Scooter in the Sticks

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

Thunder Management

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Grey clouds and heavy skySeeing a small lightning bolt in the hourly weather forecast is discouraging.  Weighing the chances of things coming true against first hand observations of the sky is one of the skills many riders seek to perfect.  In my case there’s less science and more rationalization involved as I try to justify rolling out of the garage and going for a ride.  Unless the count between seeing a flash and hearing the thunder drips below 10 I usually will ride.  It’s a poor method to engage in thunderstorm management.

My friend Paul and I had planned for a leisurely afternoon ride yesterday until the forecast threatened thunderstorms and rain.  At the last minute the sky appeared stable and our path moved us away from the growing darkness in the southwest.

Vespa and Piaggio scooters along a freshly plowed farm field.Agriculture is in full swing in central Pennsylvania as farmers paint the landscape with furrows and tire tracks and their methodical patchwork of brown and green.  I’ve been photographing places like this since the 1970s and they have not lost their magic.

Paul opted for his new Piaggio Fly 150 over his Ducati on this ride.  For backroad travel it has more than enough power.  Each time we would round a gravel covered bend I would think about the riders who what to aggressively attack those curves.  No pretty pictures in those scenes.

farm fields in Penns Valley, PennsylvaniaLooking east toward Union County, Pennsylvania which is just beyond the horizon.  This area of Penns Valley used to be decidedly rural but is giving way to more housing developments and mini-estates.  One of the things keeping the landscape agricultural is the large Amish community but even they seem to be changing — paved driveways, manicured lawns, and solar panels spread across roof tops.

Vespa along rural roadRiding on these little country roads is like dreaming during the day — awake and aware but able to entertain a wide range of “what ifs”.  Paul and I moved along with a general direction in mind but with no other agenda other than seeing what would unfold before us.  Green dominated the earth while heavy skies watched over us.  Thankfully, the weather forecast threatening rain delivered it elsewhere.

Scooters in Millheim, PennsylvaniaMillheim is closed on Tuesdays.  The cafe, restaurant, art gallery and butcher shop, all closed on Tuesday.  The left the pizza place as the only choice for a snack before riding off toward Penns Creek and wandering home.  No thunder, no rain, no pressure.

Just a simple ride in the country.

 

 

 

Breathing in the Road

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Honey Locust tree flowers in spring timeAimless with a wandering mind, a difficult state to visit, a worthy goal to have — at least in my world.  As the Vespa moves slowly along path and pavement under a bright sun and blue sky most noisy ideas and concerns grow limp and dissipate leaving only the scooter and the road.  The mind floats along somewhere.  This morning the fragrance of honey locust trees filled the air only to be replaced by the scent of freshly cut hay.  A little further, as the hedge rows crowd the road, honeysuckle perfume, all like a spring dream stroking sparkling senses.  Not once does the Vespa roar or growl, not a hint of gasoline or oil. We’re just silent partners breathing in the road.

Vespa GTS scooter and honey locust treesThe agricultural valleys are flush with spring and looking towards summer.  Unlike the mega-droughts in the West we still have water.  Irrigation is rare as are water intensive crops.  Wandering through the countryside is an exercise in observation — finding something interesting in the ordinary.  I don’t make mythic trips across multiple states or continents.  Circumstance requires I find adventure and satisfaction on the well traveled roads of my life.

I’ve explored this idea for nearly two decades as a photographer and found inspiration in the work of Josef Sudek and his personal explorations when trapped in his little cottage for years during the Nazi occupation of Prague.  Finding compelling subject matter to explore within arm’s reach is difficult.  I’ve tried to apply this approach on the road.

Vespa GTS scooter under a large oak treeI’ve followed these small roads halfway across Pennsylvania.  The state is a patchwork of former farm lanes now paved by townships to form a dizzying challenge to anyone looking to find someplace specific.  For a wanderer they provide a welcome escape from the tightly managed roads of daily life.

I’ve passed this tree a hundred times or more over the years, one of many that stand out.  Some have fallen, victims of lightning, development or old age.  I see them as metaphors for life and childishly believe they’ll go on forever.  Such is not the case though.

Vespa GTS scooter in Penns ValleyEgg Hill rises above Penns Valley in the distance, a small hill that divides the valley into two distinct areas.  My riding preferences usually take me to the left and on into more sparsely populated areas and eventually into Bald Eagle State Forest.

Standing here I can feel the draw of the horizon, to explore tracks and paths, and let my spirit roam with the scooter.  For now, I stay close to home and allow my body to slowly adjust my recent heart attack.  Later this week my cardiologist will evaluate progress and send me on to a cardiac rehabilitation facility to find out how much physical stress I can endure.

More adventures in life.  I hope they’re as sweet as a ride in the country on the Vespa…

 

Fear of the Dark

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Vespa GTS scooter on a rainy nightThis evening a friend asked me about leather jackets — the kind you might find in a department store.  His son recently got a small motorcycle and he wanted to know if the jacket made him safe. After our discussion of protective riding gear and the difference between a true motorcycle leather jacket and a leather jacket intended for casual dress I could sense fear in his voice — fear for the safety of his son.

Every rider has probably had some conversation about riding, safety and risk with someone who will never be convinced that the activity at best is a fool’s errand but in reality more akin to a death wish. Their fear of the dark is too strong to dissuade.

