Business: Riding, Writing, Photography and Explaining

Let’s get down to business. So there’s no confusion.

This is Scooter in the Sticks. The main blog. The only blog.

Some might be confused because I have been posting all these daily images and changed the Blogger template yesterday. Say goodbye to the original blue version. I’ve moved on to my favorite color – gray. Other than the design change everything else is the same. I think.

Change is our friend.

First, I’ve decided not to post the #DailyRider and #MyDogJunior pictures everyday. I’ll consolidate them once a week in a post. The nearly 1500 people who subscribed to Scooter in the Sticks via Feedburner will continue to receive text and pictures as usual in an email. Everyone should be happy. I’ll be happy. That guy in Key West might even be happy. If you want to see them right away subscribe to my Twitter feed or view them on Flickr. I put them there as I go.

Since I have those pictures ready I will post them as sort of a change gift.

The Daily Rider: February 23, 2011.

Made this image with the iPhone this morning. I neglected to shovel the wet snow and slush a couple days ago in the morning and upon returning after work everything was frozen. So I will have to brave the snow covered driveway until the weather warms a bit.

My Dog Junior.

This morning at the vet. Junior had to get his first round of the Lyme Disease vaccine. He was bored. Made this image with the iPhone and the Lo-Mob app.

It’s been good to be on the road again despite the salt, cold, and occasional ice and snow. The motorcycle parking spaces at my office have been slowly disappearing with the recent snow. Thankfully there was a space I could hide the Vespa in. In a few weeks there will be flowers and warm air. I do remember one mid-March around 1995 that we had 28 inches of snow. I probably shouldn’t get too attached to the idea of spring just yet.

Kissell Motorsports and I have some plans for spring. The first being to do some riding on the Ducati Diavel and the new Triumph Tigers. Craig Kissell and I have talked about riding together and comparing notes on the bikes. Look for those after the roads are clear and the salt has been washed away. Until then I will look over the books Craig gave me. I can see myself on the Tigers. The Ducati is a bit harder to picture.

Last Friday night I attended Midnight Madness at Kissell Motorsports. A big sale from 10pm to midnight. Lots of people turned out and found some great prices on helmets, gear, gloves, motorcycles, and such. I almost bought a new pair of Rev It pants but decided all I really needed was a new Triumph sweatshirt.

It was getting close to midnight when I got back on the Vespa for the 12-mile ride home. It was cold (around 35F) with wind gusts hitting 45mph. Interesting night ride. I couldn’t figure out why no one else rode to the event.

Not everything is fun and games though. I still have to find time for the 3 Prints Project. Time is less of an issue. Motivation is my problem. Gordon and I show up faithfully at a local coffee shop on Sunday morning to share work. Being a regular now you begin to notice the other regulars.

And coffee shops seem to be one of the last bastions of unfettered photography (except for those corporate ones with rule books). I figure the day will come that someone will complain and we will be politely asked to put our cameras away lest we be branded as terrorists.

Photography is not a crime.

Not yet.

This past Sunday Gordon had some nice digital prints. Both of us have recently agreed to abandon film and the darkroom for a while. I already miss it. This image is of his wife.

Gordon has a dog named Laika. I think my Junior photography was inspired by his pictures of his dogs. I’m a follower. Except when it comes to riding. Then I’m a loner.

Riding buddy Paul Ruby made an appearance. I'm not sure if he wanted to see us or just needed a muffin. He recently purchased a Ducati 1198 to share space in the garage with his Kawasaki Concurs, Harley Davidson something or other, and a nice, 1964 Vespa. And his 1962 (?) Mercedes and 1976 Ferrari. He thinks they are all chick magnets.

He needs to talk with Dr. Riepe. Besides, that sweater demagnetizes pretty much anything.

Made this picture on the way home from work this evening. Despite the cold and snow I’m glad to be out. Some days when I walk into the house Kim remarks on the smile. Riding has a way of doing that. Even on cold days like today, riding to work without my ski mask and the cold cut into my throat like a knife, I was smiling and happy when I arrived.

Go figure. Things like that don’t happen in warm climates like you might find in Key West.

