Ms. Chong & her husband

This is the seamstress/tailor who altered my jacket for me.

Dakota II Altered

I think the jacket still looks pretty professional. It IS short, but doesn't look abnormally short on me (I don't think) and also if it is any longer, it srunches up on me when I sit on the scoot. What do YOU think?

Front

Back - I may need her to put in belt loops for the back side. The strap keeps coming down.

With "Big Air" vent open

Closeup of bottom--you can see she re-attached the logos as patches.

This is the only part that doesn't look 100% It's the front open with the mesh section zipped.

Power Trip Dakota II Jacket

As I mentioned last month, I have needed a new 3-season jacket for a while to replace the red and black jacket.  I ended up with the Power Trip Dakota 2 Jacket.  First things first.  I ordered the 5XL because of the thought "I need it a little big to go over regular clothes and maybe a hooded sweatshirt." which was the wrong attitude to take in the beginning.  A good jacket should fit close to you and keep you warm without other layers of stuff.  The Dakota II was supposed to fit at "waist length".  Well, the 5XL hung down not to my knees, but over my arse easily.  When I sat down in the jacket, I knew immediately it was too big.  I returned it (free of charge) for the 4XL.  The 4XL came last week and I tried it on.  The good news is it fit around my chest, stomach, arms & neck very well.  The bad news is it hung down almost as low and bunched up so bad when I sat that it was unworkable.

 

My options were three:

 

1.  I could return this jacket and keep getting other 4XL jackets from newenough.com until I got just the right one.

2.  I could ask newenough for a refund to apply toward another much more expensive jacket that would be made to order (read: a $700 motoport jacket where they get your measurements and take 8 weeks to build your jacket from scratch.  This $700 becomes $100 if you want a waterproof or thermal liner!!)

3.  I could have the Dakota II altered.  This is something I truly dreaded because of the fiasco that turned my nice Power Trip summer mesh into a POS.

 

I had read that one fellow on the Suzuki Burgman forum got his jacket alterated for around $80.  This wasn't too bad, so I took it for an estimate to British Custom Tailors on Bardstown road.  They quoted me $280 - $320!!!  I just about crapped!!  I decided it was time to return the jacket and see if motoport had any slightly less expensive options.

 

Newenough would only give me another "gift certificate", or what is commonly known as store credit.  I was about ready to call bullsh*t on this when the Motoport people called back and confirmed that to get a jacket with all the same functions as the $170 Power Trip but made to fit, it would be really really close to $1000!!  My second stroke in as many days!!!  So now I was stuck with a jacket that was too long, and a $300 alteration bill.  I did the only thing I could do.  I gritted my teeth, called around to other tailors/alterations people, and prayed I would not get screwed.

 

What I found was Chong Alteration, Dry Cleaning & Repairs.  I spoke to the asian lady over the phone and she seemed really down-to-earth.  She wanted to see the jacket before she would give me a price.  She told me she absolutely could do it and had worked on this kind of jacket before.

 

Thursday I took it in.  The next stroke was not mine, but Ms. Chong's!  She looked at the intracacies of the jacket and how many zippers it had.  She said at first that the original quote would be very close to correct.  I was dejected and I guess she could see that, so some compromises were made.  I told her she could make the pockets smaller, remove the lumbar pad, and not to worry about the cinch straps along the sides, or the "Power Trip" logos.  She said she could do it for $200.  I wasn't thrilled, but I got the sense that she would do a good job.  She said it would take a while, but agreed she could have it done before April.  I was resigned to worry.

 

Sunday I got a call.  She said "I put off other work.  Jacket is done."  I asked, bewildered, if I could pick it up Monday.  I went in after work yesterday.  She let me try it on.  It was short---way short, but I reminded myself (and Ms. Chong) that if it was any longer, it would bunch up when I sat on the motorbike.  I saw that, even though I told her I would like to save some money by not worrying with the Power Trip logos, she made neat patches of them and reattached them, including the label!  I was worried she would ask for more money but she did not.  The only problem was this: once the jacket was shortened, it skewed the bottom a bit.  There was a true need for the cinch straps because where the spine CE armor was in the back of the jacket, it caused the back bottom to jut out like a tent!  I was not happy with the looks.  She started going back through the peices that she'd removed, and designed a back cinch strap that would allow me to take up some of the slack.  It now looks very professional and you can only really tell it's been altered if you look closely.

 

Chong Alteration, Dry Cleaning & Repairs for the win!

