No World Series Game Tonight

Yes, I rode to work today.

Today's high temperature was recorded a little after midnight. The temperature just kept slowly dropping all day.

It was clear and felt warm for the ride into work this morning.

As I predicted in yesterday's post it was just my Symba and the Vulcan in the parking area this morning.

It was raining by lunch and it felt noticeably cooler. Early in the afternoon they canceled the World Series Game scheduled for tonight due to weather.

By evening it was wet and felt colder than it was.

It was a  good night for watching and waiting. I got an opportunity to do both.

I'll be taking a few days off work. I hope to be riding . . . just not to work. My plan is to be back to riding to work sometime next week. Until then, please, be safe.

• 59F/ and a few clouds for the ride to work.

• 50F/ and light rain for the ride toward home.

My Guess Is It Was Someone's Birthday

Yes, I rode to work today.

Today it was very warm. Tomorrow the forecast is for rain and much cooler temperatures.

What a difference a few degrees makes. I suspect tomorrow it will be just Billie and maybe the Vulcan.

Besides the much higher temperatures today the big news was the wind. Some gust were over 35mph. It was blowing leaves and anything that wasn't anchored down. At lunchtime I saw this bag swirling down the street. Fortunately, the worse of it was during working hours. By the time I rode home the gusts had diminished in both frequency and strength.

On the way home I passed this house. I suspect this wasn't quite the Halloween look they were going for. My guess is it was someone's birthday.

• 54F/12C and a few clouds for the ride into work.
• 81F/27C and a few more clouds for the ride home.

Summer Made A Comeback

Yes, I rode to work today.

Summer made a comeback. This made the commuting easy, but the stopping at work difficult.

Billie waiting patiently for me to return from devouring my morning bagel.

Ran some errands after work and look what found me.

• 55F/13C and clear for the ride to work.

• 72F/22C with enough clouds to make a wonderful sunset for the ride home.

It Is Friday

Yes, I rode to work today.

It is Friday. The week has seemed to fly by. And, best of all, it has been a good week.

The week started with sunshine and ended with sunshine.

 

• 38F/3C and clear for the ride to work.
• 60F/16C with a few clouds for the ride home.

The Deputy Asked Me If I Rode A Motorcycle Or A Scooter

Yes, I rode to work today.

This time of year my commute begins in the dark, but the sun rises on my way. I enjoy riding in the rain, but after having the opportunity the last two mornings, I wasn't upset over seeing the sun.

As I went through security this morning the deputy asked me if I rode a motorcycle or a scooter. I explained how my Symba was an underbone motorcycle, but on many of the rider forums it is listed as a scooter. I'm afraid I was going into much more detail than the nice succinct previous sentence lets on. I can be known to prattle on at times and from the look in the deputy's eyes I began to suspect this was just such a time. It occurred to me to ask him why he had asked. It seems he'd thought he'd seen me on the road last night. He's never seen my bike, but he sees me in my gear as I pass through the metal detector every morning. He thought it might have been me but wasn't sure. Now I knew what question to ask, "Did the bike have a green flag on it?"

"Yeah," he said and added, "With three silver dots on it."

"That would have been me."

There were many more people out and about today at lunch time. There was what appeared to be a combination barbeque and Cardinal pep rally in front of one of the buildings I passed by.

Tonight is the second game of the World Series and I hoped traffic would be as light as last evening. It was, but there did seem to be more pedestrians headed for the game than last night.

The sun was setting as I got home.

• 42F/5C and enough clouds to make for a beautiful sunrise for the ride to work.
• 54F/12C with both lots of clouds and lots of sun for the ride home.

It Seems I'm Breaking Some Kind Of Rule

Yes, I rode to work today.

I rode to work in a light drizzle. And while the temperatures yesterday and today were the same, it certainly felt cooler today.

Billie had company today.

Tonight when I was putting Gasoline in Billie the fellow pumping gas in the next lane asked me if the Symba was my only motorcycle. I told him it was and asked why he asked. He said, "Because you're wearing gear like you own a different motorcycle." I told him I wore gear like someone who rode year around. Surprisingly from that rather rocky start we went on to have a decent conversation. Turns out he is a rider. He shared that he rode when it was really cold when he was in college, but admitted that was more than a few years ago. He told me his daughter was valedictorian of her high school and was now in college. She, also, rides. It was obvious he was proud of her and very pleased she rode a motorcycle.

