Scooter Fever

The relentless fever runs through my veins day and night...

Well, since I don't currently OWN a scooter, I've spent a lot of time on-line researching which one will be my next.

I've narrowed down a few features and preferences on my list of top choices. And that took considerable effort on my part because when it comes to scoots, I am like a "kid in a candy shop". I want them ALL! And RIGHT NOW! LOL

But I am trying to be smart about this and since I've got just a tad bit of experience "under my belt", so to speak, I do know enough to know what I do not want in a scooter. Been there, done that on some of these issues.

"Meh"...

"Nope..."

"Er, no..."

Yamaha C3...sweet, but hated the lack of a rear rack.

Ok, so yes. "scooter fever" is a painful thing and yet on-line scooter browsing helps to relieve it a bit. However, I actually did cross that browsing line last week and did a very brief visit to my local Honda/Yamaha power sports dealer. I was in a hurry, on my way to somewhere else, so I could not linger due to time constraints that day.

But I saw enough to know that this shop will probably be where I purchase my next scoot. Why? Well first of all they carry Honda and Yamaha scooters. I am probably going to stick to one of those brands because there is dealer support network widely available for maintenance and repairs.

When I move back out into the rural areas I can get what I need to keep my scoot going and going...

Secondly, these brands are bullet-proof reliable and have what I want in my next scooter.

And thirdly, it is 5 miles from home and I can get a taxi ride up there!

"At your service..."

Now that is not to say that I haven't seen a few other scooters that fit my criteria in another brand's line-up. I have indeed. But the dealer network is few and far between. Plus once I move back out into the rural area they are going to be WAY too far away in case something major goes wrong with the scoot.

Dirt roads are fun, but not when you break down out there in a "cellular dead zone".

Genuine Roughhouse 50, high on the list...

In sifting through the models available I had to get right down to what I like, what I don't like, what I want, what I don't want in my next scooter. Doing this assumes, in a way, that there is a "perfect" scooter out there.

I don't believe that this is possible, at least for most of us, so that leaves a tiny bit of "scrooching room" to negotiate the gaps.

Honda's Ruckus...always a contender...and my roots!

But when you are on a budget ya gotta just get right down to the basics in the here and now and leave the gaps by the wayside.

For right now, my basic requirements for a scooter look like this: large enough to be visible in traffic, fat tires, locking under seat storage is preferable, rear rack potential, strong head lamps for night riding, a floor board, fuel injection is preferable but not mandatory, a fairly comfortable seat height and acceptable ergonomics, a top speed of at least 40mph, light weight and maneuverable for handling and storage.

Pullin' at my heart strings...Yamaha's Zuma 50F scoot.

Right away, with this list, it becomes evident that I am more than happy with a 50cc scooter. This blog is not entitled "49ccscooterlife" for nothing!

This is not to say that I wouldn't go for a 125-150cc scooter. I would.

But for my riding style and intentions, 50cc would more than get me where I want to go.

"Mooove along, ladies..."

Lost along some random creek side road...

Mostly where I want to go is out on the back roads, riding slowly and drinking in the scenery, OR running up to the store or other local attractions on 35-45mph roads. My focus is avoiding traffic as much as I can unless I absolutely have no other way to get from point A to point B.

This is the way I started out riding and this is the way I will continue riding. It is the only way for me to enjoy scooting.

I've got 3 scooters in mind that so far seem to fit most of my "wants and needs" categories.

I have never sat on 2 of them or ridden them, but I hope to do so this week.

If one of them is "the one" then it will be a while before I can get it because I will have to save up the cash for the purchase. I enjoy no credit of any kind after long-term under-employment. "It is what it is", as they say.

However, there is always the possibility for a used one at a lower price to come along. Then I will be riding sooner!

I will name my scooter, "Harley" so that I can outfit her with all the gear and kit from the H-D shop up the street! LOL

Now that I have a good job as of last week (another post coming) I am hoping to set up a "scooter fund" to start saving up for my next scooter.

Anyway, my hope would be that by Labor Day weekend I might have my scooter which would give me about 2.5 months of decent riding season left to enjoy some back road exploration. It might come sooner than that, depending on my in-coming cash flow or the sudden appearance of a cheaper used one at this shop or on Craigslist.

