This scooter video reflects how a quick ride may be all that’s needed to clear a noisy mind.
Meditation, exercise, journaling or walking just won’t do the trick but a flight around the block just might. Reduced a recent short ride to a minute of video. See if you notice the passing Vespa scooter or think I ride too fast into the garage.
This ride lasted about thirty minutes from the time I left the driveway until riding into the garage. During that time I experienced a transformation from nervous agitation resulting from a hectic day to relaxed rider happy to accept whatever came my way. Lot’s of riders I know consider rides as events — something to be planned for, managed, and lasting hours or days. Those rides are great but circumstance doesn’t always allow those to occur with the kind of frequency one might like. So a little ride might be in order.
As the kid on the Life cereal commercial says, “Try it, you’ll like it!”.
There are many reasons to ride and clearing out the noise and chaos of the day is just one of them. Speaking with riders I’ve found so many descriptions of the benefits derived from being on the road that it would be impossible to list them. I suppose, at the end of the day, the only important thing is to understand why we (I) ride.
Why do you ride?
The new WP site looks pretty nice. No clutter, no ads, no Google!
RichardM: Definitely looks different than the Blogger site — appeals to my aesthetic side. The plan is to keep it uncluttered but if my life is any indication things tend to pile up!
Nice post. I often find myself inventing reasons to go to the store at lunch or after the workday just to get a run down the backroads roads to relieve stress and focus.
Sounds as if you’re already plugged into the rewards possible from little rides.Thanks for commenting.
Loved your post and love your blog. I don’t ride, yet your thoughts alwats resonate with me.
I particularly liked the video on this one, for a minute I was riding!
Glad the little video could help you fly along for a bit!
The video camera adds perceived speed I’ve found….you didn’t go in too fast , you went in with “élan”!
The camera does indeed add a lot of speed. When I looked at the footage I was shocked. I never exceeded 40mph and more often was in the 25 to 35mph range. Even slower on the gravel roads. That wide view exaggerates things. Makes me seem almost mythic!
I like your new site. Do you like the Word Press Features?
I see you made a video. That is also new, right? You normally take the most amazing pictures.
I’m using a self-hosted WordPress theme. It’s all new to me and I’m just learning. Since everything is in my hands now it’s entirely possible I could blow it all up.
I don’t often shoot or post videos but have thought I should. They just take more work to make. My plan is to make some more often now.
I’ve been following your blogger site for some time and I really like the new venue! I have a 2004 Granturismo and your blog is a continuing inspiration.
I hope I can continue to post content that you’ll find interesting. The new site is, in part, a prod for me to do more, push the envelop. Not sure how well I’ll respond but I’ll give it a go.
Thanks for commenting and reading!
I enjoyed the ride, it was like I was on the scooter myself, even though I am probably 500 or so miles away. You reside in such a pastoral and picturesque part of the country, that even just a walk or a bicycle ride (or maybe even a car ride with the windows down) would be calming and relaxing.
At the risk of sounding negative, a ride like yours is out of the question for me where I reside, unless I first ride for about an hour just to “get out of town”. I live in a large congested urban area…and driving on the streets here is enough to frazzle anyone’s nerves (especially on two wheels), even if one were relaxed when the ride started.
You raise a great question — how does one find solitude and relaxation on two-wheels amidst the frenetic energy in an urban area? My urban riding is somewhat limited but I certainly can relate to your challenge. A ride in Baltimore last summer in mid-90s heat was just miserable. Riding in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg was a bit different and I can imagine some possible solutions. With your inspiration I may post something about this question and see what people come up with.
Beautiful post, video and web site…thanks Steve.
Thanks Brent. Stay tuned for more!
Steve, love this new format using WordPress! Great little video…did you have a GoPro mounted or if not, what?
Frank
WordPress is a bit of a challenge — finding out new things everyday.
The video was done with a GoPro camera mounted to the front rack on the Vespa. The first video I made. Now that I see the kind of images it produces I can think about how I might utilize GoPro footage with other footage. to make something.
That’s what I’m considering, to have the extra camera to augment the videos I’m doing with my DSLR so that the presentation isn’t static. I’m shooting live music and was a little concerned about the very wide angle of the GoPro. Please let me know if you ever shoot any music..
Must be me! Did not even tweak to a change of blog provider. The ride was enjoyable, not long enough, audio was confused, What device was used to record the video?
As to why I rode,;like you, to clear my mind. It was my psychiatrist on two wheels and somethings three. Sadly my psychiatrist became too old to be maintained properly as did the patient. Both are now retired from a very enjoyable period of life.
