Social Distancing with Motorcycles and Scooters
Every day I wake to what appears to be another regular, familiar, normal day. This morning the sun was shining in a dazzling clear blue sky. A runner passes in front of the house followed by a bicycle rider and then a man walking a dog. There are clues that something is different but unless I’m looking for them, nothing would hint to me that I’m living in a different world. A world that suggests I act a little differently too.
That brings me to riding. Two days after Pennsylvania’s “Stay at Home” order ended my friend Paul and I decided we would take a little ride together. That’s normal. But we did make a few changes. Like when stopping for photos we now park a little farther away from each other.
Leaning on Friends
Paul has been picking up groceries for Kim and me when he’s shopping. Before the pandemic, I would not have asked for help. I suspect changes like that are happening across the country and around the planet.
There are clues that things are different in this new normal world. I don’t see many contrails in the sky anymore, especially at sunset when the sky would be painted with them. And I seldom see groups of people gathered together that I would not equate to being a family. Once exception was last Tuesday at the Polls for Pennsylvania’s primary election. There was a socially distanced line outside and inside the polling place but perhaps the most congregated collection of people I’ve seen.
I don’t get out much though and when I do I am usually moving away from civilization. Paul and I had decided to take a ride and go somewhere to have a cup of coffee or tea, maybe have some food or snacks. A brief respite during our ride.
Gratitude for Rustic Parks
We decided to make a meandering, 30 mile trip to Hairy John Picnic Area at the far Eastern end of Centre County. There’s an excellent accounting at that link of the hermit Hairy John after whom the park is named.
We arrived to find a family cooking lunch at a picnic site about 100 feet from us. Paul and I sat at opposite ends of a long table and ate lunch. We were far enough away and a slight breeze passed between us ensured we were not breathing the same air. I forgot to pack a mask that day but now both the K75 and the Vespa have a supply should I need it.
New Normal Riding Behavior
With plenty of places in Central Pennsylvania to sit outside safely and the natural social distancing of riding, my habit of hanging out in restaurants, cafes, and diners has been replaced with hanging out, well, outside, with food and drink I carry along.
I don’t know when, or if, I’ll be able to safely sit indoors with other people. I am in the high risk category and it seems to continually get worse. I’m old, I have a medically suppressed immune system, I’ve had a heart attack, and now I find out that people with my blood type seem to have a harder time with the virus.
The triple whammy.
Riding Again in the New Normal World
The COVID-19 virus is still with us and the virus still seems capable of killing people. That knowledge is one part of this new normal world. For me at least.
But there are many pleasant, positive, and happy experiences waiting for me if I choose to chase them. They may require some creative thinking and a strategy to be safe, but they’re out there.
It was good to get out and ride. There was an odd sense of the unknown drifting through my head as we rode. I’m not sure if I was expecting something striking to present itself or if many weeks of isolation was playing tricks on my mind. Whatever it was, it sharpened the experience.
I know my experience is shaped by my circumstances. Being in a rural part of Pennsylvania and being able to access relatively empty roads is not something others can do. But we can all take advantage of the natural distance from others that riding provides. And we can make sound choices that make sense for us and those we meet on the road.
Take time to think through your own choices in this new world. What you need, what makes sense to keep you and others safe, and what can wait for better days.
Ah, this new reality…
I have a Facebook friend who thinks this is all an evil plot, and lambastes me for falling-in with all the other “sheep” by brandishing a mask and socially-distancing. She’s actually a relatively smart cookie, but having “certain” smarts doesn’t always lead to a balanced observation when things go awry.
Anyways…On Saturday, my beloved Jersey Shore Chaos Crew had its first group ride of the year, and while the riding conditions were less than ideal (heat, humidity, heavy beachgoing traffic), we had a record turnout of fifteen riders (club now has close to sixty members!), and the camaraderie was absolutely cathartic. Ride had to be cut short because of traffic delays (and the stop-and-go traffic playing havoc with peoples’ bikes, including mine, which suffered a few throttle hiccups), but everyone seemed to be happy just to get out and RIDE with a few like-minded folks. Yes, it’s a brave new world we find ourselves thrust into now. But I’ll take it.
And: Paul seems such a cool guy from your description. Clearly a great riding companion as well.
I’ve not run into anyone directly who thinks the pandemic is a plot or scam. Hard to imagine. If I think someone is pulling the wool over my eyes, it is in the opposite direction — a big soft-pedaling of the pandemic in order to keep the money flowing to businesses. And that treatments, vaccines and such are much further off than the government suggests.
Whatever it is, it won’t change how I conduct myself on a daily basis.
