riding Archives - Page 39 of 83 - Scooter in the Sticks

Sentimental Journey

August 30, 2014 by Scooter in the Sticks 22 Comments

You never know what you’ll experience once to take to the road. Even the roads well traveled. Like peeling an onion, riding through the same places with an eye to the narrow gravel lane bearing off into the woods, or the cracked concrete street leading into a strange neighborhood, wandering deeper into the familiar can yield some unexpected treasure. Just as the Vespa floats through the world my thoughts can drift along at once in the present and the past as it conjures forgotten feelings and memories kindled into life by an unlooked-for sight. One those days a ride becomes a sentimental journey.

Last weekend I found myself riding deeper into places that I’ve passed a hundred times. I understand the notion “I’ve already ridden there,” but at the same time realize you never really have. By that I mean there is always something more to see right at your feet. I don’t have the time or opportunity to make epic rides. Most of the time I’m limited to what I can pack into an hour or two, or during a ride to work, an errand to the grocery store. And I’ve learned how to transform those into something more than they might seem to the casual observer. Absorbing what’s in front of me now, what’s revealed on the rides I take, are likely in line with what some consider an active alternative to the grand journey — slow travel. Slow travel is, for me, a focus on squeezing experience from the moment rather than collecting miles and sights. It’s not for everyone but I feel everyone can probably get something from the change in mindset.

The Vespa scooter is a perfect foil for my slow travel adventuring. With no interstate highways to burn up or great distances I consume I can wander at a pace that allows me to see wildflowers and listen to the trill of summer insects in the forest. There are a few sounds whose mental recall provide almost instant relief from the pain of a day — one is the rolling of waves on a shoreline, and the other the sound of crickets, katydids and cicadas in the forest. Each time I shut the engine off and wander along the road I have the chance to reinforce those memories. You never know when you’ll need them.

There is no right way to ride, no perfect machine, no ultimate journey. Every rider makes their own choices for their own reasons and it accounts for the wonderful diversity of experience that’s so obvious when riders get together to tell lies. There are times when I ride that I feel I’m in another world, alone, and with a blank canvas in front of me. I’ve ridden on this road along Spring Creek hundreds of times and still stop almost every time because there is still more to see. And the memories of living in this place are breathtaking at times as those experiences spin up together with the knowledge that the years of my life have slipped by so quickly and there is more that I want to see and do. It’s times like this that I find I’m on a sentimental journey.

During the ride I passed by the University Park Airport where the “Sentimental Journey” was parked, a B-17 Flying Fortress that had been flying over the valley for the past couple days. The WWII bomber was their as part of a visit by the Commemorative Air Force out of Arizona. Visitors were able to go inside the plane and if you had the cash you could go for a ride. When I was in college I used to work as a black and white printer in a darkroom. One of the full time guys had been a gunner on a B-17 and flew a number of missions out of England until his plane was shot down over France. I’ve not seen this fellow in many years but seeing the plane brought a rush of memories of his stories. Would never have anticipated them when I left in the morning.

My own sentimental journey…

The video below is from CAF Airbase Arizona provides a dramatic view of “Sentimental Journey”, a reminder of the airplane that played a big role in the war in Europe.

Triggering Curiosity

August 23, 2014 by Scooter in the Sticks 10 Comments

Usually a ride on the Vespa cures any ill, the acceleration into flight strips away concerns and distractions and transforms darkness into light — at least with the normal noise and chaos of living. Riding can trigger curiosity and change my whole outlook on life. Saturday morning found me on the road, dodging the raindrops, pushing the scooter onto he little narrow paths that crisscross the area, focusing on the challenges of dirt and gravel, mud and water.

Whenever my mind’s not right I slip off onto less traveled roads to explore and let my mind wander in new directions. Rain threatened all morning as I passed across the valley towards a series of chores. The drama of the landscape never fails to excite, even on these little rides.

Mount Nittany looms in the middle of Happy Valley, a familiar icon for the Penn State faithful. As a young geology student I learning it was an inverted, truncated geosyncline. Or something like that. It’s been 42 years since hearing those words so I could have mixed them up a bit.

Everything is so lush right now with the consistent rain we’ve had this summer. Little pathways wind through tunnels of foliage and provide endless opportunities to explore without needing to travel very far. The only complaint I have is it only takes a few moments for the Black Flies to find you. Those beasts get into your helmet and can drive you a little nuts.

A last stop in a wet, dank tunnel beneath Interstate 99 before surrendering to the necessities of the day. Looking at this picture I’m reminded again at how little riding I actually get done because I’m in a constant search for things to look at which for me means stopping. Some riders make 5o miles in an hour. More often than not I’ll only accomplish 10. Or less. Someone once referred to me as a dawdler though I thought it more accurate to be identified as a curious toddler.

No wonder a motorcycle doesn’t make much sense.

Deer Strategies for Riders

August 19, 2014 by Scooter in the Sticks 18 Comments

On Monday morning when the alarm clock launched the radio I was brought into the world with a story about a couple on a Harley who slid their motorcycle 300 feet in an attempt to avoid a whitetail deer. In my half awake, mostly drifting state I still had the presence of mind to question the details of the event. And wonder about riding strategies for deer.

Deer are everywhere here. Everywhere. And despite their tendency to move more at dusk and dawn, they can be found bounding across the road at anytime of day. Anytime. The rider claimed he had to slide the bike to avoid the deer. Is sliding the best option for avoiding deer? And how fast do you need to be going to slide a Harley Davidson motorcycle 300 feet?

