Scooter in the Sticks

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

Can a Video Replicate a Riding Experience?

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My Royal Enfield Himalayan relaxing in the forest.

Virtual Riding Experience

A blog post used to more routinely be the place where I would share my riding experience. Whether on my Vespa scooter or some other two-wheeled machine that riding experience would likely appear here. When I bought the Himalayan in January of 2022 I made a decision to make a more deliberate use of video. I had about 50 subscribers on my YouTube channel then and have seen it increase to 2187 as I write this post.

Making videos unexpectedly piqued my creative interest and I’ve struggled to juggle the blog and a YouTube channel. Not because I don’t have the time but it’s unclear what my focus should be on the blog. Perhaps until it does become clear I will just flounder ahead and hope for the best.

Right now my mind seems focused on the style of video referred to as “silent vlogs” or ASMR videos. Those are the ones where there is no verbal narrative, just pictures and sound that provide the opportunity for the viewer to more easily immerse themselves in whatever experience is being documented. I’ve watched a few that were engaging and I thought I would give it a try. I recently produced my first silent vlog and I have to say it was technically the most difficult video I have yet to produce.

I’m curious if there’s much interest in this style of video. Or if viewers would rather listen to me share my ideas about some riding topic.

For now, I’m just following a path of interest to me. I’m just uncertain where it will lead.

Here’s the first of my ASMR style silent vlogs…

A “silent style” video of my riding experience in the Central Pennsylvania mountains.

Let me know what you think about this style of video. And if you watch it on YouTube and want to see more videos in the future please subscribe to the channel.

Prescription: Royal Enfield Himalayan and Autumn

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2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan in a rural autumn landscape
Unwinding with an autumn motorcycle ride.

A Change of Scenery

A riding rhythm has eluded me for the past two months. Maybe more. The usual drive to get on the motorcycle or scooter just hasn’t been animating my decisions. Instead, i’ve lost myself in too much television. Too much sugar. Too much sleep. Staring out the window at the changing autumn landscape, wondering what was wrong, it occurred to me the prescription was simple — get on the Royal Enfield Himalayan and go for a ride.

Anywhere. Just a change of scenery would alter how I feel.

And it worked.

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Riding is Magic

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It’s always a surprise what triggers me to write an essay for Scooter in the Sticks. This time it was dragging the garbage can to the street for pickup and seeing frost on the car.

BMW K75 motorcycle parked by the Mid State Trail in fog.
A magical, foggy morning on the motorcycle.

There are hints that winter is approaching; leaves descending from trees; geese honking overhead; squirrels and chipmunks growing fatter and fatter as they store the peanuts we put out for the birds. And now frost along with a faint bite on skin that rattles awake ancient programming in my DNA that whispers deep in my brain, “you better get ready…”

Those feelings sometimes emerge while riding, especially when conditions turn toward the surreal or become physically challenging. It happened one morning when I was riding the motorcycle into the mountains and encountered fog.

I discovered (again) that riding is magic.

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Morning Meditations

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dog in garden
Dogs enforce habits and rituals for their owners.

You Shall Not Pass

Morning meditations have become a daily ritual. One that didn’t come easy.

I’ve learned life is easier when I begin the day slowly.  It’s not a simple task because my mind is most active in the morning and I can be swept into action before I really have an idea of what I should be doing.  Or worse, jump on the merry-go-round of obsessive thinking, often on a subject I’ve given far too much attention.  Fortunately,  I have dogs who stand ready to stop me as they demand their fair share of the American dream.

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Words of Reflection

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Christmas wreath hanging in Saint's Cafe in State College, PA.
A wreath in the window of Saint’s Cafe.

Quiet Moments

My dog Junior is lying at my feet. The sound of a soft exhale of breath as he prepares to descend into sleep. The ceiling is splashed with green and red lights from the laser projector outside which paints our house in a festive sparkle and shoots through the livingroom window to add the effect indoors. The room, and myself, are quiet. A fine time to write a few words of reflection.

I’m tired, a soft ache through most of my body, a result of the head cold which insistently pushes me toward the bed and the gentle escape of sleep. But first I wanted to tap a few words of reflection

Sitting here now, a cup of tea and a few ginger cookies to provide emergency fuel, I recognize the satisfaction and serenity of this moment. And of the gratitude I feel for this life. Perhaps the Christmas season continues to work on head and heart.

Norman Vincent Peale, author of the Power of Positive Thinking, once commented on the power of the season, “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”

I can’t disagree. I remain under the influence of its magic. Wandering through State College, Pennsylvania, I see icons of the holiday season. The wreath in the window of Saint’s Cafe reminds me of how many things, great and small, for which to be grateful.

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