Meanwhile the delirious insanity of "scooter fever" keeps my brain in a twist and a constantly moving twirl of dreaming about sweet rides out among the fields, creeks, and hollers.

When I am ready to pick-up the new scooter I will reveal the model and make.

Meanwhile, ride on and enjoy the summer, you lucky scooter-owning bastards!

NOTE: I "borrowed" a lot of photos for this post. They seemed to be free on-line. If you see one that is yours and you are pissed off, contact me and I will remove it immediately. Or take it as a compliment that I took the time to use it in my blog! Thank you, regardless.Scoot on!

Simply Remember

Photo courtesy of The Dog Files.

A day of remembering all who served and all who gave their lives so that we could continue to live ours in peace and safety.

A day to remember our moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, and friends who have gone on before us.

Think of them all today. Visit a cemetery if you can. Leave a flag or a flower or a thought or a prayer.

Never take any of them for granted.

Realize that someday YOU will be remembered for the good deeds you did,the love you gave, the memories you left behind for others.

Simply remember, smile in your heart, and hold dear the memories of what once was.

It's Memorial Day.

Photo courtesy of Mad Mikes Memorial Day.

ScooterLess-Ness Stinks!

It seems sometimes that nothing is right with the world, even though God is surely in his or her heaven.

Such it has been with scooterless-ness this spring.

It is the first time since 2009 that I have not ventured out on the back roads as the daffodils burst forth and the greenery starts to be-speckle the road side bushes and trees. At least not on a scooter.

And oh how I miss it!

In 2009 I was laid off along with 5 other clinicians and one RN from a rural mental health center because of Medicaid cuts at the state level. This was during the height of the "Great Recession" in Ohio and it was a really rough time. Like a panicky fool, I put my first scooter, my 2006 Ruckus, up on Craigslist and two guys from Akron bought it within days.

I remember watching their pick-up truck roll down my gravel drive, my Ruckus leaning over in the back, and tears rolling down my cheeks. I almost chased after them, crying "Stop! I can't do this!", but we needed the money just to keep surviving out there in the impoverished Appalachian woods.

And so it left my life and my spring and summer of depression set in.

One day months later I was browsing through Craigslist and saw an older Honda Elite 80 for sale about 3 hours away. And they only wanted $600! I called and asked if they'd hold it for me for a few weeks with a little deposit and they agreed. In October I borrowed a friend's old pick-up and drove the 3 hours to Lancaster, Ohio to pick it up.

It wasn't a bad scooter. A 2001 black Honda Elite 80 in pretty good shape. I put a basket on the back and rode it all over the ridges and valleys out there until it got too cold to tolerate. It was a "crumb to a hungry dog" and it gave me some solace, but funny thing is I did not take a single photo of it. Not one. At least if I did I never found it or remember posting it.

It was like that horrible person you dated after your break-up or divorce. Just not a fit, a "what the heck was I thinking?" sort of experience. I wound up selling it to a guy in the city and I bought my first Honda Elite 110 in April after I finally got a job that previous February.

But nothing was ever the same after that and I swore no matter how poor I got I would NEVER sell my scooter. I would rather be poor and ride than be poor and walk. Life without a scooter was like life without an identity. At least for me. An empty, sad, lost feeling.

A feeling that I've lived with here since February because that promise to myself got broken this past winter because I could not work outside the home due to my partner's illness.

So we pretty much lost everything all over again and I lost both my scooters, both my bikes, and my "get by" job during the Winter of 2015-2016.

But things are getting better. They really are.

She is doing great in rehab and walking and can be alone now enough for me to work again and I have one part-time job at a florist (which I love) and I am interviewing for other part-time jobs.

I have a bicycle on lay-away and I am already planning to do everything I can to get back on a scooter this summer too as soon as I can.

ANY scooter to start. Even that old black Honda Elite 80 if one pops up for under $1000.

I don't care what I am riding, just so I am riding a scooter of some kind again soon.

And after this I will NEVER be scooter-less again no matter how bad things get because let me tell you, "scooterless-ness" stinks!

There are only so many "riding years" left in this old girl and I hope to not waste any of them.

First Snow and Bicycle Dreams

Snow on the Little Miami Bike Trail last winter

Today I awoke to a light snow fall outside my window. At first I said, "Oh, shit!" Then I found myself gazing quietly out at the lacy twigs and branches and the softly drifting snow flakes and I said, "Wow! It's beautiful!" And it was.

