Sol Power–BrammoBlog.com

Thanks to some rotating Canadian air dropping us down to near record lows, well…. I get to do some COLD WEATHER riding! Thanks Canada. You finally serve a purpose other than being a destination of Draft Dodgers (yep, I’m old and remember the draft) and sending your comedians and folk singers down to the states to make millions of dollars.

Today was the coldest I’ve ever ridden in…but I will probably get to break that record tomorrow morning.*

Some Facts:  The cold weather challenge is a non-prize winning, highly unofficial competition by scooter riders. And my ride doesn’t count in this very unofficial competition because MP3 scooters are not allowed. Likely some form of prejudice or latent fear of a third wheel brought on by being taunted at school or maybe the rules person is just Dutch or a Ginger. God I hate the Dutch and Gingers….**

Anyways….other rules. Ride must be at least 10 miles and lowest temperature wins. Riding more than 10 miles gets you nothing unless 2 entries have the same temperature, then distance is used as the tie breaker for the non-existent prize.

Some more facts: My commute to work is only a bit over 5 miles. So this morning I rode away from work, took a longer, rather serpiginous route and then rode passed work and headed to the Pitt Stadium–Home of the Mighty LOBOS– and then turned around and arrived at work just in time to punch in. Riding away from, and then past work when it is right around ZERO freaking degrees is borderline insane…but then borderline insane was my high school nickname…or taunt name or something….gah, now I keep hearing Madonna’s Borderline song in my head….(“cause you got the best of me”….Gah, shakes head trying to remove song.)

Bundled up…takes photo of Temp from iPhone weather App…

Mmmm. 7:04 am—1 degree. Probably should try and remember to recharge phone at work.

Luckily the 30 plus MPH Sustained winds that we had ALL MOTHER FREAKIN’ NIGHT have died down. So it is actually a nice, but hella cold, morning. (“Borderline feels like I’m going to lose my mind…”)

Snow blown over driveway gives me a nice start out of my driveway.

yep….three tire tracks…thus my Unofficial Cold Weather Challenge is instantly moot…FU rules maker.

So next, before my hands freeze, are some photos as I let my scooter warm up and my body core temperature start to plummet. (“You just keep on pushing my love over the….”….GAH…must remove 80’s Madonna from head.)

Blurry…hands already a bit shaky…or the Whiskey I drank for warmth is having an ill effect…

ok, I didn’t really drink whiskey as I’m heading to work…but if this was a weekend morning at 7 am…well….

Added bonus…Yesterday the roads were icy as heck…luckily today they were clear almost the whole way…expect right in front of my damn house…well I also crossed two ice-covered bridges on my ride to and around work…but the roads were much much better today than yesterday.

First, and only, stop of the ride. Bank by my house. The weather services says 1 degree…the Bank says 4. Either way, COLD.

at 7:10 am.

So it took about 5 minutes to warm up scooter, take a couple of blurry photos and to drive over ice and the couple of blocks to bank…not my fastest start, but it’ll do pig. (gah, now I have lines from the movie BABE in my head.)

Fairly uneventful ride to work. Minimal traffic. Only a couple of easily avoided ice patches on the road and the two ice-covered bridges I couldn’t avoid, but took slow and steady. Hands did get quite cold…and ankles too…should have worn two sets of socks…oh well, live and learn. But body and legs and head all stayed pretty toasty….YEA.

So 10.5 miles and 30 minutes later (hit too many lights…and one light didn’t sense my 500 plus pound scooter for some insane reason and I had to sit through it twice…damn it).

(Horse: The cat says they call it Christmas
Ferdinand the duck: Christmas! Christmas dinner, yeah. Dinner means death. Death means carnage! Christmas means carnage!)–damn BABE quotes….grrrrr, likely brain still slightly frozen.

Ok, get to work and take another weather App photo….

7:40 am, still 1 degree, still need to charge my phone. (and look, tomorrow AM and I might get to drive in negative temperature. Mmmm, I loves me some negatives. Photos, Attitudes, Zones, Link…etc etc)

The best part was parking at work. Motorcycle parking is pretty empty in the winter and hella crowded in the summer. All the Harleys come out around May. But today…

3 scooters only….Scooters rule the cold weather.

Scooters Rule, Motorcycles Drool…gah, another pet themed movie is now stuck in my head….

And with that…maybe I should get some work done…

g

* Tomorrow we have a projected low of negative 5…weeeeeee, I might get to try out negative temperature riding.

** I actually love the Dutch. Tall, pot smokers who love riding bicycles and give great incentives for electric vehicle. Plus wooden shoes, ice skating on canals, windmills, tulips and tons of Dikes, what’s not to love?