Saturday morning and I depart on the Vespa. The ride prepares me for the day. During the week the ride to work does it. Kim and I planned to take a trip later in the morning so my ride was necessarily short but I’ve found that I don’t need a lot of time on the scooter to settle down.
The sun was just coming over the trees, burning through the fog when I stopped at the crossing of Rock and Trout roads. Both signs indicate something about central Pennsylvania.
I’m always lured by unfamiliar or seldom traveled roads. Early morning finds many of the roads here empty and easy to just stop on the scooter and take a picture.
Moments later I pass a flock of wild turkeys but the camera is safely packed away. Traveling slowly I can hardly maintain my forward progress because I keep wanting to stop and take pictures. And there are always more roads and lanes and tracks to follow.
Surprises like the turkeys and new paths seem to always appear. Not always welcome though like suddenly coming upon a stinking section of road that was freshly oiled and chipped.
Something about spraying oil all over the road and dropping gravel and then more oil seems wrong. The rain last night had streaks of this stuff going everywhere. I haven’t wanted to look under the Vespa.
Spring Creek, a cold water stream and excellent trout stream is the recipient of whatever runs off these roads. Just can’t be good. The water looks clear.
My stomach gets the best of me and I stop in Bellefonte for breakfast.
One of the advantages of being an early morning person is that you often have the world to yourself. Many of my short rides have me home before a lot of people are moving around.
After breakfast I wandered home, ready for the day, thanks to another short flight on the Vespa.
That last picture makes me sad. I sure do miss the Bush House. Bellefonte just hasn’t been the same without it.
Yeah, the place looks old and tired without the Bush House. What hrw115 is referring to is the space on the left of the last picture. There used to be a big Victorian style hotel there. It burned down though and has left this sort of crater in town.
You can see some pictures of the Bush House fire HERE
You’re still my inspiration. And I’ve got some reading to catch up on here…. summer too busy
Harv
The County resurfaces our roads the same way out here.
Here’s what we need to invent. A digital camera with a handlebar type control. The lense would be directed by where our eyes look. Anything we see while riding is fair game for a photo.
Not that I’m trying to eliminate the stopping part. Some things are just too fleeting to capture by stopping.
We’ve actually been playing with an eye tracking video and software device. I’ll have to do a post instead of taking up your space here!
Nice Sunday morning read over coffee!
I have tomorrow off, so I’ll take a short hop as well. It’s the last day of my vacation, and starting it off with an early putt will set a nice tone for the day.
Have fun,
Bill
Only one thing worse than being tar and graveled and that’s tar and feathered! I wonder if those county road maintenance guys sleep well at night.
I used to be an early morning person but have gotten out of the habit. I do miss it. Recently, I’ve been waking early and lay there thinking about riding or running or ?
Took a long ride east of the city (san diego) though its hard to find undeveloped land for about 40 miles or so. Didn’t take my camera, thought about it but was in a foul mood and just wanted to clear my head. A fellow in a new Mercedes gave me some trouble as I split lanes and placed myself at the head of the stoplight que. I guess he didn’t like that and nearly ran me over when the light changed. After hurling vulgarities, he sped off in his shiny new car.
The experience clung to me as I reached a rural stretch of two lane tree lined road. Slowly I realized I had never seen the road before; I didn’t know where it ended and I wanted to. The air cooled. Cattails and the smell of river water bordered the country road. My anger and frustration with humanity drained from me. Calm replaced anxiety.
Steve,
I feel your pain. I do so hate chip-seal. It’s nasty on a scooter and even worse with a skinny-tired bicycle.
Curse, curse, curse ’em all, those nasty county-road folk that choose chip-seal over other options.
My normal commute route has been infested with between three and five miles of the messy chip-seal over the past week. I’ve been forced to take increasingly longer detours to avoid the tar and mess. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, mind you… It’s just the principle of the matter.
Eurastus
My scooter blog: Eurastus travels slowly
Harv: Summer always seems busier. I just have to get up earlier if I want to ride.
irondad: I agree, some things are too fleeting to capture while riding but maybe they are just meant to be captured mentally.
As far as automated cameras go— they certainly can document but man that would be more technology than I want to haul around. I’m trying to make things simple. That’s why I’m not making video anymore.
It would be cool if you came up with some sort of head’s up eye recognition system. Or course you might end up looking like one of the Borg….
bill: An early putt. You defintely need to get a new Vespa. They don’t putt!
kano: Should I run into one of those municipal road guys I am going to ask them about their sleeping ability…
Vince: Riding does have restorative power if you let it. The bad energy on the road and frustration with other drivers can overcome it though. I’ve gotten pretty good at letting it all go and still smile.
Yesterday on the way home a woman ran a stop sign placing her Volvo wagon square in front of me. I saw her coming and looking like she was going to fast so I was already prepared to stop. She sees me right about the time she passes the stop sign and slams on her brakes and skids into the middle of the road. I stop a few feet from her. She looks at me and begins to yell.
I could have done a lot of things but I just smiled and waved her on and continued a nice ride home. I try not to let anyone else bother me no matter what they do and I don’t give anyone reason to be pissed at me if I can help it.
Doesn’t always work but it is a goal.
Eurastus: I should have detoured but I just didn’t want to. Next time though I will avoid the chip-seal stretches.
That’s a beautiful bike. 🙂 But perhaps you want to check out suzuki scooters too?
What a Nice bike. You’ve reached my dream. congratulations and enjoy it.
http://pexi.mediterrum.com/guzzi_breva_weblog
Good old Ride ….
http://www.supersportsracing.com