My rides are ordinary and often uneventful. If I don’t pay attention they can be boring.
Reading through a variety of motorcycle and scooter blogs the other day I realized that my rides are pretty plain. Nothing I do as a rider is beyond the reach of an enthusiastic beginner. I don’t push the performance envelope and I don’t ride long distances. My rather conventional use of the scooter for transportation and Sunday rides in the country have more in common with an Amish Buggy than the motorcycles and scooters I often read about. I’ve recently read about Matua’s plans for a 30 thousand mile ride crisscrossing North America as part of his Vespadition project to promote kindness, compassion and volunteerism. Or Sojourner’s plans to ride in the South and address some fears and cognitive dissonance. I don’t undertake adventures like that. Perhaps someday but for now my riding is confined to commuting to work and the longer exploration as time permits. My riding world is closer to home and I have found that if I pay close attention, really look at what is around me, that those plain rides are new almost every time.
I realize that your blog and images displayed there are what you’re all about, however, I certainly hope you are shooting these same scenes sans Vespa. The first one in this entry as well as the third are so well seen….
P’taker
Your rides, plain though they may seem, show us the beauty that surrounds us every day. Thank you for opening our eyes…
I would trade you your gloomy, misty, forested scenery with long winding roads anytime for my midtown Atlanta views, stoplights, stoplights, and traffic-battling any day!
I would give alot to be able to travel to work the way you do. In the greater Seattle area you have to be watching out for the other guy all the time.
You blog offers a fresh perspective. I read it, I enjoy it. Don’t know if you heard, but I am completing the Peace sign this summer and raising money for nonprofits. The remaining distance is 9,000 miles-for a total of 20,000 when I am done. Matua and I will likely meet up and ride together.
I went to Sojourners page and something really hit me-especially as a female traveling alone.
She says
:I suffer from wanderlust via two-wheels. I can stay close to home but I read the papers. A stray bullet can shatter a window and a family’s life as a child is killed while watching television in the safety of his own home. I ride because it’s fun–it brings me peace and a joy that restores my warm-fuzzies about humans and nature in a way that nothing else does.”
Great photos as usual, Thanks!
pitchertaker: I’m bad. No sans Vespa images of the ones posted. I did make others but now that I look at them I should have spent a bit more time as a photographer rather than a rider.
froggi donna: Thank you for your kind words. More and more I see beautiful things right in front of me.
duncan: City traffic is something I don’t relish–on two wheels or four. I consider myself fortunate to live where I do though I think many would find this too slow and lacking in a range of cultural and commercial opportunities.
anonymous: I have an easy commute. And a lot of pretty options in terms of route. Nothing like a city.
speak your peace: I think I have followed your journey if you are who I think you are. That is quite an accomplishment. Sojourner does have some insightful and compelling words about riding. I don’t visit that site often enough…
countersteer: Thanks!
There is so much beauty in the simplicity of your writing and your photos are pure & honest. What more could we possibly want of you.
One of these days you need to come to the Keys and try riding ONE road only! That’ll tax your powers of observation! Oh and no dripping fog either, hardly ever, thank god.
I believe you have one of the most delightful environment to ride a scooter. The roads are calm and tranquil…very hynoptic in my mind.
Pictures speaks for themselves.
heinz & frenchie: Thanks!
conchscooter: One road certainly would pressure the eye to find variety. But I bet it’s there. I am always amazed when I look at a photographer working in an area that I find without merit and then see an amazing picture. Patience and persistence is the approach.
But that gets in the way of sailing along on a Triumph! Or a Vespa. I don’t always have patience or persistence.
pvino: I am fortunate to have a lot of great riding roads. I can easily avoid the heavy traffic and congested areas if I desire.
I like to ride alone as well. I will be riding with a group to Myrtle Beach in a few weeks and I am not really looking forward to it. But who knows, I may end up liking it.
Hi, Steve,
I’ve been reading your posts for several months now and I am most touched by your ability to find the wonder in the simple beauty of your rural area.
I too ride the rural roads, in my case it’s Niagara County in Western NY, and I find the slower pace of a scooter makes the journey a much more sensory experience.
You have a gift for sharing your experiences and thoughts with both words and camera. Thanks for helping to open my eyes to the beauty all around me.
Best, JIm
Part of the message I’m trying to get across is that motorcycles are a viable means of everyday transportation. Errands and commuting on a bike are daily routine happenings.
Not every ride is going to be the type of adventure you’d be inspired to write about. The fact that some rides aren’t “exciting” means that one has successfully accomplished integrating motorcycle transportation into one’s life.
Being on a bike gives us a unique perspective we can’t get in a car. I don’t need to expound on that. We all know. Better than being in a cage but not always “magical”.
Besides, magical is more special when it’s not an everyday thing, don’t you think?
Love the scale in this photo. As you allude in your post, the insignificance of the scoot in the landscape mightily equates to other driver’s perception of us 2-wheelers on the road.
Thanks for visiting my blog today, and your comment. I miss my Leicas, but I do not miss scanning film from same. Of course “now” I could have an M8, but having bought a Leica system, sold it, and bought it again and sold it again, I’m not going there a 3rd time. Haven’t shot film in better part of 5 + years.
Jim: Since I was a kid going on weekend rides and walks with my parents I have loved rural areas. It’s no accident I guess that I live where I do. I hope to someday ride my scooter up through your part of the world. Lovely area.
irondad: Two-wheeled vehicles are definitely viable forms of transportation with the right training, gear, and state of mind. Too often I think people see them only as recreational vehicles.
I agree that not every ride will be magical but I suppose what I was hoping to communicate was that they don’t have to be magical to be meaningful or engaging. That ordinary riding that occurs on routine commutes are a chance to smell the roses so to speak. When I find a ride boring it is because I allow my head to fill with things like taxes, errands, bills, appointments, and such instead of paying attention to what is right in front of me.
I think we are probably talking about the same thing.
Chuck: Just as I am drawn to the open space of the ocean I find similar reactions in open landscapes. Reminders of how small I am in the world I guess. And like you say how small a scooter is on the road.
I’ve not felt like scanning film but occasionally scan a print to put on the Web. I’m not sure what direction I am heading but I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up in the digital world full time…