There is no bad riding weather. Well, I suppose I wouldn’t be quick to ride in a hurricane, tornado, ice, or snowstorm. Not sure about the snowstorm. I didn’t always believe this though but now when I get up in the morning to look at the weather it isn’t to decide if I will ride or not but simply how I will dress. Like the other day going to work after a night of hard rain. Still a bit of mist in the air and scattered rain called for the First Gear jacket. Winding along a farm lane towards campus was just another small gift of beauty that I would miss if I weren’t riding. Beaver Stadium appears like Brigadoon as I came over a rise.

When I started riding there was one weather to ride in—warm and dry. There was no thought or contemplation; it was just an obvious truth. Almost every motorcycle riding technique book that I read supported this notion and suggested that any riding in “bad” weather was to be undertaken in emergencies only and then at extreme risk. So it was pretty easy to keep riding when I did. On nice days like it was last Sunday when I chanced upon a field of sunflowers. A nice warm happy riding day.

Over time my desire to ride forced me to question the days I was leaving the Vespa at home. I started to explore the road surfaces, gear to protect me from the elements, my riding skills, and ultimately test for myself the premise I had been operating under that two-wheels were for warm and dry days. From that mental opening I have found great joy riding almost all the time. My own mental barriers gave way to experience. Fortunately I had no fashion or stylistic requirements that would have made riding in wet or cold weather impossible. I’ve heard more than one rider tell me they hate cold wet riding. Usually under cross-examination I find that those conclusions were derived from intuition or from having been caught in a sudden change of weather without the proper gear.

Almost every time I ride I think about the weather and how I might improve the way I deal with it. For me the biggest challenge is hot weather and I have yet to find what I consider the ideal protective pants. But I’m still thinking. I tell new photographers who are seeking ways to improve their photography to not limit the times they pick up their cameras to bright sunny days. There is magic in all those other kinds of weather. Same goes for riding.

POSTSCRIPT: This is my 200th blog post. Time sure flies when you’re having fun! Here is a link to the post number 1. Didn’t even warrant a comment. The experience with the Ford Ranger has changed a bit though, I can go a lot longer on a tank of gas

Looking out the window this morning and seeing a steady rain didn’t bode well for Ride to Work Day but I really do find satisfaction riding in the rain.

Maneuvering the Vespa along wet roads really turns up the attention level. I stopped twice on the way to work to get the camera wet and just appreciate being part of the rain. Mental processes at work on clear dry days with good visibility are intensified as even more data streams into my head when the weather is more demanding. I’m left feeling hyperaware.

Did not see any other motorcycles on the way to work but I know there are some hard-core riders around and that we just didn’t cross paths. By the time I rode home the rain had passed and the roads were clear and I was seeing other riders.

Good day and a fine ride.

Other than a couple direct commutes I wasn’t able to do much riding last week. The weather prognosticators were wringing their hands in excitement with the most recent storm on the way with predictions of up to a foot of sudden snow. The prediction kept shifting through the weekend and by Sunday morning I had enough and got on the Vespa to go for a ride. When I left home it was 39° F, raining, gray, and the forecasters threat of snow seemed unlikely at the current temperature. My desire to ride outweighed any concern of snow.

I had no plan or idea of where I would go and if anything influenced me it was the weather. I rode towards the darkest area of the valley where I could see the sky closest to the ground. As I rode along a local creek I got the idea into my head that I should experiment with the GTS riding across water.

Navigating down a little farm lane that crosses the creek I stopped to consider this line of thinking. I decided this type of action was not suited to the Vespa and better left for adventurers with big knobby tires and high mounted engines.

Not to be completely dissuaded I tried my hand at riding through some soft turf and mud. Those little scooter tires worked hard to keep me moving but I quickly tired of that exercise.

I was more interested in the landscape than I was in any riding challenges. I find myself transfixed by the way that the soft light renders the fields into muted colors with ink drawings. Or something like that.

The rain continued to fall lightly as I rode farther down the valley but not enough to force me to pull out the seat or bag rain covers. The topography in Penns Valley rolls softly between the ridges and there are ample opportunities to watch the sky change.

I kept riding and watching and stopping to make pictures. My goal for them as uncertain as my destination.

There seems to be no end to the roads and scenes I have available.

That thinking is probably influenced by the weather and the way it can transform a place. Shooting this picture over the handlebars of the scooter I was reminded for some reason of Ted Simon’s book Jupiter’s Travels. I’ve never read it and thought I would ride into town to see if the library had it.

Getting to the library gave my hands a welcome break from the damp cold and a chance to come back to life a bit before riding home. It wasn’t the best weather to ride by any conventional riding wisdom but it was a great ride in practice. I’m sitting here now trying to decide if I should ride to work. It’s 36° right now with patchy rain. The weather experts are calling for highs around 40 and periods of snow. Go figure. I’m thinking the roads will remain wet. They are also calling for wind with gusts to 50 MPH. That has me a little more concerned mostly because I am worried the Vespa might blow over in the parking lot. I could park in the garage though.

Hell with it. I’m going to ride.