An email alert from Scootin’ Old Skool, a blog by author Orin O’Neill, titled Happy Equinox got me wondering about the way I feel this time of year. On the ride home this evening I could feel winter in the distance, the shortened days triggering some circadian rhythm imprinted in my brain from a thousand generations of really needing to get things in order before the sun favored brothers in the southern hemisphere.
The clouds over Mt. Nittany, the iconic geographic feature that separates Penns Valley from Nittany Valley and Penn State University. Standing along the road I could feel the cool air creep into my joints, move into my lungs and trigger a biological reaction that left me feeling wary and alone.
Or so I convinced myself. Migratory birds sense it. So do squirrels and chipmunks and other animals scurrying to prepare for winter. Why not me?
Riding creates an intimate relationship with the weather in the fall. Changes in light, temperature, and wind direction require nimble and ongoing adjustments in a manner not generally needed in warm weather. Fog is more common this time of year and soon the leaves will transform the landscape into a palette of warm color. I wonder if the visual stimulation triggers another ancient series of chemical events in my brain leaving me with prehistoric feelings no longer requiring a survival action.
Perhaps it accounts for the unsettled feelings, a mere endocrine response to some genetic programming that kept ancestors alive when mammoths roamed here.
Fall brings big skies. Dramatic skies. Natural reminders of things to come.
I’ve already donned more serious riding gear and I can feel myself steel against the elements on cold mornings. I’m ready. A flush of life sweeps through my body as I look towards the heavens. It’s a fine time to ride…
Love that last picture – nice job catching the sky… Been wanting to mention it for a while, but have you read Annie Dillard? I picked up Desert Solitaire on your recommendation, and his writing reminds me of her. I recommend the “Teaching a Stone to Talk” collection as a good intro…
Yes, tis the season of dramatic skies. And, I too, wonder about instinct and my reaction to this change of season. Is it survival? Or, am I sensing adventure is near?
~k
Every year about this time I start thinking more and more about sidecars…
Wonderful photos!
Great pictures as usual Steve! The leaves are peaking in terms of color here….we should have our first snow within a month, hopefully.
Richard….you should go talk to Mickey, the Ural dealer in Fairbanks…..
Duuuuuuuuuuude!
Everytime I read your posts, I can’t tell whether I am more in awe of the commentary or the photography. Job well done I say. Thank you.
http://ddo2jl.blogspot.com/
C: I’ve picked up Dillard several times but have not been able to finish. Head in the wrong place again. Maybe it’s time to try again.
Circle Blue: I think survival and feelings of adventure are spot on observations. And the two seem to amplify each other.
RichardM: Don’t let Dom get to you about sidecars. He’s suffering from a terrible obsession.
As far as the pictures go — more work with the iPhone.
Charlie6: (Dom) I hope we don’t have snow here in a month. It’s certainly possible but I don’t want to think about it.
What’s a URAL?
Scootard: Thanks for the kind words. I just keep on posting notes and photo sketches and try to figure out what’s going on in life…
Steve:
I heard on the radio today that we have had 95% less rain during July and August, than normal. The sun is rising later and it is nearly dark when I leave in the morning. I’m not looking forward to Winter either but for now, riding is great. not too cold, nor too hot. BUT, the inevitable is coming . . .
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
Steve the minute I saw this post I wanted to comment, but my iPhone refuses to play nice with Blogger.
I was blown away by those photos. iPhone helped with those I’m guessing?
Whether it did, or it didn’t is really beside the point because all by itself the composition is just amazing, forgetting the intensity and variety of the colours for just a moment.
Nicely done. The commentary strikes a chord as well.
Really, really nice.
bobskoot: We’ve had much rain of late and it is having an adverse effect on photo assignments at work and riding on the weekends. I’m hoping to at least find a few long rides before it turns to snow…
David Masse: All these photos were made with the iPhone4 GS using the Instagram app and filters. It does an amazing job of stylizing the images. Since I’m not a photojournalist I don’t have to worry about manipulating your perceptions but at some point when I have the time I’ll post the raw shot and the one Instagram creates. Kind of amazing.
Who makes the best adult scooters and what features do they have that make them stand out from the rest?