Other than a couple direct commutes I wasn’t able to do much riding last week. The weather prognosticators were wringing their hands in excitement with the most recent storm on the way with predictions of up to a foot of sudden snow. The prediction kept shifting through the weekend and by Sunday morning I had enough and got on the Vespa to go for a ride. When I left home it was 39° F, raining, gray, and the forecasters threat of snow seemed unlikely at the current temperature. My desire to ride outweighed any concern of snow.
I had no plan or idea of where I would go and if anything influenced me it was the weather. I rode towards the darkest area of the valley where I could see the sky closest to the ground. As I rode along a local creek I got the idea into my head that I should experiment with the GTS riding across water.
Navigating down a little farm lane that crosses the creek I stopped to consider this line of thinking. I decided this type of action was not suited to the Vespa and better left for adventurers with big knobby tires and high mounted engines.
Not to be completely dissuaded I tried my hand at riding through some soft turf and mud. Those little scooter tires worked hard to keep me moving but I quickly tired of that exercise.
I was more interested in the landscape than I was in any riding challenges. I find myself transfixed by the way that the soft light renders the fields into muted colors with ink drawings. Or something like that.
The rain continued to fall lightly as I rode farther down the valley but not enough to force me to pull out the seat or bag rain covers. The topography in Penns Valley rolls softly between the ridges and there are ample opportunities to watch the sky change.
I kept riding and watching and stopping to make pictures. My goal for them as uncertain as my destination.
There seems to be no end to the roads and scenes I have available.
That thinking is probably influenced by the weather and the way it can transform a place. Shooting this picture over the handlebars of the scooter I was reminded for some reason of Ted Simon’s book Jupiter’s Travels. I’ve never read it and thought I would ride into town to see if the library had it.
Getting to the library gave my hands a welcome break from the damp cold and a chance to come back to life a bit before riding home. It wasn’t the best weather to ride by any conventional riding wisdom but it was a great ride in practice. I’m sitting here now trying to decide if I should ride to work. It’s 36° right now with patchy rain. The weather experts are calling for highs around 40 and periods of snow. Go figure. I’m thinking the roads will remain wet. They are also calling for wind with gusts to 50 MPH. That has me a little more concerned mostly because I am worried the Vespa might blow over in the parking lot. I could park in the garage though.
Hell with it. I’m going to ride.
Hi Steve,
Wow – I’m kinda glad living in Australia, even though I much prefer the cold weather that we don’t generally have.
However, one thing about which I am glad is that with no snow whatsoever (our winters usually don’t get colder than about 14 degrees celsius) at least we can ride whenever we feel like it!
Nonetheless, it’s good to be reminded that we are prone to the elements and that a gust of wind can indeed be life-threatening to a humble scooterist.
Cheers,
M
I’m surprised the Vespa can handle the wind gusts. I feel the wind push my little Miata around on the highway… I can’t imagine how it feels on the Vespa.
For once the weather here in Minnesota is better than what you have over there. Still, that light is really nice for your photos. Beautiful work there, Steve.
Ride well,
=gc=
Without wanting to, I ended up trying the “soft ground” test, and ended up pushing the B/R while using the throttle to get unstuck. At least I know now what my limitations are in the soft stuff.
I think I’ll try shallow water next.
Have fun,
Bill
michael: The more I ride the more comfortable I feel handling a wider range of conditions. For me the secret is to want to ride in the cold or wet and that means good gear.
If I weren’t reasonably comfortable I wouldn’t be out and stretching my riding expertise. I have seen guys riding in sub freezing weather with a half helmet, skinny gloves, and stylish leather jacket and jeans. They might be the ones who tell other riders it’s crazy to ride in the cold.
If I was wearing that stuff I would be saying the same thing.
No snow…. lucky!
gina marie: The wind sort of pushes nicely….
gary: It is time for warm weather. We got some plants in the mail yesterday from White Flower Farm. Certainly that means the end of the cold.
Bill: The scooter just isn’t designed for serious non-paved terrain. Not with the tires I have now. Only takes a moment to throw a lot of mud around though!
Those are some really nice pics. I know that we all like to ride in the sun but there is something really satisfying about riding in the cold and the wet.
Thanks for putting these pics up. I really like the narrow roads!
Jupiter’s Travels is really good, I highly recommend it.
I like the “hell with it” comment. Just defines what several of us moto-bloggers live.
John
I love your last line too. When I read it I said…
Yeh-heah!! Fist raised in the air… You know, that sort of thing ; )
Roadbum