Its been a hectic week at work. Projects are underway and require my input or attention and a new really large and complicated one has just launched that could easily eat up half of my time. The balancing act can be draining and leaves me feeling anxious, unsettled and tired by the end of the day.

I park my Vespa in the free motorcycle parking area about a mile from my office. I could park closer but the walk to the office and back to the scooter has enough therapeutic value that I continue with this arrangement. It’s a good 15-minute walk across campus before the scooter roars (purrs) to life. Today the campus was deserted during my walk giving an added and welcome level of solitude. The walk makes the ride home stronger. Instead of departing a zombie for the first few miles the physical activity resets my brain and when I turn the throttle I am focused and ready.

As I was pulling on my helmet and gloves I noticed the reflections of passing cars in the finish of the scooter. I am still enamored by the Vespa and it consistently finds its way into photographs for no other reason than I like the way the damn thing looks. I imagine it in adventures and rides and just smile. For some reason today I sat down on the sidewalk with the digital camera and made some images. Something seems odd about a 51+-year-old man sitting on the sidewalk in a yellow and black riding jacket taking pictures of a Vespa. That’s what I come to at this stage of my life. I guess it’s ok.

I liked the way the scooter is juxtaposed against the FedEx truck. Reminds me that I can stand up on the road with these big boxes. The ride home was relaxed and the world was magical in a way I only recognize from the car when the light is unusual or dramatic. I made the image at the top of the page on Monday evening while riding. It was grey and the sun was going down through a cloudy sky. A small glow of sunlight filtered through the clouds for an instant and I stopped to make a photo. I am sure I would have missed it in a cage.

If there is a reliable constant in my life it is a lack of forward motion. I’m capable of pursuing the perfect decision at the expense of any decision. It does not discriminate and applies to every aspect of my life. My daughter has gently prodded me in this blog and my wife has done so privately to move me towards buying more protective riding gear. As those of you who ride know the array of products is mind-boggling and opinion ranges from casual to evangelical. It is fertile territory for me to defer the decision to some other sunny day….

I did make the decision to buy a pair of inexpensive Tourmaster Overpants with hip and knee armor. They’ll be fine. Better than jeans and at a price I can afford. And I bought some earplugs to protect my hearing while I ride. I’ve used them before while working with powertools but using them underneath a helmet is sort of claustrophobic and unsettling. I rode the scooter out into the countryside just to get a feel for things and have decided I like them. I can concentrate better and things seem clearer. Strange.

The ride was lovely as I rode along the empty roads outside of town. I stopped to watch the sun go down by two big white pines that some farmer didn’t decide to cut down for some reason. Once the sun went beneath the horizon I rode home to continue the forward motion. As some of you know I am completing my MFA in Art this semester and have a lot of work to do. After I make this post I’ll tend to my artist statement that needs some attention. I’ve been putting off printing the 20×24 prints for the landscape installation I am going to show. It’s more fun to ride the scooter.

If anyone is reading, expect me for chocolate chip cookies when the touring pants arrive Friday.

Today was the day I tried the Vespa up Pine Grove Mountain. The temperature was 22 degrees F. when I left the house and the wind was blowing stongly at about 20 MPH. As I traveled across PA Route 45 I felt the stronger gusts buffet the scooter. There weren’t many cars on the road so I had the world to myself. It’s 4 or 5 miles from Pine Grove Mills to the overlook at the crest of Pine Grove Mountain. This road is one of the notorious snow closed routes in central Pennsylvania and the Department of Transportation does their best to keep in open by dumping tons and tons of gravel and salt. As I made my way up the mountain at times it seemed like a gravel road. I took it wasy through the curves and was able to maintain almost 45 MPH up the mountain.

The parking lot at the overlook was ice so I was careful riding across it onto the small gravel area at the edge. The wind was strong and my hands froze right away as I fumbled to get the camera into play. I’m going to have to work on some winter camera solution that doesn’t keep finding my hands numb.

The ride back down the hill was uneventful. A stop for gas at the Shell station at the bottom was an opportunity to warm my hands. Not sure what they were doing inside but it was so humid that my visor and glasses fogged up to the point I could not see anything. I fumbled for wallet and glasses long enough to get warm.

On the way back towards town I stopped along a cornfield just to stare down the road. I just love the roads that are empty–just me and the world.

From there I made my way to Saints Cafe in State College for a cup of hot chocolate and a bagel. My dreams of bacon and eggs faded during the ride. Stopped at the library for a few minutes and then on to Kissell Motorsports to check out riding pants and have them take some oil out of the Vespa’s crankcase. Seems it was overfilled a bit.

Couldn’t find the pants I needed so I think I will patronize one of the sponsors of The Baron in Winter and buy a pair of Darien pants from Aerostich.

Home now basking in the glow that always comes after a cold ride.

I set the alarm clock early so I would have time to make a more leisurely ride into work this morning. As I rider I pay a lot more attention to the detail and nuance of weather forecasts that I would if I was driving or riding the bus. The details of weather matter. Before bed last night the forecast called for a possibility of snow accumulating less than an inch by 4AM. When I checked the forecast at 5:15 AM that forecast remained. Twenty minutes later the forecast called for clear and sunny. Go figure.

The temperature was a balmy 25 degrees F when I pulled out of the driveway. The sky was just beginning to show a warm glow from the soon to rise sun. There were few cars on the road but the ones that did pass seemed to stir up a cloud of salt dust, something I’m sure is good for my lungs. The ride was great and I love to see the sun rise albeit through my rear view mirrors this morning.

I don’t consider myself a daily commuter though lately I have been riding to work more regularly as I push myself to deal with the cold and snow. An ice storm is predicted this evening so I have already begun to wonder about riding in that weather.

The temperature when I got up was 14 degrees F. Just at the point where I waffle about riding the bus or the scooter. It was still dark outside so that doesn’t help, and oh yeah, there was snow on the road too. I postponed the decision until after a shower and breakfast. Twenty minutes later the temperature was down to 12 degrees.

I really wanted to ride the Vespa and nothing good is ever easy so I suited up and pushed the scooter into the snowy driveway. While it warmed up I walked out to the street to size up the road surface. Snow and ice. Dry. I figured I could handle it. The sun was coming out so how long would it last anyways?

When I got to the main road it was mostly clear with just a few wet spots here and there. I road straight into town but passed my normal parking spot and rode on to the one near Starbucks. I’ve ridden in colder weather but I was chilled to the bone by the time I parked. I walked directly into Starbucks for some hot chocolate to warm the insides and bring some direct heat to my numb hands. Went back outside after a few minutes and gathered up my stuff and headed off to work. Another fine morning ride in the cold but to be honest I can’t wait for warmer weather.