I forded a river today.

Towards the end of my day I chatted with a colleague in her office when we noticed the clouds darken the sky.  The question wasn't whether it would rain but when.  My colleague looked down at my practical sandals and then at her leather wedge sandals.  She remarked that clearly I was ready and she was not as she pondered whether she dared make the run to her car barefoot.

I returned to my office to log off and pack up my work laptop.  Fortunately, I keep a poncho in the backpack that I use for my laptop so that I always have one on days like this.

I carried my scooter, poncho, and backpack down the stairs to the ground floor where I unfolded the scooter and donned the poncho.  I can only imagine what a sight I was to see as I passed an attorney from my office on my way out the door.  

Through the streets of my city, I navigated puddles, traffic, and the occasional pedestrian.  When I arrived at my favorite park, the place was so empty the two resident ducks were exploring the usually very busy path now filled with puddles to play in.  They were surprised to watch me zip by.  

The rain had gotten even heavier by now.  Puddles were getting harder and harder to avoid.  My scooter momentarily slipped on some wood boards of a path, nicking me in the ankle as I clumsily stepped off - one of the hazards of riding a scooter.

Then I reached the final block which had a river running down the middle of the road.  There was no way to avoid this puddle so I forded through it, feeling the entire board of my scooter get fully submersed at times until I reached higher ground.

I admit, I smiled throughout the entire journey as the rain washed over me, refreshing me, and cooling me after days of weather that at times reached triple digits.

I reached the main building of my apartment complex.  As I stood under an overhang, I folded up my scooter and then took off my poncho and shook off as much rain as I could.  Aside from my bangs and my legs/feet, I had actually stayed pretty dry.

I entered the building to see the eyes of the office staff on me.  "I don't mind the rain.  I don't melt." I said before continuing on to pick up the mail and head to my apartment.

Stormy days

 One risk of commuting by scooter (or on foot) is the uncertainty of the weather.  In the last hour of my work day, the skies darkened as strong storms approached.  A severe thunderstorm warning was issued and a chorus of thunder sounded between lightening strikes.  I did wonder whether it would pass by the time I was ready to go home.  

Fortunately, the rain had turned to a drizzle and the lightening was in the far distance as I stepped outside onto the sidewalk outside my office.  I swerved around the deepest puddles as my made my way towards the local park that was on my route.  Usually this is a park full of people - dog walkers, runners, children playing, people lounging on a blanket in the grass listening to a guitar player, etc.  Today, it was empty, eerily empty.  I paused as I saw the young yellow-crowned night heron sitting in his favorite tree.  I'm sure he was enjoying the quiet.  Then paused even longer as one of the resident ducks swam towards where I stood, looking for food that I didn't have.  And then I continued on my way.

Update

We have had a rainy winter so far here in Birmingham (it is pouring as I write this post and a mild 64*F - crazy for January!).  This has put a bit of a damper on my normal scooter ride in each day. 

But what has put an even bigger damper on my daily scooter rides is this government shutdown.  My husband is furloughed and his days at home are long so he walks me to work each morning and walks me back to work after I come home for lunch.  And I go into work day after day not knowing when I will get paid for the work I am doing.

So I don't have any new stories or scooter experiences to share.  And my scooter spends most days sitting on our patio unused (although I did get it out a time or two before Christmas after I had decked it out with battery operated Christmas lights).  Hopefully the weather and our situation will improve soon so I can be back out soaring down the sidewalks of our new town.

A Rainy Morning

The rain came a couple hours earlier

than predicted this morning. So I packed 

a spare dress, put on my mesh tennis shoes 

that I knew would dry quickly, and 

grabbed my poncho. I stepped outside

and let the overpowering scent of rain 

wash over me. As I started down 

the path between houses, thunder clamored 

above me. The rain had tapered to a light mist. 

I removed my poncho, peeling back the layer 

between me and the cleansing rains. 

My direction was east, towards the lighter sky 

that I knew would soon be swallowed 

by the darkness as the storms moved in. 

Spring Rain

The evergreen with long needles 

stands wide behind the wooden bench.

Spring rain softly falls

on the sidewalk 

where earthworms take refuge.

But the pine cones scattered 

behind the bench

stay dry.

A touch of blue 

peeks behind gray clouds;

Across the street,

water droplets 

mixing with the sun’s rays

form a full rainbow.

Bridges are Slippery When Wet

It was pouring this morning when I got up so feared I would not be able to scooter, which was especially disappointing because for various reasons I had not been able to scooter the first half of the week when the weather was beautiful.  Fortunately, the rain stopped before I had to leave.  So I put on a pair of shorts, t-shirt, and my waterproof shoes, and packed my work clothes in my backpack and off I went.   (I knew the trails would still be quite wet and there would be quite a bit of spray up.)

I walked down the hill by the park, knowing my breaks weren't ideal in the rain and that there wasn't room to coast to a stop at the bottom.