Not predicted, not expected, but a gift of quiet and a much needed small joy nonetheless.

I have been trying to rest yesterday and today. Just hang around the cottage, do some laundry, eat some good food, watch football and comedies, and hang out with my 4 girls.

Jolly back on the farm...

Martha has also been resting and we have talked on the phone every few hours. There is no therapy on the weekend, so she has had a reprieve. Tomorrow at 7am the ball starts rolling again for a full day of PT, OT, ST, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner for her.

I think about spring and I long to walk along the local wooded rail trail pathways that run not far from here. Ohio has some of the most fantastic rail trails running north from the Ohio River area and all throughout the state.

Borrowed image, Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail, WI, courtesy of aboutbikes.com

The Ohio to Erie Trail and the Little Miami Bike Trail are the most notable in my area of southwestern Ohio.

http://www.ohiotoerietrail.org/

http://www.littlemiamibiketrail.com/

Kings Mills, Little Miami Bike Trail last winter...

Before I moved out into the rural area in 2006 I was an avid bicyclist. I had a recumbent bike, a recumbent trike, a road bike, and a mountain bike. I had really gotten involved in cycling as my primary passion starting back in 2001.

I was visiting the bike trails 3-4 times a week in those days and had built my fitness level up to where I was doing 50 mile round trips rides regularly. I loved it and became quite the "bikeaholic" as noted by the number of bikes I owned.

Once we moved out to the farm house in the summer of 2006 I rarely visited my beloved trail system which was 50 miles west. I decided to try to ride out there on rural lanes and in the villages, but it was not the same for me.

Borrowed image courtesy of Wikepedia

I longed for the quiet rides along the river on the bike paths where I did not have to deal with cars and all the tension and fumes and anxiety that comes from riding among them. So I more or less quit riding bikes.

By 2007 I had purchased my first scooter, the Ruckus, and that became my "getaway tool" of choice. Eventually the bikes all got sold during the Great Recession amid lay-offs and sparse income.

Once I got back here in 2012 near the bike paths I had the desire to ride again, but it never took hold. I was still on the scooter but working to obtain at least 2 bikes again, which I eventually did. They got sold this summer due to my inability to get hired in a decent paying job. It broke my heart to let them go, but times were hard.

They still are, but I am once again dreaming of getting back on a bike on my beloved bike paths. I belong to the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy and see the awesome rides that members post on their Facebook page.

http://www.railstotrails.org/

I long to ride on those quiet rural routes away from cars and noise and pollution, to escape into nature as I always did on the scooter out in the country.

But "cars and noise and pollution" are just about all that I experience riding my scooter while living in here and I am ready to give it up until I move back out in the country. That could be next year or the next, I do not know. I am no longer focused on that as I have a job here and Marty's health care providers are here.

Anyway, that's right, I said give up scooter riding in here. It's no longer fun, it never felt safe, and I found myself doing it less and less.

It also felt more and more lonely as I know no one who rides a scooter or motorcycle and I got tired of always being out alone on the back roads.

It actually became boring and a chore that I avoided more and more.

If I can ever get a bigger scooter (150cc+) then I might scoot out from here to the countryside that I love. But for now it is too far and too tedious to try to do that from this location and I am letting go and focusing on getting back on a bike.

So my last scooter is up for sale and I have already picked out the bike I hope to replace it with, another Townie 21D in Matte Black. A stunningly beautiful beast!

Not only all of that, but I have lost SO MUCH fitness by riding the scooter alone. I want to get back on the bike to recover my legs and my lungs and ride like I used to do.

I don't think it's too late because I have a very physical job and my body has been able to adapt to that kind of strenuous activity and I have gotten leaner and stronger just doing that labor.

It has also sunk in my brain that I am THE caregiver for my little family. I know that every time I rode that scooter in this area that I took a risk of being hit by a car and injured to the point that I could have become disabled or worse.

I was never actually afraid, but I always knew it was a risk. I am no longer willing to take that risk. It is just not worth it to me and the impact on my family would be devastating.

Then there's this: the quiet ride of the bike, gears whirring, smells from the wooded trail, the sounds of birds over head, the peacefulness of riding a bike along where other riders pass you from time to time. Just the immersion in the experience and the community of fellow riders is something I long for and miss.

