Bought A Honda Metropolitan Scooter Ten Years Ago Today
Last weekend was the 10th anniversary of Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast:
Hurricane Katrina surprised disaster preparedness authorities when it made landfall 10 years ago, leveling entire communities and killing more than 1,800 people. The storm caused more than $100 billion in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. But for all the damage the storm caused in New Orleans, Katrina was a relatively weak hurricane when it hit the city.
In the academic community, the unexpected disaster prompted climate scientists to consider the link between climate change and storms. Since then, research has shown that climate change will increase the devastation caused by hurricanes as sea levels rise due to global warming. Some research has also suggested that climate change has increased the intensity and frequency of storms. (Time: Why Climate Change Could Make Hurricane Impact Worse)
After watching video of the resulting destruction I knew I had to do something, but what? My solution was to buy a nearly-new Honda Metropolitan scooter, 49cc. I did so ten years ago today!
Most scooters get very high fuel economy, I regularly got between 80-95 mpg. Over the next 29 months I put about 5,000 miles on that scooter — driving all over the region. Eventually it allowed me to go car-free!
![Google Streetview captured me on my scooter in September 2007](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/gsv.sept2007.scooter.jpg)
On February 1, 2008 my scooter days came to an end, 15+ hours of no help following a hemorrhagic stroke left me able to ride scooters or bicycles. I sold the scooter to a neighbor — he eventually got another with a larger engine. I also sold all my bicycles — except one.
![I kept my reproduction WWII Swedish Army bike, it's now art in our home office. Click image for Wikipedia article on Kronan bikes.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kronan01.jpg)
I have many fond memories of riding both the scooter and the orange bike. New poll on Sunday — have a great weekend!
— Steve Patterson