There it is, the first icy road of the season. Last night Kim and I took a walk around 11PM and it was foggy and wet. The temperature overnight dipped below the freezing level to turn everything to ice. The sun created a glittering wonderland. I didn’t think much about it since the sky was blue so I put on my riding gear and pushed the scooter out of the garage onto the driveway. It only took a few steps to realize it was covered with a thin glaze of ice.

I put the Vespa on its centerstand along the road and tested the pavement. Icy in spots and quickly turning to water where the sun was licking the pavement. After a moment of consideration I decided to ride to work on the scooter. I made my way down the street carefully and put both feet down when I hit a long shaded portion of the road that I knew would still be completely iced over. Once I hit the main road the sun was shining and it looked as if there was salt on it.

The remainder of the ride in to work was fine except for one more stretch unsalted and without sunlight. Arrived at work in good shape and the ride home promises to be excellent with clear skies and temperatures approaching 50° F.

I suppose it’s obvious that I have more than a passing interest in riding. What began as something I thought would be fun has become a defining act in my life. Like being a husband, father, employee, photographer. Riding is the normal transportation act for me now and I’m happy to report that it remains as enjoyable now as it did when I started.

I continue to have lots of people ask about the Vespa, riding, helmets, safety and a whole array of subjects that I usually can’t do justice to in the short time available as I’m standing with a bag of groceries at the store or paying for gas at the station. Often I would tell people to visit a Web site or my blog to read more about their question but it was always a chore to try and communicate a URL. After seeing the promotional card for ModernVespa (thanks for the inspiration Jess!) I thought is would be a great idea for me to make a car for myself so that I can just hand a person one and say check it out for more information. My daughter Hannah was gracious enough to design and prepare the file for the card.

Thanks Hannah!

The cards arrived yesterday and they will allow me to quit quoting or scribbling a URL.

For any of you needing quick cards that are inexpensive you may want to give OvernightPrints a look.

I first heard about them in graduate school because a lot of the art students used them to print their show announcement postcards.

My dog is ready for her “dad’s off work today so I’ll get a long walk” walk. And to all of you who read here have a great day and a great Thanksgiving if you are celebrating.

The gray skies of the past week had vanished when I got up to ride to work yesterday. The sky was clear and the sun was dazzling as it burst over the horizon and illuminated the 26° F atmosphere. I had to stop just to look at the Vespa in light that was gloomy for a change.

At that temperature riding gear is important for protection against the elements. Riding to a few appointments I realized that I had a lot of stuff on and that it took some time to gear up for my ride and felt it worth a few lines here to take a look at the why and what of riding gear protection.

I always wear protective riding gear. This is independent of weather. As protection from a potential fall or crash I always have a full helmet, armored jacket, armored pants, boots, and gloves. For me this is the minimum. I see a lot of scooter pictures and ads showing riders happily zipping along with nothing but a half helmet and tennis shoes. It looks stylish but anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that a style horse I’m not. I’m perfectly content to wear the same thing everyday.

My point is not about safety or protection as much as it is about the ritual involved in gearing up everyday. And with the onset of cold weather I have even more stuff on. Yesterday morning I walked out to the breezeway where I keep my gear already dressed for work. I pull on my Tourmaster Overpants and then put on my Wolverine boots. Over top of my shirt I put on my Mountain Hardware windstopper jacket, push in my earplugs, and pull on a Mountain Hardware ski mask. Then the First Gear Kilimanjaro IV armored winter riding jacket. Off come my glasses, I pull on my helmet, put my glasses back on and last pick up my riding gloves from the toasty radiator and head for the garage. It takes a few minutes to put this stuff on. When I am at work and leave for a lunchtime errand I have to do it all over again. Each time I stop I have to take off the helmet, ski mask, and sometimes the earplugs if I need to hear well. And then put it back on to ride to the next stop. Until I developed a ritual around this it was a chore to gear up. It is a habit now and I am grateful for it.

I’ve spoken to other riders who comment to me about how over dressed I am and they express either their impatience at having to put so much on, it looks weird, or they like feeling “free” when they ride. I’m always left thinking that impatience, looks, and feeling free isn’t a good trade off against an unprotected fall or crash. But that’s just me. So I gear up.

I kind of like the look now. Sometimes when running into people as I enter my office I’ll respond with a hearty “trick or treat” or use Gary Charpentier’s “I’m a Power Ranger” line. That always gets a chuckle. Either way, I’m content with what I’m doing.

I do use earplugs almost all the time. I started because I wanted to protect my hearing but what I really like is the quiet. I can still hear the engine and surroundings fine but all the wind noise and high frequency noise is gone. I find I am less fatigued by a long ride and can pay more attention to the things that matter.

One last thing that was interesting yesterday. When I got to work I was the only two-wheeled vehicle. When I came out at lunchtime I was happy to see a Harley Dynaglide guarded by two Vespa scooters.

How long can it be until there will be swarms of Vespas?

