Scooter in the Sticks

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

Anatomy of a Vespa Rider

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Illustration of Andy Heckathorne
Heckadude Morning Coffee. By Andy Heckathorne.

Thoughts and Musings with Andy Heckathorne

Andy Heckathorne’s recent winter riding photographs on Instagram sparked the idea of interviewing him. Those images, along with the portrait with the coffee mug above visually encapsulate his easy and thoughtful manner. This is my first interview in 15 years of posting on Scooter in the Sticks. When I saw those scenes of his Vespa GTS300 scooter on those snow-covered roads I just had to know a little more about what made him tick.

Andy is an art director at Penn State, where he and a team of designers manage the branding and advertising needs for more than 50 revenue-generating auxiliary and business units. These include Housing and Food Services, The Nittany Lion Inn, and the Bryce Jordan Center.

After hours, Andy also runs his own illustration and design business. His artwork’s been featured on everything from albums, billboards, and beer trucks, to sports uniforms and on the American Eagle Building in Times Square.

Andy lives with his wife and three teenaged sons in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, a lovely Victorian town about 12 miles from Penn State. His favorite outdoor activities include hiking, kayaking, playing softball, exercising the family dog, and of course, riding his Vespa scooter.

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Interviews and an Internet Persona

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Steve Williams and his Vespa GTS scooter during a winter rideWho Am I?

I ask the question often.  Usually in response to the latest puzzling act I’ve engaged.

Each word or picture posted on Scooter in the Sticks becomes part of a constructed persona tallied in the digital ether and searchable by Google, Bing and myriad other search engines. My mother only exists as a cryptic reference in a paid news site that archived obituaries. My father is one step ahead because his obit is still publicly available.

Engaging in the self-absorbed act of searching my name in Google (along with “Vespa” to differentiate from Tiger Wood’s caddy or Stone Cold Steve Austen), it’s strange to see the persona that’s presented; the reflections that resonate as me, and others that have me wondering, ‘Who is that guy?’

It’s interesting to see the history of change over time. Especially in regard to riding a Vespa and blogging.

Recently I had the opportunity to be interviewed by fellow blogger (and video blogger) David Masse. His work and experiences are presented on Life on Two Wheels. He’s posted two videos — one a reflection of a day long ride we took, and a second an interview with me where we discussed the realities of blogging and why we do it.

Personal questions no doubt. And perhaps only of interest to other bloggers or would-be bloggers. For me, the interview is a curious check of who I am at this moment in time.

Visit Life on Two Wheels to see the riding video. Especially if you’re interested in what a little trip through central Pennsylvania might look like on two wheels.

It’s not the first time I’ve taken part in an interview. Dave Mangano, creator of SCTRCST, the Scooter Internet Radio podcast, interviewed me three times during his run of 94 episodes covering a wide range of scooter topics. Even though his site is now gone, the episodes persist on the web. Mine were espisode 7, 8 and 34.

Much time and many miles have gone by since those early interviews. And a lot has changed. But riding the Vespa, making photographs and writing about the experience persists.

SCTRCST.com – Scooter Internet Radio

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Steve Williams with his Vespa GTS scooter in winterVespa Rider in Winter

Since I am going to talk about me… I figured this would be the time to post one of the portraits my friend Paul Ruby has made of me during our rides. He says I never use them and he’s right. I explain why in the recent Podcast I was part of. One of the things I have thoroughly enjoyed as a moto-blogger (someday I hope to be able to bear the title of journalist but I have a long way to go on that count) is that I have crossed paths with so many other passionate riders, writers, photographers, and enthusiasts. Dave M of SCTRCST.com  is just one of those passionate people. I had the recent privilege of being interviewed for one of his podcasts. You can listen here to Episode 6, Part One. Just click the PicklePlayer or iTunes icon in the right-hand navigation.

Dave is a great interviewer and made the entire experience a pleasure. Check out his site at SCTRCST.com. He has a cool tool to leave voicemail on his site that he may incorporate into a Podcast. If you get the chance to do an interview with Dave you should grab it!

Thanks again Dave for letting me talk to you and your listeners.

Steve Williams riding his Vespa GTS 250

Photo by Paul Ruby

Vespa GTS on the Road

Paul Ruby made this picture of me not long after buying the GTS. Just getting the feel of things. The beginning a new journey.