Not everyone has the interest or opportunity to ride across a continent. Or any number of other adventures possible on a scooter or motorcycle for that matter. Time, expense, circumstance, or lack of interest can effectively remove such rides from the realm of the possible. Despite such limitations, you can have a great time on ordinary rides.
I’ve found that the experiences I once considered essential items on an ever lengthening bucket list were, for me, just a distorted version of consuming and buying in the belief that happiness and fulfillment lay that way.
A recent ride through familiar places reminded me of how little is necessary for me to have an adventure.
This is my eighth VLOG posting of the ten I planned to do before evaluating if there is any reason to continue. They remain interesting puzzles to solve but I fear my lack of verbal tendencies may make them difficult to continue to produce.
Despite those concerns, I continue to experiment and explore what might be possible.
There are always little and not-so-little surprises on “ordinary” rides. Always.
I related one recent ride on Modern Vespa, a work-related commute from home (central Jersey Shore) to Brooklyn, NY, then Manhattan, then back home, where I had to deal with several unexpected detours heading home, which took me through some incredibly tortuous paths through Newark and Elizabeth which I won’t soon forget. Not to mention being forced to ride the “local” lanes of the NJ Turnpike, where I was decidedly the mouse among the hordes of 18-wheeled elephants. At night, mind you.
But it was exhilerating. The need to be about one’s wits, in a situation that seemed like a slo-mo scene from Mad Max Fury Road seemed necessarily bracing to me. People can talk all day long about their tour across the Serengeti, but this was heart-stopping in its own wild way.
Great writing, and great video yet again, Steve.
Your story of the Fury Road reminded me that people come from all over the world to view what is ordinary for me. Surely that means that my state of mind has much to do with what is ordinary and what is not.
Riding a turnpike at night with 18 wheelers would be bracing to say the least. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that sort of thing. And around here you add deer into the nighttime mix and it’s harrowing.
Stay safe and have fun with your Vespa!
Great! And you are right. Every ride can be a thrill. It depends on the mindset. I lost a little of that but thanks to your last making me think again I got back on my ride home yesterday. “Any left turn!”
And you have the added thrill of maybe seeing an alligator or boa constrictor! At least that’s what seems to always rattle around in my head when I think of Florida. *grin*
Stay safe down there. Reading of the pandemic expansion I hope you won’t have to go through the ravages we saw here in the northeast. It was devastating. Our world ground to a halt as society struggled to make sure the medical system didn’t become overwhelmed and people would just die without care.
Lovely. There are only so many local rides that lead from home, so I’ve taken to a favorite. There is a special kind of joy riding a familiar route with expected turns and anticipated scenery, and the small changes that make it a little new each time, too.
I agree completely. I’m surprised at how much I continue to see during rides I’m convinced I’ve seen everything.
Be safe and enjoy the ride!
Great comments y’all, wow night riding on a zip zip turnpike,thankful for my familiar rural roads here in Central Texas .Thanks Steve for another well done piece..Adverture is where we find it ….What a gift!!
Thank you for the comments and kind words Don. I appreciate them.
And the turnpike at night — that is a bracing experience.
Outside of Bill Leuthold’s Tour of the Northeast last Summer on his XMax and Cannonball stories most of the scooter stories I see are of short duration. I always wonder what hinders larger scooter owners from long, multi day rides. My best memories on two wheels are my trips to Laconia and the Tour around the Great Lakes. Having the bike as your only means of transportation for meals and events puts you in touch with your machine as a loyal companion. I enjoy a good one day event too but being beyond home on two wheels is different.
There are others making epic trips on scooters but it is definitely not as common as it is with big cruisers, Goldwings, Harleys and Adventure bikes. Perhaps because there are just so few scooters in this country. Regardless, they are capable for the rider who wants to forego Interstate Highways for much of the trip.
Laconia and around the Great Lakes sounds fantastic. I’ve often thought about where I would ride if I suddenly found the door open. Both those sound right.
I think a scooter or motorcycle used on long trips may be as close to life with a horse in the 19th century American West that we’ll ever get.
Steve – Your videos are truly art and poetic, as are your photography and written words. I admire your BMW K75, but using your Vespa scooter as the subject in pictures and videos you make adds something so very special artistically. A “je ne sais quoi” if you will, which a motorcycle simply doesn’t convey, at least to me. And your soothing voice. Oh my. How cool are you! Keep up the profound service to all who are lucky enough to have discovered you!
Cheers!
Floyd
Thank you for your kind words Floyd. The videos require me to open up more than the written text. I still feel exposed and a bit uncomfortable making them. In regard to the Vespa as subject versus the K75 I agree that there is some hard to pin down difference. It could be that I just haven’t made as many images of the motorcycle yet in as many different situations. Time will sort that out.
My voice. Ugh. That is the worst part for me. I’m still wondering who that person is. When I began this recent video there was a sequence included about ear worms — those persistent songs that play in your head. Since I couldn’t use the copyrighted music that was stuck in my head I started recording myself humming the tune, and then actually singing it as I often do while riding.
I was horrified. Deleted the entire sequence. I feel uncomfortable when people around me start singing. Doing it myself was just too much to bear.
Finding contentment wherever one may be…such a great concept. I’m thankful for the Vespa in helping me tap into this.
