Scooter in the Sticks

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

Just Thinking

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Steve Williams portrait by Paul Ruby

Photo by Paul Ruby

Lost in Thought

The past couple weeks I’ve had a lot on my mind — everything from retirement to installing a freeze-proof faucet on the back deck.  When my head gets full of ideas and wants to ruminate I’ve learned to sit back and let it happen.  Resistance is futile.

My friend Paul made this picture while we were waiting for breakfast at a little cafe in Millheim, Pennsylvania.  We were on a little photography adventure sans scooter or motorcycle.  The forecast called for rain and nastiness.  I remember thinking while sitting there that it was a pretty nice morning and I should be on the Vespa.

Vespa GTS scooterRiding the Vespa

I’ve ridden some over the past two weeks but just haven’t felt like posting anything.  Sometimes a ride sharpens awareness and focus that writing a blog post is simple.  They almost write themselves.  Other times, like now, there are no ideas.  My fingers are making a forced march upon the keyboard in a stream of consciousness effort to post something before going to work. Call it an exercise in willpower and hope.  Hope that I can leave the mental wrestling behind.

Made this portrait of my trusty Vespa GTS 250ie (vintage 2006) on a foggy morning along PA26.  Not enough fog to create any interesting imagery.  I remember feeling disappointed because I could see…

Vespa GTS scooter on a rough gravel roadRutted Roads and Little Wheels

The Vespa isn’t a great performer on rough and rutted roads.  The little tires jolt and jostle as they plunge into the depths.  Unless it’s my aging body demonstrating the decline in shock absorbing tissue in my joints I’ve been thinking that I may need need shocks on the scooter.

Staying on the pavement provides a fluid, flying and smooth ride.  Not sure why I keep heading down trails intended for something other than a Vespa.  My desire to explore is strong but at times brings my choice of machine into question.

Maybe I just need different tires.  And shocks.

Vespa GTS scooter in a pastureVespa in the Grass

Trees.  I’m always attracted to them.  Especially ones standing alone.  I suspect the same attraction applies to the Vespa situated by itself in so many photographs I make.  Perhaps a reflection of my own tendency to want to be alone.

This past weekend I wandered through a dizzying crowd of people and machines at a Harley event. It’s no place for thinking or reflecting.  Or even being yourself.  I imagined for a moment I was at a casting call for Sons of Anarchy.

One of the things I like best about the motorcycle and scooter riding communities is how diverse they are.  I like to think at some basic level though we’re all brothers and sisters on our respective rides…

Vespa GTS scooter on a farm laneWhere Am I Going?

A frequent question both on and off the Vespa.  And one that I don’t often find a satisfying answer.  For the past couple weeks I’ve been thinking about where I’m going.  It’s not a good place to linger.  Perhaps with this post I can move on to other things.

Maybe it’s time to ride to work…

Shedding the Noise of the Day

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Vespa GTS scooter at sunsetEscape

After a long day, as the day slows but the head still spins, a ride on the Vespa makes a world of difference.  Doesn’t matter where I go or what I see — just the sensation of movement and air flowing across skin — that changes everything.

Made this photograph two miles from my front door.  I watched the sun fade and the evening deepen.  Rivers of cool air crossed the low spots in the road.  I forgot who I was.  I didn’t care.  The feel of my hand wrapped around the throttle made me feel organically connected to the machine.  And I wouldn’t let go until it was dark.

It was a ride to nowhere to leave behind everything.

Sometimes shedding the noise of the day is all that matters.  Riding makes it simple to achieve.

Why aren’t you riding?

Open Road

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open rural road with a Vespa scooterPerfect Saturday

Clear skies, open road, Vespa.  The perfect Saturday morning.  Almost.  One element is missing — time. Looking down the road I see nothing but possibilities. A quick look at my to-do list and I grudgingly accept this ride will be short.

Regardless, even a short ride is good.  Allows me to set the tone for the weekend in a relaxed manner.  As long as I don’t resent not being able to follow the road over the horizon.

watermelon and baguette on Vespa scooterPerfect Carrier

The Vespa can handle a lot of cargo.  Under the seat, hanging from the purse hook, in the topcase, on the front rack or strapped on the seat.  If a rider is inclined you can do things most people would consider a little crazy.