I do have some good news to report. A while back Jack Riepe of Twisted Roads posted some good information on how to handle Valentine’s Day. He made a recommendation for Big Jim’s Cookies. I bought two-dozen immediately. And Jim called the house because of a snowstorm seeking permission to ship the cookies a couple days later so they would not get hung up somewhere in shipping. He bakes these things fresh and they are GOOD. Yum. I wish I had some right now.

Jack Riepe may not know much about motorcycles or women but he does know chocolate chip cookies.

Since I can’t have a constant supply of Big Jim’s Cookies I can always stop at the candy store down the street for my beloved Figaros.

So I think I am all caught up with the news from the sticks. It's good to have friends, interests, a loving wife, kids, family, a dog, camera and Vespa. Can't ask for much more. Well I can but I won't right now.

As the weather warms and I cast off the weight of winter I hope to provide a little more interesting fare.

Penn State: The Partnership

I arrived at Penn State in the summer of 1972 as a freshman student in geology. From my first days here through today I've been continuously challenged, surprised, and proud of the work this institution undertakes. As managing editor of Penn State Ag Science magazine I have a unique opportunity to explore the the work being done by researchers, students, and staff. After 39 years my respect for the people here and the work they do continues to grow.

When I watched the The Partnership video, a story of the land grant mission signed into law by Abraham Lincoln 148 years ago, I was reminded of how fortunate I have been to have a small part in the ongoing mission of Penn State.

I seldom share things here about work but thought the messages in this video are important and reflect the value of research and education partnerships across the country. The complexity of research and the difficulty of explaining it within the confines of a sound bite media can make it an easy target for derision or dismissal. A few weeks ago I listened to a national talk show host dismiss public funding for soybeans as a waste of money because obviously we already know everything we need to know about beans. In a constantly changing environment in terms of disease, insects, soil changes, and more, we never know enough. As the world's population continues to grow and demand for food increases, people and governments will look towards research and education for solutions.

Everyone in America should understand the mission of institutions like Penn State and their roots traced back nearly 150 years.

And even if you have no interest in this message the video has some wonderful aerial footage of the beautiful Pennsylvania landscape in which I get to ride.

My opinion. And all of you should ride a Vespa. *grin*

The Daily Rider: February 22, 2011

After a few spring-like days the snow and ice returned during the night. Despite the best attempts of the road crews they couldn't get the roads clear enough for me to decide to ride the Vespa to work. I've ridden on this sort of stuff before but not today. By noon the roads were wet.

My Dog Junior.

This morning in the garden after a hearty breakfast of Native, Level 3, dog food for the athletic canine. He was ready to roll after I fumbled a bit with the iPhone. This image was processed with the Instagram app.

NOTE: I'm still uncertain about posting the Daily Rider and My Dog Junior pictures everyday on the blog. I may do it but on the same page so it just is an additive process with a link in the navigation. But for now I will follow the advice of my blogging muse Mr. Conch and my spiritual and moral guide Mr. Riepe.

The Daily Rider: February 21, 2011

After a couple spring-like days, the sky opened last night and made the world unsuitable for riding. So this daily rider kept the Vespa in the garage admired nature's handiwork with a camera. This one an iPhone image using the vintage postcard feature in Lo-Mob.

My Dog Junior.

Another iPhone image with Lo-Mob. Junior and I in the woods early this morning just west of the Pennsylvania Military Museum. He loves being out in the world.

The Daily Rider: February 20, 2011

Late morning, a stop to shoot the Vespa with Mount Nittany in the background. Clear skies are giving way to snow and ice tonight. Shot with the Hipstamatic app for the iPhone.

My Dog Junior.

The wide angle lens makes him appear like a little spud.

The Daily Rider: February 19, 2011

Vespa and abandoned chicken coop near Oak Hall, Pennsylvania. Shot with an iPhone, image processed on the phone using PhotoForge -- sharpened and vignetted, and then turned into a postcard using Lo Mob.

My Dog Junior: February 19, 2011

Ball action at the Pennsylvania Military Museum.