It seems I'm breaking some kind of rule by having good equipment while riding a small bike/scooter. If so, the rule doesn't make sense to me. I rode to work today warm, dry, and comfortable. Why wouldn't I want to do that?

My GMAX helmet has both a breath guard on the inside and a dual lens visor. It doesn't fog. See the condensation around the dual lens? If I had a single lens visor that would have been fog.

Today it rained on and off much of the day. Still, I went out for a walk at lunchtime. There weren't many folks out and about.

 

I was concerned about the traffic for the ride home. Today was the beginning of the World Series and there were times during the playoffs when traffic was a bugger. But, today the commute home was pretty much like any other.

• 45F/7C and drizzle for the ride to work.
• 49F/9C and overcast for the ride home.

Timing

Yes, I rode to work today.

Today it rained. It was a nice steady sort of a rain, an autumn rain. It stopped raining shortly before noon. The rest of the day was just dreary. That said, a friend posted a photo of the sunset she saw on her ride home. It was pretty awesome. I saw no such thing. Timing.

My gear worked well. I was dripping wet on the outside and nice and dry on the inside. When I entered the Courthouse this morning I was leaving puddles behind me as I walked. I think it was a good thing I ended up on the elevator alone. If there had been others the temptation would have been great to do a "dog" shake. I suspect not a good idea.

Another lonely day for Billie in the parking area.

An overcast autumn day.

• 45F/7C and light rain for the ride to work.

• 52F/11C and overcast for the ride home.

It Seemed An Odd Thing

Yes, I rode to work today.

Traffic was exceptionally light. I wonder if the Baseball Cardinals winning the National League Championship last evening had anything to do with. Whatever the reason I'm not complaining.

Today it felt much more like Autumn. Yesterday the high temperature was 83F/28C. Today it was 61F/16C.

Noticed these three folk when I was out and about at lunchtime. Each was carrying a bouquet of  fresh flowers. It seemed an odd thing.

• 45F/7C and a cloud here and there for the ride to work.
• 53F/12C and overcast for the ride home.

Good Morning Moon

Yes, I rode to work today.

Leaving home in the dark is now the norm.

And, I got to say good morning to the moon.

•  54F/12C and a few clouds for the ride to work

• 68F/20C for the ride home. It was mostly cloudy and the wind was blowing pretty good.

Who Is That Rider In The Window

Yes, I rode to work today.

No rain in the forecast today. Billie didn't have to spend the day alone.

While it was overcast in the morning by lunchtime the sun was winning out over the clouds.

It was windy but warm for the ride home.

Who is that rider in the window?

• 60F/16C and overcast for the ride into work.
• 72F/22C with a few clouds and breezy for the ride home.

A Ghoulish Driver

Yes, I rode to work today.

I opened the garage door to this:

Dark and wet.

It rained during the night but had pretty much stopped by the time Billie and I rolled into the cafe for my morning bagel. Later on, during the ride to work I encountered a few drops of rain, but hardly enough to even mention. What rain I did ride through was at the beginning of my commute. By the time I got to the motorcycle parking lot the sun was making its appearance.

I wasn't surprised to be the only bike in the lot. There was a possibility of Thunderstorms during the ride home. There is only one other guy that rides on days like today and he is on holiday this week.

I left Billie to enjoy her alone time.

The Thunderstorms didn't make an appearance in the afternoon and the ride home was dry.

The leaves haven't really began to fall from the trees. Still it is the time of the year to be on the lookout for their wet slippery mess.

I did see a couple of other bikes on the road. Both of them were sportbikes.

Managed to grab a photo of one of them.

And, then there was this guy:

Even parked I could tell this one was a ghoulish driver.

A little closer look.

People are decorating for Halloween. It seems this custom gets earlier every year. Usually, I'm a "bah humbug" type about these sort of things but this made me smile. Actually as Halloween decorations go the concept that the owners of this house came up with win my approval.

You can see the RV with the ghoulish driver parked in the driveway. I love the colors.

• 63F/17C and light rain to start, but clearing all the way to work.
• 70F/21C and overcast for the ride home.

Back to Work

Yes, I rode to work today.

Yesterday was Columbus Day and the courts were closed. I did ride, but not to work. The high point of yesterdays ride for me was finding this tree in Babler State Park and getting this photo of Billie in front of it.

I had to keep walking farther and farther away to get the whole of the tree in the photo.

It was another great commuting day -- cool for the ride in and not too hot for the ride back home.

