The pink Crocs on the sidewalk next to a BMW motorcycle are a dead giveaway to the presence of bobskoot. Those shoes thread through many pictures on his blog and represent a sort of emblematic representation of him for me.
The three converged on State College, Pennsylvania to meet me and I had hoped to show them some of the more exotic riding routes that a rider wouldn’t find without some assistance. Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances meant I was only able to spend a few hours with them over the two days they were in town.
Breakfast at the Corner Room in State College. Bob, Paul, David and Karen posed for a quick portrait before I had to leave town. Thankfully Paul Ruby was able to serve as host and show them around the area. Bob and David had appointments with Kissell Motorsports to have some things serviced on their machines so the days were full.
But on to the lessons learned from these three riders.
Let’s start with David who is standing here with his Vespa at the KOA Campground in Bellefonte.
He probably doesn’t realize how strongly his attitude towards safety and care of his Vespa affected me. When I rode out to visit with them before they departed for Maine my focus on the mechanical state of the Vespa and personal protection in terms of gear was in a state of flux. Looking at the improvements and upgrades to lighting, horn, and other aspects of the scooter along with his steady commitment to riding with all the protective gear in place (ATGATT) affected me strongly. Since then I have returned to riding with ALL the gear AND I have had all the outstanding service completed on my scooter, actually washed the Vespa, and have been investigating some of the safety upgrades he has implemented.
Thank you David for the example you’ve set.
I didn’t really know Karen but she mirrored David’s commitment to safety and the machine and it was obvious she paid careful attention to detail. Here she is checking tire pressure utilizing a little battery powered air pump that bobskoot developed. I chuckled at the time but his focus on gadgets influenced me to spend some money.
Bob showed me some incredible photographic tools that would make my photographic life on the road simpler — namely a useful, carbon fiber tripod and a wireless shutter release device that will open a new realm of possible photos. I’ll post in the future more specific information about these items but suffice to say that I learned a lot from Bob in the short time we spent together.
All three riders are serious and pile up miles. Bob has just returned home to Vancouver after looping through North America from Pacific to Atlantic and back. You can see his route on SpotWalla to get a better idea of the epic ride he made.
I want to say thank you to Bob, David and Karen for sharing their experience and wish there would have been more time available so we could have taken a ride through some of the beautiful landscape of central Pennsylvania.
ANSWER: I’m wearing armored pants again. Rather than letting the summer heat force my only pair — ones designed for winter riding — off, I purchased a vented pair for summer. And the self portrait was made with the camera on a nifty new carbon fiber portable tripod (no more searching for the perfect tree stump or fence post) and using a great wireless shutter release. Stay tuned for specific details on a future post.
SonjaM says
We have something in common, because I have met some of these wonderful people on occasion. I used to live close to Bob, and he became my riding buddy when I moved to the Wet Coast in 2010.
I met David in May 2012 when he was visiting and scootering around Vancouver, and Dom stayed with us in April while on his trip of a lifetime to Alaska and gave me a ride in his hack .
Also, I had the pleasure to meet Karen on our Oregon trip last summer, where we met a lot more moto bloggers on the event we dubbed the IMBC (International Moto Blogger Convention).
All are amazing people and I can wholeheartedly second what you’ve just written up. You learn a lot be it about riding, safety or just the share of life experience.
Tom Hill says
I’v always found your writing and imagery inspiring in an unstated way. Perhaps you understand the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi. For me, your work reflects that to a great degree. I mention this because unless you purposefully worked to achieve this aesthetic, you might’ve missed the satisfaction of having gotten there.
Congratulations on finding inspiration. We all need those sources of energy because none of us live in a vacuum.
Cheers
Tom Hill
http://www.tom-hill.biz
Coop a.k.a. Coopdway says
Great post Steve…all the way around.
Charlie6 says
There you go again Steve, using verbiage which makes me look good though reality these days would belie that verbiage to some extent….
Lots of changes yet not changes in one’s life here in Colorado….I hope I can live up to what you wrote of me as the cooler weather arrives … I sure am sick of the heat.
Good to see you’ve gotten some vented riding pants….
David Masse says
Steve, by sharing our experiences we learn from each other. The approach each of us takes to riding is intimately related to the risks we face daily. The changes I made to my bikes make me feel safer while I commute in very heavy urban traffic.
As Sonja says, there is a particular pleasure in meeting other bloggers, and meeting you and Paul was a real delight.
scooter dealer says
I really enjoyed exploring this site!
Steve Williams says
Glad you find it worth exploring. Hope you find something useful to you.