My route to the office downtown each day can vary a bit. Sometimes it is due to road construction. Sometimes it is because schools are in session and I want to avoid the schools. Sometimes I just want some different scenery. No matter which route I take I am generally going from newer parts of town to the older parts as I get nearer to downtown.
As I was riding to work last Friday my thoughts turned to the fact that I have been down some of these roads many times and passed by the same sights each time. Some of the sights have become a bit ordinary to me in my mind just because I have been by there so many times. It is easy to forget that there are really some interesting sights, either historically, or visually, along the way.
So, let me take you on a very short tour.
As I leave my house I head south about 1/2 mile to Central Ave. I can take this street west all the way downtown if I want to. And many times I do, but the traffic is heavier, the scenery is a bit less interesting and I prefer other routes.
Just look at all of those cages.
My preferred route to work is 2nd Street which is One Way to downtown. It goes through a couple of interesting neighborhoods and is slower, less traffic, and prettier with lots of trees.
2nd street is just a couple of blocks south of Central, so it is easy to cut over to 2nd street and I do this often, but at times I do not take 2nd street. There are 2 schools along the way on 2nd street and at 8:00 in the morning there is a lot of traffic as people are dropping kids off at school. But in the summertime, there is no schools in session and it's a beautiful way to go.
The first interesting neighborhood we get to is Crown Heights. A lot of these homes were built in the 1930's and 1940's. Some are very stately and expensive, others a bit more modest, but a nice neighborhood.
I love the trees on this route, nice shade in the morning.
We once looked at purchasing a home in this area, but it needed updating badly, had a poor roof and we passed on it.
Then I get into another neighborhood known as College Hill. It's really not that hilly, but resides along a ridge of small hills that run north and south about 3 miles east of the Arkansas river where the downtown area is.
This area is a little older and there are some very nice older homes. Many wealthier people in the city have lived in this area from the 1910's to today.
A very stately mansion.
A less stately home, but very nice and the owners have kept it up nicely.
One very beautiful and unusual home in this area is a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is right on this route. You can tour the home by appointment, though I never have.
The Frank LLoyd Wright house looking northwest
Those are some bad ass planters, don't you think?
Looking Southwest
You then enter even a bit older area where the homes are sometimes a bit run down and smaller than the College Hill homes.
The dude on the porch nextdoor eyed me carefully as I took this picture.
Then we go under a Super Slab locally known as the "Canal Route" that disects the city north and south. A drainage canal/creek runs along and underneath the highway, hence the name. I have sometimes been pelted with dust and sand that gets thrown off the elevated roadway as I pass underneath.
I do not ride much on the slabs around town. Lots of traffic and I am not comfortable at those speeds on my scooter even though I have a top speed of supposedly 75 mph.
A little while later we get into an old warehouse district now known as Old Town. This area has had much redevelopment in recent years with a new theater, a hotel, restaurants and apartments.
A lot of local events occur here.
Fountains in the Old Town Square.
Then I pass by the original Coleman lantern factory. It is now largely abandoned and vacant, but the Coleman company was founded here in Wichita.
The company was sold a long time ago to a much larger corporation. The rewards of entrepreneurship.
This is a great place to buy camping supplies.
A few blocks later I get to the building where I park my scooter. Mt little parking space is in the basement and is very secure and also very protected from the outside weather.
The infamous parking space #43. Safe and Sound
Mt route home is very similar through much of the same areas but on a One Way street going east.
When I was learning to drive a car, my father once told me that you need to be careful in areas that you frequent or travel through often. The reason was that you can become complacent by traveling through areas where nothing unusual has happened to you in the past. You can become a little less attentive to a potential unexpected event. I try and maintain my alertness even though I have passed down this route many times.
Composing this blog post has also reminded me that there are some relatively interesting sights to see along the way that over time I have come to take for granted.
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The contents of my topcase consist of primarily different types of clothing and gloves. During the winter, and depending on the temperature, I had 3 pairs of gloves that I wore depending on the conditions I would encounter. My heavy gloves are waterproof with a fleece liner. At times this winter I also wore some silk liners for a total of 3 layers on my hands. The topcase had become a bit disorganized recently because of numerous gloves, my balaklava and other items. I decided that I didn't need to keep the really cold weather gear in the topcase anymore, so I spent a few minutes organizing it again and settled on items that for the summer I would need to keep in the case.
But the biggest problem ws that my baby really needed a bath. I hooked up the hose, filled up a bucket with some soap and water, grabbed some rags and had at it!
Parts of the task went pretty quickly, the main body parts and such. But I quickly realized what a pain in the butt it was to clean the wheels. Whomever designed the wheels didn't design them with easy cleaning in mind. I was amazed at how all of the dust and grime had settled into all of the difficult to reach nooks and crannies of the wheels. I persevered and worked at it in a dedicated manner. I do admit however that I did not get out a toothbrush. I reserve that effort for a later date. I can see that it could be useful.
I also wanted to put a little wax on it in a few places and took care of that as well. The only chrome on the machine is a cover for the muffler so I made sure that it was nice and shiny.
Took me a couple of hours and I was pleased with the results.
Part of the reason for the effort was to replace the picture of my steed at the top of my page. The other picture was a bit older, not taken in a particularly good location, and I felt I needed a better picture.
But the real reason was that the scooter was really dirty.
Now? Not so much!
Just Look at that Reflection of the Chrome!
He cleans up pretty nicely!
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