It will be brighter next week as we gain an hour due to Standard Time, BUT then the tables will turn and it will be darker on the commute home. You can never win. I think that if I had my way, I would rather have daylight at the end of the day rather than in the morning. There are things that I could be doing when I arrive home after work but now I have to leave them for the weekend. I vote for DST, Daylight Savings Time all the time.
Of course, now I appear to be the only rider at work. Normally there are 3 of us who ride but I can now have all the space to myself. I have already hibernated 2 of my vehicles (Vino and Suzuki) but my Kymco X500Ri is my commuter vehicle and is intended to be used all year. Last year I kept my Suzuki insured for most of the year but it just isn't suited for inclement weather. There is not as much wet weather protection as is available on a scooter. A scooter has a "running" board (flat floor) and leg shields which stop most of the wind and rain. With the slippery roads the CVT tranmission is more forgiving in its power delivery. I have found that on the motorcycle it is too easy to get carried away and you have to really concentrate on your throttle use. I don't like the feeling you get as you feel your rear wheel fish-tailing away, especially on the corners.
It was a freshing ride as I saw the morning sun come up over the horizon. Sorry no sunrise pictures as it was just not safe to pull over. When my helmet is cold the visor seems to fog up a lot. You will quickly learn to exhale out of your mouth away from the visor, or leave the visor angled out one notch which helps to defrost the condensation. On my 25 km commute I was fairly comfortable for about half of the ride as I wound my way through town, but on the last half of my commute I travel on a secondary highway which has posted speeds of 70 kms, but who goes that slow anyway. Let me just say that hypothetically if you were travelling at 10 or 15 kms over the limit, you would still be the slowest of the group, and I like to feel like the leader.
With the cooler temperatures the ride is more exhilarating in a sort of wake you up kind of way but at the elevated speeds of the Lougheed Highway your fingers go numb quicker, soon they feel like they are frozen. Lucky thing I have the CVT for if I were on the Suzuki my clutch hand would be dead-meat by now. Not a pleasant feeling when you are moving at a slow speed in rush hour traffic. You just have to remember that the asphalt is cold which means you have to watch out for your tires to ensure that they have enough "grip" for they have less grip during cold weather. Eventually we arrive at work safe and sound and partake in a warm beverage to expel the effects of the cold ride.
Tomorrow is Halloween. I don't think it is a Stat Holiday or anything like that, but I celebrate by having Chocolate. You find lots of treats for sale everywhere and by tradition is to buy a big package of my favourite brand. Cadbury or Hershey anyone ?
Again I wish you a very happy Halloween . . .
and devour lots of chocolates
Do I have to choose between Hershey and Cadbury?
ReplyDeleteI just wish someone would pick a time mode and leave it alone.
Leaving in the dark and getting home in the dark gets tiresome, doesn't it?
By the way, the 'scoot looks pretty cool in the top picture. What with the bluish tint, and all!
Cadbury's Fruit & Nut.
ReplyDeleteI'm for DST all year. Why waste a daylight hour on a commute, when you can spend a daylight hour in the evening doing something enjoyable?
you don't have to twist my arm. I would like to go to DOUBLE DST, which is 2 hours ahead. then it will be daylight until 7pm this time of year, and it moves to 11:30pm during the summer. I think that daylight is wasted in the mornings
ReplyDeleteI think Canadian chocolate bars are excellent! I always bring a few home when I travel to Toronto or your fine city, since they don't have the variety of Cadbury chocolates down here. BTW, your Kymco looks great - so that must be a 500cc???
ReplyDeleteI like dark mornings as they are easier to sleep through when I get home.However I get an hour overtime for working through the night of the change. easy money.
ReplyDeleteLance:
ReplyDeletei prefer dark chocolate more than milk chocolate but you have more selection than we have in Canada, and yes, the Kymco is an Xciting 500Ri(500cc).
Conchscooter:
I forgot about you night hawks, always wanting things your way, like dark mornings. Us day shift (normal) people prefer more daylight, but if we had a choice between dark mornings or dark evenings, I would choose dark mornings.
Hey Bob:
ReplyDeleteYou and I are much alike. I thought I was the only one who wanted double daylight savings time. When I mention that to people, they think I am crazy. Also, I prefer dark chocolate, the 70% cocoa variety.