I left this morning not knowing where I would ride other than eventually I needed to be at Lowe’s to buy a tube of silicone caulking for the bathroom. It’s always something with a house. I decided to take a long loop to the north that would take me through some quiet places with a minimum of traffic. After a stop for fuel I rode along Spring Creek just to see the water. This is one of Pennsylvania’s great trout streams and during trout season you will be lucky to find a place to stand. Being a loner I never understood the attraction of opening day either for trout or deer. Just a huge madhouse.

I stopped to look around at the water and rocks and sort of got lost for a while.

The quiet is magnified by the earplugs I wear and when I stand looking at the water my thoughts get loud. I wear the plugs to save my hearing but I definitely like the way they cut be off from the noise and make it easier to pay attention to thoughts.

Riding out of the valley and into the farmland above the creek I was struck by all the open land we still have. One big farm has been sold off and is now the beginning of an industrial park, something we have a lot of in Pennsylvania.

I’m not sure how successful they are but the local business leaders seem to think they are the answer to every economic woe. As I look out at the empty farmhouse I can’t help but wonder how much land has to surrender itself to development before we’re done. Big business, big houses, big stores. Growth is the Holy Grail. You don’t have to ride far to see that the world is in a cycle of constant change.

Snow fences are emerging in preparation for the blowing wind and snow that sweeps across this area.

The skies seem to get darker every day as a reminder to prepare for winter.

I saw another old farm off in the distance and decided to cut across a field to have a look.

No “No Trespassing” signs and being Sunday all good farmers and landowners would either be in church or in front of the tube so I felt a good dose of trespassing was in order. The scooter just looks so tiny in the wide-open spaces of Pennsylvania. I can’t imagine what it would be like in the West and Midwest. Someday.

All that was left of the farm was a silo.

The house was torn down and I suspect a developer has bought up this land as well to turn it into something great, another retirement community, some condominium cells, or perhaps another shopping plaza. There just aren’t enough places yet to dump money. I rode away towards Lowe’s and the tub and tile caulk and realized that everything is part of a cycle. The farms would give way to something else and that would give way to something else. Nothing is permanent if you’re patient enough. I grew up on Neville Island in the Ohio River south of Pittsburgh. Almost the entire island was taken up by shipyards, steel fabrication companies, blast furnaces, coke ovens, tank farms, trucking companies, and chemical plants. A bustling industrial beacon employing tens of thousands of people. In a few short years in the early 1980’s all of that vanished. Steel disappeared and the landscape changed again.
I stopped at the old Lowe’s building to take this picture.

They were in business at this location for about 10 years or so. Now they have built a new facility and abandoned this site. It won’t disappear as fast or easily as a farm but it will eventually give way. I hate to see the best landscapes surrender to development but money talks and walks. Too bad it doesn’t think.

After a week of fighting a cold I finally got back out on the road again. I did manage a short ride to work yesterday but this morning I was able to venture out for a few hours to ride and see the world. I’m still not one hundred percent healthy and because of it I felt the 38° F temperature more than usual. That aside I enjoyed being out in the world and feeling the connection to the landscape that riding offers me. The world is slowly surrendering to the coming of winter with gray skies and bare trees. Snow is forecast for tomorrow.

I had some chores to catch up on so my ride had several planned destinations. Gary Charpentier has been posting on Rush Hour Rambling about a diner in St. Paul. I remembered a ghostly diner parked out behind the garage of the auto mechanic we use and I thought I just had to take a closer look.

The shiny metal is in pretty good shape for someone who wants to take the plunge to open a classic dinner. The inside needs work but the basic structures are in place. Anyone thinking of a diner business? This may be your lucky day.

From there I rode to a local orchard for a fresh Red Delicious apple. I’m always amazed at how good an apple is when it’s fresh. From there on to the local Vespa dealer to check out a moving sale they were having. I knew there wouldn’t be anything I wanted but I have to look anyway. I only have two things on my want list—a small MotoFizz seat bag and a pair of snowmobile mittens. What happened to me? My list used to be pretty long. I guess I’m getting more content in my growing years.

I did have to make a stop at O.W. Houts to pick up some special hangers for a seven foot long photo construction piece I made.

Houts is one of those old, small town department stores that are fast going the way of the dinosaur. It’s sad to see their parking lot so empty on a Saturday afternoon and knowing that Wal-Mart and Lowe’s are jammed. Houts has the best hardware store anywhere around, a lumber yard that offers custom milling, a grocery store and meat department that you can find some pretty exotic stuff. Furniture, dry goods, garden supplys. I remember when it was the place to shop. The employees are adults who have made careers as sales people and many have been there for decades. I can’t help but think their days are numbered.

I only had one more stop on my ride. Sneezing, sniffling, coughing, I made my way towards home to stop at Eddie Agostinelli’s Market and Deli.

This local Italian place has great bread, sandwiches, pasta, cookies and more. Kim loves their lamb sandwiches and I had some pepperoni bread today.

By the time I got home I felt the cold sneaking back and needed to lie down and rest. Snow may fly tomorrow but I’m ready to go.