 

I wore the jacket home and was fairly comfortable.  It is NOT my old jacket and will take some breaking in.  It also fits differently, but I knew it would.  One minor mishap--the back cinch strap on one side busted a seam loose and needs fixed, but it is still attached and works.  I am sure she will not charge me to fix it.  It has a waterproof liner, and a thermal liner which zips out.  There is also the partial Big Air section in the front that is mesh and will allow you to leave the main zipper undone and get max air flow through the chest and out the back vents.  I wore the jacket to work today, and my upper body was perfectly comfortable in 34 degrees and I felt no chill.  I did not have on any other liners or clothing besides a polo shirt.

Garmin Scooter Mount

The Garmin Scooter Mount for my Nuvi 550 seems loose.  When the scoot vibrates, the ball socket slowly moves to the lowest position.  It's not horrible, and I think I might be able to tighten it, but I asked Garmin about it anyway.  Here's a transcript:

ME:  I note that after a short period of riding on my scooter with the Nuvi 550 on the Garmin Scooter Mount, it will slowly swivel down to it's lowest position. Is there a way to tighten the scooter mount so it does not swivel as easy?

 

GARMIN:  Have you tried tightening the mount to the bar? Is the mount too big for the scooter? Unfortunately, the mount may not fit all scooters so it might be loose. You may want to try searching for a third-party dealer that sells a mount that mounts tighter to your scooter.

 

ME:  It is not the entire mount that slips, but the swivel so you can adjust the unit up or down.  The mount itself stays perfectly in place.  It is the ball-joint swivel that is loose.  Is there a way to tighten that?

 

GARMIN:  If you can not find a way to tighten it, you may not be able to. I went ahead and ordered you a replacement scooter mount. The order number is: 19106204 and you should receive this in 5-12 business days. You may have the same problem due to the way the mount is made, however, let's give this one a try.

It is nice to see that they are willing to send out free crap in the cause of customer satisfaction.  I just hope that the scooter mount can either be tightened, or my current one is defective and the new one will work well.  I still have to get the power wire mounted.  That is like the 3rd or 4th thing on my list of scooter related tasks to get done before April and the WKRP rally...

Parts & Service on the Yamaha

A while back, my V-BELT light came on. It's set to do this at 12K
miles. I need to get it replaced pretty soon, so I have been calling
to get the best price on parts, and also to check the cost of labor.

Derby Cycle seems the most fair. They want $163.99 for the belt,
$5.99 each for the 8 weights, and they quoted me 1-2 hours of labor at
$65 per hour. This gives us a grand total of $276.91-$341.91.
Yamaha/Suzuki of Louisville ran in the middle of the pack. They
quoted about the same price for parts ($163.47 for belt and $5.54 each
for weights) but charge 2 - 2.5 hours labor at $75 per hour. This is
a grand total of $357.79-$395-29 for the job. Lastly, I called S & S
Powersports in Clarksville. They did a good job with my rear tire.
The fellow in parts could not figure out exactly what belt to order,
but guessed the price would be around $179. The weights--he said that
they come only as a whole set with the clutch and could not quote me a
price on weights only. He also could not state how much they charged
per hour for the work, or how long it would take. I gave up on them
and called the new S & S location in Brooks, KY. They quoted me
$163.49 for the belt, and $5.99 each for the weights. The sticker is
the labor. He said it would be $190 and take about 2.5 hours. This
would bring their grand total to $401.41.

Any way I go about it, the labor is gonna be crazy unless Derby Cycle
can get it done in an hour. Then not too bad. I'm going to run down
there this weekend if at all possible and order the parts and pay for
them. Then when they get the parts in, I can either choose to put
them in myself, or have them do it. I also need to get the v-belt air
filter elements replaced, or at the very least blown out. I may wait
on the roller weights. I kinda want to put in Dr. Pulley sliders
anyway. My friend Jeremy says we can do the work in his garage, and
he's the one that helped me change the belt and weights on my 250cc a
couple years ago. He's brilliant with mechanical (among other stuff).

Riding with Mushu

The dragon decals I got from streetglo are not exactly what i wanted, but they are highly reflective and will add visibility to my solid black helmet. They look a little like Mushu from the Disney cartoon Mulan. Ugh.

The road to work this morning was cold as hell. 15 degrees is quite cold enough. You might wonder why I rode to work if you have not been following long. That is because I am not one of these people who stores their bike for the winter putting it on a battery tender in the garage. I like to ride year round, but getting caught out in snow and ice is something I am not quite ready for. Even though we had sun and a little warmpth yesterday which melted off most of the road ice, there were still some dangerous slick spots.