At least it seems that way to me.

I’m a creature of habit.  Summer time means watermelon. Lots of it.  And breathing means bread.  Preferably a crusty variety.  And whatever I get I always gnaw on it before it arrives home.

That’s what a perfect Saturday ride looked like this time.

Riding Kaleidoscope

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Are your weekends on your scooter or motorcycle a riding kaleidoscope?

Winding road ahead sign with Vespa scooter in the backgroundWinding Roads

Some days, I swear I see better than others.  Objects seem to leap out toward my eyes and landscapes become small cinematic experiences.  It’s like a riding kaleidoscope where there’s a constant change of pattern, texture and form.

Or maybe it’s just my imagination.

Out early on Saturday morning in hopes of beating the heat seemed like a good plan but by 9am the temperature was already above eighty-degrees — hell for someone like me who thrives in the fifty to sixty-degree range.

Some riders would feel a thrill at the sight of a sign warning of winding roads ahead with the attendant leans and lines as they hurtle along.  My Vespa and I are lollygaggers with little interest is speed.  I just thought the sign looked neat.  And to offer some hope to those in the midwest who live in grids.

Vespa GTS scooter along a country roadLate Spring Lushness

The rain and sunshine have created a lush landscape of plants.  The fragrance of flowers fill the air and the heat has driven me to my vented summer riding jacket.  You can often tell from the photos when I stop to smell the roses — the helmet comes off meaning I want to look around.

The scenery changes mile by mile, around every bend almost.  What a fine day to ride the scooter.

intersection of country roadsWhich Way?  Who Cares.

When I left home I didn’t have a destination.  Wasn’t really sure if I wanted to ride or stay home and work in the garden or visit my granddaughter who I see far too infrequently.  I find it a bit unsettling riding  when I don’t know where I’m going, especially at intersections where I make a choice of left or right based on a feeling without a focus.

Where am I going?

What’s nice about riding the Vespa, or pretty much any two-wheeled machine, is the relative ease in making changes in course and direction.  At this intersection I eventually turned around and decided to go the other way.

water plants and algae in a creekGazing in the Water

There was a time when I would take my boots off and wade in the water.  Now I just look, maybe make a photograph, and keep my distance from anything so juvenile as getting my feet wet.  Still, it’s a lovely pastime to wander along a stream with a camera.

Wished I had seen a muskrat.  Or an otter.  What a wonderful view in my riding kaleidoscope.

Vespa GTS scooter on rural roadLoving Those Rural Roads

The quiet loneliness of a rural road transited on a Vespa scooter rises to the level of near perfection for me.  Ride at my own pace, stop when I want, go when I want, go where I want.  These empty places are the stuff of dreams and memory that I’ll one day be replaying.

I do love these rural roads.

Riding jacket and Vespa scooterA Stop for Lunch

Pausing for a few bites of a sandwich and to rehydrate before moving on to a discovered destination just outside of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania — Nature’s Cover where I would order two truckloads of stone for our garden.

I’ve become adept at sitting and emptying my mind of thoughts (without falling asleep) and just absorbing the worlf around me.  I scribbled no notes.  Just stared off in the distance until a conversation behind me broke the spell.

Three mallard ducks in the grassChattering Chorus

Three mallard ducks began to talk to me, no doubt interested in an arrangement which would include me sharing part of my lunch with them.  Don’t feed the ducks.  I learned that a long time ago.

A no nothing ride.  Nothing special or unique.  But an eclectic riding kaleidoscope of scenes that are now firmly stored in my gourd.

Ah, the Vespa…

Riding Daydreams

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Vespa GTS scooter on a winding roadMeandering Roads

It’s startling at times to realize how slow I can ride on the scooter.  As speeds of 15 or 20 miles per hour you see things — like the “S” curve that reminded me of the Scooter in the Sticks logo.  It’s this kind of trail that I’m drawn to; little meandering paths through forests and fields where, like an archeologist, I might see evidence of hidden stories.  And it’s on these rides that the riding daydreams come.

