Scooter in the Sticks

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

1st Ride on My 2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan

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Snow on the Himalayan tires.
What possessed me to ride when there was still snow around?

Common Sense (less)

Since buying the 2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan a few weeks ago it has been sitting in the garage. Cold temperatures, snow , slush, salt, and grit have made it a terrible time to ride. I’ve been visiting the motorcycle in the garage, admiring it, acting like a kid at Christmas who got a new bicycle but can’t ride because of snow.

So despite my better judgment and some patches of snow, I went for a short ride around the neighborhood. Just a few miles. After just a mile or so I knew I would be washing off the salt when I got home.

Still, I was dying to ride.

The tires on the Himalayan look nice and aggressive. But are they good for snow?

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The Joy in Riding with Others

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BMW K75 and KTM390 Adventure motorcycle stopped along a forest road.
On this ride, my BMW K75 and Paul’s KTM390 were called up for action. There’s always coffee.

Coffee and Photographs

It usually begins with a text message or phone call — “Interested in a ride to Inglebean?”

Most of the time, because of conflicts in schedule or circumstance, the answer is no. I assume the day will come when Paul will quit asking the question due to frustration or deciding I just don’t want to ride with him. The truth is, every time he asks if I want to go for a ride my instant, a pre-cognition response is “Yes!” Part of it is that any excuse to ride is welcome, and part being I enjoy riding with him.

There is a joy in riding with others that takes some time for me to describe. Looking back at a ride we did back in the fair weather of early June provides an opportunity to explore the experience.

We stop a lot so I can make photographs. Paul takes the opportunity to sip coffee or espresso he brews at home. There is little talking.

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The Art of Being Alone

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Vespa GTS 250ie on a rural road.
Alone on a ride.

Clearing the Mind

Being alone is the only reliable way I’ve found of clearing my mind. It may take place in a chair by the window in my office, on a walk through the woods with the dog, or on a ride on my Vespa scooter. The common connection is that I am by myself, alone with my thoughts, and slowly unwinding whatever confusion, pain, or suffering I’m carrying.

For a long time, I saw the need for being alone as a defect in my character, some personal lacking reinforced by the messages from media, marketing, and society that implied the highest and best experiences take place with other people. And my choice to turn in a different direction seemed to be something for which to make excuses or hide. But eventually, I embraced the fact that I am an introvert and that I gain energy when I’m alone. And I see my energy drained in stimulating environments involving other people.

I’m not saying I can’t or won’t socialize with other people, but I require time being alone. And riding the scooter or motorcycle has provided a wonderful opportunity to accomplish it.

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A Vespa Ride on Christmas Day

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Vespa GTS scooter on a rural road
A Vespa ride on Christmas Day is a tradition. Having good weather was a welcome winter gift.

Scooter Riding Traditions

I can’t say for sure if I’ve gone for a Vespa ride on Christmas Day each year I’ve owned a scooter, but I would not be surprised if that’s true. This year the thermometer was inching toward 50F and offered no suspense or anxiety that some Christmas Day rides in the past have delivered.

It was good to get out and just let whatever noise, concerns, or bothersome thoughts I might have evaporate into the atmosphere as I rolled through the world.

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From Gray into the Light

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Almost two months have passed since my last post to Scooter in the Sticks. Finally, I’ve emerged from gray into the light.

Vespa GTS scooter on foggy forest road.
Riding through a foggy morning in Rothrock State Forest.

From time to time, I find myself wandering in a world of doubt, fear, and uncertainty, and everything becomes gray.  At first, I blamed the nagging pandemic and how it affected my life yet a close inspection revealed little change in my daily life.  I’ve been riding my Vespa scooter and BMW motorcycle throughout the summer and into the fall with little concern for what’s happening in the world, pandemic or otherwise.  Still, there is the familiar, comforting rush being on two wheels, my spirit vibrating with excitement and a stupid smile across my face that surely speaks of lunacy.

Yet when I sit down to write about those experiences I quickly descend into a gray abyss where ideas, thoughts, feelings, and memory evaporate.  I face a blank wall. It’s an unsettling landscape without a roadmap or destination.  After a while, I’m left wondering if I will ever emerge from gray into the light.

Without explanation, I wake to find myself standing in the light with something to write.

And there it is, my Vespa GTS scooter on a narrow road leading through Rothrock State Forest on a foggy morning.  The small tires moved smoothly along the gravel, the air full of moisture with the fragrance of leaves, and the feeling of being alive life filled me as I moved through nowhere to nowhere.  I remember that morning now and how it felt to be in the world.

For a while, I wondered if the desire to write had left me.  Numerous rides during the past four months along with many photographs had not triggered a need to write.  My mind was wandering elsewhere.  My body was engaged elsewhere.  Perhaps it was the end.

And then I emerged from gray into the light.

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