There are 49 days until The WKRP "Jump the Shark" rally in Cincinnati, Ohio. I really hope its a bit warmer then!

FW: Scooter Mode!

The Nuvi 550 really is bitchin', and I am figuring out the routing software! Does YOUR GPS have "Scooter Mode"? Mwahahahaha!

Mapsource success

Experimenting last night, I was able to suss out the biggest bits in Garmin's Mapsource. Now I have created a preliminary route to the WKRP rally via the ferry that crosses the Ohio River at Augusta, Kentucky. There are various ways to do it but my favorite (and what I am most familiar with) is a drag-and-drop route line method commonly referred to as "rubber-banding". I found a quick tutorial on advrider.com forum. Simply put, you make a waypoint at start, and finish, then Mapsource defines the route. If you don't like it, you can click on the route to turn it yellow for editing, then click a point on the route, hold, and drag to another road on the map. This will change your route to include the new point! In using this method, I can select my "blue highways" instead of the more common interstates.

Scala Q2 & Multitec test continues

Last night I put an extra layer of hook & loop inside my Multitech in order to get the speakers for the Scala closer to my ears. Music from the iPod sounds ok, but I have not had a test yet of the adjustment with a phone call over 50mph. I noted from initial tests that I have "old folks" syndrome for some reason. Since I can't hear as good, subconsiously I believe others cannot hear me as well either-and my friend Ralph noticed I tend to talk too loud. It will obviously take more than mechanical adjustments...

GPS DC charging cable

My DC charging cable came today. This will allow me to keep my GPS up and running while I'm on the bike without using the 12v cigarette lighter adaptor. This should also allow me to route in such a way as to avoid any wires running over the body of the scoot. Also with the GPS came the Garmin Scooter Mount. The mount might allow me to do away with the farkle bar altogether, but I really like that bar, so I will likely keep & modify it to use the scooter mount.

Nuvi 550 track log

This is a sample track log from the Garmin. Just home to scouts. I found a site www.gpsvisualizer.com that will work until I get my copy of Mapsource from Garmin. This will let me view the log of where I have been using the GPS.

The Nuvi 550

As soon as I got around to fiddling with the new Garmin, I noted some things I like. Besides all the regular GPS bells and whistles from my Tomtom, this one is waterproof, has sd card slot, can save a track log, and I have already customized to have a motorbike icon instead of a car. ;)

Givi with huge Ogio pack

This pack fit better in the square hard case that came on my Roketa. The difference is that it was square and this Givi is round. I might look for a new bag. This one will not easily stow anywhere on my bike.

Givi E450

The Givi E450 is as big as I wanted to go for a top case. I like how it looks now that it is adorned with stickerage. The texture makes some stickers hard to keep on. :( It can fit two full face helmets, but they are just barely able to fit and you have to close the lid using some pressure. These things are supposed to be well made though. It goes on and comes off pretty easily. I am still not 100% positive I like the anti-dumbass feature of not being able to leave it unlocked with the key out. I know locking it without the key is good so you don't lock your key inside, but not being able to leave it unlocked...well, I guess thats a good anti-theft measure, but seems annoying right now. The only thing I really didnt like was that they shorted me one small rubber gasket. I bought two packs from Home Depot and they should work, but still...for the price they ask, you should get a little extra QC. All in all I think I'll like it once I'm used to it. It doesn't seem to handle any different so far, but its like 30 degrees right now and I'm not doing any distance runs.

Wet Spot

Its not hammering down today, but its definately raining pretty good! My car is still in the shop, so I ran a mandatory road test on my new Tourmaster boot covers. I had them on over the pants half of my $29 www.jafrum.com rainsuit, and I wore my regular jacket with rain liner. As you can see, I only suffered minor issue with rain getting in. On the way home I will try it with the boot covers on first and then the pants. Thumbs up from me!

Shoei Multitec Helmet

So far so good on the Shoei Multitech. Anti-fogging and road noise are substantially diminished from the KBC helmet. The fit was good enough that I dont have to worry about getting thinner cheek pads. It looks good, although in black, slightly different than what I'm used to. It is comfortable also, and a LOT less "drafty" than other helmets I've owned. The final point will be durability, and I can't assess that for a while.

Armadillo Scooter Armor

This stuff is wicked!

Armadillo Scooterwear Tough Enough from Armadillo Scooterwear on Vimeo.