The Daily Rider: A Twitter Project

The above picture was made yesterday afternoon with my iPhone before heading home from work. I've been telling myself for some time now that I need to explore the possibilities of the camera phone. The recent third place award in the Pictures of the Year competition to Damon Winters for his coverage of the war in Afghanistan and shooting exclusively with an iPhone has moved me to action.

Functioning best amidst ritual and routine I have decided to begin using the iPhone to produce a daily image related to my rides to work, the Vespa, motorcycles I ride, see, love, hate, whatever. I'm not going to post them here but instead send the picture (s?) out using Twitter. So if you need a daily dose of something related to two wheels then make sure you follow me on Twitter.

Click ScooterNSticks to follow me on Twitter. I'll be using the #DailyRider hashtag.

If you are following already you probably know that I am posting a daily picture of my dog Junior. You can find them with the #MyDogJunior hashtag.

Anyways, with the weather warming and all things riding about to become more common I wanted to give everyone an heads up.

Old Man Update: Helmets

It finally happened, a morning ride in the mid 20s (F) and then a return home to drop the helmet on the concrete floor. Pieces scattered and detached from the Fulmer helmet that I've worn for the past five years. It performed well enough to take a place along the street today and accept a ride to it's eventual burial at the landfill. Farewell.

On Monday after work I stopped at Kissell Motorsports and browsed the least expensive helmets in the Scorpion line. Everyone here probably knows that price and protection aren't really connected. In blind test after test the cheapest helmets often outperform the expensive ones in impact tests. Armed with that knowledge I puffed my chest ready to rebuff any sales pitch steering me towards an Arai, Shoei or other fancy bauble. I have selected a Scorpion helmet. Grey, plain, functional. I'm ready to go.

Craig Kissell stops to see how I'm doing and says, "Those are nice helmets but you really should check out one of the Shoeis, I think you'll really like it better." He's recently told me he wants me to try out the new Ducati Diavel and the new Triumph Tigers when they come in so I listen politely.

He hands me a Titanium Shoei Qwest. Pretty. And pretty expensive. He repeats that it might be a good helmet for me and adds "You're getting older now."

What?

To make a long story shorter he tells me the real advantage of the Shoei over the Scorpion is the fiberglas construction makes it noticeably lighter and easier on my aging neck and cervical spine. Damn, it did feel lighter. I remembered long rides where the helmet seemed like it was dragging me down. I thought for a few minutes while weighing the helmet in my hands and said sold.

I've been riding to work the past two days in the Shoei. The weight difference is noticeable. The fit is much better than the Fulmer was. Quiet and without much wind noise. And for a winter rider, the big payoff is the breath guard really works. It was 22F on Tuesday morning and I did not have to open the visor once to clear fog.

But the big lesson for old men (and women) -- a lighter helmet means less neck pain. I'm already liking the less weight part.

First Sign of Spring

While longer days and bright sun are nice, a sure sign of spring for this Vespa rider is the appearance of a motorcycle parking space at my office as the snow and ice recede.

The weather forecast predicts 30F and sunny for the ride home. Almost ready to put the Gerbing electric gloves away until next year...

The Khan Academy

A non-riding, non-scooter, non-motorcycle post. But something I think has value. The video above will give you an idea of what the Khan Academy is all about.

This past Friday I was in the Berkey Creamery at Penn State with my friend Dan Leri, director of Innovation Park at Penn State, When he's not trying to convince me to ditch the Vespa and get a BMW motorcycle he has amazing stories to share and this meeting was no different. He asked me if I had seen the Khan Academy.

The Khan Academy is the brainchild of Salman Khan, former hedge fund manager and now creator of over 2000 video tutorials (housed on YouTube) on subjects ranging from algebra, physics, and chemistry to economics, finance, and statistics. Khan has an uncanny way of taking the most complex subjects and presenting it in a compelling and understandable manner in 10 minutes or less.

If you have kids in school who might be struggling with math, chemistry, biology or physics, you need to introduce them to the Khan Academy.

And it's all free.

Over the weekend Kim and I tried out his Alien Abduction Brain Teaser, just one of many opportunities to exercise your brain.

