Scooter in the Sticks

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

Appreciating Warmth

by 19 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter near Bald Eagle State ParkAdjusting to the Cold

The march toward winter continues.  My spirit hasn’t accepted the change yet.  And my body resists both and cold and the ritual of donning heavier riding gear.  The lingering gnaw of a still tweaked back doesn’t help.  The world is dim and grey.

I have nothing good to say about any of it.

It’s easy to understand why men and women park their scooters and motorcycles for the winter and walk away from any joy or enlightenment that riding can present.  When the thermometer was pointing to 29F a few mornings ago I was asking myself why I would ever ride when it’s that cold.  Some would say I’m coming to my senses.  Or a grudging acceptance of the aging state of my body.  I see the wisdom in both.

Still, I want to ride despite everything.  Not riding is a decision I’m not ready to make.  It seems a surrender more ominous that merely parking the Vespa for a few months and doing something different.  It’s a turning point.  One of no return.  A realization that I’m leaving something in the past.

Forever.

Lest this post grow dark and dreary there is something positive which grows from the cold — appreciating warmth.

Appreciating warmth.

When the body awakens from the lull of warm weather the contrast between cold and warmth is startling.  Wrapping a cold hand around a heated grip is a luxurious feeling.  Or better yet around a cup of steaming hot tea.

Riding in cold weather teaches me to appreciate the lovely gift of being warm.

Life Tempered by Vespa

by 21 Comments

Steve Williams portraitCan You Spell Razor?

Seems as if things have gotten to the point where I shave on the weekend.  Work, life, everything piles up to force choices.  Last night someone told me I look like Steve Jobs.  I don’t see it.

I was staring into a 16mm lens when our photographer snapped this picture.  He was reminding me how the camera works as I was recalled to action for a photo assignment.  It wasn’t on my list of things to do when I arrived in my office in the morning but sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

Vespa GTS scooter on a foggy morningQuiet Commute in the Fog

Riding to and from work provides a fantastic opportunity to quiet the mind before the day spins up.  The weather has been warm and misty this week with some lovely fog to ride through.  Just down the street from home I took a moment to take in the sunrise before continuing on to the office.

This scene would look equally nice with a motorcycle.

Senator Tim Kaine at the Berkey CreameryIce Cream at the Penn State Berkey Creamery

Senator Tim Kaine made a campaign stop at Penn State today.  After a speech to students at the Hetzel Union Building he made a quick stop at the Berkey Creamery for some ice cream.  It’s always interesting to observe how these events unfold from the staff and press corps to the work of the Secret Service. I could see a lot of agents and assume there were others that I didn’t.  Security was more intense when Senator Obama was campaigned for President.  And even stricter when I photographed President George W. Bush.  When President Clinton was here there were snipers down the hall from my office.

There’s a lot of energy in these events.  As a photographer, especially one not engaged in the business anymore on a daily basis, the crowded jostling of the press corps is a unique experience as everyone pushes for position. Behind me were a dozen or so photographers, videographers and writers.

Vespa GTS in an autumn sunriseLive Free or Die

New Hampshire’s state motto seems an appropriate life strategy when things get particularly chaotic.  Riding the scooter can shine a light on what’s important and what’s not.  I still marvel and how easy it is to break life down into the simplest of components.  Live free or die makes total sense.

The warm weather is departing as autumn advances toward winter.  It’s all happening too fast.

Autumn Vespa Ride

by 6 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter in autumn landscapeWaking in Autumn Aboard a Vespa Scooter

Notes from a cafe…

Steam rises from a cup of hot tea. A beam of sunlight warms cold hands and drives away demons of misgiving and doubt that appear with the changing of the season. The view of the mountain against a blue sky reveals the slow descent of changing leaves crawling down toward the valley.

All signals of the physical and spiritual tremor of autumn.

Riding changes in autumn, or perhaps it’s me who changes. The same eyes see a different road. The body shivers in air approaching the freezing mark. The spirit and mind contend over the choice between scooter and car. The pleasure of riding gives way to the need to ride to palliate the emotional uneasiness that reliably appears during autumn.

The familiar reawakening and recognition of the relentless march of life.

