Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

Personal Riding Lesson

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Steve Williams portait at Pump StationMan in the Mirror

An honest rider will look in the mirror from time to time and remind themselves of their skills and limits — something different than the summation of years and miles on the road.  This morning while sitting in the Pump Station Cafe after a brisk ride on the Vespa I was quizzing myself on the creeping of complacency into my rides.  It was time for a personal riding lesson.

Complacency equals disaster on two wheels.

Vespa GTS scooter on forest roadJust a Little Ride

Riding experience is seductive and the more comfortable you become the easier it is to believe you’ve gained some magical riding power that will keep you safe.  Things happen on the road — other vehicles behave erratically, animals rush about, weather transforms the day, expectations of the road surface prove false or any of a thousand little things waiting to complicate a rider’s life.

A lot can conspire against me when I ride and if I’m telling myself I’m experienced and ready I might be kidding myself.  I may have what I need between my ears but if I don’t apply it constantly its not much use.  Attention is required second by second when you’re riding otherwise complacency surfaces.  Pile it on a little daydreaming and all the elements for a little personal riding lesson are in place.

That’s what happened on a little ride this morning.

Steve Williams and Vespa on forest roadWild, Happy and Free

Tearing along a forest road this morning like I didn’t have a care in the world.  When I first ventured onto gravel with the Vespa many years ago it was an exercise in slow speed creeping.  And now, with lots of gravel roads behind me I can ride a little faster.  Despite the thermometer hovering at 31F I had dismissed most concerns with ice.  The gravel road was clear as far as I could see and besides — what better traction than gravel.

So on I went on one of those rides where you just have to smile.

Vespa and ice covered roadEnter the Unexpected

Thankfully I was only going about 20mph when I became aware of the ice.  My gut wants me to hit the brakes but it was far too late for that.  Same with maneuvering toward a bare strip on the road.  Had I been paying closer attention I would have seen the ice in time to slow down or stop and pick my way through the hazard.

I was certain I was going to dump the Vespa.

So I’m left applying experience in a hurry.  I knew enough not to brake, swerve or scrub off speed.  The best course was to keep my eyes up, feet on the scooter, stay in a straight line and head for the ice free section about 60 feet away.  No panic or sudden moves — just keep going.  I understood how it would work and did what I had to do.

No slip, no slide, no fall.

Still, a personal riding lesson was in order.  Riding in sub-freezing weather regardless of how tame the road looks always has a risk of unexpected ice.

So some more deliberate looks in the mirror, reminders of who I need to be on the road, and acceptance that my experience is only as good as my willingness to apply it.

Uncertain Rider

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Steve Williams with Vespa GTS scooterAs much as I love to ride there are days that I don’t. The reasons vary from sloth to injury with a myriad of rationalizations, excuses and justifications in between. Over time I’ve learned nothing is as simple as it appears and whatever is going on in my head is always worth inspecting even if it makes me an uncertain rider.

Independence

I was raised to be independent, take care of things, not complain, and move on. Attendant to that way of functioning in the world is what I call the “know it all” personality that reduces everything to a simple formula with little attention to the details that make every person and experience unique. It may be what makes slogans so seductive – everything from “Just say no to drugs” to “Just do it”. I certainly lean toward the easy solution that avoids the troublesome and messy landscape of emotion. In that place I can become an uncertain rider.

Yesterday morning my head was clogged with concerns and worries creating a swirl of anxious thoughts about everything from the manner in which I would repair a section of drywall in the bathroom to figuring out how to tackle production of 60 online courses when I get back to work. With my brain switching quickly from one thought to the next it was difficult to focus mental or physical energy on anything including riding.

Not Riding

Every rider has reasons not to ride. Those reasons provide the framework to evaluate situations in which our skills, expertise and comfort fit. It’s different for everyone – a framework that keeps one rider smiling may terrify another. Finding personal limits is scary because it may mean you’re different than everyone else. In some riding circles being different is not a comfortable position. The same often applies to life – I think of my return from Germany in 1964 with a brand new pair of suede Lederhosen thinking they were the coolest thing ever. Then I wore them to my 5th grade class…

Self Portraits

I stopped on the way to the Pump Station Cafe to make this self-portrait because I knew something wasn’t quite right and there are times when turning the camera my direction helps diagnose problems. (A gift from long ago via Ralph Hattersley’s book Discover Your Self Through Photography).

So here I am – what do I see?

First, it’s cold outside and I’m wearing jeans instead of my armored overpants. Diverging from wearing all the gear all the time always means something. In this case I didn’t really want to ride and wasn’t sure why I even got on the scooter in the first place.

Second, I’m standing in the water. I chose the spot to park the Vespa based on the photographic possibilities offered by reflections in the water. Not paying attention led me to stand in the water. Not paying attention while riding, especially on a cold, wet day can lead to poor choices.

