3/26/2009 — On this cloudy early spring day, I was kindly invited by fellow scooterist Kent Aldrich to attend a hands-on demonstration of what he does in his letterpress shop, The Nomadic Press.

Weather forecast showed that the afternoon would warm up to upper 30s with only a 10% chance of precipitation. That turned out to be a load of rubbish. Trip out was uneventful, if ominous. I was comfortable and warm enough while riding with the exception my pointer and middle fingers on each hand. Time at Nomadic Press was great — letterpress is truly both an art and a craft. Also got to spend more time gazing at Kent’s gorgeous 1957 Triumph Tessy. Way back seemed fine at first, but soon turned to snow and sleet. Was crawling at 20 mph at one point. Thought about sheltering in a gas station and calling or help, but managed to limp home.

High points
The satisfaction of doing something so ill advised and conquering the adventure unscathed — especially when the sun broke through the sleet just about a mile from home.

Low points
The middle of the sleet — thought for sure I was either going to dump on the slick road or get run over by an impatient cager. Then later when the right side of my visor came loose from my helmet about a mile from home and I had to finish the ride squinting through the remnants of winter.

Nathaniel Salzman