Dreams of Vespa Scooter Rides
There are a lot of rides I want to make.
Less than 200 miles from my driveway and the Vespa will be winding along the Blue Ridge Parkway. And the Adirondacks are a mere 300 miles away. Celebrating the birth of a new year fuels speculation of things that may become real. Dreams and plans for tomorrow and beyond. But perhaps the new year is closer. Right in front of me.
Now.
Earlier I took a ride on New Year’s eve — late afternoon in the frigid air under a sunny sky — to see the ice sculptures in town that will be part of the First Night celebrations in State College, Pennsylvania.
The wandering ride into town required special attention because in places the snow was blowing making two-wheeled travel challenging.
Right Here, Right Now
Life unfolds right here, right now. Thoughts of long rides to new places are nice, but they do shift attention away from the ride I’m on right now. Either with the Vespa, or in my reclining chair with the dogs at my feet as the clock nears midnight on New Year’s Eve.
It was cold this afternoon. Just 11F, cold and at the limit of what my hands can deal with using only light gloves and heated grips. The sunshine helps, but if I were going to ride more than 30 minutes I would need to shift to the electric gloves.
First Night
Lots of people turned out to watch the ice sculptors at work. When there are so many people on the street all the rules of parking evaporate. I probably could have left the scooter parked in the middle of things.
Posing for Pictures
Many of the sculptures were designed specifically with photography in mind — backdrops for people to stand or sit while documenting their engagement with the celebration.
The Work of the New Year
Lots of energy goes into these celebrations. From the men and women carving ice to the people who build the schedules of performers entertaining through the day and on into the wee hours of the new year.
On a personal level, the new year provides me an opportunity to reflect on the life unfolding before me. While dreams of riding to new places is fun, circumstance brings my travels closer to home. I want to see the sunrise on the road. Sleep on the ground one more time. Sit with back against a rock while looking out across a fine vista with a cup of tea in my hand courtesy of my battered little Thermos bottle.
The New Year is a state of mind. Reflective. Meditative. Contemplative. For me at least. And some of the time I’ll be having dreams of Vespa scooter rides.
As the year launches I wish each of you reading the time and space to find your own meaning and action.
Have fun on the road. Be good to yourselves. Give others a break.
Happy New Year, Steve! You list some nice riding destinations and almost in your backyard. I’m looking forward to what this year brings in your direction.
Each day is a revelation. Not sure what to expect. Some longer rides will be dependent on Kim’s progress through surgery and beyond. But there’s great riding even closer than the two I highlighted.
Best wishes for the new year.
happy new year 2018 for you and Kim.
Les Blue ridge pakway et les Adirondacks sont de beaux endroits. J’ai trouvé une belle route pour toi et ta vespa, la route des Grandes Alpes: http://www.moveyouralps.com/en/route-des-grandes-alpes.
The Blue Ridge pakway and the Adirondacks are beautiful places. I found a beautiful route for you and your vespa, the route of the Grandes Alpes: http://www.moveyouralps.com/en/route-des-grandes-alpes.
THAT would be a fantastic ride. The world will have to turn upside down for me to imagine a possibility of getting back to Europe. But you never know what a new day will bring.
Thanks for sharing it. I’m sure I’ll revisit from time to time to stoke the imagination…
Best wishes for a new year.
In this materialistic age it’s refreshing to read of your simpler dreams, Steve. I think that you value the more important things in life and I wish you every success in achieving these goals. Thank you for continuing to share your thoughts with us and for adding quality to our lives too.
May you and Kim have a happy and healthier 2018.
Keith
Thanks for the kind words Keith. Since I retired last June I’ve had space to think about what I’ve been doing for the past 40 years or so. And again and again I find myself craving a simple existence rather than more complicated. How I get there is the challenge. And more and more that investigation appears in my writing. Little by little I’m dismissing things that I thought I needed or wanted as they’re revealed as something else.
Anyways, hope you and your family have a great new year.
Your New Year message has inspired me to cramk up the Vespa, put on the Turcano gear and go for a ride. Unfortunately the ice and snow here in Windsor puts a limit on my enthusiasm. Your posts are inspiring.
Thanks
Gord Taylor
Windsor Ontario
Winter is always in the way of riding. Even in the best winter conditions it’s a challenge. Congratulations or braving the cold for a bit. Stay safe and warm. Spring is coming!
Thinking of heading out on the ’09 Stella/sidecar here in Tennessee. 13 degrees…six mile trip to the grocery. Have a great high mileage New Year one and all!
13 degrees is a cold ride. Hope things went well.
Best wishes to you and your family for the new year. Stay safe and warm!
Happy New Year, Steve. Your reflection on life, living and Vespa riding is my almost daily soul food. I might not always leave a comment, but I have been reading each of your posts. Thank you for another poetic year, I am looking forward to following your musings and meanderings as long as you are up for it.
Thanks for your comments Sonja. I find myself questioning the things I write about sometimes thinking it’s meaningless or too self reflective of the dialogue in my head. One thing I’ve learned through blogging is that there are a lot of similarities between all of us.
