Let There Be Light

Isabelle is her bright self again.

Once again the problem was the relay. It had worked itself loose. It is now secured by the almighty zip ties.

 

Tonight, when I went to feed Leo, our cat, I discovered we were out of his canned food. It seemed a perfect opportunity to stretch Isabelle's legs.

I continue to be astounded at how handy this little hook is. Five cans of cat food? No problem.

Isabelle has taken me into at least one new territory. I've seen folks with lots of bug hits on their face shields. I seldom hit bugs with Billie, but with the increase in speed I'm finding many more bugs are finding me.

Splat!

And, while Heather thinks it looks like a toilet bowl cover, I love my new Buttease Pad sheepskin seat cover.

I guess this qualifies as a farkle, yes? If so, then Isabelle's first.

Good News, Bad News

I did the first gas mileage check on Isabelle, my new Kymco People 250S. I was very happy with the result, 75mpg. The good news is as the engine breaks in the mileage should get even better.

The girls hanging out in the alley.

Now for the bad news. Isabelle's headlights have stop working again. The "pilot" lights are still working which giving me a headlight of sorts, but those big beautiful dual lamps have gone dark.

Amazing the Change

Heather and I went day hiking at Castlewood State Park today. It has been over a month since we last walked these trails.

It's funny, Autumn is just around the corner, yet...

It looked a lot more like autumn on our last visit.

Amazing the change a few inches of rain can make.

Hmm...

I discovered what seemed to be a flamingo party.

I couldn't tell if these were the first to arrive or the malingerers.

He's certainly decked out for a party.

And she's not only topless but wearing a see through skirt. Hmm...party hardy indeed!

And here is the star of the party.

When I get a chance I'm going to circle back by this place and see if they are still out and about. They hadn't been there before. I suspect they were only there for the party.

Evening Came Early

They said it wasn't going to rain until evening. There were a few spots on the radar, but it was well west. The plan was to ride out Rte.61/67 for an hour and turn around and come back. This would get me home long before the rains were suppose to begin.

I pulled over for gas just as it began to sprinkle. When I got under the canopy the sky opened.

I had pulled in for gas just as it began to rain. Lucky for me I'd brought raingear. And, lucky for me I was stopped when it began to pour. Hmm, I guess today evening came early.

By the time I got to where Rte.61 breaks off of Rte.67 it had stopped raining and my hour was up. I pulled into a filling station, took a break, got some water and cooled off.

The sky seemed to be telling me it was a good idea to put the raingear back on.

Good choice.

I only got a few miles down the road before it began raining again. It rained all the way home. It was a nice hour plus ride in the rain. It was good to know I remembered how to do it. I haven't had much opportunity since early March.

Wet on the outside and dry on the inside...mostly.

Isabelle after her first bath.

After taking off my gear I headed to REI. I'd been thinking it was time to rejuvenate the waterproofing on my pants. Today's ride in the rain confirmed my suspicion.

I Wonder If That Applies

Islam allows a man more than one wife. I'm told there is a catch. Yes, a man can have more than one wife, but he must treat them equally.  Hmmm, I wonder if that applies to motorcycles and scooters as well. If one doesn't treat them both equitably and well will there be a scene? Perhaps something like I witnessed the other evening.

I saw it all. The one in the back pushed the one in the front. It was nearly flamigocide.

I've been riding Billie to work each day. Isabelle has been setting in the garage. Heather was over in Illinois this evening and wouldn't be home until late. It seemed a good opportunity to stretch Isabelle's legs, to keep things in balance.

The evening was warm, but delightful. And, the sky decided to put on a show for us.

It wasn't a very long ride. Even so, we took a little break.

I think Isabelle likes her photo taken.

Isabelle's First Longish Rides

Last Saturday I took Isabelle, my new 2010 Kymco People 250S, out for our first longish ride. It was a getting to know each other ride. I took her out to the Covered Bridge at the end of Old Lemay Ferrry Road. I've been there a couple of times riding Billie, my 100cc Symba. It was a much more enjoyable ride on Isabelle. On Billie I would usually have to pull off the road after some of the hills to let the parade pass. Today there were no lines of cars building up behind me.

 

You can see how dry it is by how brown the grass is.

At the intersection of Old Lemay Ferry Rd and Old Hwy M in Antonia I saw Steve from the St. Louis Scooter Club out on his trike. I waved, but he didn't know who I was. How would he. He didn't know I had a new bike. I detoured and followed him. Eventually he wondered who the guy following him was and stopped. It is a small world. He oohed and aahed over Isabelle. We chatted briefly and he continued on to his friend's place and I made my way back to the Covered Bridge.

 

I, also, rode the length of Rte.141 from Lemay Ferry to Marine. Recently the last link in this outer loop was completed. This is a highway I would have avoided if I were riding Billie. It was no problem for Isabelle. Isabelle performed exactly like I'd hoped she would. Can you tell I'm smiling.

 

I liked the reflections off the water.

Creve Couer Lake is a favorite destination of mine. Isabelle and I made our first visit there. I just had to get a photo of the Bonnie parked in the background. I asked the nice dragon to keep its tongue in its mouth, but it just wouldn't behave. I'd forgotten light dragons had forked tongues. Oh well.

When it was all said and done we traveled a little over one hundred miles. Some impressions. I really love the hook for securing a bag/backpack. Very handy. Actually, the only thing didn't like was the mirrors. I see way to much of me and not enough of the road behind me...and, they are ugly.

 

Sunday was another day, and another ride. This one of a little over 60 miles.

 

The sky on Sunday was filled with a cloud show.

One of the major reasons for bringing Isabelle into my life was to be able to ride more safely to St. Peters to visit my son, daughter-in-law, and grand-daughter. Sunday afternoon I headed for St. Peters. She did great. A couple of times when I glanced down at the speedometer it was registering a bit over 70mph. The reviews I've read about the People 250S say the speedometer is surprisingly accurate for a scooter. Most scooters are rather optimistic in their speed readings. Although I don't know how accurate Isabelle's speedometer is, I do know this, I stayed up with traffic just fine, which is all I ask.

Isabelle and I plan to visit often.