When you ride at -25F you can’t refer to much as insane can you?

I don’t think we can really appreciate the beauty of a simple life until it becomes a struggle to have it. Health challenges of all kinds can really shake things up that way. I hope your partner finds “normal” as often as possible.

I wish I had more time to talk with him. I didn’t want to pry or seem judgmental so I mostly listened. And I wish I had taken a couple pictures. I’ll have to keep my eye out for him.

Scary to think about…

I suppose the “I want to live my life” is what stuck with me after the encounter. Riding in the snow on a scooter might be a novel activity but nothing more. But the thing that drove this person was strong.

Your thoughts that life is neither perfect or tidy is good to remember. Seems a lot of us try to make things perfect and tidy…

I don’t often come across situations like this and thought it was worth sharing. Glad you found value in it.

Well, 62 isn’t too old to start riding a scooter and I can see great advantages to it over using the motorhome to run to the grocery store.

If I were in your shoes I would answer a couple questions before pursuing the scooter as your camp transportation option:

1. Are you willing to enroll in a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (or equivalent) training class? There is no substitute for this in my mind. Builds good habits, teaches you how to exist on the road. Driving a car or having ridden decades earlier doesn’t count for much.

2. Are the locations I plan to ride good for a scooter? Weather, roads, traffic, etc. With over 40K scooter miles under my belt in all kinds of locations and weather this wouldn’t be an issue. But if you are just starting out and plan to park your RV near Washington, DC, NYC, anywhere with heavily traffic roads I would think twice. But if it’s rural backroads, dirt, gravel, then I would not blink at having a scooter.

3. Am I willing to assume risk? This is the one that bothers your kids and fuels your own misgivings. Let’s be honest — you can get hurt on a scooter. Accidents are just worse on two-wheels. That said, I firmly believe that the risk can be managed to a level where I’m comfortable with the trade off from air-bagged car to exposed scooter. You need to think hard about this.

If you answer all the questions affirmatively then I would not hesitate putting a scooter rack on the back of the RV. Not only will it manage your errands and chores but it will be a lot more fun that a car.

Hope this helps.

Courage? Insanity? No… Necessity. But maybe not only economical necessity (or not at all)…

So weighted, so pregnant is “I want to live my life.”

It can be a concession, a cry, a plea… It can be an unconditional demand.

“I just want to live my life.”

“I just want to live, already.”

“Dammit, I just want to LIVE!”

Necessity, as many of us know, is seldom defined solely by physical, mental, or economical limitations. It’s often what one must do to feel alive, or to get as close to that as possible.

Thank you, Steve, for sharing this. It is an incredible story and was an awesome encounter you had. This is life, dammit! This is life. It is not perfect (whatever the hell that is). It rarely is tidy. It is raw and it is messy, and that can be beautiful.