Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

The Heart of the Ride

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Vespa GTS scooter on rural road.
A decision point. A pause to consider where to wander.

The Heart of the Ride

I wake in the middle of the night and think. Sometimes about riding. More often about the deranged state of everyday reality. I prefer thoughts of riding. Of moving, traveling, experiencing. It’s the heart of the ride.

Autumn almost escaped. It’s the swiftest of seasons. The landscape changes from green to orange to a drab, monochromatic scene as the trees surrender to the power of autumn. I feel a physical and emotional quickening as time churns in me as it drags me toward winter. I know something is ending. And something else begins.

I find myself once again standing alongside the road with no idea where to go. A drifter on a scooter with nothing pressing to do. A ride on the Vespa affords me an opportunity to bear witness to the rapid transformation of color, light, and fragrance. And like so many rides without plan or destination I find my only goal is pushing the scooter out of the garage. Where I go from there is anyone’s guess.

It’s the journey that attracts me. The mystery. The tapestry of unknowable experiences that may await. And these are the things I think about while riding my Vespa. It doesn’t happen in the car, or even very often on the motorcycle. Riding the scooter takes me to the heart of the ride.

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A Time Machine

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I invited my friend and fellow Vespa rider, Andy Heckathorne, to share something about his rides. Writing about two-wheeled adventures beyond straight documentation of destinations is a challenge. I asked Andy to explore what was going on in his head. Beyond that, I left things up to him.

Steve Williams

I’m grateful that Steve Williams continues to create and faithfully maintain this trusted space, Scooter in the Sticks. Steve, your photography and insights continue to inspire us – your readers – to look more deeply and more fully appreciate life on two wheels, and life in general. Thank you.

And thank you for the opportunity to share some of my own thoughts and images. I truly appreciate it.

Illustration of Andy Heckathorne
Heckadude Morning Coffee. By Andy Heckathorne.
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Riding Alone and Solitary Adventure

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Vespa GTS scooter along Pine Creek
Peering at my Vespa scooter and beyond into adventure.

One of the things I love the most about riding is the solitary experience. Riding alone provides space from the mental and emotional distractions that can dim my awareness that I am living a blessed life. On these solitary rides, it’s easy to feel a sense of adventure, especially when traveling in the more sparsely populated areas of Central Pennsylvania. It’s during those rides I am having an adventure.

I’ve always admired the work of writers who share their stories of solitary adventure in the wilderness or at sea. Reading Edward Abbey and Colin Fletcher led me to my own solitary hiking and backpacking adventures. Being dependent on no one but myself fuels a level of excitement and satisfaction but let’s be honest, my solo adventures, on foot, and on the road have taken place in the safe confines of the Eastern United States.

A few days ago I came across a video by a young woman named Noraly who describes herself as a 32-year old, Dutch, solo-female traveler – currently on a mission to travel the world by motorbike!

One particular scene at about 11:40 into the video where she comes upon a torrent of water rushing across the road and plunging off a cliff gave me the chills.

Frightening video. Courageous woman. She must faith — in herself, and in other people in the world. One note — I’m amazed she never swears or curses!

If you fancy yourself an adventure rider, or dream of creating your own adventure, this video is worth watching. Mud, dirt, gravel, rain, heat, cold, dogs, protesters and more await.

She’s riding alone through places like Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan. And generally across the planet. As I watched one of the videos I realized I could never do what she does. I have neither the courage or pluck to venture into the unknown alone.

I’ve enjoyed watching the films with Ewan and Charlie traveling across the globe and I know they faced challenges and hardships. So do the men and women who undertake the guided adventures of myriad ride companies. But being alone. That’s different.

The people who quit their jobs, sell everything and venture out into the world are a different kind of human being. I admire what they do. I could never do what they do. At best I can live vicariously through the stories they share.

Here are a few others you might want to check out if solitary adventure interests you:

Mike Saunders — 69,000 miles on his Honda Ruckus

Stephanie Yue — on the road with her Vespa GTS 250

Lois Pryce — epic solitary rides on her Yamaha XT225 Serow

Walter Muma — in 1978, a 3-month 11,500-mile (18,660 km) journey by moped from Toronto (Ontario, Canada) to Yukon (Canada), Alaska (USA), and up the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, NWT (Canada), and back to Toronto.

Part of me would love to see my name on that list. But it’s just not me. My adventures will remain casual, safe, and in my mind.

Be well, be safe, and enjoy the road!

Riding a Vespa Scooter Off-Road

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Dirt road in a forest Perceptions of Scooters

When I dream of riding, it’s always off-road. The Vespa GTS scooter in the garage seems diametrically opposed to common cultural beliefs of what is necessary to ride away from the pavement and civilization. The Vespa scooter off-road seldom (if ever) graces the pages of motorcycle magazines that depict far flung adventures through desert and jungle, over mountains and across rivers, and always on motorcycles bristling with gear carried on frighteningly aggressive tires with weather worn riders grinning astride.

But no Vespa scooter off-road in those stories. There are exceptions. Markus Andre Mayer is on his way around the world on a vintage Vespa scooter. Alone. And there have been others. A French team participated in the grueling Dakar Rally in the 1980s and were among 81 riders to cross the finish line, having ridden their Vespa PX 200s from Paris to Dakar, across 7 countries and 10 thousand kilometers of brutal terrain.

You can ride a Vespa scooter off-road. And recently, I had the chance to test my scooter again away from the smooth comfort of pavement.Continue Reading

Sparking Dreams of Backcountry Riding

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Vespa GTS scooter on gravel forest roadRiding on Dirt, Gravel and Remote Backcountry Roads

I do a fair share of my riding on unpaved roads.  Not exactly the target marketing segment for Piaggio.  But there’s something soothing and restorative about wandering alone away from the thrum of civilization.  I’ve been content to ride wherever time and opportunity permits with little thought to much more than “going for a ride.”

Content until I ran into Bruce Leigh.Continue Reading