Departed this morning to take advantage of the warming trend before sidelining the scooter as I attempt to install the heated grips.  It was 35F at this stop but the temperature increased quickly into the upper 40s within an hour or so.  After some sub-freezing riding that feels positively warm.

Had to switch to my backup photography plan at this point of the ride when I realized I had forgotten to put the SD card back in the camera after downloading images last night.  I briefly considered riding back home to get it but decided on plan B and use the iPhone.

This photo was made as I entered Linden Hall, Pennsylvania.  It’s typical of many small central Pennsylvania towns — narrow roads, little traffic, a church and a few buildings.  I never tire of riding through these places.

Despite the greyness of the morning the riding was outstanding.  I just needed to put some miles beneath me to work out the mental cobwebs.  At this point I still hadn’t made any decisions about destination.  A lot of rides are like that — just a casual approach to the road.

Almost all crops have been harvested leaving many open fields in their wake.  There was a time when I might venture off through these places but of late I’d rather get permission to trespass.

Sometimes it seems as if scenes are constructed for photographic stories with a variety of graphic elements in play.  I stood at this intersection for awhile imaging what it all means.  Maybe nothing.  Maybe there’s a cosmic message coded in this picture that I really should decode.

A shortcut over Mount Nittany meant some dirt and gravel riding.  I was glad the temperature warmed well above the freezing mark leaving me mostly free to ride without fear of ice.  The Vespa isn’t a dirt bike but can easily handle this kind of track.  Takes a bit of practice to get comfortable but well worth the effort.  On the downside the scooter does picture up a lot of grit, dings and filth on the machine.

If there was a downside to the ride it’s the fact that I passed on breakfast and rode to my office to complete a few unfinished projects.  I’d thought it would only take an hour but it turned into three hours of focused work.  But I can rest a bit easier knowing some things are finished and not looming in my mind.

Got home in early afternoon and have begun work on the heated grips.  Removed the front rack, windscreen, mirrors, and have begun the headset removal.  First time I looked at it closely and I see one screen is missing and there is damage to the plastic where someone over-torqued some screws.  It’s always something.

I have my fingers crossed that I can finish the installation in less than an hour.

Sounds funny as I write that.