Maybe given time construct something to return me to those halycon days
Bryce: Hopefully everything just works for everyone. Even if you use the old blogspot URL it should always redirect to the new site. Kind of sad to see the old place go away.
I love your phrase “my psychiatrist on two wheels”. Hope you don’t mind if I use that sometime. Maybe you will construct something to return to the halcyon days..
Sometimes I go out for a ride just to go. Somebody once asked me at a stop where I was headed. I replied that I was just chasing my front wheel down the road.
eddi,
“Chasing my front wheel down the road” I love that. Like you I often ride just to go. I say I’m going for a ride like other say they’re going for a walk.
Oops… redo… forgot to close the link tag. Please delete the earlier comment.
Hi Steve,
You are basically responsible for my blog. You are also basically responsible for my Vespa addiction.
Thank you.
Now I see your move to WordPress, and I wonder if I should follow.
I Googled a little and came up with this: A fairly good comparison of Blogger vs WordPress.
Based on that, I think that Blogger serves my purposes better than WordPress would.
One feature that Blogger provides that I don’t see on your new WordPress blog is the list of other blogs in the sidebar. That may be a choice on your part to unburden the page, which is fine.
I find that the “blogs I follow” feature, more than any other feature, is the one that builds a blogger community. It’s a way for readers to explore interlinked blogs, it’s a way for me to keeps tabs on what other bloggers are up to, and gives me an easy way to reach out and comment on others’ blogs because a) the link is right there, and b) it serves as a reminder to me. In that way my blog is like a social media dashboard, even if I don’t happen to be logged into Blogger.
I find convenient that when I am logged into Blogger, I can more easily access my personal e-mail in GMail.
All other things being equal, it seems like WordPress would eventually cost me money. Something that Blogger and Google never have done, so far, and don’t seem poised to do, at least the near future.
Finally, there is that dumb-stupid-simple possibility of monetizing the blog. That’s a few clicks away in Blogger, but it seems that with WordPress you have to pay not to advertise, and there is no easy way to monetize either. So with WordPress you end up on the hook to pay WordPress and they will never pay you. Unless, that is, you have other means of monetizing, which will be the case if you’re running a blog as a business.
If the blog is a business, I can easily see the advantages of WordPress. Much greater customizing options, interactivity with third party search engine optimization tools, widgets, etc. The cost of all those features will quickly become a nut to crack, but in the context of a business, the cost-benefit ratio will likely be compelling.
A last thing I note is that eventually a prolific blogger posting photos and videos will exhaust the free storage limit on WordPress and begin paying for hosting charges. Again, that’s trivial if the blog is a business, but if it’s just a hobby, I feel that the costs would add up and become burdensome. It might be like having another mouth to feed. And just as our three mouths that we dutifully fed for twenty-odd years are finally feeding themselves.
Those are my thoughts, for what they’re worth.
One way or the other, I remain a loyal reader, sometime commenter, borderline disciple, and longtime admirer, of yours.
Warm regards,
d.
David,
I wouldn’t follow me into the WordPress world unless you have a compelling reason to do so. As you pointed out, a self-hosted solution will cost money, and you are on the hook yourself to keep everything updated and running. I’m am more than a bit intimidated about that part of things.
My own decision was driven by a number of things including growing a bit bored with the aesthetics of Blogger. Another concern was the fact that Blogger owns my site and content. They can turn it on and off at will. Google has shutdown other services that was once unthinkable.
Anyways, I’ll be using more and more features as time goes on and we’ll see if the investment in WordPress has been worth the time and expense.
As far as a blogroll goes I agree with your assessment. I just haven’t figured out how to make that go!
Thanks for your comments and support David. I really appreciate it.
Hi Steve ,
Liked the video you posted!
Riding frees up the heart and soul …..done properly it can take you on a journey far far different to the actual journey at hand ….almost in a meditative way.
As usual always great to stop by here .
Regards
Len
Len,
I would like to make more videos. I have an epic video idea in mind but I’ll have to wait until winter to execute. And I’ll probably never do it. But there will be more small videos….
Hi Steve,
nice video. You are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful area. As Steel mentioned, I also live in a huge urban area and it takes me at least one hour to get out, unless i hop on the highway. I do that sometimes, when the traffic is light. BTW, recently I bought a GTS 300. Your blog has been very helpful in that decision (as well as Modern Vespa). Once I get out of the city there are some nice country roads, though not very many through the woods. Toronto is surrounded by farms mostly and only the Niagara Escarpment offers forests and hills. Cheers, M