I love the clouds in Autumn. I'm so much more aware of them when I ride then when I drive. I suspect this is a product of the increased intimacy and exposure to my surroundings I experience when riding.

The clouds were spectacular for the ride home.

And traffic was fairly light.

• 61F/16C and mostly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 79F/26C and cloudy with patches of blue sky for the ride home.

I Did It.

Yes, I rode to work today.

And it was another gorgeous day. This weather pattern has been a wonderful surprise. Even more surprising is it looks like it may last for a time. I have absolutely no complaints.

Okay, I do have one complaint but it isn't about the weather. This is what I'm riding into on my morning ride. Of course, if I'd just leave some earlier it wouldn't be a problem, but if I did so then I wouldn't have anything to complain about. No fun in that. Besides in a few days it won't be a problem anymore anyway.

At morning break I looked in on the motorcycle parking lot. I'd say there were a number of riders who couldn't find any fault with the weather today.

 

And at lunchtime . . . I did it.

A whole wheat pita stuffed with falafel, romaine lettuce, and other good stuff.

The place continues to be very busy.

This was the shortest the line was during my time there.

Did I enjoy the pita? Yes. Will I go back? Yes. Next time I will work it out to get there even earlier. It was very noisy even with me setting off to the side. I would like to see if I can avoid even more of the rush.

I think I enjoyed where I sat more than the the pita. It was a great place to sit and people watch. The main reason I go out at lunchtime is to people watch and this is a great view of a great corner.

Today I left work a little earlier than I normally do. Usually, when I come out I'm the last bike in the lot but not tonight. There even was a bike I'd never seen before. Nice bike, but I think he or she could use a new rear tire.

63F/17C and a few clouds for the ride to work.
84F/29C and still a few clouds for the ride home.

Maybe Tomorrow

Yes, I rode to work today.

The weather continues to be gorgeous. I think that is why there were so many folks out at lunchtime today. Yesterday it wasn't so busy, but today was a different story. I'd thought today would be the day I would sample the falafel pita at the Pita Pit, but the line was too long. I continued to walk to my usual lunch spot and the line there was out the door as well. If I knew I was going to have to stand in line I'd of tried the Pita. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

I wouldn't want this guys job, but he sure has a great view.

Pinocchio in City Garden. Lots of folks were out in the park today.

I don't remember seeing so many food trucks Downtown in the past. Last summer was the first of it and it was a cupcake truck. This summer I've seen more. I saw this truck on my way back to work.

I'm happy to report that the ride home was completely uneventful. Last night's excitement was enough to last me for a long while.

• 56F/13C and beautiful for the ride to work.
• 81F/27C and and even more beautiful for the ride home.

The Crawl, Ride, and Drama of Finding My Way Home.

Yes, I rode to work today.

And, it was another nearly perfect day to ride.

And, it was another day of baseball and lots of activity Downtown.

Saw this little fella' when I went outside for morning break. Don't know what it is.

At lunch it wasn't near as busy as yesterday. The Pita Pit still had long lines. Maybe tomorrow.

These folks were set up outside one of the Hotels.  I wouldn't have had to stand in line here, but I wasn't interested in their food. It seems no one else was either. I don't think it was working out quite as they planned.

After work it was a different story.

There were people everywhere and most of them were wearing red. There were also cars everywhere.

The way I normally go was a parking lot. I tried another way -- out Market to Vandeventer. It worked fairly well.

But, soon the traffic wasn't my biggest concern. My foot pegs were suddenly loosening. On the Symba the foot pegs and the kickstand are all one piece.

Here's a photo of what I'm talking about. It was very disconcerting to have it moving back and forth and up and down under my feet.

I hadn't noticed Billie's foot pegs being the least bit loose this morning and now I was fearing it might fall off. I was closer to Maplewood Scooter than I was to home at this point. I hoped it was a loose bolt but if I'd lost a bolt I knew there was a much better chance they'd have a bolt than I would.

When I got to Maplewood Scooter it was after hours and Mike was busy adding a Nitrous Oxide System to his Vespa. Zoom! Zoom!!

I knew better than to interrupt and so I watched and waited.

It wasn't long before he looked at my bike. I had lost four bolts. It was a good thing I found my way to the shop. I would not have been able to fix that at home. As it was I was back on the road in a couple of minutes and headed home. Thanks Mike.

• 48F/ and not a cloud in the sky for the ride to work.
• 81F/ and clear for the crawl, ride, and drama of making my way home.