. The Vespa idled quietly along the road while I made one last picture.

My commutes of late have been uneventful. A trip from point A to B. Simple. Predictable yet satisfying in a way a non-rider, Vespa or otherwise, just won't understand. I'm tempted to draw analogies but there really isn't anything appropriate.

With the arrival of spring (soon, I see daffodils pushing through the ground) I expect to see more and more motorcycles on the road. At least as many as one would expect in the Sticks. For those of you riding in Pennsylvania you may want to check out Ken Hull's new book GOING LOCAL. Ken is a local artist who lives down the road from me and regularly rides his 1994 Harley Davidson Sportster. I've even seen him out on the road this winter. His book details his experiences riding to just about every central Pennsylvania eating establishment available to a rider. His review and commentary are fun and he has indicated places where I ride regularly that I never knew existed. So check out the book on his Web site GOING LOCAL.

By the time I left work and headed into town the temperature was a balmy 53º F. If I only had time to really get out and enjoy a long ride. Why is it that opportunity and circumstance so often team up against a rider?

By the time I left town it was dark but still 53 degrees. Cold air on the surrounding hills drains down to the floor of the valley and I can always expect it to be colder on the way home. I can even predict the exact spot where I will feel the river of cold air moving across the road. This ride was no different and by the time I got home the air temperature was 43 degrees. Still a warm and balmy experience.

As the Vespa click and snapped in the driveway relaxing in the cool air before being pushed into the garage I just stood in the yard looking up at Orion in the clear sky. It just doesn't get much better.

3 Prints Project: March 9, 2008

I finished my prints this week later than normal -- around 10 PM on Saturday evening. The process is more routine and predictable with only about an hour needed to produce 6 to 8 work prints.

The three I chose this week to share are different but similar. My eye seems to be drawn to the same construction over and over again.

Tree along Branch Road

My Domke bag at a coffee shop

Essa McCloud examining snow

Riding Through the Spring Thaw

A day off work demanded a ride. Heavy rain from the previous night along with snow melt caused flooding throughout the valley. Had that moisture arrived tonight with sub-freezing temperatures we would be looking at 30 inches of snow.

I chose small mountain roads to explore and celebrate the thaw, the approach of spring, and warmer riding weather. Even with earplugs and helmet I could still hear the water roaring down the mountain.

The roads were wet and covered with gravel in places but it didn't matter. I was happy to putt along and see the sights. No interest in carving curves and all that stuff.

I've convinced myself that winter is finished but in the back of my head I know that there have been winters that dropped three feet of snow in mid-March. Present in the picture above is another sign of spring -- as I tromped through the brush to shoot it I was thinking about ticks and Lyme Disease -- something that one doesn't worry about in a real winter. Give me a rattlesnake any day.

Riding across the valley was a challenge because of the strong wind. I thought it would knock the scooter down before I could run out into the field to make the picture. The Vespa stayed upright despite shaking on its center stand.

The wind, cold, and dampness did drive me on -- right into the Pump Station Cafe for hot tea and some grub. Any good ride ends this way for me. Sometimes it ends more than once.

Snow, Sun, Wasps, and Bees

Rolling the Vespa out of the garage into bright sun and 30 degree Fahrenheit air was a great way to start my commute to work. I left early to allow more time to negotiate any remaining snow, ice, or gravel, especially on less traveled secondary roads.

After a mile of picking my way between patches of slush and gravel I was ready to say hello to a pair of Belgian draft horses out enjoying the rapidly warming morning. Hello spring.

I made a quick stop at one of the local parks that does winter duty as a sled and toboggan run. School and work has drawn everyone away.

By the time I stopped to photograph this vista the Vespa's ambient temperature indicator read 46 degrees. Had it not been for a long list of work assignments I would have kept riding all day.

I was headed to a facility that tests mushroom varieties to pick up a small collection for a photograph. The main road was clear but everything else was still a challenge for the sporty Pirelli tires.

Somewhere along the line of scooter ownership I learned that Vespa means wasp in Italian. Wasps are pollinators -- like honeybees. So in a real stretch I'm connecting the Vespa with an article I wrote on Colony Collapse Disorder in honeybees. If you've are interested in what's happening with bees you may want to take a look at this freshly published article. You can download a PDF version here ---> Article on Colony Collapse Disorder in Honeybees

3 Prints Project: March 2, 2008

Another week and two more rolls of Ilford HP5 35mm black and white film shot, processed, contacted, and three more prints. At one point I thought I lost the first roll of film in the trash until I pulled the negatives from the developer and saw what I thought were the lost images. If nothing else I will be more careful where I store my exposed film.

The coming week promises a bit milder weather so I expect to see more time on the Vespa and perhaps some different pictures. Regardless I will continue to expose two rolls of film...

Reflection in window of Glennland Building

View along Brush Valley Road

Eggs in store window display

Why I Don't Ride In Winter

At the sound of the alarm my body doesn't rally into the day like it once did. The cold air before the furnace comes to life makes seems unbearable. It's 57 degrees in the bedroom but 25 outside. If I have trouble facing the house is it any wonder that riding in winter makes no sense?