On Down the Road

On this day I moved on to the Pump Station to write in my journal, eavesdrop on conversations, and slowly sort out my thoughts. An hour later I was at home doing chores. An hour after that I was back on the Vespa with all the gear, riding into the gloom, no longer an uncertain rider.

Riding in Frozen Fog

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If you really want to know what Middle-earth is based on, it’s my wonder and delight in the earth as it is, particularly the natural earth.  — J.R.R. Tolkien

Meadow covered in ice crystals from a frozen fogAwakening from a dream only to find another.  For a week at the beginning of December each day began shrouded in fog and mist.  And on a few sub-freezing days the world was painted with ice crystals while riding in frozen fog.

I understand Tolkien’s wonder and delight at the world.  I need not go far to find it myself.  The Vespa has transported me to and through many wonders.

These mornings have been the coldest riding so far this fall and for the first time required some extended thought and consideration of the road surface and potential for ice.  For successful winter riding I believe a fundamental shift in thought and temperament is essential.  I counsel against sub-freezing riding for the simple reason that most riders have a difficult time becoming someone else in winter.

The road while riding in frozen fogI love being alone in the fog, standing on an empty road lost in fantasy, a prisoner of imagination.  I’m living in my world, but just down the road, just out of sight in the fog is another.

Riding in frozen fog is doubly challenging due to limited vision on top of the potential for ice on the road.  Riding is different; more controlled and governed.  Roads covered in frozen fog aren’t the place to lean aggressively through turns or push the envelop of speed and power.  It’s a different kind of riding.

Trees shrouded in frozen fogSubdued, ice covered scenes lined each side of the road as I wandered along on the Vespa.  Making photographs was, in part, an excuse to test the surface of the road with the sole of my boots.  Most of the ride showed little ice on the pavement but since there’s been no salt yet this season I couldn’t count on a dry surface.

Ice covered trees forming a tunnel while riding in frozen fog A Hollywood production would make a scene like this.  Riding along through the morning revealed a continual magical landscape that left me wide-eyed and smiling.

And cold.  The time has come to put the Tucano Urbano muffs over the handgrips to keep the wind away from my aging fingers.

Vespa GTS scooter in a frost covered fieldHow often do you ride and find yourself wishing?  Wishing for more time, for one more ride and one more road…

When I find myself wishing I wonder if I’m sensing time slipping by more quickly, or maybe just realizing how fleeting all of these experiences really are.  Like fog and frost.

Vespa GTS scooter in the fog in Rothrock State ForestI’ve driven or ridden this stretch of forest road countless times since I first made the journey in my VW Beetle back in 1972.  And now I stand there thinking I may never pass this way again.  Fear and anxiety live in the fog and mist.

Riding down the mountain toward town I had to stop periodically to warm my hands — additional evidence that I need to get the muffs on.

Riding in frozen fog with the Vespa GTS scooterAll I want is to see the world one more time.  The fog strips away the noise and confusion leaving the bones of the world.  I think I can see where I’m going.

Making photographs in the cold weather calls on me to sacrifice my hands in order to manipulate the tiny buttons and wheels on the digital camera.  After all these years you would think I would have solved that problem.

At this moment I decide to ride toward hot tea and warmth and give up the pursuit of the magic landscape.

Round bales in the fogOn the way to the Pump Station in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania I stop to admire round bales in a field.  They stand like ancient dolmens on watch for something I can neither know or understand.

Perhaps overwhelmed by the visual part of the ride, the constant scanning for ice, the continual eye movements looking for vehicles fore and aft, I begin to fall slowly back to earth from the creations in my head, unexpectedly exhausted from the ride.

And that is a glimpse of what it’s like for me to ride in frozen fog…

Alone on the Road

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Vespa GTS on a rural roadRiding alone has curative powers for my irritated mind.  Destination or route don’t seem to matter as much as being alone with my thoughts.  Being alone isn’t as much a desire as it is a need.  Without recurring doses of time alone I get:

  • irritable
  • grumpy
  • disagreeable
  • out of sorts
  • quick-tempered
  • cranky

Basically a pain in the ass.

At some level I probably recognized this personal quality and adjusted my interests and time to satisfy the need to be alone.  Walking, hiking, wandering with a camera and now riding.  A few miles on the scooter and the world begins to make sense.  Or at least my restless thinking begins to calm down.

This morning it was cold when I left the house with the temperature at 41F.  Destinations rolled through my head as I pushed the Vespa out of the garage but none fired enough neurons to form a plan.  A plan isn’t really necessary when being alone is the goal.

