Scooter in the Sticks

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

Motorcycle Blogging (and Scooters)

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Where am I heading as a blogger?

Vespa GTS scooter parked at park Remote Office

I’ve been on vacation for the last two weeks though couldn’t completely escape the need to occasionally tend to some business at work.  I sat on this bench for two hours for three different phone calls before I could head off on a ride and work on the story that would become the Searching for Treasure post.

During my time off I’ve been thinking about blogging, riding and retirement.  I’m already engaged in the first two.  I could have retired seven years ago. Not sure when I’ll pull the trigger but I’ve been thinking about life after work.

There are three books I want to write and some online courses I’d like to develop.  New projects and work that would keep me riding and busy.  Motorcycle blogging.

Wonder if that means I will need to have a motorcycle?

Vespa GTS scooter on a bright sunny dayBlue Skies for Riding

The weather has been remarkable during my time off providing opportunities to ride whenever I had a free moment.  Two dump truck loads of decorative gravel that had to be wheeled by hand into various parts of the garden interrupted any riding with abandon.

This was one of those rides where I couldn’t keep my eyes off the sky.  The clouds creating a mesmerizing texture of blue and white in air that was dazzlingly clear.

I’m constantly making notes while I ride that may make their way into a post, or more frequently becoming raw material for one of the book projects in my head.  Writing a book is something I can get my head around.  Producing, selling and distributing is a completely different matter.

Vespa GTS scooter under a big skyVespa Under a Big Sky

Pulled off the road on the way to Bellefonte, Pennsylvania to admire the view.  Do that a lot.  People stop sometimes to see if I’m ok or need help.  There’s not a lot of stopping to admire the view outside of parks and designated scenic overlooks.

I’ve been thinking about motorcycles a lot lately but not for the normal reasons.  As I outline a book there’s a question of content — specifically would there be more credibility to something I would write about riding if I was also on a motorcycle?  For a long time I couldn’t imagine shifting gears divides the real riders from those playing with scooters.

What do you think?  Would you feel differently about the things I write if you knew I was on a motorcycle from time to time?

blog post on computer screenWriting on the Road

Sat in Cool Beans Coffee and Tea to work on a story.  With ear buds and the background sounds generated by OmniWriter I’m in my own little world.  I don’t know how this happened but I love to write.  The process of putting words together to form a picture is a fascinating exercise.  I wish I were more of a storyteller but perhaps that will come with practice.

I can see myself retired.  Riding more.  Longer trips.  Sometimes on a motorcycle.  Working on books.  Maybe selling a few to pay hosting fees for Scooter in the Sticks.  Basically starting another career once the current one draws to a close.

It’s been on my mind. Becoming a full-time motorcycle blogger.

Maybe it’s a pipe dream.

Vespa Meditation

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Buddha statue in a treeStrange Reminder of a Vespa Meditation

I saw this Buddha statue in the hollow of a tree toward the end of a ride. It highlighted what I was experiencing on the scooter — a deliberate and ongoing rumination of thoughts and questions that cloud my mind along with a more and more focused recognition of the world as experienced as a scooter rider.

Sometimes it’s nice to let body and mind free for a few moments to seek some natural balance.

Vespa GTS scooter on Bald Eagle ridgeWinding Along the Road

It was still cool, low sixties, when I rode over Bald Eagle Mountain on a wonderfully twisting road complete with a hairpin turn.  The challenge was to let go of plan and expectation so I could be present for whatever presented itself rather than be completely locked in my head.

I saw a half dozen deer in the middle of the road during the ride included a couple of clumsy fawns.

Vespa GTS scooter in timber cutOff-road Vespa

Could pass up an opportunity to check out the view from a newly cut woodlot.  A short ride off-road on the scooter reminding me of how versatile the Vespa actually is.  While not a dirt bike the scooter can easily handle most of what a casual rider would encounter off-road.

Vespa GTS scooter at a lime plantMaking Photographs

I try and make photographs that reflect what I saw and felt on the road.  They serve as snippets of memory recording the stories made up by the details discovered during a ride.  That’s not dependent on riding a Vespa or connected to any particular camera.

When I first stopped at the limestone plant I lined up the scooter in the picture but something was missing — the old railroad tracks.  They were part of what I felt about the place.

Didn’t go far on the ride, less than 50 miles, but I’ve learned that I can get my head focused in a way to see and experience more.  It’s not just fun, it’s a Vespa meditation.

Midday Wander

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Vespa scooter with Moto Guzzi motorcycleRide to Work

With the arrival of warm weather comes more competitors for the three motorcycle spaces outside my office.  There are alternatives but it’s nice to be fifty steps from the door.  The scooter and Moto Guzzi are strangers to me.  Being this close it’s easy to jump on the Vespa for a quick errand or midday wander.

At lunch time I hauled a banana and water bottle and rode off for some quiet time on the road, food, and an energy charge before tackling an afternoon of work.

Vespa on bright sunny dayBlue Skies Are Calling

I have absolutely no expectations during a midday wander other than getting back to the office to work on a presentation.  The rest is an exercise in consumption of blue skies and warm air — a testament to just one aspect of riding a scooter.