Seems you’ve been finding some contentment on your Vespa recently. I saw some photos on social media of you up along Pine Creek. The Waterville area is beautiful!
Not to drone on but I don’t understand the aversion to the Interstate by scooter owners. I rode on Route 17 and I-84 to Danbury on my Chinese Helix clone several times in reasonable comfort. All 400 pounds and 15 horsepower worth. Before Covid hit I was planning on running up the Thruway to Americade in Lake George and doing the Tours and festivities. I could use the 750, shaft drive Kawasaki but where’s the fun in that? The scooter is up to its ears in storage and gets better gas mileage. Plus it’s pleasing to tell people on big touring bikes that I’m there with a Chinese knockoff of a Helix.
It’s not that it’s uncomfortable. It’s just a bore to drive the Interstate — on the K75 or the scooter. I’ve ridden both on I99, I70, and I80. And in every case for me, it was fast in terms of getting to a destination, but a bore in terms of a ride.
I always prefer the meandering side and back roads. But it takes time.
With the side cases on the K75 storage is pretty much a wash between the scooter and motorcycle. But I took the side cases off and have been riding with just a tiny seat bag. Stores a water bottle, camera and a mask. All I need to ride all day.
Steve,
FWIW, and with respect for your artistry, I would like to encourage you to try one video without background music and see how you like it. You don’t even have to publish it. Just try one as an experiment. Your voice is not as bad as you think. I remember one comment that mentioned it had a Leonard Cohen feel to it, and I agree with that (I’d add the young Tom Waits into that). Your voice is rich, it has a nice low pitch with a slightly gravelly feel, and all this conveys a sense of depth and wisdom, which matches up well with your writing and narrative. Add natural sounds if you like – ride to places where birds sing, a waterfall gurgles, wind moves through trees, etc. Use that as background sound. Eliminate the music. Believe me, no one ever likes the sound of their own voice, and there are so many professional actors who can’t stand to watch themselves on screen. If you let go of your own impressions of your voice, you may find that others don’t hear your voice in the same way you do.
I hear you. This video, and the one before, I intended to do without music. And then caved while listening. I’ll try again to produce one with no music. I must add that music does a good job of covering a lot of audio track inconsistencies. I’ll have to sharpen my craft to record and edit a clean track of only voice and natural sounds.
Funny you should mention Tom Waits. I was just listening to him perform “In Ruby’s Arms.” He has a strong, soulful voice.
Now I just need to find an idea. And a clue!
“Ruby’s Arms” is a killer song. Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, David Bromberg – all singers with lousy voices, incredible talent, and plenty of soul. Someone with your talent will always have an idea – and a clue 🙂
Thank you for the encouragement. It takes some energy to get past the noise between my ears.
I’ll have to take a hard look in the mirror and see if I qualify to join The Sons of Lee Marvin. Perhaps some of the energy from Tom Waits, Jim Jarmusch, Nick Cave and others would rub off on me!
Steve here are my two cents.
I really enjoy your videos. It’s the whole thing I like. Your voice, the music, the script, and video sequences.
In the end each video is a complex work of art, much more than the sum of its parts.
I am sure that as you edit you feel like for a fleeting few hours you are toying with the powers of the universe. The overlays, transparencies, slowed clips, the edits matching and conveying the mood and the message.
I hope you keep it up. It’s a new dimension that complements the artistry of the other journal components, the prose, the photography…
Once you have made more than a certain number of videos (more than 10, that’s for sure), you will begin to find a place where you are more and more at ease with your video persona.
Like I said on another occasion, you make’em, I’ll watch’em.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on my videos David. Your description of the few hours of toying in the editing process is spot on.
Right now the only thing I see standing in the way of continuing to produce videos is my own internal censor who continually harasses me in a way that doesn’t happen with conventional blog posts. I’m certain it must be related to the more vulnerable position I’m in with video.
Hopefully, I’ll sustain the effort long enough to see if I like the video persona that develops.
Steve;
Your video was a desperately needed and soothing end to a very stressful day for me. I loved the scenery, your voice, your narrative, and the music.
I only wish it was longer in duration.
Thank you.
Stressful days… so many of them in my past. Far fewer now in retirement which has done a good job preparing me for pandemic life.
I think this video was the shortest, mostly because I ran out of time to create some better sort of summation. Regardless, I’m glad it helped alleviate the stress.
I really enjoyed this post.
Thanks Mike!
If you need some encouragement then how about the fact that a lot of people enjoy your videos. However you think you sound on video or however uncomfortable you feel is all part of who you are and thats what we are watching. A real person doing his own thing…and with talent. If I wanted fake videos I’d start watching network tv again. Maybe you are undecided whether you want to continue making videos and need another ten series run…just to be sure.
Thanks for the feedback and encouragement Scott. I appreciate it.
Network TV — I’ve not had cable or a television set since the 1990s, and then only briefly. Whenever I traveled for work and was in a hotel it was shocking to turn on the set — so much noise and chaos with all the commercials. I just had to turn it off. I get most of my news in print or on a few media websites. And then mostly text.
One positive thing about the videos is the fact that they have captured my imagination. I find myself thinking about what I might do in a way that doesn’t happen for the usual text and photo posts. I suspect I’ll probably take your advice and produce ten more!