I loved the feeling of working the lungs and muscles and heart, the joy of physicality in the pure simple pleasure of riding a bike. I need the work-out on so many levels.

I miss it, I do. I want it back. I want to eye my bike in the living room over the winter and sneak in a ride on decent sunny days as the spring breaks through.

Bicycle dreams, long dormant, are flowing through my brain like the run off from a long frozen mountain stream. Where or why I do not know, but it is happening.

I am now watching Ebay with the anticipation of a scooter sale and the ride over to the bike shop to pick up my black beauty!

Something new is emerging, joy is stirring around in my heart for the ride, I am having bicycle dreams and it feels really, really good!

My long gone Liquid Silver Townie...

Fuji Saratoga grocery-getter and dog taxi on the farm...

Merry Christmas, Happy Wintertime!

Just posting a bit of an update since my last scooter ride post in October. My how time flies!

I am no longer delivering flowers or looking for a house, at least until spring. We are cozily nested here at the "cottage by the mall" for another winter.

I left the flower gig after Mother's Day and took the summer to find another line of work. It was a slow and frustrating process, but I finally am working full-time at the local grocery across the street. I wanted to do this for the convenience of being able to scoot or walk to work and because the people are just wonderful to work for and with. So I am enjoying it and learning quickly how physically out of shape I had become during the summer.

I am also learning a lot about ham, turkey, cheese, cole slaw, apple salad, and slicing machines because right now I am on the deli team. It is fun, but hard work some days. Mostly fun and my co-workers make it that way. I never have to wonder what I am going to wear to work each day because the company supplies our uniforms, plus we get a discount on our groceries. So it is great for now and time will tell how long I stay there.

Meanwhile, I am content and grateful to have this job so close to home.

We have had unseasonably warm weather here, but Hoot went to the "scooter lair" a few days ago for a well-deserved rest for the winter. No more scooting to work for now. I hope to get a ride in here and there, weather permitting.

So life is pretty mundane here and I am very busy working nights, so probably few blogs through the wintertime.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a happy, peaceful wintertime!

Lost in the Autumn Woods

Yesterday was a gorgeous autumn day with filtered sunshine and the scent of falling leaves on the air.

It was a day that I chose to scoot out and get "lost" in the autumn woods on my little Yamaha C3.

I just wanted to go out into the back roads and ride alongside creeks and ponds and find a few hidden spots away from all the stresses of the past weeks.

So Hoot and I cruised with no particular destination, i.e.,"lost".

About the only thing I had in mind, besides cleaning out my mental cobwebs, was to try to find some beautiful autumn scenes and photograph them.

I got a few, but got hung up on watching the sunlight change over this one particular pond along Olive Branch Road.

I stayed at this spot for awhile and then returned to it later as the light changed and the surface of the pond became as smooth as glass.

Here are my photos captured at this little pond. I think the last one is the best:

There are multiple little streams and creeks that flow down to the East Fork of the Little Miami River. Here is Hoot parked alongside one and a few shots from the bridge.

I love to stop, hit the kill switch, and listen to the water bubble over the rocks. Today the water level was really low, but still offered a peaceful experience:

The lighting is not perfect, but it's just a Canon PowerShot A480 pocket camera.

Rustic wood hangs on old barns alongside the road home:

The scoot alongside an old brick chapel in the Olive Branch cemetery:

There were many instances where I scooted along curves while the sunlight caught cascading yellow, orange, and red leaves drifting down from the canopy.

Such beauty, along with the smell of the deep woods and steams was overwhelming.

Our colors are peak right now, so I am hoping to go again soon.

Autumn Recollections

October is here and the leaves in our area are just beginning to turn. The air is crisp, the sun brilliant, and the scooter rides a bit chilly, but delightful this time of year. I hope to ride through Thanksgiving weekend and then she goes to the scooter lair for a winter nap. *Sigh*

A little update for those who keep in touch...we did not move to the country, YET! We did have a house lined up to rent, but it didn't work out the way we hoped. So we are still in the "cottage by the mall" and I am content for now. Que sera...

I am no longer delivering flowers due to a scant amount of orders and an old car that barely runs. I am hoping for some Thanksgiving and Christmas flower gigging if the business picks up. I really miss it. I've always enjoyed the holiday delivery craze.