Please Completely Disregard that Last bit about Warmer Weather

This week, they are calling for 30's and snow flurries. I am less
than enthusiastic about that.

Bad news compliments of Accuweather---

Today: Rather cloudy, windy and colder with a snow shower this
afternoon High 42°
Tonight: Mostly cloudy and windy with a little snow, accumulating a
coating to an inch Low 29°
TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy and breezy with flurries High 32° Low 26°
WEDNESDAY: Not as cold with sun and some clouds High 44° Low 31°
THURSDAY: Mainly cloudy, breezy and colder High 34° Low 17°
FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy, breezy and cold with a chance for a bit of snow
or flurries High 29° Low 14°

Well, at least I don't feel like I'm missing out on great riding weather!

Warmer! Finally!!!

Today, for the first time in months, it has been in the 40's in the morning. Did I ride? Of course!! I also took out the waterproof liner that acts as an internal windbreaker (thanks Ralph!) and didn't wear my hooded sweatshirt. It was a wee bit chilly, but not having on all that stuff...it was almost like flying!! I have to run one mission on the way home. I love it!

Tourmaster Rain Boot Covers

The Tourmaster Rain Boot covers came yesterday. They look really good and although I was prepared to test them this morning, it turns out I didn't have to. This is essentially the last peice of crucial equipment I needed for commuting 95% of the time. I still would not want to take a long trip below say 40 degrees, but I can easily do the 20 minutes back and forth to work. I might require electrics to take a longer trip in the winter. My goal is to do a longer distance trip this year. I feel the need to go west or north...

Garmin nuvi 500 Series Update

After several days of waiting for Garmin to answer an email request,
and also trudging around the web looking for answers, I finally did
the smart thing and went to my friend Steve, who has a Garmin. Steve
also was not sure about the nuvi 500 series (he owns another model)
and my questions not being general Garmin, but more model-specific, I
finally gave up and called Garmin. The lady I spoke to was helpful,
polite and well informed (however I did wait like 25 minutes to speak
with her--thank God for speaker phone!)

My questions were pretty simple.

Q: What is the difference between the Garmin Nuvi 500 and the Garmin Nuvi 550?
A: The 500 comes loaded with street maps of the lower 48 states, and
topographic maps of the same. The 550 comes with street maps of all
North America, but no topo.

Q: Can the Nuvi 500 and 550 provide a downloadable track log*?
A: Yes. This can be viewed and monkeyed with using the free
downloadable Mapsource software on Garmin's site.

Q: Can the topo maps of North America be added to the 550?
A: No.

Q: Can the topo maps of North America be added to an SD card and then
used in the 550?
A: Yes.

So I don't know still which to get. I will probably get the 550 just
because I might head up into Canada at some point just to use my
passport. ;o) Or should I get the 500 with the topo maps? I don't
even know (besides geocaching which sounds really cool) what I would
use topo GPS for.

*"The track log in a Garmin unit are points automatically stored when
you are moving. It is the electronic equivalent of laying down a
"breadcrumb trail" to mark your path. These points will be shown
strung together on the map page of your unit so you can see where you
have been."

Sucky scooting weather

I caged today. I need better rain gear.

Scooters: Bad News :o(

Denver scooter business losing ground, workers while waiting for stimulus loan Denver Post Seven months ago, Sportique Scooter owner Colin Shattuck applied for an emergency federal stimulus loan to help save his 12-year-old business. ... Piaggio Cuts Sales and Marketing Staff Dealer News (blog) Noting that industry-wide US scooter sales were down about 65 percent last year, Timoni says that steps had to be taken to balance revenue and costs. ...

Jackets for 2010

I have needed a new 3-season jacket for a while.  This would be something to replace the red and black jacket I got from Jafrum that I went down in last year.  The jafrum Jacket still has some wear in it, but I want something more durable. 

 

The first for consideration is the Power Trip Dakota 2 Jacket.  Power Trip made the mesh summer jacket that I bought from New enough in 2008.  That jacket fit kinda funny (long in the torso) so I had it altered by some psycho seamstress I found on Craigslist.  BIG MISTAKE.  I think it will work still, but it doesn't look that hot, and I would only trust it for one slide...  That aside, I like the (original) quality and look of the jacket.  I wore it unaltered at Gasoline Rally 2008.  I think it was pretty comfortable, and it has a nice waterproof liner that I use in both of my jackets.  This jacket comes in all black, which I like best (or second best next to all black with a little red).  If I ended up with this, and a black helmet I would like that.  You would be no Chamomile tea drinkin' mofo dressed like that. *grin*  It does have what they call a Big Air waterproof ventilation system (which seems like an oxymoron to me).  I might have to research that a bit.