As a young man I could ignore and dismiss the thoughts. Further along they seemed an annoyance, a sign of weakness and fear. Riding through the years I’ve come to appreciate autumn as a revelation. An experience of the world easily concealed in noise and confusion.

On the way to work I parked the Vespa in a field to look at the muted earth tones painted in the low light of a gray morning. A physical quickening of blood flow and motion signals my reaction to riding in air near the freezing mark. There’s no recreation in this ride but rather something more; a gift of being aware of the magic of being alive on the earth regardless of what may be happening.

An autumn Vespa ride exposes the world and allows my mind to run free during moments in the saddle.

It’s a hell of a trip.

Scooter in Fog

by 18 Comments

Lone tree in the fogMemories in the Mist

Every dog I’ve owned for the past 25 years has peed on this tree.  I’ve walked past it hundreds, if not thousands, of times and it seems unchanged.  I can’t say the same myself. Riding to work on another foggy morning the Vespa seems to have a mind of its own — turning and taking me where it will.  It’s especially strong with a scooter in fog.

Fog.

It’s not an ideal riding environment.  Perhaps dangerous.  Definitely presents more risk that any rider, scooter or motorcycle, should consider.

Vespa GTS scooter and traffic in fogFog and Traffic

I believe there’s no single right decision regarding riding in fog.  Or rain, darkness or wind for that matter.  Some riding skill books suggest only riding in warm weather during daylight hours with nothing affecting traction or visibility.  That path has the least risk.  One could go further and add no rush hour traffic, no heavy traffic, no high speed, no ill cared-for roads.  The list of risks is long.

Very long.

I was talking with a friend yesterday who moved from central Pennsylvania to a place north of New York City.  He described the difference in riding as one of anxiety producing risk where speed limits are ignored and everyone is in a competition to get ahead.  Literally.

Different risk.  Different choices.

Standing along the busiest route to work on a foggy morning I realize there are unique aspects of my riding environment that allows me to mitigate my risk more than my friend in New York.  For those considering riding in fog here are some things in play for me:

  1. Other drivers are largely non-aggressive.  If I slow down for the fog they do as well and not pressure or tailgate.
  2. There are plenty of opportunities for me to pull over and allow traffic to pass and then get back on the road.  This isn’t possible in other parts of the country, especially in more urban areas where traffic never breaks.
  3. There are many ways to get where I’m going.  Often roads with little to no traffic.

Vespa GTS scooter in foggy forestScooter in Fog

I can’t resist.  The visual stories are too strong.  My imagination overpowers reason and I find myself in magical realms.  When I grow up perhaps it will be different.

There’s fog on the mountains this morning.  The clock counts down to a trip to the chiropractor and then a day of script writing.  The fog sirens are loud though.

Perfect Riding Season

by 18 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter on a foggy, fall morningFog and Vespa

Fog, my favorite, along with dropping temperatures, all part of the the perfect riding season.  Yesterday morning a meandering ride to work offered a chance to see the world looking slightly different.  Unusual.  A feat considering how many hundreds of times I’ve ridden along the same path.  Still, I’m seeing things differently.

And feeling different.

Fall quickens my senses. It heightens desire and illuminates mortality as I recognize the passing of time marked by the movement of the season and the slow run up to the sleep of winter.  All of it, the chill in the air, the shift in light and the change in color work together to make this the perfect riding season.

For me.

The Vespa has been performing flawlessly almost as if it’s woken up and screaming for a more satisfying time on the road.  We’re a perfect match, the scooter and I, and I wonder how I ever thought a motorcycle could add anything to my experience of the world.

Many have tried…

Vespa GTS scooter in fall lightChanges in Light, Changes in Me

Riding home from work, even in bright sun, feels different.  My eyes sense the change in the angle of light, the sun’s position in the sky when I leave the parking lot.

I know autumn has arrived.

I act differently than I do in the warmer days of summer.  I want to ride — feel the desire in my bones.  Even if only the for the few miles of commuting.  I take detours.  Stop and take off my helmet to let the sun heat my face.  I’m like a man who’s journeyed through a desert and finds a pool of cool water.

That soaring of spirit and the illusion of freedom, if only for an instant —  that’s why I ride.

The scooter is waiting again.  It’s a new day of the perfect riding season.

Scooter in the Sticks

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

Skip to content ↓