Scooter in the Sticks

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

A Thankful Rider

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I don’t need to ride to know I have much for which to be thankful. Riding this morning it seems as if the world has gone away, the roads and intersections empty.

 Standing alone on the pavement I am thankful for family and friends. Holding the cold camera in my bare hands makes me grateful for a warm bed and home.  

A sip of hot tea at Starbucks reminds me I have never been hungry or without money in my pocket. Today there are no complaints (even though my Vespa fell over in a muddy field a short time ago). I give thanks for the spiritual and material wealth I have received. 

To each of you I wish a safe and happy Thanksgiving Day.

Resolving for the New Year…

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To make some changes. Changes to Scooter in the Sticks. Changes in other areas of my life. This is the time of year where many people, myself included, take stock of things and resolve to make life different — better.

It snowed last night — walking the dog at 3AM on trackless streets with large, heavy snowflakes falling hard transformed my neighborhood into something right out of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I kept waiting for someone to run past screaming “Hello you beautiful scooter rider!” By the time I woke up this morning it was 10:30 and the snow had melted from the roads though I did manage to find an abandoned farm to further experiment with snow riding. I’m always pleased with how the Vespa GTS presents itself in pictures.

Resolutions don’t mean much without action. That missing element may explain why diet and exercise continue to show up on my resolution list year after year. Something new has caught my attention and has been turning for months in my head in an embryonic, pre-cognitive state until just a few days ago during my two-week holiday I realized I always seem to be in a hurry. Always in a rush.

On the way to the grocery store for supplies to supplement the sauerkraut cooking in the crock pot I stopped in town to take a look at the ice sculptures that are part of the First Night festivities.

Ice carvers were putting finishing touches on a variety of art ice from George Washington to a royal throne. Cold weather helps keep things looking good unlike previous years where rain and 60 degree temperatures made the ice work quite ephemeral.

Even though I have been visiting Tim Hodgens’ blog I Will Rush No More for a long time the idea just wasn’t sinking in that I was a rushing fool. I figured since I was riding a scooter I couldn’t possibly be rushing. As I think about a resolution to quit rushing the magnitude of it is unnerving. It means some big changes and probably eliminating some things. But I’m ready. I’m tired of the old “the faster I go the behinder I get” routine.

I could not resist attempting to follow the farm lane in the first picture out along the field and across to a paved road a mile or so in the distance. The ground was pretty solid and the snow not too deep so off I went. The tires failed me on a very slight incline of snow on grass. Just no traction at all so I had to abandon the journey. I can only hope I have better traction with my resolutions.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

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I want to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and thank you for your support and kind words towards Scooter in the Sticks. I’ll be spending time with family and friends and perhaps even take the Vespa out for a ride. I have much to be grateful for.

The magic of the season I felt as a child has changed — replaced by the knowledge that this is indeed a wonderful life. And while I don’t know where Scooter in the Sticks will be going in the coming weeks and months I’m glad you are along for the ride!

I’ll leave you with the song below that triggers fond memories of a time when I was younger. Whatever your faith, belief, or tradition is, best wishes to you and yours for a fine holiday.

Bringing Home the Christmas Tree

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It’s now a tradition — bringing home the Christmas tree on the back of the Vespa. I can’t help but think of Clark Griswold in the Christmas Vacation movie driving to get a tree in the woods for an old fashion family Christmas. I may have even sung a carol or two on the way home.

The tradition’s continuation was still in question that morning. Kim and I were talking about alternatives to a tree, it was getting late in the season, and we just weren’t sure. Sitting in Starbucks enjoying a pre-holiday breakfast of tea and chocolate marble cake I decided to ride to the Tait Farm for a tree.

Business was slow on a weekday this close to Christmas so I had the place pretty much to myself. A few people were wandering around looking at trees and decorations. With the temperature in the upper 30’s the melting snow made the fields a little sloppy so I decided to buy a pre-cut tree rather than wander around with a saw and cut my own. Waiting patiently among the pines and spruces was a lovely six and a half foot Douglas Fir.

It didn’t take long to strap the tree to the rear rack and start towards home. While there weren’t a lot of people at the farm there was a lot of traffic on the road (US 322) running past the place. It’s a main artery between Interstate 80 and points south through Central Pennsylvania and thick with trucks and cars. I wanted to take a more rustic and relaxed path home — to the right I would find a nice gravel road but with no winter maintenance it would likely still be covered with snow and ice. To the left just a half mile down the road I could turn off and ride through a golf course and into a quiet valley that would lead me home. I waited until I could see a big gap in traffic and made a beeline towards the golf course. With the tree on the back I couldn’t go much faster than 45 MPH without the tree beginning to shake. I could see a line of tractor-trailers bearing down on me in my rear-view mirrors. By the time I made the turnoff they were only a hundred feet behind me and coming fast. Ho. Ho. HO!

Once in Brush Valley things were much more relaxed and I could ride along slowly and enjoy the scenery and sing a few bars of Let it Snow and I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas. Dean Martin or Bing Crosby I’m not. Having earplugs does enhance the singing of even a less than mediocre singer like me.

I didn’t go straight home. I wanted to find another present for Kim so I stopped at the soon to go out of business Federal House, a small gift shop with an eclectic collection of things. With everything at 75 percent off I purchased two 10 by 16 inch paintings mounted in ornate, rustic metal frames. No problem with transport on the Vespa — just strapped them down on top of the tree with a few more bungee cords.

I like Christmas and tradition is important. If you are looking to add one yourself you may want to consider hauling a Christmas tree home on the back of your scooter or motorcycle. It looks more imposing than it actually is. The tree weighs less than a passenger and when balanced correctly it doesn’t even take much to keep it attached. Keep the tree less than 9 feet in length and you won’t even be a wide load!

Riding Towards Christmas

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Every year it seems as if life shifts into high gear this time of year. I struggle to stay tuned into the Christmas spirit and stop to enjoy the simple things. It took some gentle persuasion by Kim to nudge me out the door one evening to shoot a picture of the little snow-covered tree in our front yard.

After some bad weather and hectic work schedule I managed to get out on the weekend for a ride after more gentle nudges by Paul. In his honor I made another jumping picture. As he prepared to leap from the platform at the back of the train all I could imagine was a broken ankle. Safety experts at work counsel farmers to not jump down from their tractors due to the high incidence of injury. The same counsel should be offered to riders who jump from trains.

We arrived in Bellefonte during the last moments of their Victorian Christmas Celebration. I managed to photograph one of the carriages drawn by a team of Percheron horses transporting people around town. These events are always shine with more seasonal magic if there’s snow but this time everyone had to be content with 40-degree weather.

Paul and I idled the remains of the day at Cool Beans Coffee and Tea but eventually had to head for home before it got dark and the temperature dropped below freezing making the chance ice spot more probable.

The sun hit the horizon about six miles from home and the temperature dropped to 33 degrees by that time as well.

Stopping to look out over the valley I remembered that the Christmas tree farm where we get our tree was off in the distance. Even though I was riding towards home I was also riding towards a tree as well. Perhaps this weekend if the snow isn’t too bad I’ll bring one home.