In the meantime I have a part-time job literally less than a mile from home, so I am scooting and walking over there. My scooter has become my main form of transportation and the car just sits. Every once in a while I drive it to keep the battery charged up.

I've been taking rides out into the country roads whenever I can. I did one yesterday, but the camera stayed in the pouch.

So here are some of my favorite "autumn recollections", favorite photos of rides past, all in Adams, Brown, and Clermont Counties:

Happy Autumn to you and yours! Ride safely...

Moto Snobs

These dudes are NOT motorcycle snobs. They are the epitomy of "Cool"!:

IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED, DON'T READ THIS BLOG POST! This is meant to be a "tongue-in-cheek" poke at scooter and motorcycle riders, of which I am one myself.

IT IS ALL IN FUN! Repeat: IT IS ALL IN FUN!

Now that we got that part over with...

I have been riding a scooter since 2007 and before that I rode a motorcycle in my youth. I don't know if any of this makes me a "veteran", but it does make me an experienced rider of a 2 wheeled machine. In my case, scooter, though it could be a motorcycle because the same observations apply.

What it is, is this: I am SO OVER "moto snobs".

Tired of seeing them, tired of their ilk, tired of their strutting around in parking lots, tired of reading about them on websites where they act so passionate about riding but really, they'd give it up for the latest smart phone or Caribbean cruise.

I don't know if "scooter snobs" are exactly the same as "motorcycle snobs". I suspect a few subtle differences. The commonality is that they think they are superior or somehow better than those who don't ride a two wheeled machine and they want you to know it!

You know them when you see them out and don't lie, you think the same things I am thinking: these people are snobs!

So let's get to it...who ARE these "moto snobs"?

They wouldn't speak or wave to you while you are out riding on your machine if their lives depended on it. Mostly because they don't have enough road experience to actually lift that left hand off the handlebar and wave, but more than that they just see themselves as superior to you as they glide by on their $10,000+ motorcycles or buzz by on their little color-coordinated scooters.

The motorcycle variety is usually found parked alongside the road in some winery out in the boonies or some motorcycle shop's "open house". You know their bikes-they are the ones decked out in ALL the highest priced gear, sporting the most expensive and gaudy saddlebags, and possessing the cleanest tires.

Cleanest tires? That's right, because they only ride on weekends in fair weather. Yes, of course they bought that expensive rain suit but heaven forbid they should have to pull it out and use it because it might detract from their $400 dollar jacket and their $700 dollar helmet.

Plus they have no clue how to ride in the rain and they are scared to death of a rain drop falling on the pavement ahead of them as it might mess up those clean tires!

You also see this variety sashaying out of the dairy bar, dressed in black logo leather jackets, wife beater tees, skull adorned bandanas, and sporting removable tats up and down their arms.

They have cleaned out the shelves at the local motorcycle boutique of all the logo wear and so they now strut about in the grocery store or ride to the hardware store decked out in $500s worth of tee shirts, vests, ball caps, bracelet, and earrings, looking like a walking billboard for every charity ride in the city or state or every motorcycle company on God's earth.

Their "chicks", aka usually suburban trophy wives, wear their own embroidered, leather-vested regalia while desperately clinging to their partner's backs as they ride with the corporate moto pack from rest stop to rest stop and usually on Sundays.

Everybody thinks they are "lookin' good" while looking at their watches to hurry up and get this parade over with because the sun is too hot or it's clouding up or they are just ready for the hot tub and the crafted beer.


This guy is NOT a scooter snob...he is an artistic legend!

Scooter snobs? Well, it's hard to describe them because they are rarely seen riding their scooters. Certainly not out in the countryside and rarely on weekends unless they need to run up to the latte shop and it's not raining and they are in the mood.

This variety starts out thinking they will commute to work in the burbs or city and once they start up they realize that they might get wet, could get cold, and will definitely mess up their hair if they wear a helmet and so after a few tries the scooter begins to sit in the two car garage while they drive the SUV to work.

Gas prices are down, so why not? Many of them started out on a scooter because of high gas prices and if that is a primary motivation to ride a scooter to work then they were sadly misinformed as to what is involved in riding a scooter safely, much less in riding one to work in rush hour traffic in the burbs or in town.

