Scooter in the Sticks

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

Nature of Friendship

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two men looking at photographic printsPhotography Bonds

My friends Gordon and Paul at Saint’s Cafe looking a photographs — one of the common bonds among us.  Paul I met at a large format photography workshop he was teaching over 20 years ago, and Gordon in the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts at Penn State nearly 10 years later.

I call them both friends.

Photography has driven connections between us and created conversation and travel to serve our collective camera masters.  It’s a powerful enslavement that has been with each of us for a lifetime.

And both are riders.

Gordon Harkins on Vespa 300Riders All

Gordon pilots a red Vespa GTS 300.  I’ve suggested he could assume a role on Sons of Anarchy but would have to abandon the scooter.  So far he’s shown no interest.

Paul Ruby leaping at the sight of a Vespa scooterPaul is a more eclectic rider and at home with a Vespa or a Harley and everything in between.  During rides I often have the opportunity to photograph one of his spur of the moment performances.  I often wonder at what age a broken bone will occur.

Gordon Harkins and his Vespa GTS scooterDefinition of Friendship

If I can call you at 3am and say “help!”, then you must be a friend.  Having someone in your life that you know will be there when you need them, no questions asked, is a gift beyond treasure.  I believe it’s a rare connection.

It’s not something we talk about or make an agreement about — I sense it.  I hope the others do as well.

Paul Ruby with a yellow Ducati motorcycleViews Through the Looking Glass

I’ve collected a number of pictures from our times together.  Paul always has a new motorcycle love — this one several machines ago — a bright yellow Ducati 1098.

Gordon Harkins with his Vespa scooterGordon rides only his Vespa scooter.  Not other machine has materialized in his garage.  At least as far as I know.

Steve Williams and Gordon Harkins with their Vespa scootersIt’s good to have friends who ride.  They understand the obsession, the desire to get away on two wheels, the phone calls requesting a truck and pick-up at at remote location.  This photo was made during a ride through Moshannon State Forest.  Red may be the fastest color in Vespa mythology but the silver scooter is by far the more beautiful…

Paul Ruby exercisingThis has become a familiar scene while riding with Paul — his back stretching exercise which appears in a variety of locations — on the road, on the side of the road, on a motorcycle, on a scooter — he’s an equal opportunity stretcher.

Gordon Harkins and Paul Ruby discussing cameras

A person is fortunate to go through life with a couple friends — especially ones with so much in common.

I’m a lucky man.

 

New Vespa Rider

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three scooters along the roadIn February I received a message at the Modern Vespa forum from a would be scooter rider.  He had a plan and a long held dream of owning a Vespa.  During the ensuing months he’s graduated from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, purchased a Vespa, and rode to the Boalsburg Moto Hang with his son.  And now we’ve also gone on a ride together.

Meet Steve Albrecht.

Steve joined Paul Ruby and I for a short ride — we had just a bit over two hours to scoot through the countryside.  With so little time I didn’t want to stop much for pictures and instead keep riding.  But a couple pictures were in order.

Steve Albrecht with Vespa scooterSteve is still displaying the “look” of a new Vespa Rider — that glow that comes from doing something you really enjoy.  I remember it from the first ride to now and assume it will continue until my last ride.

At least that’s my plan.

Vespa scooters in Bellefonte, PennsylvaniaDespite my plan to keep riding Paul is unable to resist the opportunity to eat requiring a stop in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania for a quick snack.  I suppose riding and eating is an axiom that a new Vespa rider should be exposed to so they can factor it into their two-wheeled future.

Mathematical axiom:  (Ride duration) x (30%) = (Time spent in coffee shops, cafes and restaurants).

Vespa scooters along a rural roadDespite limitations of time and food diversions we had a pleasant ride under a hot sun through the hills and dales of central Pennsylvania.  And we managed to get Steve’s sense of direction turned around which holds great promise for him on future rides — the chance to get lost.

Being lost is something I miss — it happens far too infrequently.  Being lost on the road is a fine place to be.

Thanks for coming along on the ride Steve — hope your time as a new Vespa rider following along two old coots was a pleasant one.

Tranquility Interrupted

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Gordon Harkins with his Vespa GTS 300“My Vespa is dead”.  That’s the message I got while sitting at the Pump Station awaiting Gordon’s arrival.  A quick conversation led us both to believe the battery was dead — a victim of too little riding during the winter despite being tethered to a Battery Tender.  Tranquility interrupted because of a dead battery is not the way you want to start your riding day.  The call reminded me that I want to think hard about purchasing an emergency battery for the scooter.

