The past few days I’ve been riding what I would call utilitarian rides – trips and journeys with fixed goals – errands, chores, destinations. These are the sort of trips that a scooter turns into one more enjoyable opportunity to ride. One of the big benefits of two-wheeled transportation. This image was taken on the way home from Barnes and Noble. It is a little insulbrick building that Kim loves. I detoured past it to make a picture for her computer desktop as a surprise. I’ll describe a few of my other “trips” but before I go on I wanted to share a sad event that happened just a half mile from my home and serves as a reminder to those who venture out on two wheels.
Bohdan Kulakowski, 63, of Boalsburg, was struck from behind while he was riding a bicycle near the ramp leading to the Mount Nittany Expressway. State College police said he was taken by to Mount Nittany Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:45 p.m. He was a daily bicycle commuter riding a similar route that I do on the scooter. He also rode year round. I don’t know the circumstances of the accident or who was at fault. I do know that by all accounts he was an experienced rider who met an unfortunate end. Accidents happen all the time but in the riding community they resonate in a way that accidents don’t in the cage community. Riders are aware of the danger. We watch for it and manage our actions accordingly. It seems to me most cage operators detach from it and act as if accidents are something that happen so others. It just seems so strange. An example of the way riders care for one another can be found in this thread about a scooter rider:
Riding community response to accident
For all of you out there, as Gary Charpentier of The Baron in Winter would say – ride well.
Bike Night
This past Monday evening was the season’s first “Bike Night” at the Quaker Steak and Lube. I was excited to see the new Vespa Scooters that would be on display but even more excited to see all the motorcycles that would be there and hear some riding stories. The sum total ended up being my Vespa LX150, my friend Paul’s Vespa ET4 and another friend Cliff’s vintage Lambretta. Not another rider in site anywhere. The temperature was around 25 degrees Fahrenheit and a few snowflakes spitting in the air but the road was dry as a bone. There were lots of owners about just no riders. I guess I’ll have to return when the temperature is 80 and you can ride in short pants and no helmet…..
Countryside Jaunt to Breakfast
I took the week off from work to do a little riding, work in the garden and not shave. I would often head out through the outskirts of town on my way to breakfast somewhere. This image was made along a little twisty road. I stopped at this grove of Black Locust trees wishing I had some logs and poles to build some things in the garden. As the universe would have it I was walking Essa yesterday morning and ran into the director of the local museum walking his dog. I inquired about all the woodlot clearing they were doing and what was going to happen to the wood. He said they were going to burn it all. Short story – I got four truckloads of Black Locust poles. I write now with sore hands, sore back, but lots of wood to build something with!
Night Ride
I rode to an art supply store to buy some paint brushes for Kim and I absolutely loved being out in the night. The roads were nearly deserted. It was cold and some snow flurries here and there but nothing on the road. I really enjoy riding at night, seeing the stars, and just feeling the energy that comes with the even heightened awareness that comes while navigating through the night.
Wow… a whole week off to ride and write about it. (Well, of course there are the chores as well, but those are just more reasons to ride!) I’m jealous!
Every time I try to save vacation time to do something like that, excrement happens. It never fails.
This is probably because I am a reactive homeowner, rather than a proactive one. I don’t fix anything until it’s broke, and becomes an emergency. If it’s not the house, it’s the cage.
Doing preventive maintenance is abhorrent to me because I feel like it is using up my riding time. But now that it is using up my vacation time, I will have to rethink this. Thanks for the reminder!
Ride well,
=gc=
Gary,
I have not reacted the level of reactive homeowner yet. Proactive is something that is only a whispered myth. I’ve still not put up the trim in the bedroom that I rennovated ten years ago….
Time just gets sucked away in so many ways. I can’t seem to every get hold of it.
steve
Preventative maintenance. Hmm, I’ve heard of it. Today Katie is gone for the day. The ST really needs me to change the oil and wash it. The sun is coming out. Change oil and wash bike or go ride? Or do something really daft like mow my lawn. See ya, the road’s calling!
Dan
Steve,
The gal who had an accident on her vintage Vespa is from Portland, about an hour and fifteen minutes North of me. Interesting coincidence. It really pissed me off because the liberal media let some big bellied biker jerks spout off about how full face helmets break your neck, cut off your vision and hearing, yada, yada. Then they showed the pudding bowls these guys ride with. I hope the natural cleansing of the gene pool works.
Anyway, she worked for a company that makes special riding jackets. They have pockets with the armor padding, etc. She modeled one in an ad but had not been able to buy one, yet. The Arai full face helmet took a good hit. Some lady in a Subaru wagon pulled out in front of her scooter. She hit her face hard on the door frame. The docs may have to wire her jaw shut for a while next week.
Prayers for her.
Jason and I drove past the poor Mr. Bohdan around 6 p.m. the night of his accident. He was face down on the side of the road, half covered with a blanket, laying amongst the glass and small bits of trash everywhere. His bicycle didn’t even look like a bicycle anymore. It looked like a drinking straw that someone had nervously twisted into knots. About 6 cars had stopped to help – and a small collection of people gathered around him – but none of them knelt beside him. They all stood there like chess peices – a placid look on their face – looking at the off ramp for the ambulance to arrive.
When a person is in an accident – the most important thing to do is to try to keep the person conscious – but no one was even sparing an eye his direction. No one talked to him – no one held his hand. He was dead even before his heart knew any better to stop beating.
I found out from someone I work with that the man who hit Mr. Bohdan has macular degeneration and should not have been driving. My understanding is that the driver lives about 2 miles away from where the accident took place. He probably thought that he could just make a quick trip out. In that area – the road is wide and there is plenty of maneuvering space to avoid an accident – but the cyclist lost his life that day because the person driving didn’t see him – and more specifically – couldn’t see him.