Steve, author of Scooter in the Sticks
Scooter in the Sticks is about riding and how it can enhance and expand the experience of life. On a Vespa scooter, a Royal Enfield Himalayan, or on any sort of motorcycle.
It began as an experiment and developed into a tool I use to reflect, quiet the mind, and share experiences and questions that surface while riding the Vespa or BMW motorcycle. One day I’ll be wondering about risk and the next doing mental mathematics on how many years I have left before I’ll have to hang up the helmet. Regardless of the topic, I find the combination of riding, photography, writing, and blogging helps silence the noise between my ears.
But why are you here? Is there really any value in visiting Scooter in the Sticks? Maybe. If you’re interested in riding a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan (or any other two-wheeled machine for that matter) then you’ll find content that will help you make decisions about whether to begin riding, continue riding, or stop riding. There are stories about motorcycles and also a lot of content about riding in cold weather and on through winter. And if nothing else, there are a lot of photos of the Vespa and the Himalayan.
I think the real value may be in helping answer those uncomfortable questions about living. Or perhaps more pointedly, not living, feeling trapped in routine and ritual as the clock ticks and life passes by. Riding can be a remarkably reflective experience and become a platform for asking personal questions.
Scooter in the Sticks has been around for almost 14 years and I feel like I haven’t really gotten started yet. I invite you along on the trip and look forward to your ideas and comments — they make the trip richer for everyone.
And a few words about me. Aside from being the writer and photographer here and a rider of a Vespa scooter, the most notable aspect of my existence right now is I’m a heart attack survivor. In May of 2015 I suffered a heart attack that could have ended my life had I not been in an emergency room when it happened. That event has shaped my life moving forward and has focused some of my reflections on what it means to be growing older.
In case I die read this. My friend Michael Beattie, scooter rider and author of Key West Diary, visited in August of 2018 after completing an Iron Butt 1500 ride on his Suzuki Burgman 200. Quite a feat. 1500 miles in 32 hours. Key West to Niagara Falls. He wrote a wonderful account of our visit and did a good job describing my riding and me. I can use it for my obituary someday.
HEART ATTACK: I posted the “story” of my heart attack in Accepting the Path Ahead. Perhaps of interest to all the older readers in the crowd. *GRIN*
None of this would be possible without the love, support, and creative stimulation of my wife. She came up with the name, Scooter in the Sticks, and has contributed far more than she realizes.
Steve
Scooter in the Sticks
Special note about using my content.
I work hard to make photographs, write stories and generally maintain Scooter in the Sticks. It is a labor of love. Please do not scrape or lift my content without permission. And then only with appropriate credit to the source.
All material on the site is protected by copyright.
Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to make this available.
I’m happy to share some of what motivates me to produce the blog.
I loved riding on my dad’s large Vespa when we live at Clark AB. Philippines in 1966. 15 yrs later got my first bike, Yamaha XS750? Shaft.? Great bike. Had a few since.
I’m always curious how men and women come to ride a scooter or motorcycle. Sounds like you have a long family history in your story. Thanks for sharing a part of it.
Hey Steve. I like your pace of writing. I initially wrote “riding”, and that is true, too. I’ve been riding about 5 years, starting at 65 on a punched out KLX with a 351cc top end. After flirting with a couple of BMWs, I’ve settled into a DR650.
Your comment about riding at a speed that lets you feel the air change around you, expressed a favorite aspect of the riding experience… you move in the world more that past it. The DR is my primary mode of travel, from the grocery store to the forest roads of north Georgia. I’ve logged 10 thousand miles on the DR since I got it in April of 2021.
Things change in a body when you approach 3 score and 10, but you and I seem to be holding up well enough. Your essays gave me the idea that when I decide to stop riding. I’ll adopt an old dog. That should be the game changing evolution I’ll need to stay attuned to life. Dogs make us better humans.
Be well, I hope to enjoy your well paced stories as we move through this interesting world… t
Thanks for sharing your comments Tom. I’ve been a bit distracted in terms of writing since my dog’s passing.
I looked hard at the DR650. A friend has one that he loved. And they show up in many stories and videos I’ve watched. But the visual appearance of the Himalayan tipped the scales for me.
Getting older is a path we’re all treading. I don’t read a lot about riders and aging save for glory stories of look how old I am and I’m still riding. Nothing wrong with that. But there’s a lot more to the story. I suspect my writings and videos will start to reflect some of that.
Old dogs… If you have the requisite dog temperament, then an old dog is a great thing. And you’re right about dogs making us better humans. Sometimes because they’re good at illuminating our character defects!
Steve, I only found this blog a few weeks ago. (through your YouTube channel actually) and while I like to watch your videos on YouTube, please don’t stop writing! It’s great. It’s a different pace than video. Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts Ben. I appreciate them. I’m sure I’ll continue to write but it’s been difficult of late. Stories and ideas that used to come easily have been more elusive of late. More riding should cure that!
