MAINE: my final frontier. These are the voyages of the Scooter Vespa 250 i.e. Super. Its continuing mission - to explore America's most heavily forested state - to roam the vast coastline, numberless lakes, and mighty mountains. To boldly go where no scooter has gone before!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Only a fool ...

No new photos from my Turkey Day ride, because my fingers, like every other piece and part of my large body, was frozen quite stiff. I was unable to open my camera case, much less push the button to take a picture.








But I’ve posted a photo of me in the coldest, most miserable condition I’ve ever experienced until yesterday.











On a day when the temperature topped out at 37 degrees, but hovered around 30 as I began my ride to Thanksgiving dinner at my youngest son’s mother-in-law’s home, I felt that being dressed in double, and even triple layers, would protect me.

You see, I rode my Yamaha C-3 50cc scooter all through last winter, without getting truly cold. But my longest trip was about 15 miles, at speeds under 40 mph. This Turkey Day ride was 120 miles round-trip, at speeds above 60 most of the way.

A dog approached me, eager to bite. “Be my guest,” I told him. “Joke’s on you – you’ll only break your teeth, and I’ll feel nothing.” Seeming to understand, the dog left, seeking more tender Thanksgiving fare.

I thought that I’d be seen as a devil-may-care adventurer; old and disabled, but really cool!

Let me sum up in the words of the Beatles’ Hey Jude:

“You know that it’s a fool who plays it cool by making his world a little colder.”

4 comments:

  1. The speed do make a difference! Of course, heated gear helps I'm told. It's a bugger that some of us, I include myself here, some of us just have to learn from experience.

    Ride on . . . . I guess.

    Thanks for the share.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is an awesome photo. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Circle Blue

    As I write this, the temperature here is 63 degrees - so I most definitely will be riding on, at least today!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tiny Puppetmaster,

    Thank you - my wife took the picture just as I finished snow-blowing our driveway in high, swirling winds after a blizzard. I wanted only a hot shower. Kathy said, "Just one more, now just another. You look so funny.!"

    NOW it's funny; then, I felt cold and wet and a tad angry, without a hint of humor.

    ReplyDelete