I wonder how many riders take off at lunchtime for a a little ride?Out

Vespa in a grassy fieldOutstanding in the Field

The scooter is actually parked on the road.  Careful placement of the camera makes it seem like the Vespa is outstanding in the field — unique and alone — which is true.  There are scooters.  And there is a Vespa.

By the time I parked the scooter again and got to my desk I had a fresh perspective on life and the presentation.  Nothing like a midday wander to reset the creative engine.

Personal Riding Mantra

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I have a personal riding mantra — don’t rush, go slow, be present. It’s in my head during the ride and reaches into the rest of my life.

Do you have a mantra?

Vespa GTS scooter on a rainy roadDon’t Rush — Vespa on Wet Roads

After a long work week, I was looking forward to a ride on the Vespa.  Waking to rain on Saturday morning was a disappointment.  In part, because I wanted to do some work in the garden and around the house.  But mostly because I couldn’t ride.

Or so my brain was telling me.

When I have the chance to sit still and think, I can often see the tricks my mind plays. Like fueling assumptions about weather and riding.

On the road,  my riding mantra calls on me to slow down and step away from the more frenetic pace that’s so easy to drown in.  Not rushing is important in making clear decisions.  And when the roads are wet.

Riding along the silver threads of pavement winding through the central Pennsylvania forests is always a pleasure.  Especially when I’m not in a rush.

fiddleheads and Vespa scooterGo Slow — See More

It’s hard to go slower than stop.  Bringing the scooter to a halt along the road gave me an opportunity to witness the lush growth all around.  Especially the fiddleheads unfurling in the rain.  Can’t remember ever seeing one through the windshield of the car.  Or even on the scooter unless I stop to look around.  A friend and experienced photographer once told me you don’t see anything unless you’re traveling less than 35mph.  I’m not that good and have adjusted the speed to 25mph or less.

Except for limited access highways the maximum speed limit on Pennsylvania roads is 55mph.  And most small secondary roads, the ones I love to prowl, the limit is even lower.  Learning to ride slowly is an art.  I know few riders who have mastered it.

Everyone seems to be in a hurry.

Vespa GTS scooter on wet gravel roadRiding Inventory

Alone on the road, traveling at a pace that allows a bit of time to digest the surroundings and entertain thoughts, often leads me to think about who I am as a rider.  Slow going, loner, keeping to the little roads and consuming time rather than miles.  At least for now.

Don’t rush, go slow, be present.  That works.  So does the scooter.

The places I ride, like this road in Rothrock State Forest, afford a slow and ambling pace.  Saw a black bear loping along the road once.

Vespa along a mountain streamPrimeval Riding

In my first age of riding the Vespa was fun.  Still is.  But over time it has become much more.  Anyone who’s advanced past the occasional rider stage knows how addictive it can be.  And it’s not just about movement or speed.  There’s a blossoming of the senses that lay dormant in most other vehicles or places.

I ask myself if I would pick my way across a stream if I didn’t have a camera.  Just to look around?  Would I stop at all?  Yes, maybe, I don’t know.  What I do know is that I see things while riding.  And I see more when I’m going slow.

Vespa GTS scooter on a wet roadBe Present

As a kid I wandered and explored the woods nearly every chance I could.  Now, 55 years later, I still am.  A big old kid.  One signal that I’m not a kid is the increasing difficulty I have climbing up the bank along the road.  As a kid I would never worry about twisting my ankle or breaking a leg.

It’s hell to get old.

But it’s good to still have the desire to explore and be present in the world.  And my life.  As best I can.

Dame' Rocket with a Vespa scooterSmell the Roses

Or Dame’s Rocket in this case. Hesperis matronalis for the botanists who read Scooter in the Sticks.  It’s blooming everywhere here now and drapes the already beautiful roadways with white and purple flowers.

Can’t say I’ve ever seen another scooter or motorcycle along the road with the rider stealing a sniff of any of nature’s fragrant gifts.

Have you ever stopped to smell the roses or am I turning into an old eccentric rider?

cookies in the Pump Station CafeThe Cookie Mantra

Among the vices I feel comfortable writing about are cookies.  Small round rewards for the good ride, the ride where for a few minutes at least I’ve dwelled attentively in the world.  Tea, cookies and a few scribbled notes in a journal provide a non-moving way to connect with life.

Perhaps it has it’s own mantra — don’t rush, go slow, be present.  Otherwise I’d make short work of those cookies…

Karma and Coincidence

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Vespa GTS scooter at sunsetGrand View of the World

It’s been one year since I had a heart attack.  The road since has been a scenic tour of the countless expressions of life racing by minute by minute and a vast collection of moments that make a life.  Riding home last night from the Moto Hang I had to stop to make one more photography of my Vespa scooter against the background of a painted sky just after the sun went down.

I’ve wondered more than a few times during the past year why I keep photographing the scooter.  For a long time I told myself I needed the pictures for my blog.  But I know now there’s something else at work.  Perhaps the scooter is me, standing in the world and acknowledging time and place, creating reminders of where I’ve been and where I’m going.

There’s some karma and coincidence in play.  A year since a heart attack, a full moon approaching overhead, and here I am writing the 1000th post on Scooter in the Sticks.

There’s no way to know what tomorrow will bring but for the past year I’ve looked forward to each day, each ride, each gift that comes my way.  Riding a Vespa through the countryside brings everything into focus and leaves me breathless for the next mile.

It’s been quite a party…