Scooter in the Sticks

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

Church Riders

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Keith Diehl and his red Vespa GTS scooterSunday Ride

I don’t expect to see another scooter or motorcycle at church but it was nice to see another Vespa GTS this morning.  Keith is filling in for the regular organist this week and rode his bright red Vespa GTS 300 to Boalsburg.  With the sky blue and temperature rising it the bright red scoot was like a spring flower.

Church riders.  Perhaps there are more.

The thermometer should approach 60F this afternoon — with a breeze it should help dry out the muddy yard and keep the dogs relatively clean.  Wish I could take advantage of the break in the weather and take a long lazy ride but duty and responsibility beckon.

I should be caught up in about two years.

Vespa in Freezing Weather

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The Vespa starts right up in freezing weather, my brain not so much…

Vespa in freezing weatherAt the beginning of the cold-weather riding season an adjustment is in order — for me at least.  I don’t worry much about the Vespa and instead focus on the subtle ways my mind works to avoid the cold.  Perhaps it’s merely a form of homeostasis that struggles to preserve comfort.  As the years progress and a new season of cold arrives I have to work a little harder to ride the Vespa in freezing weather.

Accept the Obvious

Some might say I’m in denial and that my mind and body is trying to tell me not to ride.  Or that I really don’t enjoy being out on the scooter of a crisp, bright morning in bracing air. The resistance I’ve encountered from others to cold-weather riding ranges from philosophical beliefs on the subject bordering on fanaticism to garden variety disbelief or head-shaking at the thought of riding when it’s not warm.

I got up this morning with only a sense that I could ride.  As I moved through the morning rituals to prepare to depart for work the clear skies and lack of wind allowed me to slowly move toward a two-wheeled departure.  By the time I came back in the house after 30 minutes of dog action I was moving my riding gear toward the cast-iron radiator to begin warming up.

After making the photograph of the scooter with the frosty window I paused to walk out to the road and think about ice.  At 27F, despite the dry weather of late, riding would demand an extra measure of observation and care in riding.

Vespa parked in morning sunAlone with Your Thoughts

A stop on the way to work to visit the chiropractor for some final touch-up work on my back.  In the office, thinking about how long it has taken me to recover after this latest lumbar event, I could hear my father saying, “It’s hell to get old boy.”.

Boy.  My name forever with my dad.  I don’t remember him ever calling me anything different.  Even when introducing me.  “That’s my boy.”.

Funny what comes into your head when you’re alone.

Vespa GTS scooter on gravel roadRising Above Freezing

On the way to work the temperature quickly climbed above the freezing mark and combined with the bright sun to bamboozle my brain into thinking it was warm.  I’ve had a few concerns since my heart attack about how well I would be able to handle cold-weather riding but so far it’s not been an issue.  The only thing I’ve had to wrestle with is the usually mental resistance that I generally categorize as laziness.  The more I ride in the cold though the hardier I become.

Bring on the winter — I’m ready to ride the Vespa in freezing weather.  Big talk for someone sitting in an easy chair in a toasty living room.

The next few days promise some warmer weather so I may see some fellow riders but I won’t hold my breath.  The few I’ve spoken with already have Stabil in their gas tanks and are storing their machines in anticipation of spring.

A sad state of affairs.  I think…

 

Evening Ride

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Vespa GTS under a fiery evening sky

Evening Ride

At 5:04 p.m. an alert vibrated the iPhone sitting on my desk warning of a severe lightning storm and calling for the evacuation of two athletic stadiums on Penn State’s University Park campus.  For once my decision not to ride because of the weather made sense.  Three hours later the weather cleared and the Vespa was fully engaged in an important mission. The line of fire across the sky signified the importance of the task at hand.

Vespa GTS scooter at sunset at the beginning of an evening ride

Traveling at Dusk

Swift movement at dusk through the central Pennsylvania landscape inspires a heighten sense of risk; Bambi is lurking just beyond the green fringe, waiting to intercept the feckless rider. As missions can push limits it’s important to remain attentive, focused, and bring all skills and powers to the task at hand.

Vespa GTS scooter on rural road during an evening ride

Fragrant Air

Fragrance and fluctuation of air temperature seek to move the mind from the eye to the nose like mythological sirens luring the unsuspecting towards the rocks.  A few words of silent meditation refocuses concentration on the mission at hand, interrupted by the sharp pierce of a mosquito’s proboscis through my cheek.

On the Vespa goes.

Vespa GTS scooter parked after an evening ride

Silent and Swift

Only minutes left, moving silently across the parking lot, like a special operator in a hostage rescue, hyper-focused, committed, single-minded.  Moment by moment the number of possible decisions shrink until I’m face-to-face with the target. Time slows as I move like a shadow with singular intent.

Ice cream and gelato

Mission Notes

Mission complete, target secure, two pints of fine frozen dessert — Ben and Jerry’s and Talenti — on route to a Friday evening summit with my significant other. It was a productive evening ride.

Even the little trips are fun and full of surprises. Life is always an adventure on two wheels. Life is better with a Vespa scooter.

