Scooter in the Sticks

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

Two Vespa Scooters

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gray day and rural landscapeGrayness and the Landscape

It was one of those days when the light and atmosphere changed minute by minute. And to make things even more unpredictable I was riding for the first time with fellow Vespa rider, Andy Heckathorne.

Two Vespa scooters on the road.

Riding with another person, especially for the first time, is a bit unsettling. You’re letting someone into your personal space. And you have a choice of being yourself or to put on a facade.

For me, the biggest concerns I have when riding with someone else are my slow speeds due to rubbernecking and my desire to stop and take pictures.

Andy experienced a little of both.Continue Reading

Outlaw Riders

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scooter and motorcycle along a rural roadLong Shadows of Morning

Dazzling light and crisp mornings are a perfect way to start a ride. With the air temperature hovering in the low 40s (Fahrenheit), my friend Paul and I set out to find breakfast. Him on his 2016 BMW R1200 RT and me on the Vespa — an odd pairing only if you’re concerned with the optics or the BMW rider wants to greatly exceed the speed limit. I suspect there are other things that would suggest a problem.

We departed Boalsburg, Pennsylvania with a goal in mind — breakfast at the Spruce Creek Bakery in Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania. Downhill a dizzying 344 feet in elevation. I made a note to be on the lookout for altitude sickness on the way home. And for Marine One in case President Trump, like Jimmy Carter before him, decided to visit Spruce Creek to fish for trout.

It’s a serious ride.Continue Reading

Thoughts on Gravel and Paved Roads

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Vespa GTS on gravel roadDirt and Gravel

Maps sate the desire to wander.

Almost.

Do you fantasize with maps?

Pouring over roads and potential places to ride generates ideas and excuses to make trips without need or purpose. As is often the case, routes are weighed against possible places to eat.

A few days ago I found myself puzzling over a road across Stone Mountain leading into Big Valley in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. A road I had not traveled before and wondered if it was paved. And if not, what condition it was in.

I’ve ridden enough dirt and gravel roads now on the Vespa to discern the differences that present themselves. Packed dirt like encountered by this powerline provides a smooth, easy ride. But that’s not always the case.Continue Reading

Just Wandering

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Vespa GTS scooter on a foggy, rural morningFoggy, Rural Morning

Many mornings of late start with just wandering through the countryside near home.  More to help brain and body greet the day than any sort of riding adventure.  There’s a slow, reflective state that I can enter as the scooter quietly rolls along, and I just soak in the view.Continue Reading

Long Vespa Ride

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Amish bakery near Smulton, PennsylvaniaLured by Baked Goods

I have no idea what to write. Only a handful of photos from a recent ride. A ride fueled by a desire to be on the road and in the world. No goals. No destination. Just the need to recharge my spiritual batteries. To take a long Vespa ride.

At this point in my life you wouldn’t think I would need to justify or rationalize why I’m getting on the Vespa. Oddly though, I find myself at times struggling for a reason. Perhaps desire is enough.

I sat at the end of the driveway for a few minutes wondering which way to go. I was reduced to left or right. Growing impatient I muttered to myself, “F*ck it” and turned left.

All I was doing was keeping the Vespa in motion, confident that some plan or idea would surface. As the scooter rolled along familiar pavement I remembered a conversation with a friend about an Amish bakery. A plan emerged and 40 minutes later found myself surveying boxes of Bear Claws and cream filled donuts in a self-serve bakery along Smulton Road in Smulton, Pennsylvania.

No one was around. A can with cash sat on a table to accept payments. All the regular donuts were gone — the telltale chocolate rings evidence of the prize I was after. I left without sampling the more complex cream filled offerings.Continue Reading