cold Archives - Scooter in the Sticks Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650 Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:08:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 71084491 Frozen in Place https://scooterinthesticks.com/2025/12/frozen-in-place-2/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2025/12/frozen-in-place-2/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:08:22 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=11425 Chaos and Procrastination Despite the march of years I continue to ride through the winter. The goal is to ride all five machines in the garage at least once every two weeks for at least 15 miles. Enough time to drive the moisture from the oil, keep the batteries alive, and make room for periodic […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2025/12/frozen-in-place-2/feed/ 24 11425 Can I Love Winter Again? https://scooterinthesticks.com/2024/11/can-i-love-winter-again/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2024/11/can-i-love-winter-again/#comments Sun, 24 Nov 2024 14:25:10 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=11189 Facing the Cold The first snow has arrived.  Light, decorative, a dusting that beckons of winter to come. The past month has offered unseasonably warm weather.  Riding weather for even the cold-adverse riders.  Yet the roads are largely empty of scooters and motorcycles save for those souls committed to continued riding.  Some I suspect have […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2024/11/can-i-love-winter-again/feed/ 16 11189 Winter is Coming… and I’m Riding My Vespa https://scooterinthesticks.com/2024/10/winter-is-coming/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2024/10/winter-is-coming/#comments Mon, 28 Oct 2024 04:10:00 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=11167 Cold Starts Looking out the window it appears to be a fine morning to ride. Bright sunshine and no wind. Stepping out onto the deck provides additional information — it’s cold. 49F cold. As the dogs run round the garden I imagine what gear I’ll need. Merlin jacket, neck gaiter, long underwear under my jeans, […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2024/10/winter-is-coming/feed/ 6 11167 Two Motorcycles in the Cold https://scooterinthesticks.com/2022/02/two-motorcycles-in-the-cold/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2022/02/two-motorcycles-in-the-cold/#comments Thu, 17 Feb 2022 15:23:05 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=10618 Cold Comfort There are moments on the road when you realize your estimations of the day are wrong. What’s true in the driveway has become false in another place. As I stood in the middle of the road atop the Allegheny Plateau, it was apparent that the balmy mid-40s temperatures promised at home in the […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2022/02/two-motorcycles-in-the-cold/feed/ 12 10618 The Physicality of Riding https://scooterinthesticks.com/2019/12/the-physicality-of-riding/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2019/12/the-physicality-of-riding/#comments Mon, 02 Dec 2019 16:46:11 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=9334 Riding is Not Exercise I’ve struggled to rationalize it otherwise, but the cold stare of reality shows few qualities of exercise while riding a scooter or motorcycle. Yet there are strong physical qualities that, for me, raise riding to a physical act of purpose and action. I was reminded of this effect while riding the […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2019/12/the-physicality-of-riding/feed/ 21 9334 Cold Weather Riding Limits of the BMW K75 https://scooterinthesticks.com/2019/11/cold-weather-riding-limits-of-the-bmw-k75/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2019/11/cold-weather-riding-limits-of-the-bmw-k75/#comments Tue, 12 Nov 2019 05:01:02 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=9298 Cold Weather is Coming The lyrical autumn scenery has faded into the stark reality that winter is coming. The leaves have fallen and soon they’ll be raked, burned or forgotten as snow falls along with the temperature. I have this motorcycle now and am wondering what I’ll do with it this winter. Will I keep […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2019/11/cold-weather-riding-limits-of-the-bmw-k75/feed/ 14 9298 Dogs, Snow and Winter Vespa Riding https://scooterinthesticks.com/2016/01/winter-vespa-riding/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2016/01/winter-vespa-riding/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2016 13:09:05 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=5770 Ritual Beginning of the Day I lead a monastery life — each day beginning with a ritualistic practice enforced by dogs.  In the predawn light first Junior, then Lily begin to stir, first quietly then more insistently reminding of the day’s responsibilities; outside for personal hygiene needs, a few laps around the yard, a dozen […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2016/01/winter-vespa-riding/feed/ 9 5770 Riding in Frozen Fog https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/12/riding-in-frozen-fog/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/12/riding-in-frozen-fog/#comments Sun, 20 Dec 2015 03:41:34 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=5620 If you really want to know what Middle-earth is based on, it’s my wonder and delight in the earth as it is, particularly the natural earth.  — J.R.R. Tolkien Awakening from a dream only to find another.  For a week at the beginning of December each day began shrouded in fog and mist.  And on […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/12/riding-in-frozen-fog/feed/ 36 5620 Vespa in Freezing Weather https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/11/vespa-in-freezing-weather/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/11/vespa-in-freezing-weather/#comments Thu, 26 Nov 2015 01:14:17 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=5526 The Vespa starts right up in freezing weather, my brain not so much… At the beginning of the cold-weather riding season an adjustment is in order — for me at least.  I don’t worry much about the Vespa and instead focus on the subtle ways my mind works to avoid the cold.  Perhaps it’s merely […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/11/vespa-in-freezing-weather/feed/ 18 5526 Seasons of the Soul https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/11/seasons-of-the-soul/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/11/seasons-of-the-soul/#comments Sun, 15 Nov 2015 06:25:57 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=5498 Struggling to focus my thoughts about a cold morning ride in the central Pennsylvania forest I heard my wife talking out loud about a book she was downloading — The Seasons of the Soul: The Poetic Guidance and Spiritual Wisdom of Hermann Hesse — and everything became clear. It was 38F when I woke with a […]

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