 

The other one I'm looking at is the Balistic 7.0 made by Joe Rocket.  This jacket has the advantage of this air scoop system looking thing that looks like it would really suck in massive amounts of air to keep you cool.  The thing I don't like is that it doesn't come in all black...  It has some gray/silver (and you know how I hate gray or silver!).  I have not yet tried a Joe Rocket product and I am feeling both hopeful and cautious.  This is a 3/4 length jacket, so who would care about the torso length as much...

 

Both jackets are claimed 100% waterproof, have C.E. rated protectors in shoulders and elbows, a removeable spine pad, removeable full sleeve insulated liner, Sure Fit adjustable waistband, and reflective stripes.  Whichever jacket I end up with, I will not let anybody cut on it!

Iced me like a cake!

I have never experienced freezing fog on my scooter until this morning. It was pretty alarming. I kept thinking "the wings are icing up!". Also, I just about dropped the bike at a stop because the road was a lot more slick than I thought it would be. I have known for a while that someone who works at my son's school rides a blue T-max, and his wife introduced herself to me this morning when I was dropping Logan off. I gave her a card and she said "oh, you're with the scooter group! I have seen you guys online!" That was kinda cool.

V-BELT!

Although just about every dash light on every vehicle I have ever owned represents the expenditure of hard-earned dollars, when Lois' (my 2008 Yamaha Majesty) V-BELT indicator started flashing, it also made me smile. That 12,500 miles has taken me to 8 states, three rallies, to the grocery, the doctor, romantic rendevous, family & friends homes, restaurants and coffee houses, across pavement in all conditions, on gravel, mud, rock, dirt, brick and metal, over bridges, through streams, on a little ice and snow, and back and forth to work. I have enjoyed about every single mile. Wonder if I can get to spring time on this belt?

Twelve Thousand Miles of Fun

I am very happy to report that I was able to ride 12,000 miles in 2009.  If I could have taken a month off work and been able to bear that long a time away from my kids, I would have headed north on US-42 all the way up to Cleveland, Ohio.  From there I could have taken a route along Lake Erie up into Buffalo, New York.  At that point, I would have went eastward toward Rochester and up into Canada changing over to our northern neighbor's routes.  From there, I'd continue north and east on Queens roads until I hit Montreal.  From Montreal I would go east, entering into the U.S again on SR-27 if possible (Google maps seems to think it can be done).  In Kingsfield I would switch to some other state roads for a short bit, ending up in Bangor, Maine. 

 

From Bangor I would ride down the coast and through some small New England towns such as Concord, NH, Northampton, MA, Torrington, CT, and finally down through New York City.  After spending at least one night in NYC, I would take the back roads into Philadelphia, Baltimore, and finally into Upper Marlboro, where my friend Patrick lives.  Rolling through Raleigh, Charleston, Savannah, would put me into Jacksonville.  I would not leave Florida again until I was getting the picture of Lois next to the buoy that says "Southernmost Point Continental USA" in the Keys.  From there, backtrack up and then over the gulf side of Florida...Naples, Sarasota, Tampa, perhaps stop in Hernando or Bradenton to see Joe or Bonnie.  I'd like to stay along the gulf where I could see the Gulf wherever I went to sleep for the night.  I would ride through Panama City and Pensacola on my way west.  Mobile, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Beaumont would get me into Texas. 

 

In Houston I'd turn south toward the border and Corpus Christi.  From there, I'd keep going toward the east coast over roads less travelled these days.  I would take a detour north to visit four corners where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet.  While riding through Albuquerque, I'd stop to say hello to my friend Jim.  He now rides because of me...  From there I'd continue to my west coast destination, Los Angeles.  I doubt I'd stay long because I really want to explore along the roads northward and ride through Death Valley National Park.  I also want to see some giant redwoods before I ride through Chico to see if I can have a cup of green tea with my friend Jen.  I want to stay on the Coast Highway US-1 as much as possible through California and Oregon.  When I got to Seattle Washington, I might take a break for a day. 

