The teazle have bloomed and their bare seed heads remain, a sure sign that the best part of summer is in the rear view mirror. They trigger a melancholy akin to those Sunday nights as a kid when the closing credits of Bonanza rolled and I knew the weekend was over. Not sure why I feel that way about summer since the crisp air of fall and winter are my preferred riding climate.
Last week I rode north under gray skies to nowhere in particular, just needed the soul soothing effect that riding can deliver.
Didn’t take long before lightly traveled pavement turned into empty gravel as I ascended Beech Creek Mountain Road onto the Allegheny Plateau and Sproul State Forest. The Kenda tires I have on the Vespa are fine on the highway but leave much to be desired on dirt and gravel. Making mental and physical adjustments to the new road surface is a form of riding meditation as I watched my speed increase and ability to manage sudden changes in road composition.
Stopping to make a picture, pulling the foam plugs from my ears, I recognize the trilling symphony of late summer as thousands of cicadas perform — more reminders of time sweeping past intensified by a sense of existential emptiness.
Or so I convince myself.
Choices.
Small roads become dirt tracks. There always seems to be an alternative route especially when you’re not really concerned with where you end up. The biggest risk is traveling miles only to find a gate closed. A problem in a cage. Not so much with a scooter unless you’re unlucky enough to run into one of the rare rangers who have to patrol hundreds of square miles of forest.
I stop sometimes for the oddest reasons. Here because I’m convinced I’ll find a rattlesnake in the ferns. And to eat a few crackers and drink some water.
I saw no snakes.
It started to rain at this stop, the sky dark and thick with moisture and with the temperature hovering around 70F I didn’t relish the idea of riding wet. Fears were unfounded though and there were never more than a few light showers lasting only minutes.
A lot of riders passing through central Pennsylvania never get to experience the potential of the small, anonymous state roads as they cling to more familiar routes like US 6. You can’t ride as fast on a lot of these roads and the likelihood of deer and other mammals is greater, and there are no places for food or fuel, but I believe there is a mystical experience in these places that the more adventurous rider can find.
Seventy miles from home, along the west branch of the Susquehanna River I decide it’s time to go home. Not every ride can be a long ride but it’s often enough to get out and let the noise and chaos flow from your head and let the world rush over you.
And let those melancholy feelings about life sweeping by become a calmer, soft drift like a river in summer.
Thanks for writing – I’m probably only 80 or so miles South, and it’s a pleasure to see both the visual and narrative representation of central Pennsylvania’s beauty. Ride well, and keep blogging…
I like back country roads the best…the pace is more sedate and usually less crowded.
dom
“Those Sunday nights as a kid when the closing credits of Bonanza rolled and I knew the weekend was over.” Wow. Memories. You’re such a nostalgian. OK, I made up that word.
C: Thanks for the supportive words about the pictures and text I post on Scooter in the Sticks. I’ll keep riding as long as I can…
Charlie6 (dom): The backroads are definitely my riding choice as well. Every now and again I find myself on the superslab though. I suspect the Vespa and the URAL both find that kind of riding tedious.
Poppawheelie: A nostalgian — not far from the truth. The older I get the stronger my memories seem to become.
Very, very nice post. I felt I was riding right along with you. At 100+ degrees here in Northern California for the past ten days, it was refreshing to enjoy this respite in Pennsylvania.
I very much like this post and I love the river photo.
I know how you are feeling. Melancholy is part of the deal this time of year.
Melancholy, that describes my feeling accurately this time of year.
I like your backroad photos. Always a better option or maybe the only option…
Dear Steve:
I have been on the curving twisty road in the picture. I never forget certain stretches of road and my next thought when I saw it was, he’s gotta be around the river. Sho’ nuff.
I admire your ability to ride off by yourself, and just get lost in the trees. I will not be riding for another nine months, but when I do, I might try getting lost out your way…. Just not on gravel.
Fondest regards,
Jack/reep
Twisted Roads
Steve:
we don’t have backroads like yours, which are very seductive. No wonder you like riding them. I also like the lack of traffic
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
Steve, what a great little story…although at this time of the year I’m just beginning to think there may be some decent riding weather out here where the temperatures are rarely below 95 during May, June, July and August. So it’s not with melancholy that I see the temperature drop, and the days become shorter, it’s with joy!
And, in my advanced age, I remember lying on the floor listening to Fibber Magee & Molly, etc. on Sunday eves. Wow, how’s that for long, long ago?
I continue to really enjoy your photography as well as your stories of riding the back roads of Pennsylvania.
karl u
Mr. Brilliant: Thanks for the kind words. Writing and making photos have become linked to my riding. Not sure if that’s good or bad but it’s the reality of things.
The withering heat you endure would keep me inside during the day for sure. Many notice the decline in posting here during the summer and I attribute it to heat. For me anything over 80F is hot.
The temps are much lower now. In the 50s this morning on the way to work. Much finer air for the riding soul in my opinion…
Martha Tenney: Seasonal changes have a way of triggering some kind of emotional shift. Not sure exactly what it is but the end of summer seems to be the most dramatic for me.
RichardM: You have lots of backroads where you are. Or maybe backcountry is the more precise description. They are a nice option to have!
Dear Mr. Riepe: Riding by myself is at the top of my riding preference pyramid. The solitary activity allows for a level of attention not possible when having to pay attention to other riders. And I’m not selfish enough to just forget about them. Don’t get me wrong, I like riding with friends, but I need to balance that out with some big doses of alone time.
Hope to see you riding this way someday…
bobskoot: I am lucky where I am — lots of lonely roads with little traffic. Dumb luck on my part. If I lived in the city I suspect I wouldn’t have much interest in riding. Or would never have started.
karlu: Goes to show how there are a multitude of variations to the ride. Your climate is different enough to push my model into an uncomfortable place. Glad the cooler weather approaches for you.
I’ve not even begun thinking of shorter days. That’s no fun…
So beautiful, Steve! Thanks for the pictures! We are having our maxi Scoot Rally next week in Cen. PA. One of the rides I have planned is along 120 then up Kettle Creek. Hard to plan a ride when you are not from the area but I think I found some good back roads for us to enjoy!