Everything with a motor...

I was on my way to pick up Nicole from school the other day. I was walking down the center of the road (there was a bunch of construction materials on the sidewalk) so I was on the lookout for approaching vehicles. I heard what sounded like a motorcycle and looked around to see if it was heading towards me. The only moving thing I could see for quite a ways was a bicycle approaching. I looked behind me and all around again. Nope, the only vehicle was the bike. But, I could still hear the engine. As the biker approached, I realized he wasn't peddling. As he went past me, I saw a tiny motor mounted on the front of the bike. That was the motorcycle sound! The bike! Why would anyone bother putting a motor on a bike?!

Later that day, I told Hugo about my experience. I was only halfway through my story and he could tell where it was going. "Yeah, bikes with motors used to be really popular around here until the poilce found out about them and started ticketing everyone. You see, the driver's manual says anything with a motor requires the owner to have a license."

I sat and thought about this for awhile. First, how does the motor on the bike work? Who would think to put a motor on a bike? How much gas do you need to run a bike? And more importantly...can you imagine how funny it would be if Iowa had a similar law? You would need a license for your lawn mower, weed whacker, snow blower, fish pond fountain, washing machine...

How silly!