Scooter in the Sticks

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

Riding Freedom: Scooter in the Mountains

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Foggy forest road near Little FlatFog on the Mountain

Standing in the yard with the dogs this morning I could see fog on the mountain.  The scooter moves toward it like a compass needle points north.  I feel the draw.  And I feel the pressure of responsibility to work, or take care of the incessant business of life.  A friend suggests I abandon work and go for a ride.

While standing here making the photograph of the road disappearing into the fog I’me struck by how infrequent it is that I feel disconnected from responsibility, free from the thoughts that I need to be somewhere or do something.  Riding goes to great lengths to help detach for awhile.  I suspect many experience that riding freedom. But I wonder what true freedom feels like.  Or even if it exists at all.

I had to revisit a piece I wrote for Motorcycle.com called Riding and the Taste of Freedom.  See how my thinking changes.  Or doesn’t.Continue Reading

End of Winter Riding

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Man's shadow on a plowed farm fieldSeeing My Shadow

On Wednesday morning the sky was clear and the air warmed quickly from a 27 degree start.  The brilliant sunrise painted a crisp shadow on the farm field along the road where I parked my Vespa scooter.  By noon the temperature was in the fifties and my delusion of spring strengthened.  Two days later, right now, just after midnight, the temperature is plunging into the teens with a brisk wind.

Spring has deserted me.  As with the groundhog who sees his shadow, more winter is coming. And more winter riding.

Vespa GTS scooter at sunriseWarm Weather Fantasy

My well-worn Vespa GTS scooter still glistens in the early morning light. At this time of year I often stand in beams of sunlight on my face, absorbing heat, believing my body is generating Vitamin D and putting me in synch with the natural rhythm of the world.

This stop, just three miles from home, has provided many opportunities to worship the sun.

Vespa GTS scooter along rural roadBig Sky Country

This is about as big as the sky gets.  Nothing compared to the Midwest or West.  Aside from views from hilltops, you never really get a sense of the larger horizon.  At times it’s a claustrophobic world.

The scooter doesn’t care and I don’t either.  I am happy to ride whenever I can and look forward to warmer weather.  Right now, I have little hope of riding in the morning.  The dogs don’t want to go out.  I probably won’t either…

Riding Discipline

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Vespa GTS scooter parked on street in State College, PennsylvaniaThe Riding Ritual

Wake, exercise dogs, feed them, eat, shower and check the weather report.  Make decision to ride or not ride.

Riding discipline is a series of actions and behaviors that coalesce around a common goal of performance and engagement with the machine.  And that performance is what interests me.  Not only for how it affects riding, but how it reaches beyond to open consideration of a whole host of live actions and behaviors.

The Vespa is a teacher and mentor.  Unusual really, considering it’s only a collection of inanimate parts.

Yesterday morning I rode into town to meet a friend for breakfast.  The temperature was below freezing which required me to make a decision regarding riding, and then more regarding gear.  Engaging both questions over time creates a level of discipline which makes the entire process easier to engage and ultimately ride more.

Who cares about economy or fuel mileage when you can expand your experience through the use of a riding contraption…

 

Vespa Riding Soundtrack

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Often when I’m riding there’s a Vespa riding soundtrack in my head.  Not one powered by any digital device — just the quiet humming or singing that rises from the solitude I find while riding. The selections vary depending on mood and circumstance, but the music plays often — a private performance that echoes in my helmet.

It’s rare for me to sing openly among others.

Wayfaring Stranger — Michael Parks and Bonnie Bedelia

The most common song I sing is Wayfaring Stranger.  I’ve loved this song since I first heard it in the Pilot of Then Came Bronson.  My solitary rides are often quiet meditations on life and where I’m heading — from an existential perspective.  The song is in perfect harmony with those thought patterns.

Behind Blue Eyes — The Who

Behind Blue Eyes is harder to explain why it surfaces so often.  The lyrics don’t resonate but the melody and arc of the music does as it seems to push through some sort of adversity.  I find myself singing this at night.  Or in bad weather.

America — Simon and Garfunkel

America is my sunny day song when the road is clear and the world awaits.  It captures the thrill and excitement of exploration and discovery.  That was true the first time I heard it, long before I was riding the Vespa.

Riding is not a single experience but reflects the baggage I bring along.  While the road can disinfect and cleanse a troubled spirit, more often the ride conforms to the thoughts and feelings I’m having.  And music seems to capture all of it, my unique Vespa riding soundtrack, as these tunes play in the Shoei Arena.

2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

My Favorite Road Close to Home

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Vespa GTS scooter along Brush Valley RoadGateway Road

My favorite road begins one mile from my front door — Brush Valley Road.  Whenever I need to unwind with a short ride it’s generally my first choice. It’s a lightly traveled secondary road the winds through rural Pennsylvania; past horse farms and dairy farms, through villages and woodlots and all the time providing scenic views that help erase the noise of an especially chaotic day.

If I have little time the ride can loop home after just eight miles.  But it’s a gateway to longer ones.  Brush Valley continues on for forty miles until taking on the name of Buffalo Road.  And along the way there are a host of departure points for much longer rides.

Vespa GTS scooter in a winter wonderlandRoad for All Seasons

It’s a lovely road in all seasons.  The natural beauty of the landscape coupled with the seasonal effect make for some visually rich travel.  The road is well maintained and the drivers are generally well-behaved.

Vespa GTS scooter in fog along roadRoad for All Weather

As the road winds through the valley it is blessed from time to time with fog which can completely change the riding experience, almost to the degree that I sometimes don’t recognize where I am.  That’s a joy for a short ride in familiar territory.

Amish horse and buggy with Vespa GTS scooterOn Through Amish Country

Ten miles from home you’ll begin to see signs of the Amish communities in the valley.  Lines on the roads from the buggies.  Horse droppings.  The Amish farms.  Or even the horse and buggies themselves.  Added to the picturesque landscape makes the road one of the finest rides you’ll see in Pennsylvania.  And get the right weather and it’s magical.

Steve Williams with BMW F650 motorcycleOn to More Adventure

Brush Valley Road can be a jumping off point for a wide range of rides.  One of the most common rides I take is a 150 mile loop through three counties that traverses field, forest and mountain.  Here I was stopped along PA Route 44 as it crests Little Mountain.  I was riding a BMW F650 GS motorcycle.  One of my favorite motorcycles.  Plenty of power without being a lumbering mess.

Two Vespa GTS scooters in the mountains of central PennsylvaniaVespa in the Mountains

My friend Gordon and I rode our scooters on the same route and stopped in the same place to admire the view.  Some roads have those special places just screaming for a photography.

My favorite road provides a challenge to ride, exquisite scenery, and a chance to renew my riding spirit.  It just doesn’t get much better than that.

2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.