Yesterday I sat in the Terminal Cafe after a morning of riding and searching for the right Valentine’s Day gift for Kim. In my head I was writing a message for a card I picked out, how I would reveal the gift, and imagining the day. Looking at the couple across the street I imagined the two of us. Romantic.
The dictionary lists several definitions for romantic. There’s the obvious we associate with Valentine’s Day. But another describes, in part, the draw I find in riding.
ROMANTIC: Marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of the heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized.
That’s riding for me and many others. Yesterday morning the romantic was at work as I rode off to search for a rock to give to Kim. What I was after would not be in a store.
By the time I got to the cafe a coating of new snow covered the ground. Secondary roads, streets, and alleys in town were snow covered. The main roadways were mostly wet but a thin film of slush was building up in places. Had I started any later I probably wouldn’t have been able to find what I was looking for.
I should probably explain the rock. I’ve been looking for several weeks for the right one. I’m not sure how many other men and women would be content giving or receiving a rock. It won’t make many retailers smile or assist in an economic recovery. But Kim and I find satisfaction in the graceful elegance and beauty in rocks and stones. I’ve brought home 800 pound ones to ones the size of something that will fit under the seat of the Vespa.
Kim has designed a transformation of our property from perfect turf to woodland garden and rocks are an integral part of the landscape. I made this photograph of Kim during a walk last weekend. Exploring fields and forests fuels ideas that she introduces into our woodland garden.
Riding can reflect the same grace and elegance found in a stone. And it can trigger thoughts and feelings consistent with the second definition of romantic. This morning was an adventure. Gray skies and the thermometer hovered near the freezing mark when I left in the house and rode into the mountains.
I knew what I was looking for but uncertain where to find it. A small rock or stone transportable on the scooter with the right character and personality. Perhaps something with moss growing on it, a small fern, or a lichen. Sometimes you can find them along a creek.
Snow began to fall as I rode off onto an old fire road. My concentration in finding a stone was broken by concerns that the roads might become more hazardous if I remained too long. Part of my attention focused on rocks and part on the weather. Ten minutes of examining the floor of the woods and still nothing. Snow started to build up and it was apparent that I needed to go.
Snow is an indicator of risk and when it falls I monitor things constantly. My Motofizz bag was accumulating snow. The temperature indicator on the Vespa read 30 degrees. It was only a matter of time before the roads would be covered.
I planned to head straight home but could not pass a large rockfield for one last look. Climbing up the steep hill with patches of ice hidden under leaves and in crevasses I wondered what would happen if I took a bad fall with no one around. It was a few miles from here, up higher on the mountain that Kim fell and broke her leg and I had to carry her down to the car. A touch of the front pocket of my riding pants confirmed I had the cellphone. My emergency backup plan.
I found a rock.
Back at the scooter I knew two things. I had the rock I was searching for, and the road was completely snow covered will more falling faster now. It definitely was time to ride. Out of the mountains and into the valley the snow continued to fall but wasn’t accumulating much on the main road so I decided to ride into town for breakfast at the Terminal Cafe.
The road home was quiet, comfortable, and open for thought. The temperature was above freezing now and the snow was fading. All that was left was to write in a card what I had developed in my head during the morning. Red sealing wax on the envelop and an impression from a special, romantic wax seal would complete my ideas for the card. I had to stop for one last picture, to stand and look out over the landscape and let the morning replay in my head. The riding, the romantic.
I hope you find the romantic in life, in your relationships, and in riding.
Hi Steve – over here in the Netherlands, we are somewhat familiar with the concept of Valentine’s day, but here it is more or less felt like a big and superficial marketing and advertising stunt. Only after reading your blog, I start to understand what Valentine’s Day really stands for. Thank you very much for enlightening me. I also consider this as a gentle reminder to allow myself to be more romantic towards my wife.
The beautiful element in your blog is that your photographs pass along the same feeling as the words that go with it. As far as the rock is concerned, you really got me: bearing in mind my initial view on Valentine’s Day, I thought you were on your way to buying Kim a ring! I then learned that you were actually driving under freezing conditions, although there is a lot of freedom for interpretation on this on my side because of my unfamiliarity with the Fahrenheit scale, through the woods to find a real rock. It is probably due to the overwhelming presence of the rough elements of nature in your story and photographs that your quest for the perfect rock for your wife displays so much tenderness. This post also reminds me of the antiqueness of my desktop computer; it does not know the word blog and suggests to replace it with blob or blow. I will settle for blow.
