Two years ago, I started a new job which meant a new commute. My previous commute was a 12 minute walk which I enjoyed year-round, in any weather (rain, snow, cold, heat, etc.). I knew my new commute would be quite different but I was determined to find a way to avoid getting in my car and to include some time in nature each day.

Hence, this is where the scooter came into play. So after some research online, I bought a Razor A5 Lux in blue and began playing with it. Fortunately I had a few weeks in between jobs to test it out and pick out my ideal routes.

My commute then included a 1.7 mile scooter ride in the morning through my quiet neighborhood and then down a beautiful bike path full of wild life to where I catch the county bus to work. In the afternoon, I alternated between taking the county bus followed by that same 1.7 scooter ride from the morning or taking the coach bus to the park and ride followed by a 2.5 mile scooter ride on the sidewalk along a busier road. They both had their advantages and I liked the flexibility.

Now you may ask yourself, how much of the year could I really scooter in such a cold weather state? The answer is most of it. The cold didn't stop me. It never has. Snow covered trails would stop me though but fortunately my city plowed the bike paths, so they don't stay snow covered for long. And I don't scooter on wet pavement in the morning as the spray up turns the back of my dress a bit muddy. (In the evenings when I can go home, clean up and change, I don't mind the rain or wet pavement.)

In November of 2018, I moved to a new city, Birmingham, AL in a much warmer climate, where my commute is now 7 blocks. It is amazing to now have a 4 minute commute to work! Such a change from my one-way hour commute in Milwaukee!

Let me tell you how I came up with the name for this blog, "The Scooter Lady". I was downtown Milwaukee afterwork one day riding my scooter. (I don't even remember why I was hanging out downtown that day.) I stopped in the local mall and was carrying my scooter when someone yelled out, "hey there's the scooter lady!" When I told a colleague at work this story, he told me I needed to create a webpage for The Scooter Lady. So without further ado, read on for my experiences commuting by scooter.





Thursday, June 22, 2017

Rubber Shoes

I was at Stan's Fit For Your Feet looking for white sandals during their clearance sale when I found these:

They are rubber and 100% waterproof.  What better shoes could there be for scootering on a rainy day???  It was supposed to rain today but missed us.  Murphy's law says that I probably prepared too much for the rain.  Oh well.

So before I go on to my scootering experience this evening, let me tell you a story that made me laugh about my new shoes.  There are people whose every thought crosses their face so clearly you can read their minds.  In this case, it is a woman who passes judgment on just about anything a little out of the ordinary.  So when I passed her in the stairwell, her eyes immediately went straight to my shoes.  (She has given my scooter the same look.)  Being someone who is proud of my uniqueness and not afraid to stand out, I just chuckled once she was out of earshot.

Anyway, so this evening I decided to hang out downtown after work since my husband wouldn't be home.  I went to Jazz in the Park at Cathedral Square and then I checked out the members only preview event of the new exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum before catching the 8:20 p.m. bus home.

I reached the end of the route about 9:15 p.m. and realized I had left my headlight at home.  (In the summer, I have no need for the headlight, unless I stay out late.)  I picked the more lighted route home and the lightening show in the distance gave me bursts of light to see by.  The rest I had to depend on my memory to avoid the holes and bumps and cracks (and hope no large branches had fallen on the sidewalk).  Fortunately, the bus ride had given me an hour to sober up so I wasn't swerving too badly.  ;)

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