But they don't consider any of that before they rush out and lay down that $2K+ on a scooter they may ride a handful of times before posting it on Craigslist. So many of these scooters, like treadmills, become dust catchers.

More persistent scooter snobs can readily be found at "scooter rallies". These are rare crowd gatherings where the participants seek out like minds for comradery and scooter "riding adventures".

Not everyone at these rallies is a snob. Some are actually solitary riders who hope that perhaps they might make some connection with kindred souls who ride more than to save gas or look fashionable or run up to the internet cafe for a bagel and coffee.

At the rally a group might go on a ride around the burbs or scoot into the heart of the city, but the feel of the rides are utilitarian. It's a "hurry up and let's get this part over" deal so they can get back to the merchant booths and lawn chairs up in the picnic grove 'cause the barbecue is almost done and the pop is cold!

Many of these moto snobs on scooters hope to epitomize the 1960s "mod" style in clothing and demeanor which more or less is the same as the current "hipster" or "grunge style" of the 1990s.

Others are "rockers", which usually translates to the James Dean style of dress and attitude and most gravitate to motorcycles after a season or two of feeling dorky riding a scooter to the sports bar for football games.

With these two lame choices, it's no wonder many scooter riders who aren't snobs go on to motorcycles or relapse back to the bicycle path because they are tired of being in a perpetual identity crisis.

That is, unless they are "hard core" riders of anything two wheeled and they just like the scooter versus the motorcycle or perhaps they come to own both. Plus many bicycles too numerous to mention.

The preferred rally scooter usually is of the Italian variety, or is a knockoff style thereof. Others scooter brands are tolerated as groveling wannabes.

Many of these rally scooters are slathered with stickers, decals, pinstripes, teddy bears, flags, and anything else that takes time to do to a scooter and which allows the rider to justify why they are not just riding that scooter instead of decorating it constantly.

We won't get into those who are constantly "modding" their scooters for an extra 5 mph or bigger tires or lower seat or wider handlebars. They NEVER ride their scooters because the scooter is always torn apart or up on the workbench!

Narcissists and artsy types gravitate to these types of "lifestyle" displays in scooterdom and convince themselves that they are truly being unique and authentic at the same time.

The scooter becomes a projection of the inner personality of the rider.

Hello Kitty, who knew?

The scooter rider is NOT French, but the scooter looks Parisian with flags and colors and an Eiffel Tower silhouette on the cowl. (look that word up)

The scooter rider is NOT a war veteran, but the scooter is "Army green" with big white star decals or is Air Force blue with little airplane decals all over.

Don't get me started on dog owners and cat owners! Their scooters woof and purr along usually bedecked with puppy paw stickers, cat whisker seat covers, and sometimes even obnoxious "Luv My Fur Child" flags a-flying!

Yes, "moto snobs" are out there everywhere you go, so beware!

Are you one?



Photo Disclaimer: Don't sue me, I did not take these photos. I lovingly borrowed them off the internet. Thank you for your classy contribution, whomever you are!

Saddlemen R1300LXE Delux Roll Bag

If you are tired of the "basket look" and don't want the rattling of a hard shell top case, consider a tail roll bag like the Saddlemen R1300LE Delux Roll Bag for your scooter or motorcycle.

This thing is awesome! It can be left compact width as is, or unzipped on the sides to expand your storage capacity.

The entry flap is on the top and can be locked shut at the zipper with the little included lock that attaches.

The bag is sturdy and does not collapse on itself, yet is flexible enough that you can stuff grocery bags or jackets inside. It might take a helmet-I never tried that because my underseat storage can swallow up 2 helmets, but I think the bag could do it.

The bag attaches by 2 clasp straps which can be expanded and contracted. Right now mine is attached by these straps being run under and through my rear carry rack. It is tight and secure. No worries.

For motorcycles with a sissie bar there is a wide velcro strap on the front of the bag that can be secured tightly.

There are loops and straps on the sides and top of the bag for bungees or other attachments, as you may use them.

I love the rain cover! I keep it on the bag when the scooter is parked outside under it's cover and it is definitely waterproof in torrential rains. I cannot guarantee that on just the cover alone, but it is nice to have when you need it.

Inside the bag there are 2 slot pockets for stuff and a pocket for the rain cover.