In 2016, 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.





Sunday, May 10, 2026

Remembering where I parked

I lost my car yesterday.  No, it wasn't really lost.  It was exactly where I had left it three weeks earlier.  I just couldn't remember exactly where that was.  My car's app shows me a physical location but doesn't have elevation so it is only so helpful in a seven level parking garage.  So at least there was some comfort in knowing it was close.

The problem is that I misread that location information in the app.  And so as I climbed the staircase and poked my head out on each level to look in the direction where I thought it should be, I got discouraged as I reached the top level without any sign of it.  So I did the only other thing I knew to do - circle the entire parking garage.

It's interesting because when I came across a car that looked like my car, I doubted myself because it isn't a location I usually park in.  I walked around to the back to see the license plate and then went to see if the door would open before I finally believed I had found it.

I'm usually better than this.  I usually read my car's app better.  I usually park in the same three or four areas.  It almost becomes a game, a treasure hunt because of how little I drive.  It's now mid-May and I think I've only driven four or five days this year.  I guess this is just the price to pay for such a walkable life.

Some day I dream of getting rid of my car but I'm not sure I'm there yet.  I really like road trips and weekend trips.  Sometimes I just need to get out of the city and immerse myself deeper in nature.
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