New Year’s Eve Ride in the Snow

The last day of 2013 and it snows — a little.  Enough to give pause to any decision to ride the Vespa. Walking Junior up the street I do the usual traction testing with my boot and try to imagine the roads beyond our neighborhood and consider alternatives to a morning ride like doing laundry or scrubbing the bathroom.

It’s not long before I’m standing in an empty cornfield watching the sun try to burn through a passing snow squall, wondering if the scooter is going to fall over on the uneven surface.  When weather moves quickly through the valley I need to pay close attention because traction and visibility can change quickly making riding difficult or impossible.  Today I have a few errands to run but no time to really get lost.

Surprising variation on main road surfaces.  Some wet while others built up a sheen of snow and slush. Salt trucks were out but because little snow was predicted I suppose their hearts weren’t really in it. This particular road was much more slippery than I expected, that detection made again by testing the road surface with my boot.

Slow riding here — 20mph seemed about right provided no panic stops were needed.  It also means pulling over for any traffic approaching from the rear — just to be polite.

Not sure what the new year will bring but I try to be open to possibilities.  There’s much to be grateful for and a lot of work ahead.  Riding the Vespa is a part of my road ahead and it’s nice to live somewhere that makes riding pretty easy.

Errands finished and the weather continuing to intrude so I head towards home where it’s warm and cozy.

Glad I have winter tires.  Looking forward to a few hours of above freezing temperatures so I can wash all the salty grim from the scooter.  It’s really red.  All the gray is from the dirt and salt…