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.