I do ride through the winter but the transition from sleep to awake, from indoors to outdoors, from not riding to riding is a terribly high hurdle. Homeostasis works overtime on me. It is a reason I don't ride more in winter.

The Vespa idled in the driveway before work. Clear skies, cold air, and a bit of time before needing to be at work.

Once I get moving I'm fine. Happy. Ecstatic even. But heaven help me through the transition. The roads were clear save for gravel and salt residue. Turning off the road onto a snow covered farm lane for a short detour was short lived. The Pirelli tires are absolutely useless in snow. After riding (pushing) the Vespa a short ways it occurred to me that my energy would be better used elsewhere.

At the end of the day I feel the same transition challenge to get myself out the door. Once on the Vespa things improve and I decide to ride home another direction.

Riding along on more heavily trafficked roads is a mixed blessing. More cars to deal with but I get a sick sense of thrill knowing I am not sitting behind the wheel.

Anyways, there are other more obvious reasons I don't ride in winter --- snow, ice, extreme temperatures. But the real riding killer is homeostasis. I get comfortable and have a hard time transitioning. Riding, diet, exercise, you name it. It's a constant negotiation to get up and go, to take action. Action isn't my middle name...

3 Prints Project: February 24, 2008

I only have so much time and attention in a day. As I get older it becomes easier to see how my choices can waste them. Shooting two rolls of film each week, 72 exposures, on top of everything else I do demands I take my camera with me everywhere. To work, on dog walks, to the bank, to bed. Most people you see on a daily basis don't have a camera hanging around their neck. Most people aren't riding a Vespa in the winter. But I bet most people wish they could do more.

Perhaps shooting these pictures is a concerned attempt on my part to not squander the time I have. To do more.

So here they are.

The multi-stemmed white birch in the front yard

A view from my tea cup in a local coffee shop

Beaver Avenue the way I like to see it

Manage Email, Manage Life, Ride More

Have you ever wished you had more time?

Two days ago I sat at my computer searching for an email I missed. Scrolling back and forth through my inbox it occurred to me (again) that I spend a lot of time "working" on email. And the more I "work" the less I seem to get done. Email gets in the way of me getting better or more involved in important things. At least the way I was handling it.

Embracing a need for professional and personal development I visited the 43folders Web site. It was here that I first learned of my trusty Hipster PDA, another completely functional asset for day-to-day living. Arriving at the homepage I saw the words "Email Eating You Alive?" along with an invitation to watch 43folders author Merlin Mann's recent talk at Google on how to tame the beast. His talk is called InBox Zero.

I've embedded the video below but before you get to that I wanted to share some quick statistics. When I started the video I had almost 9000 messages in my inbox. A paralyzing mix of messages from the past couple years representing a mix of indecision, procrastination, lack of attention, and inability to do anything but collect more and more. The only hope was for some cataclysmic email server failure that would deliver a reborn email world.

One hour after I finished the video I had zero messages in my inbox. I had successfully deleted over 6000 messages that were absolutely and utterly without worth. The remaining messages were moved to the DMZ and I had put in place a method of taking action on email, made a commitment to keeping the inbox as empty as I do the mailbox in front of my house, and following something that many others have suggested before -- I turned email off and check it only a couple times a day. It isn't instant messaging after all.

I've only been doing this a couple days now but I have to say it is a remarkable experience to see an inbox with only a handful of messages to deal with. And turning it off has meant I actually had time to work. Make things. Figure things out. Create. Contribute. Earn my keep. And ride more too.

If you think you might have a problem with email, if like me at one point find yourself checking email on your Blackberry in the middle of the night when you got up to go to the bathroom telling yourself how lucky your employer was to have such a dedicated employee, them maybe you should invest an hour to watch Merlin Mann's presentation.

So without further ado I give you Merlin Mann...

Still Cold, Scooter Still Starts, Still Riding

Clear skies on Wednesday night allowed for excellent viewing of the lunar eclipse. And it meant I would be able to ride to work the next day despite temperatures in the single digits by daybreak. Before the eclipse I picked up a few things at Barnes and Noble (by car -- it's dark and cold and still slippery in places) and while the goodies are always good, they don't possess the same magic when you sample them chilled to the bone from riding. Kim and I shared them at home.

The ride to work was lovely under clear blue skies and bright sun. No matter how cold it is sunshine always makes it more tolerable.

The ride home was uneventful despite taking a few twists and turns looking for mini-adventure. Almost all the snow was gone. A stop at the dairy store for a bottle of milk, a detour along a gravel road, a stop at an old barn. It only added a few minutes to the commute but nicely unwound a hectic day.

Snowing again this morning with predictions of sleet and freezing rain later in the day. I'm taking the bus. It will give me a change to finish up my second roll of black and white film for this week. The frame counter on the Leica is broken -- has been for a couple years now so I never really know how many pictures are left. Another mystery in life...