By the time I was riding to work my brain was still chewing on the story, turning the details over and over and pondering a few more questions. Knowing the road and location where the accident happened, a place where I have seen dozens and dozens of deer, why would a motorcycle be traveling at said velocity at 6:17 p.m. — a prime deer traffic time? And in one of those moments of clarity I dropped the mental inquiry realizing it was as pointless as asking why someone rides without a helmet or any other choice that varies from my own. We each are endowed with the power of making our own choices. Managing the risk of wildlife collisions is part fate and part rider choice. I like to focus on choices.

The remainder of the ride to work was spent thinking about how people manage the risks involved with deer, or wildlife of any kind. A recent inquiry from a reader in Australia detailed the lasting effects of an unfortunate encounter with a wallaby. Deer, groundhog, dog or wallaby — you don’t want to have encounters.

To be completely honest, I couldn’t come up with many strategies related to deer. If I had to list the biggest risk I face as a rider it would be Bambi. I feel comfortable that the speeding drivers, cellphone users, and incompetent motorists can be fairly managed. But my doe-eyed friends, they are unpredictable. Sort of like the guy who has a heart attack just as he is about to pass you and suddenly you have a head-on encounter with destiny. So with the heart attack and the deer all I can come up with is to slow down, learn the type of environs that deer like to use to cross a road, and pay fierce attention during the times of day that deer are most active. Oh, a remember during hunting season all bets are off. The deer are making mad dashes until the guns grow silent.

Thinking about the 300 foot slide, one hundred yards of Harley inspired sparks, that’s impressive. Thankfully the rider and his passenger survived and were taken to a local hospital when they could be treated and hopefully ride another day.

Riding across the farm lane on the way to work where the dazzling sunlight in the open fields provides expansive visibility and few places for all but the most determine deer to hide I felt reasonably safe and unlikely to do much wildlife induced sliding.

But how do other riders manage or rationalize their choices regarding riding behavior in the face of wildlife obstacles? Maybe there’s something I can learn.

Riding in the Rain

July 24, 2014 by Scooter in the Sticks 17 Comments

Leaving work late only to find it starting to rain and facing a decision to ride without or without raingear. My Revit rain suit has remained unused for over a year as I continue to choose wet over dry. Laziness is at work, at least partially as the thought of unpacking and donning the suit seems dizzying. And a rough part of me just likes getting drenched. I suppose every rider has a different dance when considering riding in the rain.

Riding west towards the setting sun and approaching rain revealed little of what would happen. Roads wet but not drenched left a slippery film cabable of dispatching the best rider in a weak moment. Sudden flares of sunlight easily blinds the unprepared daydreamer. A few minutes inside a store on the way home had me wondering if I would ride wet or dry.

Minutes later sweeping along a backroad towards home confirmed the wisdom of my choice to leave the rainsuit untouched. The lone trees that punctuate the farm fields throughout Pennsylvania reflect the care and functionality in place by farmers of previous generations. Those trees were often left in place to provide noontime shade for a team of plow horses while the farmer walked back to the house for lunch. Few were left with painters or photographers in mind 70 years down the road.

One last stop to admire the late day light painting the landscape before turning the Vespa towards home. Some days you get wet and others leave you dry. I was glad to miss a downpour and the need to pull out the rain suit. Just a bit too tired and worn to think too much about the rain.

Embracing the Grey

July 20, 2014 by Scooter in the Sticks 32 Comments

A grey cloak has been pulled over central Pennsylvania for the past few days forcing a rather dramatic decline in the number of scooter and motorcycle riders on the road despite temperatures remaining in the 65F to 75F range. The skies have threatened rain and squeezed a few sprinkles of water and an occasional drizzle but otherwise the road is open for those ready to embrace the grey. Some of the most magical scenes are shrouded in the dim, dull light.

I suppose there are strong reasons not to ride on days like these.

I don’t want to get wet.
Hard to argue with that because even with good rain gear you will still likely get a little wet.

It’s dangerous to ride when it’s wet.
Again, hard to argue with that statement. I refine it a bit myself and acknowledge the risk on wet roads and in the rain do increase. It requires an honest evaluation of conditions, experience, skill, and willingness to assume the increased risk. That process comes through practice and is definitely now something any of us does naturally.

I don’t want to get my scooter or motorcycle dirty.
Yes, it will get dirty, the chrome will have water spots. What can I say?

For me, aside from the quality of light on these grey days, one of the attractive reasons for riding is the lessening of traffic in general, at least on a weekend. It’s not just riders who stay at home, a lot of people take to the couch on the grey days. I remember some years back the kids and I went to a water slide park on a day like this. The temperature was in the 80s but it looked as if it was going to rain. We went and were pleasantly surprised at how few people were there. Instead of long lines to the tops of the slides we could slide down and run right back to the top and slide down again all day long without waiting for anyone.

A side benefit of grey.

Traffic is so light, especially moving into the Rothrock State Forest, that I can park the scooter in the road for a picture. Underneath the forest canopy protects the road from some of the rain that washes away the slickness that develops when things first get wet. The pavement stays damps longer and you need to be careful on these tame looking paths lest the scooter rotate onto the ground.

Photography is far easier on a grey day where the light is completely diffused with no huge range of contrast from direct sunlight battling with deep shade.

This picture represents the biggest risk I took during this ride. Wandering off into the woods for a picture I almost walked into one of the thickest patches of poison ivy I’ve encountered. The magic of photography belies the darkness from which the picture was made. Lots of light on the road but nearly black under the trees. I’m glad my eyes had adjusted enough to see the poison…

The ride ended with me having the chance to photograph one of the plants that Kim has helped me learn to appreciate, Verbascum thapsus, or what some refer to as great mullein or common mullein. It grows throughout the United States but was brought into the country in the 1700s from Africa. On a grey day it looks great to me and almost pushes the ride from my mind.

So the grey shrouded ride ends or ever narrower paths. And it never did rain.

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