I arrived at the scene with the little bag of tricks.

Gordon Harkins with a Torx bitUnlike my older Vespa GTS 250 that requires a common Phillips head screwdriver to expose the battery his bright red 300 calls for a Torx bit.  Like a blind squirrel finding an acorn, Gordon had one with him and had already removed the cover so we could jump start the scooter.  I’ve jump started mine several times from a car battery.

Out of habit I flicked the kill switch on and off and hit the starter button.  The scooter engine turned over and came to life.  Gordon had one of those looks you get when you think you’ve done something stupid; I probably had the look of a magician who just pulled a fast one over the audience.

The kill switch contacts could have been dirty or the battery really is on it’s last legs.  For now it was enough to have the engine running.

Gordon Harkins on Vespa 300There’s a special camaraderie among scooter and motorcycle riders that does not extend to automobile owners — a willingness to help out when things breakdown on the road.  Not just with friends, but with strangers as well.

Vespa GTS 300 on the roadI followed Gordon home to make sure the scooter functioned ok and to let Lily the Hammer, my wife’s Belgian Sheepdog puppy play with Gordon’s dog for awhile.  Success on all counts and tranquility interrupted gave way to a fine day.

The Chang Effect

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URAL motorcycle rider and author Dom ChangOut of his element, 1500 miles from home, Dom Chang,  author of Redleg’s Rides and inveterate motorcyle rider and URAL evangelist pauses to make a photograph in Black Moshannon State Park. Dom stopped to say hello during a trip from Colorado that would eventually take him to Virginia.

It wasn’t the first time we met. Several years ago while at a conference in Denver,  I had posted a photograph made from my hotel room of the Denver skyline and a few hours later an email message arrived from Dom saying we needed to meet. A day or so later we were riding in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Throughout a life you meet many people. As the collection of faces grows and interactions merge into an amalgam of words and stories it’s often hard to keep track of them all. Perhaps the human brain in it’s mystical workings does this to protect us from the frightening task of keeping every experience cataloged and clear. Amidst the flow of experience and interactions, of conversations and discussions, a rare event takes place where a person stands apart from the collection, illuminated and magnified by the native gifts they possess and the passion with which they apply them to living.

Dom Chang is one of those people.

A URAL with a Vespa scooterScarlett (the name of the URAL rig) arrived on a trailer hauled across America to explore a few of the backroads of Pennsylvania — a marked departure from rides in the West.

Dom entered my consciousness long before I actually met him. His writing and photography offered a glimpse of the mental workings of another rider who appeared indifferent to the movement of the herd and listened to a drum only he could hear. Looking back at my early musings on his ride stories laid the groundwork for the Chang Effect to take hold.

The Chang Effect is what takes shape as a result of being exposed to his writing, or the response to conversations in person.

I suspect Dom would recoil at any suggestion that he has an effect on anything save for the apparatus of his professional life, the machinations of his personal life, or the tricks he causes his riding machines to perform. But I believe the path on which Mr. Chang walks (or rather rides) is unique and offers lessons for those already questioning their own path and on a close read of his work can sense a kindred spirit. His descriptions of repairing a broken machine in the snow along a highway heading towards Alaska, or winds in the Rockies strong enough that sticking to the roadway might prove difficult stick in my head. What has continued to resonate was the dogged determination reflected in the stories he chooses to share.

URAL and Vespa Before dinner, a ride was in order.  Through the Nittany Valley, over Bald Eagle Ridge and up onto the Allegheny Plateau and Black Moshannon State Park offered a varied view of part of the central Pennsylvania landscape.  Had we more time I would have guided Dom northward into the more remote areas of the state.  But time and circumstance often limit what we do.

Dom offered more than one hint about me needing a URAL.  I’ve almost become immune to such suggestions. But other discussions of riding and life were pointed.  One in particular, something consistent with my theory of the Chang Effect, relates to a conversation about retirement and when a person knows it’s time to make the leap.  His words have power.

Evening outside Duffy's Tavern in Boalsburg, PAIt was dark by the time we left Duffy’s Tavern in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania.  In addition to a standout dessert called “Death by Chocolate” I had a great evening talking with Dom and he left me with a lot to think about.

