Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.
Desire sweeps in unexpectedly. Contentment gives way to desire and as rational as my thought process seems I wonder if it is all a delusion in service of a selfish and irrational desire. I want another motorcycle.
Such is the state of things for the past few weeks as I scour the internet for a Triumph 900 Scrambler.
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At 5:30AM a strange bird woke me. A triplet call, loud yet smooth and calm. Launching the Merlin Bird ID app to life on the iPhone it immediately identified the stranger as a Black-billed Cuckoo. I laid in bed listening. The cool air of a wet morning hinted at fog.
Clouds that touch the ground draw me from bed. The world outside the bedroom window is narrowed by the fog. And a desire is sparked to venture into the unknown.
Sometimes I just need to go for a ride. To clear my head. To rearrange my brain. To remind myself that life is good. But on this morning there were no concerns or hauntings. Just a desire to be riding a motorcycle.
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If I’m willing and not resistant or rigid in my belief that I know best in every situation I can learn something about myself and my life. Lily (left) and Aiden continually remind me of the power of simplicity and the joy hidden in the mundane and ordinary. Each morning they leap out the back door and into the day with no expectations beyond what they might see and smell in that moment. There are no thoughts about adventures in the mountains or disappointment that they aren’t wandering along the Blue Ridge. They’re too busy exploring what’s right in front of them. Right now.
Dogs and scooters remind me that my life does not exist somewhere else, or tomorrow, or yesterday. It is happening now. Even though we walk through the same places in the morning, along the woods, over a creek, through a field, it’s new each time. The light changes, the fragrance in the air changes. I’m not the same man right now that I was ten minutes ago. And if I can stay focused on this moment as the dogs do, I can find pleasure and contentment. For as long as I can focus…
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It’s no secret that I’ve been looking for a way to understand my Himalayan motorcycle. Or more precisely whether my sometimes discomfort riding off-road is real or imagined. A slight misfiring of the brain or a cold, harsh view of reality. I’ve poured through hundreds of comments and suggestions about what I should or shouldn’t do in regard to my Royal Enfield Himalayan. In those comments I witness new perspectives. And I also see the fear and anxiety others have regarding the relentless march of time and how it may or may not rear its ugly side today.
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After wrestling with the idea of needing a lighter motorcycle to ride in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania I purchased a 2023 Honda Trail 125. Based mostly on reviews, reputation, and a gut reaction to its appearance. How bad could it be? Besides, I can adjust to anything. So the first ride off the pavement provided a glimpse of whether I would be smiling or growling when I got home.
Just seven miles from home is the Bear Meadows Natural Area. A destination that seemed a good first stop for my friend Paul and I to test our newly acquired machines — the Honda Trail 125.
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