My version of GPS is written on a plain index card. The night before I left on a ride last Monday I poured over the Pennsylvania Atlas looking at places I haven’t explored and made cryptic notes on the card so I would have a general idea of where to go. Paul was riding with me on his Kawasaki Concours and the plan was to ride south to Huntington to a diner for breakfast. Unfortunately my index card didn’t inform me it had been bulldozed to make way for a Rite-Aid. But who needs help finding a place to eat breakfast anyway?
The ride to the diner was through familiar territory though we did take a few new roads that weren’t on the route scribbled on my card, one that had a nice view of the Little Juniata River winding through the countryside.
Even when I have no idea where I am I always know that I will emerge onto a road that is. Being lost in the East if more a figment of imagination than anything based in reality. At least in the manner that I describe lost. And there are always new things to see. Stopping for a picture gives Paul a chance to do a bit of back maintenance.
After breakfast we head south to pickup a road that will take us across the Juniata River. As we crossed the railroad tracks the signal begins to flash and I do a quick U-turn with the Vespa to take a picture of the train. I can see at least a half-mile in either direction and no train is in sight. After waiting five minutes the signal stops and the gates go up. So much for the train. As soon as I fire up the scooter the signal goes off again. Same thing, no train.
I forgot to point out that the temperature by 11AM was approaching 70 degrees. This in on January 7th. Winter in Pennsylvania. I felt like a tourist stopping to take pictures at all the scenic overlooks.
A GPS system only works if you pay attention to it. The same applies to the index card. And it doesn’t help much to pull it out of your pocket when you are 25 miles past a turnoff. I had a general idea of the direction we needed to go and with the sky clear and the sun out I knew where the compass points were to we rode on making a larger than planned loop through some of the southern coal regions of Pennsylvania and over more mountains until we got back on course. I was able to ride my scooter right off the road through the grass back to this overlook. The larger and less maneuverable Concours had to wait on the pavement.
At the top of one mountain was a cell tower and our first coverage in quite awhile. I stopped to call home and let Kim know where we were and when to expect us home and Paul paused to do a little ebay business on his iPhone. He is trying to convince me that I could do Scooter in the Sticks with one. I think I might have to wait until Photoshop is available for the iPhone.
I was able to look back across the valley towards the southern end of Raystown Lake, one of the two big federal flood control projects that resulted in major bodies of water. This one has no horsepower limits so in the summer it is a nightmare of noise and speed. A friend and I canoed its length once and trying to cross from one side to the other was frightening. But that’s another story.
We still had another 80 miles to go before we would be home but were in familiar territory again. A stop for lunch, another to examine a Black Locust tree (another story), and a few more side adventures before riding onto a freshly opened segment of Interstate 99. Paul was kind by keeping his speed to 65 MPH so I could keep up as the highway rose and fell along the mountain.
We got home with another 167 miles on the odometer. No map, no GPS, just a partially utilized index card. And we were fortunate to be able to take advantage of unseasonably warm weather. It didn’t last long though. Temperatures are going down again and there is still plenty of time for winter to really visit.
Really enjoyed your write-up today. I spent a summer season in our motorhome parked near Raystown Lake. Worked in Altoona and lived driving in that area. I always visit when in PA.
Wow, I could have sworn that I was reading a post from last Spring.
You inspire me to stretch beyond the boundaries of my general neighborhood to explore areas that I haven’t visited in a long time. Really, the only thing I need right now, is a little of that springlike weather.
Have fun,
Bill
“…examine a Black Locust tree.” mmmmmm….I never heard it referred to that way. I assume you were checking to see if it were properly hydrated.
P’taker
Sounds like a great ride. Let me ask you a question… Do you only ride when food is involved? 🙂
Froggi donna: There is a lot of territory around Raystown to explore. All I need is more time.
Altoona is my wife’s ancestral village and she has introduced me to a wide range of interesting places in that part of Pennsylvania.
bill: It felt like spring. I kept watching the ambient temperature display rise through the day. If it makes you feel any better it is below freezing right now and snowing.
That Big Ruckus certainly can haul you around all day. And there is always the Harley…
pitchertaker: Kim’s parents were having a big tree removed and we have been collecting Black Locust for some garden structures. Locust is excellent rot resistant wood. No hydration connections with that stop.
rick: Food always seems to come up in some shape or farm. A man’s got to eat right? I’m glad I don’t drink anymore…
Next time you get on the east side of the West Branch of the Susquehanna, i suggest Good Wil’s in Montandon for a tasty breakfast. I try to get there with my brother every time i go back home to visit. I grew up in Central PA, but now ride a Vespa (PX150) in the soggy Northwest, so i love visiting your blog for pics of both a lovely scooter and the hills and trees that remind me so much of my own small town in the middle of nowhere.
