Meandering Roads

It’s startling at times to realize how slow I can ride on the scooter.  As speeds of 15 or 20 miles per hour you see things — like the “S” curve that reminded me of the Scooter in the Sticks logo.  It’s this kind of trail that I’m drawn to; little meandering paths through forests and fields where, like an archeologist, I might see evidence of hidden stories.  And it’s on these rides that the riding daydreams come.

Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad

It was a chilly ride yesterday morning as the temperature climbed toward the freezing mark.  The road was bone dry but still demands respect and attention where there’s a possibility, however remote, of ice.  As I ride I find myself daydreaming about what a place might have looked like in the past — what would a native American crossing this area see, did a Tyrannosaurus walk this way 68 million years ago.  Or what would I find 68 million years in the future.

That’s the sort of daydreams I have when I’m riding. Quiet, in the background, and kept in a space that doesn’t rob critical attention from the road.

Not exactly dinosaur material but still a look to the past is this abandon railroad grade that was once part of the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad.  It’s grown over now after being abandoned in the 1960s but you can still make out the line just to the left of center of the photo.  I worked with an art director for a long time, Jim McClure, who was on the State College, Pennsylvania Borough Council when the railroad company was going to abandon most of the lines in Centre County.  Jim was excited because the borough had the opportunity to take ownership of those lines and stations.  He had a vision of a commuter line or walking and biking trails.

Unfortunately he was decades ahead of his time because the council saw no value in such an idea.

Frozen Landscape

Evidence of the cold was still present, here in the form of icicles hanging from a rock outcrop, reminders to watch the throttle despite the road giving every indication of being ice free.

Daydreaming in the cold isn’t easy if you’re cold.  I’m pleased to report all my gear is doing a bang up job keeping me toasty.  The First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket has been fantastically warm, a new pair of insulated riding pants the same, and the Tucano Urbano hand grip muffs along with the KOSO heated grips have kept my hands hot at the freezing mark.

So I’m engaging a lot of riding daydreams even in the frozen landscape.

Through the Countryside

There are times when I feel I have the whole world to myself.  Riding alone takes you to those places and provides an opportunity to let go of a lot of the baggage that makes living tedious if you let it.  Standing in this plain, ordinary rural landscape, I imagine myself the master of my universe.  At least for a moment.  It’s as if a daydream becomes tangible for a one short moment.

Vespa GTS 250ie — Utility Vehicle

I can kid myself that the scooter can go anywhere.  Anyone who’s ridden one knows that’s not true.  They’re more capable that you might expect but they will frustrate an experienced rider in lots of situations.  With a morning glow still in the air I was already wandering and watching, daydreaming of nothing and everything, imaging a journey across the wilderness.   One with a coffee shop just miles away.

It’s a fine way to ride.

Remnants of Destruction

Not all daydreams are pleasant.  I was surprised to see a small herd of American Bison quietly grazing in a pasture just a short ride from my home.  The story of the bison still makes my blood boil and reminds me why we sometimes need a government to protect us from ourselves.

Look at this timeline. I could cry.

For more information check out the Library of Congress’s The Extermination of the American Bison article.

Riding Daydreams

Thoughts and images flow easily when the ride is easy and uncluttered by concerns of traffic.  The myriad forest roads in central Pennsylvania support a simple ride and can absorb almost any conflict — the enchanted forest that haunts the pages of children’s stories and I carry along now.

Metal Men

A man constructed of an automobile transmission, exhaust pipes and brake parts stands guard outside the American Legion Post 867.  There’s no indication of the significance or artist but it is firmly attached to the pavement.  This fellow is here for the long haul.

Boxes of Hondas

Toward the end of the ride, before turning toward home to brave the Super Bowl shoppers at the grocery story, I came across a stash of Honda motorcycles neatly stacked in their boxes.  There were about a dozen motorcycles being stored outside along a small road.  No indication of who they belonged to or where they were headed.

An example of the relative safety of things in central Pennsylvania.  And when you feel safe, maybe there are a few more riding daydreams…