The Baron in Winter

30 December, 2005 Temperature: 30 degrees F
Well, THAT was exciting….
I rode on what seemed like frozen butter for about eight miles this morning. Both feet out the whole […]

27 December, 2005 Temperature: 32 degrees
It was tough to go back to work after four days off. Our holiday was a nice balance of rest and riding, however, so I shouldn’t complain.
Friday through Sunday were spent with my family, doing the things we do every Christmas. My daughter is getting older, and now she wants […]

26 December, 2005 Temperature: 33 degrees F
`Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the town
Hardy souls were out riding their motorbikes around
The skies were quite cloudy, there was a chill in the air
But we rode like children, without a worry or care
Through downtown Minneapolis, and on into Saint Paul
On roads free of ice, with […]

22 December, 2005 Temperature: 21 to 39 degrees
The old café racer bared his fangs this morning, when I took the Baron out onto snow-free roads for the first time in weeks. Not totally ice-free, mind you, but close enough. I had ridden this very route last night, at twenty degrees, and I knew the road conditions […]

21 December, 2005 Temperature: 11 degrees F
So this is the first day of winter. Hmmm… Does this mean that all of the riding I did before today was just boot camp for the actual “Winter Scooter Commuter Project”? If so, I guess it was pretty good training.
So far, the Baron and I have seen freezing […]

20 December, 2005 Temperature: 7 degrees F
This morning, the Baron and I had a unique challenge. Banner Engineering, R&D department was holding a holiday chili contest. Since I won last time, that makes me the defending champion, so I was pretty much obligated to enter a batch for this competition. The question was: How was I […]

19 December, 2005 Temperature: -8 degrees F
What a difference eleven degrees make.
On Saturday, when we rode to Wisconsin, it was three degrees Farenheit. That was cold, but quite manageable. This morning, the atmosphere felt dangerous. Walking out my front door was like stepping out of a spaceship onto another planet. I think it was a […]

17 December, 2005 Temperature: 3 degrees F
“Can the Baron come out and play?” As the garage door slowly opened this morning, I thought about this scene from my childhood in the 1960s: I would ride my bicycle over to a friends’ house, knock on the door, and when his mother answered, I would ask the question. […]

16 December, 2005 Temperature: 21 degrees F
My alarm clock was very rude this morning. It went off just when I was dreaming about palm trees and sand, with the surf pounding in my ears. I swatted the thing until it shut up, and enjoyed another thirty minutes of blissful slumber. Then I awoke with a start. […]

15 December, 2005 Temperature: 23 degrees F
This morning, when I stepped outside, I found four inches of fresh snow on my doorstep. It was a heavy, wet snow, the kind that falls when temperatures are just below freezing. Perfect for making snowmen, or having a good old fashioned snowball fight. I felt like waking my daughter […]