If you have a minute check out the Khan Academy. It may be something of interest to you, your family, or someone you know. When I looked through the list of topics I could not help but think how different my academic career would have unfolded if something like this was available when I was struggling with calculus, chemistry and physics as a freshman in college.

Khan has caught the attention of supporters around the world and has dreams of educating the world.

I believe he will.

UPDATE FOR CONCHSCOOTER:

A still picture from a Sunday morning ride. Conchscooter can't stand to not see a photo. Too much sun in Key West I guess.

Winter Creeping into My Heart

After watching the Dream Rangers video yesterday I could not keep myself from going for a ride this morning. Winter is slowly creeping into my heart and painting everything with a gray heaviness. A ride would chase away the cold.

The roads were mostly dry with salt and an occasional path of snow or ice. Staying on lightly traveled secondary roads allow for methodical management of these hazards.

Looking at the Vespa sitting in the ice covered scene above reflected exactly how I feel -- I'm living in a world of cold. Maybe this is what Finland is like this time of year.

Returning home I realized I could ride a lot more than I do. I'm letting the cold weigh me down and whisper in my ear the many reasons to leave the scooter in the garage.

My dog Junior doesn't let a little cold weather stand in his way of having fun. I need to take a lesson from him.

No more winter whining. Let's ride.

Continue to Dream

I hope I can continue to dream when the time comes...

What about you?

My Dog Junior Project

My dog Junior, this morning before work, exercising his god given right to chase balls until my hands and feet are numb.

I don't know how it happened but I suddenly began photographing Junior, well, sort of obsessively with my iPhone, Canon G9, Nikon D200 or D700, Leica M6, Mamiya 7, pretty much with whatever is at hand.

It's a good thing -- making pictures. And with so much snow falling lately the Vespa has been languishing in the garage. I almost made the mistake of riding to work this morning thinking there would be no snow until take today, and then only a short period this morning. Good thing I left the scooter at home.

Back to the My Dog Junior project. I like when something ignites a creative flame. Not sure where it will go. I decided to keep the dog pictures to a minimum. Just enough to soften you all up for a time when one of our daughters has a baby and I start posting pictures like all proud grandpas do.

Probably will fold Junior into the 3 Prints Project which is still moving along despite the fact that I have not posted any updates for a year or so. A long story there and will probably post something soon. Things fall through the cracks and on top of that I procrastinate a bit.

Ask Dave in Canada who is still waiting patiently for a print from last summer's free print giveaway. Or maybe he forget. I'll send it. It's sitting on my desk.

I'll post an occasional image of Junior here but if you want to see everything visit my Flickr site.

Or if you want daily reminders of the new canine imagery follow me on TWITTER.

That's a quick update and now I am going to head for the couch...

Only Idiots Ride in the Snow

Only idiots ride in the snow. Or so I've been told.

It was running through my head this morning when Junior and I headed out the door for a morning romp with the temperature hovering just below the zero mark. We found enough ice and snow here and there on the road to convince me to take the truck into town for a late morning meeting. I could have ridden but couldn't summon the adventurer. I had to be content hurling a tennis ball for 45 minutes while I got cold and Junior got warmed up.

Made the portrait of Junior with cold hands and the iPhone.

Not to say I haven't been on the road trying out the new Heidenau K66 LT Snowtex tires. They are everything I hoped for and more. For loose, unpacked snow they are pretty amazing. Almost no feeling of the front tire about to slip out. Just a solid, confident movement.

Keep in mind movement at a slow pace. If you think snow tires will let you race through snow on a road with traffic, well, think again. Or think, "Only idiots ride in the snow."

I got the tires to reduce the risk of sliding during the winter when the roads are mostly clear but cold, at temperatures where conventional tires loose traction. In that regard they're great. No idiocy here.

I also wanted to have the tires for those times when I unexpectedly am faced with snow on the road. The beginnings of a snowfall where I still need to get home. Times when the road is wet, slushy, or just beginning to be covered with snow. A temporary ride to get to shelter. Again, these tires make a big difference.

While they help in this sort of snow I have no illusions of their performance on ice, or even hard packed snow. The scooter isn't heavy enough to dig in and there is no magic in the tires. Any riding in those situations (and I've done it) is a fool's errand. You need to assume a lot of risk.