Vespa GTS parked at an abandoned railroad grade of the Lewisburg and Tyrone RailroadLewisburg and Tyrone Railroad

It was a chilly ride yesterday morning as the temperature climbed toward the freezing mark.  The road was bone dry but still demands respect and attention where there’s a possibility, however remote, of ice.  As I ride I find myself daydreaming about what a place might have looked like in the past — what would a native American crossing this area see, did a Tyrannosaurus walk this way 68 million years ago.  Or what would I find 68 million years in the future.

That’s the sort of daydreams I have when I’m riding. Quiet, in the background, and kept in a space that doesn’t rob critical attention from the road.

Not exactly dinosaur material but still a look to the past is this abandon railroad grade that was once part of the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad.  It’s grown over now after being abandoned in the 1960s but you can still make out the line just to the left of center of the photo.  I worked with an art director for a long time, Jim McClure, who was on the State College, Pennsylvania Borough Council when the railroad company was going to abandon most of the lines in Centre County.  Jim was excited because the borough had the opportunity to take ownership of those lines and stations.  He had a vision of a commuter line or walking and biking trails.

Unfortunately he was decades ahead of his time because the council saw no value in such an idea.

Vespa GTS scooter and iceFrozen Landscape

Evidence of the cold was still present, here in the form of icicles hanging from a rock outcrop, reminders to watch the throttle despite the road giving every indication of being ice free.

Daydreaming in the cold isn’t easy if you’re cold.  I’m pleased to report all my gear is doing a bang up job keeping me toasty.  The First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket has been fantastically warm, a new pair of insulated riding pants the same, and the Tucano Urbano hand grip muffs along with the KOSO heated grips have kept my hands hot at the freezing mark.

So I’m engaging a lot of riding daydreams even in the frozen landscape.

Vespa GTS scooter on rural roadThrough the Countryside

There are times when I feel I have the whole world to myself.  Riding alone takes you to those places and provides an opportunity to let go of a lot of the baggage that makes living tedious if you let it.  Standing in this plain, ordinary rural landscape, I imagine myself the master of my universe.  At least for a moment.  It’s as if a daydream becomes tangible for a one short moment.

Vespa GTS scooter on a farm roadVespa GTS 250ie — Utility Vehicle

I can kid myself that the scooter can go anywhere.  Anyone who’s ridden one knows that’s not true.  They’re more capable that you might expect but they will frustrate an experienced rider in lots of situations.  With a morning glow still in the air I was already wandering and watching, daydreaming of nothing and everything, imaging a journey across the wilderness.   One with a coffee shop just miles away.

It’s a fine way to ride.

American Bison on a pastureRemnants of Destruction

Not all daydreams are pleasant.  I was surprised to see a small herd of American Bison quietly grazing in a pasture just a short ride from my home.  The story of the bison still makes my blood boil and reminds me why we sometimes need a government to protect us from ourselves.

Look at this timeline. I could cry.

For more information check out the Library of Congress’s The Extermination of the American Bison article.

Vespa GTS scooter on a forest roadRiding Daydreams

Thoughts and images flow easily when the ride is easy and uncluttered by concerns of traffic.  The myriad forest roads in central Pennsylvania support a simple ride and can absorb almost any conflict — the enchanted forest that haunts the pages of children’s stories and I carry along now.

Metal sculpture at the Pleasant Gap American LegionMetal Men

A man constructed of an automobile transmission, exhaust pipes and brake parts stands guard outside the American Legion Post 867.  There’s no indication of the significance or artist but it is firmly attached to the pavement.  This fellow is here for the long haul.

Vespa with the Honda GROMBoxes of Hondas

Toward the end of the ride, before turning toward home to brave the Super Bowl shoppers at the grocery story, I came across a stash of Honda motorcycles neatly stacked in their boxes.  There were about a dozen motorcycles being stored outside along a small road.  No indication of who they belonged to or where they were headed.

An example of the relative safety of things in central Pennsylvania.  And when you feel safe, maybe there are a few more riding daydreams…