Thanks for your honest answer, Steve. I hear you; it’s every creatives struggle to stay creative over time. Do you have a good system to keep track of your writing ideas while on the go? I personally tend to send myself emails or quickly take a voice note on my phone.
Maybe it helps, here are a few things my intuition tells me you could hold instant-lectures about:
– How did it all start
– When were things hardest
– When did I really fall in love with 2 wheelers
– My hairiest situations on two wheels
– Retiring without going stale
– The road trip, I’ve always wanted to do on two wheels
– If I was 21 again
– When I meet another scooter rider on the road…
– The economics of riding a scooter
– If I had to sell it all, I would keep..
Greetings from me and my racing sixties (green) GTS from the outskirts of Berlin/ GER.
I track most of my writing ideas with a text app that works on my phone and computer. I have a long list of ideas.
Instant lectures. I’m not sure about the instant part but I used to give talks on scooter riding to various groups. I’m not sure anymore how they came to be. The ideas you list are good ones. I’ll need to borrow some of them!
Berlin… I’ve always wanted to visit. The closest I’ve come is Wurzburg. Or in a Wim Wenders film…
Steve,
I have followed your blog for many years. I am impressed!
In my youth, and until I graduated as an architect, I rode a yellow 50cc scooter. I have only good memories of it. Then adulthood began with a car, house, wife, career and dogs – the whole package. I gave the scooter away.
I now live on the west coast of Norway, in a place called Jæren. The landscape here is scenic, full of contrasts and a popular destination for anyone who rides on two wheels.
To my amusement, twice every summer, a group of Vespa enthusiasts drive by my house. They form a long line and ride very slow. I often feel the urge to wave at them. My wife was probably not surprised, having just seen them drive by our house when I told her how much I missed driving a scooter. Much to my delight, she immediately said I should buy one!
But, my joy was short-lived. Eventually, it dawned on me that it’s a big difference between riding a scooter as a 16-year-old weighing 60 kg, and me as an adult weighing closer to 90 kg. A more powerful engine was a practical necessity. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a motorcycle license and buying a Vespa was put on ice.
But the dream was kept alive by you, Steve. I continued to read your weekly posts. I studied the pictures carefully. And, to make a long story short, I finally decided to go for it. The following morning I booked driving lessons and ordered a Vespa GTS.
I am now $13,000 poorer, thanks to your enthusiasm and writing skills 🙂 But this is one of the things I am most proud of having achieved this year. I now have a license and a lovely yellow Vespa GTS 300 Super waiting outside, always ready for use.
Steve, your blog inspires me. Thank you for conveying a biker culture that I can relate to. Thank you for being creative and exploring different media in your blog. It makes it rich and varied. I know from experience that it can be tiresome to create something just from your mind. I hope you never let the tyranny of the blank page stop you. Again, thank you very much!
PS! I hope you get well soon.
Einar Wahlstrøm
Hi Steve,
Stumbled on one of your youtube videos; Are You an Honest Motorcycle or Scooter Rider? and what you said there made me really think.
I need some time to try to understand all of it. I’m 69 and realise that what was earlier easy, is now a task. I downsized from a KTM 790 to a
690, mainly because my riding buddies was politely concerned about my travel speed if I ride with them on my Himalayan. So I got a 690,
but still have the Himalayan. I bought this in India and rode it home to Finland in 2018. It’s kinda strange that when you get older, you start
to appreciate the more simple things in life, and it’s difficult to not let it creep in your mind; what if I don’t see tomorrow. Dangerous thoughts,
but I don’t know how to shut them off. Take care. Vane
We’re about the same age and seem to have similar thoughts about the future. I endeavor to remain focus on today and let tomorrow take care of itself. It’s a challenge at times though.
Moving from the BMW K75C to the Himalayan was a downsizing and a desire to ride more dirt and gravel roads. So far it has been an excellent choice. I’m not sure if another downsizing will be required but for now I’m content.
Hello! Justin from Western New York here. First off, I just need to mention how much I have enjoyed your content. Your videos have a poetic meditation quality to them. Perhaps you are a poet. Are you? Secondly, I just wanted to share that after some searching for a used Vespa, I finally bought one, possibly in your neck of the woods, in State College PA. The last time, and only time, I was there was last year when I rode the BDRX route starting in Wellsboro. I did 520 miles in 2 days on my 1996 DR350se. I digress. Thank you for your work.
I’ve struggled to read and absorb poetry. Not sure if I’m impatient or just don’t have enough experience reading to appreciate it. I certainly don’t write poetry but have wondered what I’m missing.
I live just outside of State College. I’m only about 9 miles from the Mid-Atlantic BDR route. Maybe someday we’ll pass on that route!