The Autumn Landscape
This tree knows things. Old, withered, but still alive and serving as sentinel across the valley encompassing Farmers Mills, Pennsylvania. The tree whispers of autumn and the winter not far off. Stopping along the road on a ride to breakfast with my friend Paul I’m reminded of the power a landscape can have if I take the time to look, and how my Vespa scooter has supported these discoveries for years now.
Cold Mornings
Slowly getting used to morning departures at 45F or below. Usually stops are for making photos. Now they serve as welcome opportunity to get warm. I need to adjust my gear for the colder weather while keeping in mind it will be twenty degrees warmer on the ride home. It’s nice to see steam rise off of Paul’s Thermos cup.
An overcast sky makes autumn feel heavier, as if winter is anxious to arrive. Our Vespa scooters are perfect to glide through the countryside.
Helmets for Photography
The modular HJC helmet that Paul uses allows him to move the chin bar out of the way so he can get the viewfinder of his Nikon D850 to his eye without removing the helmet. Why he uses an old non-coupled lens on the camera remains a mystery.
Intersection Between Autumn and Photography
I’ve photographed this place dozens of times and still haven’t made a good picture. Something I would enjoy looking at more than a few times. I feel the energy but containing it within a frame eludes me. I thought the autumn light and color would help. I’ll keep trying. Another reason to take the Vespa for a spin.
The Lure of an Open Landscape
Not far down the road I saw cattle grazing on a ridge top. One of the many sweeping views along the road to breakfast in Millheim, Pennsylvania. When I look at these scenes I feel as if my mind and body settle and I know my place in the world. Someone asked me recently how I learned to be so accepting of the noise and chaos I encounter in the world. Part of the answer relates to riding and the places it takes me. Physical spaces certainly. But mental ones as well.
Perhaps it is what some call “Wind Therapy.”
The Autumn Color Palette
The leaves were early in their color changes during this ride. The magnificent range of colors remind me of the many paintings I’ve seen as part of the Hudson River School. Impressionist painters interested in landscape, light, and color. Mix these elements with even a modicum of reverence for nature and a Vespa ride is a spiritual experience.
I keep telling Paul he ruins my pictures when he leaves the seat up on “Minty.” He responds telling me that seat is what keeps my pictures from being calendar pictures. Among photographers that’s a minor slight.
Like Bicycles
What makes a Vespa scooter so different that a motorcycle is its ability to creep around like a bicycle. Stopping, pulling aside, and generally wandering at very low speeds is just easier than any motorcycle I own including the Honda Trail 125. And when exploring autumn and taking pictures it’s a welcome companion.
Breakfast and Photographs
By the time we arrived at the Meandering Mallard I was starving. Their breakfast sandwiches are delicious. Someone needs to teach them how to make a brownie. Paul took the opportunity to share a few photos from his ongoing self-portrait project. And a story about a man he ran into with a rare Leica. Cameras and scooters can be great conversation starters.
Leaves and More Leaves
The ride home was relaxed on familiar roads that change dramatically with the seasons. The Vespa Primavera 150 looks good among the color of the autumn leaves. As I write I want to ride. The forecast calls for 36F in the morning. The leaves are changing color fast and I don’t want to miss a things. Autumn is calling and I will answer.
What about you? Does autumn call for you to ride and explore or have you already retired until spring?
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Wow. I have lived in a dozen or so states but nothing beats autumn and the trees changing colors in your area….Enjoy
Central Pennsylvania has beautiful landscapes and this time of year are especially dazzling. I was riding this morning and can hardly believe what I see.
This time of year is my favorite to ride. Since I’ve retired, I’ve been known to sneak in a ride all winter when the temps are above 40.
Autumn is my favorite season as well. And I’ve been riding through winter for a long time now. My tolerance, and willingness, to ride in the cold has tempered. Anything above 30F seems still tolerable. Time will tell.
I usually get in a ride or two in autumn, but I hate to leave the wife behind, so we tend to take the car and go apple shopping and farmstand crawling. We make sure all the windows are clean. It’s not as fun as a scooter trip, perhaps, but the shared experience makes it worth it.
I enjoy a ride in the country with my wife this time of year. We’ve already done some apple and pumpkin shopping. This weekend may become another such trip. Mornings are mine though and I try and get out every day for a ride of some sort. Home by 12:30 and all is good.
Love riding in it all barring snow/ice/salty roads but Autumn is a riding season highlight and given it’s our riding season’s Swan Song it softens the coming Winter’s hibernation. I have some chores scheduled today but it’s bright and brilliant out there so pretty much guaranteeing a wee out and about on the CT this afternoon. We’re at that stage now where most of our leaves are down but nonetheless, I will have a lens or two along for the ride. Enjoy Steve, your Autumn has to be a week or two behind ours.
Snow and ice used to feel like a challenge calling to me. Thankfully those days are behind me. I think they are anyway. Winter is on the way and I don’t like hibernating. But what’s an old man to do??
I hope you find some more time in the saddle before the sadness of winter descends…
My passion for motorcycling was a strong force in deciding to leave upstate New York 50+ years ago and move to the San Francisco Bay Area where I can ride all year long. We do have a seasonal change here just not as radical as the northeast. I do not miss the NY winters one bit. Certain areas of California have fall colors in November / December and riding then is wonderful. The northeast has its charm, but for me, riding all year long wins out every time. Besides, the great motorcycling roads and mountainous landscape here is spectacular. I can have a real winter here if I want it,……but I don’t!
Just the same, I greatly enjoy your stories Steve, it is like going for a ride in my youth again.
Cheers to all. 😉
Only a serious rider uproots their home and moves across the country to be able to ride more. That decision more than 50 years ago has given you many opportunities to embrace a fine riding life. I’ve only been to California once, and that was before I was riding, but my memories of the roads north and south of San Francisco seem to call for adventure.
I’m glad you find some reminders of rides from years ago. Our memories are priceless things.
Every year it kills me to see photos of the fall landscapes in the northeast. Someday, I keep telling myself, I’ll make it out there for the fall colors.
In the meantime, Oregon is not bad either, but outside of the cities the hillsides and mountains are primarily covered with greens and yellows. Miss those fiery oranges and reds you get back east.
As I age it’s more of a challenge to keep warm during the non-summer rides. That darn Renauds numbs my fingers even in the 50s with the grip heaters on high. Heated gloves are probably the next step.
I’ve loved photography for quite a while now, and Steve, you truly have an eye for it. excellent, expressive work.
It certainly is beautiful here this time of year. The change happens so fast that it’s easy to miss if I’m caught up in something else. I’ll be going out again tomorrow just to witness the world.
Cold hands and feet are the worst. I’ve had frostbite in my hands and they get cold fast. I’ve been using heated gloves, grips, and handlebar muffs on the Vespa for years. They keep my hands nice and warm. My feet are a different story. Neuropathy makes using anything electric on the feet risky. And Chilblains (or Pernio) can cause problems if I’m not careful. More things to manage in cold weather. And in part responsible for me not pushing my limits anymore in winter.
Thanks for the kind words about the photography. I’m always trying to find ways to bring how I feel at a place into what the photo looks like. A never ending puzzle.
Steve, well said and illustrated as usual. I was out this morning after rush hour and school buses were done. I unfortunately forgot the scarf as the wind found it was past the leather. Foliage is peak hear in SE Penna, was quite therapeutic for me.
Thank you Paul. When the wind gets to the skin it can be a miserable ride in cold weather.
Seeing the foilage this time of year is therapeutic for me as well. It reminds me of the cycle of life and that I’m part of it.