Thanks Steel. And forgive the long delay in responding.

Sorry again Don for taking so long to respond.

I’m glad you find some satisfaction in the view of central Pennsylvania I provide. It is a beautiful place to live and ride.

And thank you for the kind words on the things I share here. It’s been a challenge of late to write. Hopefully that will soon change because I do enjoy writing. Clears my mind much like a ride does.

First off — I’m sorry for taking so long to reply to your comments David. Life has taken me through some twists and turns the last few months.

Your 365 day journal seems a powerful tool to see how much there is for which to be grateful. So easy to speed through life and miss most of it.

I’m amazed I am still blogging. However infrequently. And as you say, I write for my own selfish purposes. Satisfaction being one of many. And if someone stumbles upon the posts and finds some value that’s great. There is definitely a torrent of pure garbage on the internet and in the world. I hope the personal ramblings I have remind people that these “little puddles of truth” are out there.

Hope all is well with you.

steve

Sorry for the delay in responding. I’ve been distracted by life…

Riding in the cold does build up resistance. It did for me. This year, at age 71, I see there is a limit to how much resistance I can build and adapt. A sad realization but something I have to factor into my riding. You seem to understand the challenge.

I still don’t want to surrender to winter but man it is more challenging than it used to be.

The idea of hot-and-cold therapy is a good one. You hit the nail on the head.

And again, sorry for the delay in responding.

Well, nothing like taking months for me to reply to your comments. Sorry.

Thank you for the kind words, I appreciate them. And you’re correct, I have many options for great rides here. Especially for someone who is interested in traveling slowly and drinking in the world around me. There will be more posts soon.

Central Pennsylvania definitely has great conditions and routes for riding scooters and motorcycles. I’m amazed at how often I still find roads and trails that are new to me. A testament to the size of Pennsylvania and its network of roads.

Hopefully I can keep you looking forward to posts in the New Year.

Everything evolves.

In this moment I am working on a self-improvement project for 2026. I should be ready for January 1.

The core will be a handwritten 365 page journal that I will print and bind. Much like the 2024-2025 365 daily love notes to my wife. There are only two copies, one for me, one for my wife. With a note every day for a full year, it’s easy to go back in time and read the note for this day of the month. I didn’t know what to expect when I started, but it has paid many more dividends than anticipated. I am hoping that this new initiative will do the same.

My blog continues, much like yours does.

I write for my own satisfaction, but also in the hope that what I write, like the things your write and publish, will be a benefit for others, however they manage to stumble on the blog.

So by all means forge ahead in freedom Steve.

There is such an overwhelming torrent of pure garbage circulating, one that seems bound to increase, that our blogs, little puddles of truth, sanity, and compassion, are desperately needed.

Warm regards,

David

I sometimes think that if you didn’t ride through winter, you’d probably feel the cold much more than you do now. That gradual exposure really matters. With age, that resistance may become smaller — but without winter riding, it might not exist at all.

And I really liked the idea that going out is about keeping the machines working. I feel it works the same way for us. I need to ride my scooter to keep myself functioning, to avoid surrendering to the darker season — which, at the same time, reveals its own beauty through contrast.

In a way, it feels like a kind of hot-and-cold therapy. People pay for that in spas. We just go for a ride.