I’ll keep writing until I’m all fixed, better, clear and understanding of life and living. Should be long now!
A Happy and Productive New Year Steve, You should drive to Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks this winter to see the ice castle at the Winter Celebration. It is a wothwhile endeavor.
I’ve been to Saranac Lake 20 years ago. Last trip to the Adirondacks actually. Would be nice to return. An ice castle — that’s something I would like to see.
Thanks to you, and hopes for the very best for you and your wife in 2018.
It has been my very good luck to have stumbled across your site, and I really can’t convey the value it has transferred to me.
Wishing you well from the frozen tundra of Nebraska,
FredG.
Glad you find some use in the things I post here Fred.
Thank you for your well wishes from the frozen tundra of Nebraska. Hope you and your family are well and warm. Best wishes for the new year.
Happy New Year Steve, to you and yours….I hope things work out medically for Kim, mentally for you in terms of riding, and no issues with sub-optimal weather than you can’t overcome.
It was 1F here this morning. I was going to ride the scooter to a doctor’s appointment but just couldn’t bring myself to gear up knowing I would have to take it all off at the doctor’s office. I must be getting lazy.
This afternoon I may ride though. May warm up to 20F by then!
All the best for 2018 and a year of ‘now’ and ‘then’ riding.
Ken
Thanks Ken! Best wishes to you and yours for the new year!
HAPPY NEW YEAR Even Steven, Peace be with You.
And peace be with you too Mike!
“On a personal level, the new year provides me an opportunity to reflect on the life unfolding before me. While dreams of riding to new places is fun, circumstance brings my travels closer to home. I want to see the sunrise on the road. Sleep on the ground one more time. Sit with back against a rock while looking out across a fine vista with a cup of tea in my hand courtesy of my battered little Thermos bottle.”
So nicely put Steve. Lots to savour in that paragraph and the sleeping on the ground bit, we still like to do that when meandering about on the bikes. It is even nice in the rain so long as it has stopped when it comes time to wrap things up..
Looking forward to all the wondrous 2018 possibilities.
Happy Happy New Year
There’s much to be grateful for when I stop to think about it. And the things that make me smile or provide satisfaction are quite simple. I’ve been working on a post about this stuff and I’m surprised how rich life is without even realizing. Ah, the things you discover when you sit for a few minutes with your thoughts.
Best wishes to you and yours for the new year.
A slightly belated Happy New Year from one state to the right of you. 🙂
I too think and daydream of rides around ye olde tri-state area, and perhaps a bit beyond. I know of roads in upstate New York which are two-wheel Nirvana, roads here in New Jersey I’m craving further exploration of, and, of course, PA. This is the year I get out to at least a few of these places, hopefully including your neck of the woods. (Congrats on your 11° F ride…somehow, I knew you had it in you, at least for a short hop.)
Best to you, Kim, and both furry compatriots!
The new year holds rich possibilities. And I know for me that many limitations I encounter aren’t quite real. So there’s work to do and life to live.
Happy New Year!
Steve,
Here in Maine it is a little too cold and snowy for me to be riding. I do however look forward to your riding adventures and inspirational blogs in 2018. Now well into my seventies you continue to inspire me to get out and enjoy what mother nature has created and for that I am truly grateful. Happy and healthy New Year to you, Kim and of course, the pups!
Bill Goddard
Hello Bill,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate the kind words and your reflections on where your life is going.
Maine is such a wonderful place. Kim and I used to visit twice a year to escape and unwind along the southern coast. We never really took the opportunity to explore the inland wilderness areas but I can imagine how powerful mother nature presents herself there.
My difficulty riding in the cold seems to correlate directly with my increase in age. Have to push hard some days to go out with the dogs let alone get on the scooter. But I’m still fighting.
Best wishes to you and your family for the new year. Stay warm and enjoy what nature has to offer.
steve
As a South African, reflection o f the past year has been entertaining, to say the least. I see the the new year as a clean page – waiting for ME to create the words. Hard work, giving love to my family, and of course, spending some time on my scooter to clear my head occasionally. Blessings to you Steve for a prosperous new year, and I look forward to your posts.
The things you outline for your clean page seem a foundation for a fine life. A clean page is a great metaphor for what the new year means for me as well. Never looked at it that way. Thanks for sharing the thought.
Best wishes to you and your family for the new year.
A very belated Happy New Year, Steve.
Like another commenter above, I don’t always leave a comment, but always read and enjoy your thoughtful and insightful posts. I honestly haven’t known what to say recently, knowing your wife is facing health issues and also knowing the mental anguish that comes from a loved one being unwell. Suffice it to say that I so appreciate your musings, and wish you both all the best in 2018.
“Life unfolds right here, right now.” Truer words were never written. 🙂
Thanks for your comments. They have been an unexpected gift of blogging for me. Knowing what others think, feel and experience provides more support and energy than I would have imagined. And I second the notion of true words. Life does unfold right in front of me. Right now.