Ride well.
Ike
I perfectly understand the rock thing. The first definition of romance, and thus love, means caring enough to tune into someone’s life. Then your gifts can be selected on the other’s needs, thereby adding actual value to their life.
As to the second definition, I totally identify. In fact, I don’t know that I would ride if I did not find romance in it. As to whether anyone else finds me a romantic figure, that’s another thing altogether.
I’m afraid I would be reluctant to eat at a place called the Terminal Cafe. Sounds dangerous. So is riding but it’s romantic, remember?
Ike: Thank you for your comments and insights. You raised some things I had not considered.
Valentine’s Day certainly is a marketing creation and event in the United States. The sentiment is their but the expectations get in the way I think. Maybe it makes it more difficult to really see those we care about.
irondad: When I think of the things I do to get ready to ride every morning, especially in the winter, it has to be romantic. It would be far too easy to climb into the warm truck, turn on the stereo, and drive to work.
I had not thought about the Terminal Cafe in the manner you did. It’s next to the bus terminal so I just pictured it that way. Now I am thinking that it may be better suited for a Stephen King novel…
Dear Steve:
I came across yoir blog about a year ago. It was the inspiration to begin writing mine. If a lot of people knew that, you’d probably have to go into the witness protection program.
I spent a long time tonight looking at the picture of your scooter alongside the stream. It reminded me of the kind of terrain that I miss most around here (Chester county).
I found the details of your Valentine’s Day gift to be genuinely touching… Almost Japanese in concept. What’s it lke riding a scooter in light snow? Do you get a lot of sliding with the front wheel?
Fondest regards,
Jack
Twisted Roads
Hello Jack: I feel blessed to be living in the central Pennsylvania landscape generally and as a rider it is sublime. I’ve not tired of it yet and there always seems to be a new road ahead. And as a provider of content for Scooter in the Sticks, well, it just keeps on giving.
I stop by Twisted Roads from time to time to see what’s new in your world. And I always enjoy reading your thoughtful comments on other blogs, most recently during the ongoing discussions of riding safety and scooters on irondad’s “Musings of an Intrepid Commuter” blog.
As far as riding in the snow goes I guess I would say there is two kinds of snow. The light, dry fresh stuff that the tire pushes through to the pavement. There is some traction (some, as in not much) so you can move forward without sliding. Braking is done gently and with planning. Same with turns.
The other kind of snow is the wet greasy stuff. That’s just slippery as heck and is negotiated very slowly. I’m fortunate that the roads around here are generally not trafficked heavily. Chester County would be another story.
I’ve only every slid out on snow once. That was when I first tried riding in it and did not properly process the road ahead and what I needed to do. That’s the key I think—Imagine the road ahead, predict what you need to do, and start doing it yesterday.
I don’t go out to ride in the snow. I just get caught in the occasional snowfall either unpredicted or bad planning on my part.
Anyways, thanks again for your kind words.
Terminal Cafe. I too thought something different.
Mindset was for coaches and tour buses.
Real mindset was the following:
From the 1890’s into the early years of this century, Penn State’s Electrical Engineering Department operated an experimental electric railway along a one-mile stretch of track from the court yard behind the old Main Engineering Building westward to the “Y” near the former Struble station. Not in commercial use, the trolley system helped electrical engineering students get hands-on experience with the technology of a then-widely used form of public transportation.
Looking at the pix of your scooter, I realize you’re missing one thing.
A Givi topcase. It seems like you have a soft tailbag attached most of the time. From someone who started out there, I can tell you that upgrading to a removable hard case is the best of both worlds. It locks, it is waterproof, is removable. It cost nearly $500 new, but I do not regret it. On my smaller scooters, I had wire baskets wire-tied to the luggage rack. That was nice, because I could overfill it and hold the contents in with a bungee net. But other than the overfilling situation, the topcase is better in every other respect.
Here’s a good scooter shop that carries Givi merchandise. Here’s one page of particular interest: http://www.scooterwest.com/item_detail/Givi-E30-Top-Case-Matte-Black/2554/
Jeremy: I’ve looked at Givi cases many times but have never pulled the purchasing trigger yet. One of these days I might but for now the Motofizz bag I got from Aerostich meets my needs.