This evening I took a short ride into town on the Vespa in a light mist, another slow step in my cardiac recovery.  Learning to pace myself, respecting my current physical limitations, and not surrendering to any fear of the dark is where I find myself today.  Riding provides a wonderful barometer to evaluate progress and location.

Vespa GTS scooter in State College, PennsylvaniaWet roads and dying light are circumstances that must be assessed and managed.  They have their own unique challenges and do not bend to my needs or agenda.  I bend to them.  Looking at the warm pools of light on the pavement, the reflections in the puddles, the soft glow of the evening light, it’s important I don’t lose track of the important matters at hand — that the road surface has far less traction, drivers can’t see me as well, and I can’t see as well either.

Thinking about how well my physical recovery is proceeding it’s important I don’t lose track of what’s important — take my medication without fail, eat healthily, and pay attention to my physical and emotional condition.  I can’t get lost in the soft glow of an easy recovery.

Infant Emma SofiaPaid a short visit to my granddaughter this afternoon.  I’m surprised at the motivation this little person provides to live a different life.  I want to see her grow up, walk with her, talk about the world.  It’s as if there is a genetic program at work stretching back tens of thousands of years to make sure the young and the old connect.

Somehow, riding my Vespa is intertwined with whatever conversations we’ll have.

Misty farm field and old wire fence under a heavy gray skyThe warm weather has given way to a heavy gray sky and a plunge in temperature — a favored riding environment for me.  Things look different when the sun is gone.  Standing along the road looking across the expanse of green meeting the heavy sky I see only opportunity.  Any fear of the dark is supplanted by an expectant dream of adventure ahead.

Portrait of Anita K WilliamsA portrait of my mother hangs outside of my granddaughter’s bedroom, a charcoal sketch made by one of her friends when she was 18 years old.  Her face reminds me of the appreciation of adventure she bestowed on me, the desire to see what’s over the next hill, what lies around the next turn.

I’ve always considered adventure in terms of movement and travel for which the Vespa is a capable partner.  Perhaps it was just preparation for another kind of adventure.

Vespa GTS scooter and Mount NittanyAlmost home, Vespa along the road, Mount Nittany in the distance shrouded in mist.  For me, at its best, riding is a solitary experience.  The choices on the road are mine to make as is progress toward a destination.  I can’t help but think about how tangled life is amidst a sea of circumstance, desire and dreams.

Oh, the ride is breathtaking…

Lane-Splitting with Mr. Fish

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Mr. Fish is a British scooter rider (Piaggio BV250), and YouTube video blogger.  He recently added the capability to narrate while riding and his droll sense of humor is engaging.  This recent addition to his collection is a bit unnerving for me as he scoots his way through traffic.  It’s easy to see the commuting advantages of lane splitting.  I know the wide angle makes things appear to move faster but even so, it’s not something I’d be comfortable doing so I’ll choose to lane split vicariously through Mr. Fish.

For those unfamiliar with the term — lane-splitting is the act of riding your scooter or motorcycle in the space between lanes of cars and trucks.  They may be stopped, they may be moving.  It gives a rider the chance to keep moving when everyone else is at a standstill.

Have a look and see what you think.

Riding Naked

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For any readers expecting skin — let me dissuade you now — no skin in this post. Naked has connotations beyond the body stripped bare of clothes, it points to times of vulnerability and being leaving the mind exposed to the world. It’s in this vain that I was riding naked.

iPhone 4Gs on a Vespa rideI spent two days without my iPhone; unplugged, disconnected, cut off from the world and I have to admit I felt uncomfortable, a bit anxious, and sensed the obsessive nature of my relationship with the thing.

It wasn’t until Friday night until I realized I had left the phone on my desk at work when in a moment of boredom I attempted to fill the void with headlines from Google News.  Without the phone my easy access to time, weather and calendar was gone.  No quick glimpse of email to make sure there was nothing to attend to for work.  As the evening progressed I found myself feeling as if I was missing something, that life was going on without me.  All because the little device was not with me.

While doing errands on Saturday I was like a stranger in a strange land as I noticed how many people were walking through the grocery store looking at their phones, tapping into an unseen flow of energy that kept them safe and content.

Like a drug.

I would find out later that my wife tried to reach me by phone and text.  The assumed reliable access is gone when you don’t have a cellphone with you.  I found myself wondering when I surrendered my independence for the safe enslavement of a smartphone?  I remember not having one and feeling just as safe on a trip as I do now even though a breakdown would require reaching out to fellow travelers for help.  Seems frightening today.

Vespa GTS scooter with front rackI have no illusions when it comes to riding adventure.  I don’t believe it exists anymore, at least not the idea in my head of the rugged individual facing the world alone.  Today every rider I know has the convenient smartphone lifeline that provides access to support, maps, directions, weather and more.

But wouldn’t the real adventure be to leave the phone, the GPS, the tablet and whatever other network connection you have at home?  Certainly would force a person to consider the road differently.  I suspect the ride would be more challenging and the experience more intimate. Looking at a map is different that following a dot of a digital screen.

I would like to say I am going to leave my iPhone at home but I know I won’t.  I can’t.  I need it.  But I also know that having one and using it daily leaves a person with an addiction to the thing, especially if you take a lot of hits from it.  That I can do something about.

Right now I’m powerless over my iPhone so I can’t ride naked.