Scooter in the Sticks

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

Friendship Follows Interests: Riding and Photography

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A black & white photograph of two men in a mirror.
A familiar state of being.

Making Friends

A young man I know complains how hard it is to meet people. To make friends. For me, friendships have all developed from common interests. Years ago it was hiking and backpacking. Then photography, and now riding. I’d like to tell that young man he is unlikely to find friends at bars, playing video games, dabbling in crypto, and placing bets with Draft Kings. I won’t offer advice unless he specifically asks for it.

My friend Paul recently gave me a photograph he made of the two of us at a local diner. It immediately struck a chord — that’s my friend Paul, always making photos, always sharing a ride.

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The Trail 125: Keeping the Spark Alive as the Years Roll On

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Steve Williams selfie in Moshannon State Forest.
Getting older but still having fun.

In the Mirror

A few years ago, just before turning 70, I looked in the mirror and acknowledged I’m getting old. Not an admission of failure or surrender, but rather an acceptance of reality and the need to make some adjustments. Especially as it pertains to riding. While still able to ride bigger motorcycles I could tell the comfort point had shifted. Particularly riding off the pavement. And that desire to maintain a reasonable comfort level led me to buy the Honda Trail 125. The perfect little motorcycle for an old man hell bent on still exploring places where the road isn’t always well traveled or maintained.

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Discovering New Places

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A 2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan along a rural road in farm country.
Few things as pleasurable as finding a new road to ride so close to home.

Overlooked Places

Just a mile or so to the right in this photograph is a road I’ve ridden or driven a hundred times or more. Somehow I never realized another world existed just over the hill. Sitting in my living room the previous evening with my good friend Google Maps I discovered some roads I didn’t know existed. It’s a little unsettling to discover new places just 35 miles from home. A fine day to do a little exploring on the Himalayan.

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How is a Scooter Different from a Motorcycle?

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Putting on motorcycle boots.
Every ride begins with boots.

Boots for Every Ride

Whether on a scooter or motorcycle my rides begin the same way by putting on boots and other riding gear. Then checking out the machine to make sure everything is working as it should. I’ve met more than a few scooter riders who believe a scooter is inherently safer than a motorcycle. All I can say is if you come off the scooter at 35 MPH the pavement doesn’t care whether you were on a Harley or a 50CC scooter. It’s perfectly happy to grind away your flesh and break your bones. Personally, I treat the preparation for a ride the same on my Vespa GTS 250 as I do for any of my motorcycles. In that regard a scooter is no different than a motorcycle.

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An Ordinary, Mundane Ride

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A 2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle on a gravel forest road.
Familiar, frequently traveled road near home.

I’ve Been Here Many Times Before

Expectations can trip me up if I cling to them too strongly. Thinking a ride has to be some sort of exceptional adventure is the sort of thinking that can rob me of opportunities that are anything but an adventure. Those days when I only have an hour to ride can seem not worth the effort to gear and and go. Especially if I am just going to retrace roads that I’ve literally ridden a hundred times before.

Recently I forced myself out of the house and onto the road on the Royal Enfield Himalayan for an, ordinary, mundane ride.

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