Oh, i meant to comment on a post back in the summer about the Coney Island Lunch in Shamokin. As far as i can tell (and my dad grew up in Shamokin and inexplicably loves the Coney Island; don’t much care for their burgers myself, but don’t tell him i said so!), that place has always looked like it was about to close, probably since the minute it opened. I’ll be soundly surprised should it ever go out of business.
Pacific Northwest, i meant to say above. I don’t mean Erie. 😉
Steve, I use 3×5 Post-Its® to write pace notes. I stick them to the top of the “tool box,” in portrait orientation, sticking the bottom to the glovebox door. It’s only a problem if I’m not able to stop to peel a page off…
__Orin
Scootin’ Old Skool
p.s.–It was snowing in Seattle a while ago, but the temperature was 40° so it’s already starting to melt.
I had noticed in prior blogs, you are using two forms of photographic gear.
You used a Nikon D200 for most shots
and some form of point and shoot for the others.
So what’s the story with the Leica and what did you mortgage to
purchase same?
Did you notice you always choose a photo of me stretching my back? But sometimes I’m kicking a board or stuffing my pie hole with bacon and eggs. Yes, I’m pretty sure if i had driven into that soggy grass I might still be stuck there today. I can barely push that motorcycle thing backwards on the pavement let alone off road. I’m going to try to get ‘ol Bessy (’64 Vespa) running tomorrow so I can take the rats for a spin. They haven’t been out of the house in months.
My navigation method is much the same as yours, only I write REALLY BIG on a sheet of paper so I can glance down and see my next exit or turn without having to look very hard.
I see you are also partial to a certain brand of notebook. I call mine my “pretentious black book” with the greatest of affection. My last one took all the abuse a semi-literate hooligan can dish out, and only required minor repairs.
Great post!
I find your scootering/motorcycle a great outdoor adventure. Glad to see Paul maintaining his big bike composure…its nice to ride with buddy..I am too a believer in eating where the road takes me. If possible watch Alton Brown’s adventure “Feasting on the Asphalt”. Riding scooters in the open air and eating in diners along the way is as “Thanksgiving and Turkey and Pumpkin Pie (my favorite).
Keep on riding,
Phil
I’ve discovered one really cool thing about the GPS. It’s not so much using it to find things as you ride. You mentioned getting “lost” relatively speaking. With the GPS you can ride wherever without regard to keeping track. When it’s time to go home, fire up the unit and push “Home”. A great backup plan!
Man I love this blog!
Is there anything more fun than being “lost” on your two wheeler, taking roads you’ve never ridden and still having plenty of time to get home?
Steve I find that food and riding seem to be interconnected. Especially if the food is a hot fudge sundae from our local Dairy Queen as we return home from a hot day of riding!
Enjoyed reading about your day of riding and loved the photos. You are really such a good photographer. The Vespa always looks so good in all the pics, like it was made for PA landscape.
chris: Good Wils sounds like a great destination so it will go on my list of rides.
The Coney Island Lunch in Shamokin is a strange place. Lots of personality but the food is, well, not that fantastic. But I keep going back…
Orin: The Post-it notes might be even better than the index cards. I’ll have to consider that option.
Bryce: How I got the Leica is a long story and deserving of a post of it’s own. For now think of it this way—I got it for free.
paul: I choose those stretching pictures because the only other thing you do is jump. And you didn’t jump during that ride so what’s a guy to do?
lucky: My pretentious black book is so beat up and falling apart by the time I fill it up that it’s quite humble. They are nice journals though. Another idea for a post, or part of one….
pvino: I would like to see Alton’s show sometime but since we don’t have cable or TV reception I am limited to what I can get from Netflix or the video store. I miss a lot of popular culture.
irondad: Most of the time I don’t keep track but there are days I want to get somewhere specific so I will take a map or directions.
There is something about GPS that just breaks the mood for me. The last ocean voyage I did in a sailboat we had GPS for the first time. It makes you forget about the stars and you entrust your life a little more to an infernal machine…
I know I am being irrational about this but for now I’ll live with that.
I always know the way home! Kim justs keeps some chocolate on the window sill…
sarch: Glad you like things here.
I agree there is nothing like just riding, getting lost, riding some more and eventually getting home. Every time it is a wonderful adventure!
heinz & frenchie: I think when I make pictures I see what I need to see. Pennsylvania certainly has some beautiful places but it has some less than pleasing landscapes as well. Sometimes I think I should try and make some pictures that makes the ride look awful.
Right now I would love to go to Dairy Queen. Really…