Unless you have one of those motorcycles with a sidecar.

But I like being out in the winter and for long periods of time the roads are largely clear. So why store the Vespa away to wait for spring. Careful planning, riding, technique, and the right equipment can make this time of year pretty nice.

Now I just need to work on getting my butt off the couch and ride. Maybe tomorrow morning. It should only be a few degrees below zero...

The Humble Rider

I found myself creeping along the alley which runs through the center of State College to avoid the more aggressive traffic on College Avenue.

There’s nothing like a 50cc scooter to amplify your understanding of the road. Wondering whether the speedometer will 35mph or if a few less potato chips would make help top speeds, a ride on a little scooter seems to unfold in slow motion. On the Honda Ruckus I could feel the desire to move, to rush, to get somewhere faster, quicker, get through traffic, leave things behind me, get away, get out in front, do anything other than wait for the scooter to get me to my destination.

It’s humbling to be at the bottom of the motorized kingdom. Only pedestrians and non-competitive bicycle riders go slower. Even my Vespa GTS has an engine five times bigger. I’ve found new respect for the small scooter and moped riders I see around town. And for guys like Walter Muma from Michigan who rode his moped nearly 12 thousand miles to Alaska and back, I can barely image the patience he must possess.

Every rider should periodically ride one of these little machines. They demand an entirely different focus and behavior than almost every other two-wheeled machine. Slow speeds force a focus on traffic flow, drivers, routes, and personal behavior. Like pulling over to let everyone pass. Or waiting for really big openings in traffic to pull onto a highway.

For the first couple days I took the roads less traveled. Aside from a super slippery seat on the Ruckus I found myself liking it more and more. As one of the machines in the Kissell Motorsports pre-owned category I found myself thinking about writing a check for $1200 and taking it home.

For rides around Boalsburg, through the streets and alleys to the post office or the Boalsburg Chocolate Company, what could be better.

As the temperatures descended in the 20s I began missing my heated gloves. I didn’t do any research on the capacity of the Ruckus to support electrics. Watching the kids play ice hockey in the cold I was remembered a time when I was impervious to the cold.

The Honda Ruckus is a little tank. I was surprise how solid it felt after first thinking of it as a glorified minibike, one of those WRENs from my youth. That would be the 1960s for me when I used to lay on my bed in my room with a copy of Boy’s Life dreaming of selling stationary from the Cheerful Card Company to earn enough money for a minibike, air rifle, and X-ray glasses.

The Ruckus has big, almost knobby tires, and they didn’t slip once as I began “riding through the woods.”

I rode through a lot of familiar territory with a 10-mile radius of home and found the little scooter up for anything as long as I was willing to accept such slow speeds. I’m certain the experience with the Ruckus has sharpened by riding wits. I’ve never thought mastering the machine was nearly as important as mastering my mind on the road and the scooter forces the issue. I know my place in the roadway kingdom. Easy to forget on a motorcycle that can propel a rider far ahead of the four-wheeled world.

Cutting through a field used mainly by dog walkers and kids taking a shortcut home from school I stopped to look at Mount Nittany, the iconic hill that Penn Staters pay allegiance and provides the namesake for the Nittany Lions. As a platform for exploring the Ruckus is great. And it is so unassuming that no one paid it any attention.

If you need people to look at you while riding cross this one off your list.

Here I am, 56 years old, and finally I have my minibike. At least for a few days. And it was as fun as I always thought it would be. Why didn’t my parents let me get one?

I like the looks of the Ruckus. It has the same rugged ugliness of a Jeep. And I bet it will go more places. If you have the time.

On the way back to Kissell’s to pick up my Vespa I stopped to photograph the little beast in front of the big mural along Calder Alley. It reflects the spirit that is ignited by this machine. Or any other small scooter I suspect.

I believe spending a riding life on big motorcycles leaves a rider incomplete. That little kid inside us doesn’t really connect with horsepower. It wants something else. Standing outside the window with the BMW S1000 RR looking out the window I was glad I had the chance to tool around on a Ruckus.