Our local MotoHang group is making noises about the first event of this year. I’ve decided to forego any group action of any kind. In part because of my heightened risk, but mostly because I’ve never been much of a social person in regard to groups.
Who knows. I could change my mind!
Glad you were able to get out and ride with the group. Be safe and have fun.
Our scooter club restarted rides a few weeks ago. They are different, though, as they are by invitation only and begin and end in places where social distancing can be maintained.
We meet at a gas station where we can go inside individually and pick up something to eat and drink. We can also stop along the way and get take out food when it works.
Then we ride to one of the local parks that have outside tables and benches where we can stay appropriately apart.
It has been a good change for me. We have been to parks that we previously rode past. And the parks are quite nice. Some are along the river or in a forest. One was a historic park in the small town of Macclenny.
This weekend’s ride got postponed when we had 4 inches of rain on Sunday.
But they will be resuming this week.
What you describe sounds entirely feasible and safe. Not sure if some of the 250 motorcycle HOG rides would be possible unless they never stop anywhere. But the ones I’ve witnessed have people and machines really packed in tight when they stop for food or a drink.
I hope you can continue to ride and find new places to explore. I was wondering, are you applying your architectural skills when you daydream about virus-safe cafes and restaurants? Seems any new construction today would consider the possibility of future outbreaks of who knows what and how good design might make it easier to manage. Right now it seems moving tables and hanging plastic is the high tech solution for 2020. Oh, and tape on the floor.
Thanks for stopping in to comment. Hopefully one day I’ll get to ride your way.
It is true that we are not designed to be locked down forever. Getting out for a ride is a good exercise to maintain a healthy mind and heart.
Maybe not locked down forever, but perhaps a change in the way we interact in the world. I read a survey this morning of 500 epidemiologists and a majority thought it would be a year or more and perhaps never before we could shake hands with strangers or hug.
Maybe we’ll end up bowing to each other or raise a hand like Spock on Star Trek. After all, it’s the thought that counts!
Bill and I did a three day ride last week. In rural Florida there is no social distancing and surely no masks. It requires some new thinking. What am I going to do if it rains or I get over heated? Will I go into a store or gas station until this challenge pass’s like in the pass? We went into one small restaurant on the gulf where there were as many as 12 people at a table and you could use the salad bar if you wore a glove on “one” hand. We chose to set by ourselves on the deck in the shade and a breeze. A cold beer helped with the cooling. And maybe ward of virus bugs.
I suspect all of us will be faced with a situation where our idea of being safe is in stark contrast to the people and places in which we find ourselves. I will continue to wear a mask inside any business I find myself in regardless of what others are doing. And I can see myself eating outdoors if I can find a spot that isn’t too crowded.
I hope you and Bill continue to find time and space to enjoy a ride and a beer. Be well and be safe.
I concur with that feeling of how things are different. It’s a mood, an atmosphere, hard to grasp. When I walk in my local state park, I am glad for the relative emptiness. With camping opening, however, I think at least on the weekends I will lose that solitude. For the first time in I don’t know how long, I have a summer completely free! I have personally just written off 2020 and will see what the world looks like by spring 2021. But in a frustrating twist of fate, last fall I finally did the right thing and took the battery out of my scooter and kept it on a trickle charger all winter. I went to re-install the battery, and lo and behold, for some reason the catch that keeps my seat compartment locked seems to be stuck, so that I can’t open the seat to get at the battery compartment. All this time to ride, and no working scooter! Fate is cruel at times 🙂
Usually, you can free the locked seat with a long, flat butter knife or a steel ruler. I hope you get it free.
Yes, the mood in the world is different. At least where I live. Things seem much slower. The rush and chaos of daily life is muted a bit. The pandemic has, at least for a little while, made the world step more carefully. With that slowing and not being so intellectually and emotionally distracted by working and spending may it explains why the country seems to have exploded at policing policies that had been around for a long, long time. God forbid should the public suddenly have the wool pulled off their eyes.
I’m finding more to like about social distancing than to not like. I’m getting use to being alone at home where it’s quiet and everything is moving at 1/2 speed. I worry for other people that are worrying. Those with slowed to stopped income. Held up in a nursing home or prison. See what I mean? And I’m going complain? I’ve had time to fuss with my motorcycles. For instance I almost dropped the big BMW in my driveway it was falling away from me. I instantly got sweat on my forehead and thought, “Geez I’m glad it didn’t fall on top of me”>
My feelings run parallel to yours Paul. I’m grateful to be in a position, physically and financially, to cope with the pandemic without undue stress.
Keep your iPhone handy so you can call me whenever you’re trapped under the motorcycle.