Scooter in the Sticks

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

Happy New Year!

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A new year has arrived in cold and blustery fashion.  Junior and I ventured out to the mountains to breathe fresh air, let hearts pump blood into straining muscles, and enjoy another day walking on the earth.

Junior is my guide and I work to reflect the same happy, satisfied look on my face.  His needs are simple as are his pleasures.  There’s a lesson to be learned.

With dog fed, watered and safely at home I ventured out on the Vespa to experience my own version of chasing a tennis ball.  The road surfaces this morning were a mix from dry to slippery depending on location and road treatment.  This stretch was surprisingly slick and required a speed drop to around 15mph — bicycle speed.  Fortunately it lastly only a mile or so and the rest of the ride was upon more reliable traction.

Riding and blogging, I’ve been thinking (again) where I want to go with this project.  I’m sure a path will reveal itself at some point down the road.

On this ride one thing floated in and out of my head.  The first is electric socks and insoles — something to research because my feet seem to get cold faster these days.  Another gift of aging or I’ve become less tolerant of the cold.

So until the next ride, Happy New Year from the Sticks!

New Year’s Eve Ride in the Snow

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The last day of 2013 and it snows — a little.  Enough to give pause to any decision to ride the Vespa. Walking Junior up the street I do the usual traction testing with my boot and try to imagine the roads beyond our neighborhood and consider alternatives to a morning ride like doing laundry or scrubbing the bathroom.

It’s not long before I’m standing in an empty cornfield watching the sun try to burn through a passing snow squall, wondering if the scooter is going to fall over on the uneven surface.  When weather moves quickly through the valley I need to pay close attention because traction and visibility can change quickly making riding difficult or impossible.  Today I have a few errands to run but no time to really get lost.

Surprising variation on main road surfaces.  Some wet while others built up a sheen of snow and slush. Salt trucks were out but because little snow was predicted I suppose their hearts weren’t really in it. This particular road was much more slippery than I expected, that detection made again by testing the road surface with my boot.

Slow riding here — 20mph seemed about right provided no panic stops were needed.  It also means pulling over for any traffic approaching from the rear — just to be polite.

Not sure what the new year will bring but I try to be open to possibilities.  There’s much to be grateful for and a lot of work ahead.  Riding the Vespa is a part of my road ahead and it’s nice to live somewhere that makes riding pretty easy.

Errands finished and the weather continuing to intrude so I head towards home where it’s warm and cozy.

Glad I have winter tires.  Looking forward to a few hours of above freezing temperatures so I can wash all the salty grim from the scooter.  It’s really red.  All the gray is from the dirt and salt…

Merry Christmas!

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Vespa GTS scooter on snowy forest roadMerry Christmas from the sticks to you!  I hope peace, goodwill and plenty come into your life.

After several days of near summer-like weather an arctic front moved through bringing snow squalls and pushing the landscape towards those old, Currier and Ives holiday images.  Just before lunch on Christmas Eve and I saw the snow begin to fall and decided to take a quick ride up the mountain to find a suitable image to share.  The roads were bare until reaching the point where the pavement is no longer salted and snow gathers quickly.

Vespa GTS scooter in snowy Rothrock State Forest

Fresh falling snow always seems peaceful and calm.  An appropriate sense of things for the holidays.
Christmas cardsAll the presents are gathered and family will arrive soon.  It’s a wonderful time of year.
Belgian Sheepdog Junior in the snow
And the kids wait for the arrival of Santa Claus, or in our case, Junior waits for a trove of treats.

Merry Christmas to all and ride safe!

Evening Errands on a Vespa

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Had a few errands to run this evening.  Considered taking the car then opted for the Vespa.  With the thermometer hovering in the mid 30s I felt comfortable going for a ride in the dark.  The roads were a mix of dry and wet.  At night the wet pavement can look like shiny ice and I had to stop a few times and make sure it wasn’t.  Peace of mind sort of thing.

Rode through town and saw a picture I would like to make but told Kim that the best time would be 2:30am.  Surprisingly she didn’t bat an eye having been married to a photographer for a long time now.

Eventually I ended up at the grocery store for a few necessities and the ever important tea biscuit — something sweet to accompany my evening cup of Earl Grey.

On the way home I had to stop and make a quick picture of this place — every year this family goes to great lengths to have a pretty intense Christmas light setup.  Sorry about the electronic flash.  It was so dark that you wouldn’t see the Vespa.

It’s all about the Vespa…

A Typical Winter Commute

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Snow on the driveway in the morning, a reminder of what can happen when you aren’t looking, a dusting of icy slippiness that can make life exciting in a decidedly unwelcome manner.  It can happen at night when you’re sleeping or during the day when you’re at work and not necessarily paying attention.  It’s the food that can be part of a winter rider’s menu.

The weather report had little suns with some clouds and no mention of precipitation.  I calculated that the main roads would be dry or have a patch of snow here or there. Turn off those main routes onto anything not salted and it would be a different story.  Like here at the Pennsylvania Military Museum where the landscape resembled the Ardennes in 1944.

Side streets in State College were dusted and slippery in places but easily managed with the right winter riding attitude consisting mainly of slow travel, careful braking, quick surface assessment and informed decision making.  I was in town to meet someone for breakfast at the Corner Room and hoped conditions would improve by the time I rode on to work.

One thing I failed to consider was the motorcycle parking at my office — the only place you are allowed to park a motorcycle on campus, was not cleared.  I suppose they don’t expect any motorcycles this time of year.  Luckily the snow piles were still soft and I could kick an area open to park.

The situation was far worse in the parking lot than on the road.  By the time I rode home conditions were much improved with dry roads and warming temperatures.

On a scale of one to ten with ten being glare ice and sub-zero temperatures and one being sub-freezing and dry this particular ride was a four.

Maybe I should develop a Scooter in the Sticks winter riding score…