 

From there I would head eastward ending up in Duluth, Minnesota.  The road I choose would be sometimes in the United States, and sometimes In Canada, if I had my druthers.  In Duluth, I would come down through the Upper Peninsula into Macknaw City in Michigan.  I'd visit Flint where I was born, Fenton where we lived when I was little, and my friend Ward.  From there, It would be back down southward into Indiana, stopping to visit my friend Chuck, then back across the Ohio river into Louisville and home.  This is how I would have liked to have burned the petrol, dirtied the oil, worn the rubber, and rolled away those twelve thousand miles.  I still covered some good road, but a good bit was roads I've already seen once or twice...  Hey, there's always next year, right???  I rode 8,000 in 2008, so this makes my lifetime total 20K. 

Commuting below 20 degrees

Today, I just couldn't take it anymore. I put on my balaclava and put the hand warmers in my gloves, and took the Yamaha Majesty to work. I got a couple odd stares, but it was tollerable, and I felt good about riding. There may be some snow when I get off work, but I'll deal with that as it comes. I feel more "right" than I have in weeks. Aparently I have a dependency...

The Garmin Nuvi 500 & 550

I have enjoyed my TomTom One XLS, but inside the Ram-Mount Aquabox, you can't hear it.  Also, I am not really thrilled with some of the directions I've gotten from it.  Ask the folks in the LSG...sometimes we have "issues".  Yes, sometimes it has told me to turn where there is no road.  Sometimes it leads to dead-ends where there used to be a road, or it's choked off by dogs and guys with shotguns.  Hey, this IS Kentucky...

 

But everyone (ok, a LOT of people) brag on Garmin.  All the LD people use Garmins.  My friend Ralph brags on the Garmin Zumo, but that thing is like $650!!  I would not spend that much on a GPS even if I could justify it somehow.

 

What I found out on Garmin's site is they currently have 5 models that are waterproof.  The motorcycle specific model is the Zumo.  The "Adventure" model is the Nuvi 500 series.   [The] "nüvi 500 features driving, walking, bicycling and boating modes which customize your nüvi specifically for your method of travel. This portable hybrid combines the advanced navigation features and large, color display found in automotive units with the durability of an outdoor handheld. Sleek and slim, you can slip nüvi 500 into your pocket or backpack."

 

This sounds fantastic to me.  And Amazon has them for $254.  That is way better than $650!!  They also make a scooter mount, and USB charge cable (which looks pretty standard...) which is how I charge my Tomtom right now...  All this is pretty cool, but the ultimate perk might be the Garmin Map Source software.  I have been told by people who use it (mostly the LD folks) that it is the defacto routing software.  The only thing that comes close is the Micro$oft stuff.  I'm not feeling too keen on M$ lately...  Mapsource has some pretty cool features, such as:

 

Plan routes from the convenience of your computer instead of on your device.

Create, view, and edit waypoints, routes, and tracks.

Plan extensive or complicated routes, in which you travel to several locations in an order you specify.

Transfer waypoints, routes and tracks between your computer and your device.

Transfer selected map from your computer to your device.

View your maps in detail on your computer screen.

 

It's basically everything that I do very painfully with Google Maps, Tyre, and Tomtom Home right now.  Hopefully this will solve a bunch of small issues I've been having.  I also hope to have a good permanent 12v plug put in by then!!

The First Snow of 2010

This is pretty wimpy as far as snows go, but you couldn't tell by the "state of emergency" mentality. There will be no bread, milk, or eggs to be had. School is letting out one hour early. Some parents are keeping their kids home today. The worst thing though is how much drivers panic when everything turns white. It is a nuthatch around these parts. People who are the worst fall into two opposing categories and are equally dangerous to those of us who are sane. The first is "I must drive everywhere at 2.7 miles per hour". These folks clog up the roadways for no reason. I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you about the laws of physics. Remember that if you're going in a straight line, you probably don't have to worry about losing control of the vehicle and sliding into a ditch. Unless you do something extraordinarily idiotic. You can pick up a little speed folks, just give yourself plenty of reaction time and keep your wits about you. Most importantly look out for people in the second category, which is: "I own an SUV or 4WD truck and it is impossible for me to lose traction or slide". These morons act like they have a solid wall of stability and invincibility around their vehicle. They believe they cannot slip or slide, they cannot get stuck, and cannot get into any sort of predicament that their "superior technology" cannot handle. You will know them as the ones who pass you doing 20 over the speed limit, take curves and stops as if it were warm, dry, and 70 degrees. Much of the time they are oblivious, so they can leave a wake of minor destruction behind them by eating up your spacial cushion, forcing you to react to their stupidity, and usually causing more problems than they realize. Be careful out there people. The crazies are about. Good luck getting your milk!