Just a bit of exposure to The Chang Effect.

When the Vespa Won’t Start

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shadow of Vespa scooter and rider

After weeks of grey, gloomy skies, the return of the sun and the thermometer soaring to 39F could only mean a wonderful opportunity to go for a ride.  And with the recent addition of heated grips and Tucano Urbano muffs there would be a cosmic alignment of solar and electric heat to produce the coziest of rides. With an entire day open the last thing on my mind was what to do when the Vespa won’t start.

farm landscape near Pennsylvania Furnace, PA

After weighing geographic options I headed south towards breakfast at the Spruce Creek Bakery.  The light was dazzling and the air seemed swept clear of any dense or negative energy.  Gazing into the distance I entertained a rush towards the Maryland border and on into Virginia — just because I could and because I haven’t gone for a long ride in awhile.

Vespa GTS 250ie scooter in cornfield

The Vespa now has Koso heated grips and Tucano muffs installed to keep my hands warm.  Usually at this temperature I would have my electric gloves on but instead opted for my LL Bean deerskin field gloves — light, supple, and comfortable.  They’re similar to the Aerostich elkskin ropers that I wrecked in the garden.

While it wasn’t that cold (39F) it was obvious that the muffs did a great job offering protection from the wind.  The heated grips weren’t warm, they were HOT.  So hot that I had to run them on half power.  As the weather gets colder I’ll experiment with the need for heavier gloves.

I was also surprised how quickly I adapted to my hands being inside the muffs.  No issues at all save for a need to be deliberate with any thumb actions — starter, kill switch, horn, turn signals — since your hands are inside these big, fixed muffs.

The bakery was closed so I continued on towards Sinking Valley and another place to eat.  Twenty-six miles from home and the scooter died.

Vespa GTS scooter at railroad underpass

This is as far as I got.  Stopped to make a picture inside the underpass, got back on the scooter, started the engine, it ran for a few seconds and it died.  I’ve been here before and some will probably say I should have gotten it fixed already.  Try again, runs for a second and dies.

My best guess is the fuel pump is failing.  When I turn on the ignition I don’t hear the pump running which is a bad sign.  It’s done this twice in the past year.  Each time I’d wait a minute or so, try again and it would start right up and run all day.

After about a half-hour I decide it’s time to get someone to fetch the scooter.

iPhone showing No Service

It’s always something when the Vespa won’t start.  Having no cell coverage doesn’t help.  At least the sun was shining and the temperature was in the low forties as I started pushing the scooter back towards Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania in hopes of a cell signal.  It’s less than a mile.

A half-dozen vehicles stopped to ask if I needed help.  Not a single Vespa technician among them.  Nice to know that people care about an old man pushing a Vespa along a road.

Spruce Creek, PA church

In the parking lot of the Spruce Creek United Methodist Church I was able to get one bar of AT&T coverage to reach out to my friend Paul.  He was available and would bring his truck to haul the dead scooter to Kissell Motorsports and most likely a new fuel pump.

trout fisherman on spruce creek

While I waited I watched the fisherman work their way along the Little Juniata River just a few hundred yards from where Spruce Creek dumps its water and fish into the river.  This is a popular spot for fly fishing.  Not far from here is the club where President Jimmy Carter was a frequent fishing visitor.

Now, on to the dead scooter.  I wish it would stay dead because it would be easier to diagnose and fix.  As luck (bad) would have it the Vespa started.  And more bad luck showed no cell signal again.  So off I went with an eye open for Paul’s big blue truck.

About five miles up the road I saw him, we coordinated plans, and headed to Kissell’s to drop on the scooter.

Moto Guzzi V7 Racer at Kissell Motorsports

After checking the Vespa in for repairs Craig Kissell showed us a 2012 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer that was just traded.  Amazing bit of engineering and I could see Paul wanted it.  Craig was ready to make it happen but Paul was too close to a recent Ducati acquisition.  The more amazing part of the story was what the owner traded this motorcycle for — a new Vespa Sprint 150.

Go figure.

Anyways, I won’t see the Vespa again until after the new year.  Until then I can focus on other projects like getting my darkroom rolling again or clearing the basement so a new gas fired boiler can be installed and the smelly old oil fired one (and the storage tank) can be carted away.

Always things to do, especially when the Vespa won’t start…