Scooter in the Sticks

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

Singular Focus While Riding a Motorcycle

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a chocolate chip cookie
A talisman of singular focus.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

How is it that a chocolate chip cookie is so important to me?

Is it really a talisman of some mindful focus on the present moment? Or merely a reflection of a lifelong addiction to sugar?

I choose to believe the cookie’s oversized importance points to something greater than sugar. A magical draw toward the present. A jumping-off point where I abandon the past and the future and exist now.

Of course, all of this may be a delusion brought on by a rhinovirus that woke me at midnight after hours of sleep, my body sluggish but my mind racing.

Still, there’s something to my singular focus on a cookie.

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Ending the Day on a Vespa Scooter

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Vespa GTS scooter along rural road in evening.
A scene that never fails to mesmerize me.

The Nature of Vespa Scooter Riding

I have nothing to say.

Nothing to write.

My mind is so dazzlingly clear and calm that there seems little need to ride. I’m a morning person. At least that’s what I tell myself.  Energy and initiative are in good supply at the beginning of the day.  Everything seems calm and well ordered.  And despite all this seemingly good news, I still feel drawn towards the road.

Standing alongside a familiar rural road at the end of the day I could feel the flutter of excitement that comes with riding. Thoughts of riding into the night, on towards an unknown destination coursed through me. The Vespa scooter stood there waiting.

It was a fine way to reframe the day, unwind a life.

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The Heart of the Ride

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Vespa GTS scooter on rural road.
A decision point. A pause to consider where to wander.

The Heart of the Ride

I wake in the middle of the night and think. Sometimes about riding. More often about the deranged state of everyday reality. I prefer thoughts of riding. Of moving, traveling, experiencing. It’s the heart of the ride.

Autumn almost escaped. It’s the swiftest of seasons. The landscape changes from green to orange to a drab, monochromatic scene as the trees surrender to the power of autumn. I feel a physical and emotional quickening as time churns in me as it drags me toward winter. I know something is ending. And something else begins.

I find myself once again standing alongside the road with no idea where to go. A drifter on a scooter with nothing pressing to do. A ride on the Vespa affords me an opportunity to bear witness to the rapid transformation of color, light, and fragrance. And like so many rides without plan or destination I find my only goal is pushing the scooter out of the garage. Where I go from there is anyone’s guess.

It’s the journey that attracts me. The mystery. The tapestry of unknowable experiences that may await. And these are the things I think about while riding my Vespa. It doesn’t happen in the car, or even very often on the motorcycle. Riding the scooter takes me to the heart of the ride.

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A Time Machine

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I invited my friend and fellow Vespa rider, Andy Heckathorne, to share something about his rides. Writing about two-wheeled adventures beyond straight documentation of destinations is a challenge. I asked Andy to explore what was going on in his head. Beyond that, I left things up to him.

Steve Williams

I’m grateful that Steve Williams continues to create and faithfully maintain this trusted space, Scooter in the Sticks. Steve, your photography and insights continue to inspire us – your readers – to look more deeply and more fully appreciate life on two wheels, and life in general. Thank you.

And thank you for the opportunity to share some of my own thoughts and images. I truly appreciate it.

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

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BMW motorcycle along a road.
Riding a motorcycle on the long road is a gift to relish.

The Long Road

The road is a text, a dense book waiting to be discovered, examined, and evaluated. Riding opens the door to a learning process that promises a rich reward of experience and insight.

At least that’s how I see it.

I know riders who experience none of these things. Their motorcycle or scooter may be a means to invoke an adrenaline rush. Or perhaps an excuse to socialize. Or posture and strut. While I’ve felt the thrill of adrenaline, interacted with others, and have proudly displayed my hi-viz jacket, none of those actions are what motivates me to ride.

The road is a landscape for learning.

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