Vespa GTS 250 along Spring CreekMost of the leaves are down now and we could see snow at any time.  The days continue to shorten and already I’ve gone to work and returned home in the dark.  This morning I took a short ride just to soak up some sunshine and embrace the day.  I’ve been by this place many times but I’ve still not really seen it.  When asked if I bore of riding the same paths I always think of the photographer, Josef Sudek, who during the Nazi occupation of Prague spent years photographing in his little studio and window and made a remarkably complex and rich collection of photographs.

There’s much more to see on the roads I travel.

large pumpkin statue made of round hay balesI never saw this hay bale pilgrim all ready for Thanksgiving.  Someone spent some time and effort putting it together including the use of hydraulics considering the weight of a round bale of hay.

Lots to see on the road.

Vespa GTS 250 scooter in a field under a blue sky with cloudsA perfect morning.  Looking at the scooter in such an idyllic setting it’s hard for me to understand why anyone would oppose someone learning to ride.  Even when considering more traffic intensive places the question persists.

I’ve heard a resistant spouse or lover raise the danger question fearing the almost certain death that accompanies riding.  It may present as “we have children” or “I had a friend who rode…”.  I understand the concern and I’ll be the first to admit that riding is more dangerous than driving a car.  But there are other points to consider.

Who is taking the greater risk?  A distracted driver, frustrated and in a hurry to beat traffic or a rider focused on the road, relaxed and happy?

And who is a better partner, parent or lover?  The angry driver who comes home wound tight or the rider who arrives home with a measure of serenity mixed with pleasure?

Vespa along rural roadI like to think riding has made me a better person.  I certainly feel lighter and happier after a ride, even a short one through ordinary places, alone on the road, alone with my thoughts.

bagel and tea at the Pump Station CafeAt the end of the ride I stopped at the Pump Station Cafe to make a few notes and read a few more pages from Thomas Merton’s Thoughts In Solitude.

Like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values, it takes some work to understand and for some the Christian perspective can be a problem.  Even though Merton was a Trappist monk, his writing kept his religion personal and never felt as if he were preaching.  The first book I read by Merton was The Seven Storey Mountain, a fascinating story of Merton’s withdrawal from the world and into a monastic order of silence.

It’s safe to read — I wouldn’t fear abandoning your worldly possessions to become a monk.  And besides, if you have a scooter or motorcycle, you don’t really need a monastery.

Unexpected Riding Risk

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Vespa GTS in Oak HallMost rides start with a thrill and a smile regardless of destination, length of ride, weather or time of day.  Riding is pure pleasure.  And I know there are risks associated with the experience that I work to keep in mind.  Some are obvious like other vehicles, roadway obstacles, deficiency of skill, deer, weather and a host of others.  But on this day I was reminded of an unexpected riding risk that’s just plain creepy.

Vespa GTS scooter along a creekAt one point during the weekend ride I parked in a thick green carpet of plants along a creek and proceeded to wander around to make some pictures and just enjoy the outdoors.  I didn’t realize the danger I was in until later in the ride when I was sitting in a soft armchair in Cafe Lemont.

I was holding a cup of steaming hot chocolate in both hands, enjoying the warmth of the cup and thinking about the unfolding day.  I was looking at my hands, my thumb actually, when I saw a small brown spot moving across it.  It only took a second for my brain to recoil with “tick”.  Some people are afraid of bears or snakes.  For me it’s ticks.  There are few things creepier save for perhaps bedbugs.

After dispatching the monster my entire body was tingling from little tick feet walking on my now hypersensitive skin.  A few minutes later I plucked on from my cheek.  And before leaving another from my wrist.  That stop along the creek was the only place I could have picked them up and now that I think about it a perfect place for deer.  Deer and ticks — they go together like milk and little chocolate donuts.

The entire way home I imagined dozens of ticks climbing up my legs searching for places to hide.  Those creepy little bastards.  I work with a woman who used to raise mosquitoes and bedbugs for research at Penn State.  She told me she never told people what she did for a living lest they shun her.  Her husband begged her to not bring home bedbugs.  She described the smell from so many insects drinking so much blood.  Real blood.  You don’t want to know.

Speaking of work — I’m in trouble.  Forgot to attend the 25 year service award ceremony today where my boss and another colleague were honored.  I was in a meeting, no one told me, there was wind, my dog ate my calendar, it wasn’t my fault.  But I was told later that my boss is keeping a list.  I’ll need to keep a low profile for a few months.  I’m not alone in my crime — another colleague failed to attend as well.  And sadly for him, his office is just a few feet away from her while I’m at a distance on another floor.  If this is the last post to Scooter in the Sticks you’ll know why.

So riders beware — ticks are everywhere in the verdant, lush green landscape.  And they are relentless.  At home I found two more wandering on my but so far none have embedded into my tender flesh.

I almost don’t want to ride anymore.  So on my list of riding dangers that bother me:

  1. Ticks
  2. Alligators
  3. Deer

I’m safe from number two…