They were working on the interstate bridge that goes over the path, putting up all the wood that holds the concrete once it is poured until it has cured.  The path was littered with chunks of wood so I kept my head down and wondered if this may be one of those situations a helmet would especially be helpful.  But I made it through without incident.  Then I arrived at the wooden bridge that crosses the creek.  I had learned from previous scooter rides that breaking on the bridge when wet is not a good idea as the back end fishtails forward.  Even with being careful, I had barely started crossing when the whole scooter started twisting underneath me.  Fortunately, I was not going very fast and was able to just step off without injury.  I walked to the other side of the bridge.

I arrived at the bus stop and was really glad I did not wear my work clothes as the backs of my legs and tops of my socks were caked with mud and the back of my shorts were wet.  A small towel I had packed in my bag helped me clean up a bit before the bus arrived.

The best part of the morning was that on a morning like this, no one ventures out, especially since there was still a chance of rain at any point.  So the path was quiet of human noise (except the construction area) and just filled with the sounds of the birds and wildlife rustling in the leaves.

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.  ;)

Storms to the North and the South

I could see the storms in the distance to the north of me and to the south of me.  I even was ready for a downpour (and was kind of hoping for one).  But I had to be content with just a few rain drops.    I was also hoping the path would be deserted enough to entice out some deer but no such luck.  Ride along with me on my ride.

Battling the Rain to Find Both Paths Closed

It wasn't supposed to rain this morning.  But you know, weather forecasters are never right.  So this morning, I checked radar as it looked like it might rain and decided I had just enough time to scooter to the bus stop before it started raining.  All the storms were north of interstate or still out to the west a bit.  To be sure though, I left a couple of minutes early.  I also put on a pair of shorts and put my skirt in my bag in case I did get caught in the rain.  I would hate to walk around work all day with mud all over the back of my skirt...

I was soaring down a long hill when I heard the first rain drops.  I didn't see or feel them first, I heard their splot as they hit the pavement behind me.  Then I started seeing huge drops on the pavement all around me, but I had yet to feel my first drop.  I must have been traveling just a bit faster than the speed of rain.  ;)

I was almost to my bike path so figured I wouldn't bother with my poncho.  The path had enough tree cover to filter most of the light rain that had started.

When I reached my normal bike path, I found that they had put up the detour sign and the path was closed.  Knowing I would be on city streets for a bit longer without protection from the light rain, I pulled out my poncho and put it on.  (I must have been a sight to see.)

I took the detour which has become quite familiar to me over the last few months to the second bike path.  (They are building a bridge over the bike paths but have stated their intention to always try and keep one of the paths open - which one changes from day to day.)

As I reached the second bike path, I encountered a huge path closed signed with no further detour signs.  Looking at my watch, I noted there was not enough time to go back home, get the car and drive to the park and ride.  And my alternate scooter path was the complete opposite direction and so I knew I would never make the bus doubling back and taking that path.  So my options were a bit limited.

The bus I take has many stops along a road parallel and north of interstate.  I was south of interstate and the number of roads that go under or over interstate is quite limited but I knew there was another one if I started heading east.  The question was, which road?

By this time, I am getting pretty sweaty in my plastic poncho but I don't have time to stop and take it off if I want to still catch this bus and it is still raining.  So I start exploring the city streets until I find one with a ton of cars traveling north.  With so much traffic, I figured this has to be the one that goes through and I was right.

It was a little treacherous when I reached interstate as they are rebuilding that bridge as well and had all traffic on only half of the road.  This meant no sidewalk, no shoulder, and narrow lanes.  But traffic was traveling slowly and it was only a very short distance (just under the bridge) and I was back on the sidewalk.

I pulled up to a bus stop and had just enough time to fold my scooter and get out my bus pass before the bus pulled up to pick me up.  It was a good thing I didn't miss it and have to wait for the next one as shortly thereafter, it started pouring pretty good.

When I got to work, I changed out of my wet shoes, socks, and shorts and was no worse for the wear.  I think next time it rains I will bring a change of shirt as well so I can skip the poncho if it is hot and just change out of my wet clothes when I get to work.

Deer and Rain

I walked out to the bus stop after work and debated whether to take the coach or the county bus.  The coach would get me home faster but the scooter ride would be a bit longer.  The county bus would take a little longer but the scooter ride would be so much more enjoyable.  The coach bus showed up first but since the rain was holding out, I decided to wait for the county bus.

Not a minute later, the skies opened up and it started pouring.  A friend offered to have me take her bus and she would drive me home, but something told me that I would enjoy my scooter ride home, even if the pouring rain persisted, so I watched her get on her bus and waited for mine which arrived shortly thereafter.

By the time the bus dropped me off at my stop, the rain had slowed to a drizzle.  I considered getting out my poncho to try and stay a little drier but decided against it.  The evening was still fairly warm and I had my fleece on.  Plus the rain wasn't coming down that hard.  So I started down the path on my scooter.

About a quarter mile in, standing right in the middle of the path was a good sized doe.  I slowed to a stop less than 20 feet from her, not wanting to scare her.  I stared at her.  She stared at me.  I think she didn't know what to make of me.  Who would be riding down her path on such a rainy day?

I started talking softly to her and she started twitching her ears and then slowly sauntered to the side of the path where she continued to watch me.  I slowly glided past her only to see she wasn't alone.  A smaller deer was standing right next to her in the brush.  It was incredible how close of an experience this was.