Frost on the car is a sign to be careful riding to work.  Clear blue skies can give a false sense of security when the temperature dips below freezing.  This morning it was 28F — cold and presenting the chance of encountering slippery spots.  With enough salt residue remaining the only real concern is in places where water migrates across the road from springs, car washing or other sources.

The ride was uneventful and the temperature rose quickly.  Bright sun beating down on me and the road was a nice thing.

A frosty morning is far more tolerable than an icy morning.

Looks like a nice morning but it’s cold.  Vespa instrument cluster blinking 31F at me.  Mix choosing the wrong winter riding gloves with a false estimate of the temperature (Weather.com iPhone app still set to Baltimore) and you have numb hands.

I should have gone back home to get a different pair but instead muttered the time honored expression, “I’ll be fine.”

And things would have been fine if I’d not stopped to take pictures.  A few minutes of bare flesh on a cold camera is enough to cause problems for me.  By the second stop I had to warm my hands on the headlight before continuing. Two more warming events would unfold before getting to Saint’s Cafe in State College, Pennsylvania.

A pleasant surprise to see another scooter parked across from Schlow Library, an unusual sighting for this kind of weather.  And it was nice to find the trip into town did not involve any ice or slippery stuff.  You always have to be on the lookout for the exceptions.

There was a downside for my fellow scooter traveler — there is no overnight parking on the street in State College and I guess that includes the motorcycle spaces.  Looks as if the parking people came by three times to say “Get out”.  Each of those pretty yellow envelopes costs $25 I hear.  That’s six months of gas money for a scooter.

Arriving early allowed for a few quiet moments to take nourishment, read a bit about Joe Paterno, and jot down some notes for this post.  Sunday morning has developed into a ritual.

Gordon arrived a little later with prints of pictures his dog Laika shot.  That thing hanging from his shirt is a camera that attaches to a dog’s collar.  Once activated it will take a picture every minute and can store up to 40 shots.  Very strange to imagine life from a dog’s point of view.

Paul arrived halfway through the morning with his new Fuji X100 camera in tow.  It looks a bit like a Leica but that’s where the comparison ends.  It’s all digital after that.  Nice camera though but not the kind of thing I would want to haul around on the Vespa.  It’s fixed wide-angle lens won’t allow for the creation of the heroic Vespa pictures I imagine.  Need that telephoto lens…

Leaving the cafe near noon saw the temperature rise five degrees and with no stopping for pictures on the way home the numb hands were history.

Moral of the story:  When riding in cold, make sure you have the right gloves.