Unsatisfying Vespa Ride

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man standing next to Vespa scooter

Steve Williams, author of Scooter in the Sticks, with his Vespa GTS scooter.

Not every ride on a scooter or motorcycle is a good ride.  Some rides are just too damn short.  As the day drew to a close and the weather was beginning to look ominous I had a sudden desire to go for a ride.  I can never be sure if it’s really a ride I’m after or just a chance to see the sky.  Nothing eases pent up mental claustrophobia like standing in a field and watching the race through the sky.  Or standing along the ocean and taking in the vastness of water and air.

So off I rode to the nearest promontory where I could take in a view and do it before the promised rain and thunder showers arrived.  As I write I realize that the forecast was wrong, the radar was wrong, everything was wrong including my reading of the sky that whispered “Get the hell home”.  The picture almost look tranquil but the wind was blowing hard on my balding head.  Blew my gloves off the scooter though luckily not the helmet.

I should know better than to leave my helmet on the seat.

Vespa GTS 250 scooter

Vespa GTS scooter parked in a pasture under a heavy sky.

The ride this evening was too short, too rushed to offer any sort of release.  Instead just a small sense of regret that I couldn’t stay longer and watch the world grow dark. At least the Vespa got me out.

Next ride will be different.

Fog is Strong Medicine

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Steve Williams, Vespa rider, at Bear Meadows
Fog is strong medicine

Fog has a stimulative power capable of pulling a comatose body from fantastic dreamworlds into a real world shrouded is gaseous water and mystery.  Forsaking plans and conceptions, no destination in mind, far from home in the dawn mist, I could feel the energy whispering through me, urging me on.

Vespa GTS scooter on foggy gravel road in forest
Into the darkness.

Fine water droplets transform the view through the visor into a translucent white luster framing the road as it winds through the forest, subduing detail not already lost to the fog.  A finger drags across the outside of the visor, then inside, a vain ritual to navigate into the morning nebula. Make no mistake – fog increases risk in the riding world and demands careful consideration before choosing to explore.

Empty dirt and gravel roads in Rothrock State Forest changes scanning for vehicles to a search for sudden changes in the road surface, meandering black bears, fallen limbs, and the ever present white-tailed deer.

Vespa GTS scooter at Bear Meadows in fog
Bear Meadows.

This place retains the same lure today as it did when I first visited in an orange VW beetle 40 years ago.  I see my dog Essa loping along the path, or remember falling through the ice on a New Year’s Day hike.  Sight and vision are sharpened by memory.

Living in black and white.

Kim and I used to come here before sunrise, hours before having to be at work to sit and write and experience the world.  And always when there was fog…

Vespa GTS scooter in Rothrock State Forest
Free to explore.

That’s the secret power of a Vespa – far from discussions of fuel economy, hipster lifestyle or scooter culture.  It has power to move me into an altered state.  I’ve ridden a lot of fine motorcycles and scooters – this Vespa remains the perfect companion in my riding world.

Vespa GTS scooter on narrow dirt path
The Vespa doesn’t say no.

It just goes without complaint or demand as if just as driven to experience as its rider.  Through rain and snow, mud, ice, wind and darkness, the Vespa is up to the challenge. In videos of the Dakar and pictures of them rigged for water crossings, it is a hearty machine.

 In a culture of bigger, faster, stronger a scooter isn’t a comfortable fit.  After tens of thousands of miles on a Vespa I’ve come to see the difference between my choice and the choice others would make for me should I give them the chance.

Vespa GTS scooter along dirt forest path
Reflection.

Miles from home, standing in a stand of hemlocks listening to a small brook babble along on its way to the Chesapeake Bay, a mind is free to wander and wonder and reflect on whatever is important at that moment.  This doesn’t happen standing at the water fountain down the hall from my office…

Vespa GTS scooter in fog
The spell is broken.

I’ve read there are no wild places in the lower 48 states.  Certainly none in central Pennsylvania.  Still, in the fog a mind can wander and pretend.  Nothing breaks that wilderness bubble faster than the intrusion of runners into a fantasy.  Serious ones no doubt – the loop they were taking has 15 miles of mountain running ahead before returning to civilization.

Vespa GTS scooter on gravel forest road
Down the mountain.

A steep grade on mud and loose gravel challenge the scooter’s descent and highlights the need for careful braking and the technical limitation of the Vespa’s automatic transmission.  The Heidenau winter tires provide enough grip and bite to make for a reasonable ride.

Vespa GTS scooter in the rain
Return to civilization.

Rides can’t last forever, especially ones made without boundaries measured in hours.  The departure from one world to another is softened on a foggy day, each mile unfolding with it’s own secret personality.

Vespa GTS scooter near Coyler Lake
Sharpened vision.

The Vespa bears witness to the landscape shaped and twisted by fog driven light as its small wheels turn through mud then gravel and back onto the security of pavement.  There’s a pull back to the forest and another on into the day.  I’m glad I can feel it.

Vespa GTS scooter next to foggy farm field
Fully medicated.

Mentally. Emotionally, Physically. How better to start a day than a ride in the fog. A few hours investment for a valuable return – it’s strong medicine and requires no prescription. A simple choice to ride.