Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

Winter Riding and Camping in the Arctic

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Any winter riding I’ve done pales in comparison to British rider Ed March.  He’s ridden his C90 Honda all over the world, by himself, without backup.  That’s adventure.  The video is definitely worth watching.

You have to consider March’s riding extreme by any measure.  The fact that he rides a small machine earns him some dismissive reactions from those that think adventure is the realm of bigger bikes.  I suspect it led to his production of “Hitler Finds Out Ed March is Riding to the Arctic Circle”, one of dozens of parodies of all types built around clips from the film “Downfall“, a chilling portrait of the last days of Adolf Hitler played masterfully by Bruno Ganz.  Be warned if you are a big adventure bike rider, especially of the BMW variety, you are in for some not so subtle ribbing.  The description of BMW’s wiring and electronics crack me up.

Again, worth a look.

Riding Naked

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For any readers expecting skin — let me dissuade you now — no skin in this post. Naked has connotations beyond the body stripped bare of clothes, it points to times of vulnerability and being leaving the mind exposed to the world. It’s in this vain that I was riding naked.

iPhone 4Gs on a Vespa rideI spent two days without my iPhone; unplugged, disconnected, cut off from the world and I have to admit I felt uncomfortable, a bit anxious, and sensed the obsessive nature of my relationship with the thing.

It wasn’t until Friday night until I realized I had left the phone on my desk at work when in a moment of boredom I attempted to fill the void with headlines from Google News.  Without the phone my easy access to time, weather and calendar was gone.  No quick glimpse of email to make sure there was nothing to attend to for work.  As the evening progressed I found myself feeling as if I was missing something, that life was going on without me.  All because the little device was not with me.

While doing errands on Saturday I was like a stranger in a strange land as I noticed how many people were walking through the grocery store looking at their phones, tapping into an unseen flow of energy that kept them safe and content.

Like a drug.

I would find out later that my wife tried to reach me by phone and text.  The assumed reliable access is gone when you don’t have a cellphone with you.  I found myself wondering when I surrendered my independence for the safe enslavement of a smartphone?  I remember not having one and feeling just as safe on a trip as I do now even though a breakdown would require reaching out to fellow travelers for help.  Seems frightening today.

Vespa GTS scooter with front rackI have no illusions when it comes to riding adventure.  I don’t believe it exists anymore, at least not the idea in my head of the rugged individual facing the world alone.  Today every rider I know has the convenient smartphone lifeline that provides access to support, maps, directions, weather and more.

But wouldn’t the real adventure be to leave the phone, the GPS, the tablet and whatever other network connection you have at home?  Certainly would force a person to consider the road differently.  I suspect the ride would be more challenging and the experience more intimate. Looking at a map is different that following a dot of a digital screen.

I would like to say I am going to leave my iPhone at home but I know I won’t.  I can’t.  I need it.  But I also know that having one and using it daily leaves a person with an addiction to the thing, especially if you take a lot of hits from it.  That I can do something about.

Right now I’m powerless over my iPhone so I can’t ride naked.

Riding Under a Clear Winter Sky

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Shadow of a Vespa scooter rider on a snowy field
One of the treats of riding in the winter is the air is so sharp, crisp and clear that you can almost feel your spirit soar.  At least that’s how I experience it.  Today, from the right vantage point,  you can see for forty miles.  With the sun shining and the air still the cold felt far away. Riding a Vespa in winter is magic.

Vespa GTS scooter and Mt. Nittany
 A stop (again for the thousandth time) at Mount Nittany to make a photograph.  The image is burned in my brain but I still make pictures.  Not sure why…

Vespa GTS scooter in snow covered forest
The roads were mostly dry but you can’t ride in the sticks without paying close attention to possible ice.  It seems to grow unexpectedly — snow from a branch or a car roof, a splash of water or coffee from an unthinking motorist.  As the sun pushed towards the horizon I made my way towards home from a few afternoon errands.

Vespa GTS scooter along rural road with snow
There is a weird, strange thrill in riding in the cold that’s hard to describe.  Part visual, part physical, part spiritual.  The ride is important, an anthem to living, a meditation on feeling blood and breath course through the body.  The cold sharpens the experience.  Another gift of a Vespa in winter.

Or so it seems.

Vespa scooter in snowy field at sunset

Time passes quickly on the road.  The destination approaches rapidly regardless of how many times I stop or detours I take.  The ride, as is life, seems to short, too fast, too soon over.

Under a clear winter sky each breath feels special.  Each moment sparkling with life.

No wonder the Vespa finds its way out onto the road…

My Winter Riding Checklist

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Vespa GTS scooter between snow covered carsVespa Scooter in Snow

Winter riding, especially in the snow, generates the most interest and traffic on Scooter in the Sticks.  I’m uncertain if that’s true because it’s like watching an accident, or people are searching for reasons to try it themselves, or something more or less profound.  Regardless, this activity that I find so satisfying resonates.  With that resonation in mind I thought I would share the mental checklist I go through before venturing out into the snow.  I made all these pictures this morning and started gathering my checklist thoughts on the road.

There was snow on the ground when I got up this morning with more on the way until changing to sleet and freezing rain.  That transition was many hours away.  When I made the above photo I had already made the decision to ride.  Shoveling snow and cleaning the cars could wait until later.  A rider has to have their priorities straight.Continue Reading

Tomorrow is the Very First Day of the Rest of Your Life

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Stumbled across the opening scene from Then Came Bronson again and struck how it still resonates 44 years after seeing the pilot.  Can’t help but think the writer mapped out a series of archetypal characteristics the would capture the imagination regardless of whether a person rides a motorcycle or not.

I want to say it has a universal appeal but it definitely was created with men in mind — a Mad Men styled world where the guy always gets the girl during or at the end of almost every adventure.  Can’t remember ever having a conversation with a woman who pointed to Then Came Bronson as an important cultural event in their lives.

Listening to Bronson’s brief exchange with the man in the hat at the intersection and riding off on a motorcycle to see the world was a powerful idea for me at 15.  It remains that way today.  And even though I ride a Vespa I can easily imagine myself on a Sportster.

Wonder what a 2013 version of this would be?  Ewan McGregor and Charley Booman’s Long Way adventures have some things in common save for the absolute aloneness that Bronson can conjure.

Maybe it’s time for another pilot.  I have some ideas…