Scooter in the Sticks

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

Falling in Love With an Empty Road

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2001 Kawasaki W650 parked in a driveway.
A routine start to breakfast with the W650.

A Benign Beginning

There’s nothing special or unusual about riding to my friend Paul’s house to join him for a ride to breakfast. They’re generally destination oriented by some route chosen for it’s scenic views of the landscape and as lightly traveled as possible. And with the Kawasaki W650 and Harley 48 gravel roads are off the ride menu.

Two breakfast destinations were in my head but the “best” choice remained elusive. Strange how much space a dining choice can occupy in a brain. To quiet my mind I’ll often repeat these two rules — RULE 1: “Don’t sweat the small stuff. RULE 2: It’s all small stuff.”

Difficult rules to follow or even believe. Embracing them calls into question the importance I attach to so many things. And my attachments often just make me miserable. While many things may require my attention, few rise to the level of the importance I create in my head. Like where we should have breakfast.

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When Riding Alone Isn’t Enough

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Man checking the rear wheel tire pressure on a Vespa ET4 scooter.
Checking the tire pressure on the Vespa ET4 is a challenge. (Photo by Andy Heckathorne)

Ungracious Awakenings

By temperament, I prefer to ride alone. Free to embrace the road at whatever pace I desire. Stopping to look or make photographs without concern for the tempo of others. No need to keep checking the mirrors or adjusting speed. Just the freedom to ride with my tumbling thoughts.

And still I ride with others because finding balance between solitude and connection makes life richer. I didn’t always understand that. Moments and opportunities arrive more frequently now when I realize riding alone isn’t enough.

The plan was a long scooter ride with friends Andy and Paul on an unexpectedly chilly morning. It was the Vespa ET4’s turn to ride and Andy caught me checking the tire pressure, an increasingly challenging operation now requiring knee cushioning and a limber back to engage the tire valve.

There seems to be no end to the reminders that I’m no longer young. Physically at least.

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The Joy in Riding with Others

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BMW K75 and KTM390 Adventure motorcycle stopped along a forest road.
On this ride, my BMW K75 and Paul’s KTM390 were called up for action. There’s always coffee.

Coffee and Photographs

It usually begins with a text message or phone call — “Interested in a ride to Inglebean?”

Most of the time, because of conflicts in schedule or circumstance, the answer is no. I assume the day will come when Paul will quit asking the question due to frustration or deciding I just don’t want to ride with him. The truth is, every time he asks if I want to go for a ride my instant, a pre-cognition response is “Yes!” Part of it is that any excuse to ride is welcome, and part being I enjoy riding with him.

There is a joy in riding with others that takes some time for me to describe. Looking back at a ride we did back in the fair weather of early June provides an opportunity to explore the experience.

We stop a lot so I can make photographs. Paul takes the opportunity to sip coffee or espresso he brews at home. There is little talking.

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Summer Intuition and Vespa Riding

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Vespa GTS scooter parked in a driveway
Morning view of the magnificent Vespa GTS scooter.

Vespa Riding


Mornings are the quiet landscape on which my mind wanders the concerns of the day. Looking into the tops of our 70-foot tall fir trees I can see more dying from a blight that slowly kills off the needles leaving stands of naked trees that must be removed. In the past two years, I’ve spent enough removing trees to buy two brand new Vespa GTS scooter. The next two years promise the same.

Sitting in the garden while the dogs play, before departing for a ride on the Vespa, I’m feeling the grip of the heat on body and spirit. That grip is more restrictive than the pandemic which is quite simple to manage in comparison through social distancing, wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, and washing my hands. But heat is different. It drains me physically which in turn drains my psychological energy which leads to doing nothing.

I’ve relied on Vespa riding to infuse me with energy. But I confess a growing reluctance to venture out when the forecast promises temperatures approaching 90F and beyond.

Still, the Vespa in the morning light is enough to get me moving. I’ve made this same picture dozens of times, a visual notation of the beginning of another adventure.

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Riding in the New Normal World

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Motorcycle and Vespa parked along a rural road.
My friend Paul and I riding in the new normal world.

Social Distancing with Motorcycles and Scooters


Every day I wake to what appears to be another regular, familiar, normal day. This morning the sun was shining in a dazzling clear blue sky. A runner passes in front of the house followed by a bicycle rider and then a man walking a dog. There are clues that something is different but unless I’m looking for them, nothing would hint to me that I’m living in a different world. A world that suggests I act a little differently too.

That brings me to riding. Two days after Pennsylvania’s “Stay at Home” order ended my friend Paul and I decided we would take a little ride together. That’s normal. But we did make a few changes. Like when stopping for photos we now park a little farther away from each other.

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