Scooter in the Sticks

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

On the Road Again

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Reflection of Vespa GTS scooter in a glass doorReflections on Life

Sometimes I lie.

Last time I posted I mentioned snow was for Vespa riding and not for transporting post-surgical patients home. Turns out only half that statement is true. Riding the Vespa in the snow part — not so much. During the past two weeks there has been plenty of opportunities to demonstrate the validity of my claim. But the Vespa has remained in the garage next to the snow blower on each of the wonderfully snowy days.

I have my reasons.Continue Reading

Outlaw Riders

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scooter and motorcycle along a rural roadLong Shadows of Morning

Dazzling light and crisp mornings are a perfect way to start a ride. With the air temperature hovering in the low 40s (Fahrenheit), my friend Paul and I set out to find breakfast. Him on his 2016 BMW R1200 RT and me on the Vespa — an odd pairing only if you’re concerned with the optics or the BMW rider wants to greatly exceed the speed limit. I suspect there are other things that would suggest a problem.

We departed Boalsburg, Pennsylvania with a goal in mind — breakfast at the Spruce Creek Bakery in Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania. Downhill a dizzying 344 feet in elevation. I made a note to be on the lookout for altitude sickness on the way home. And for Marine One in case President Trump, like Jimmy Carter before him, decided to visit Spruce Creek to fish for trout.

It’s a serious ride.Continue Reading

Thoughts on Gravel and Paved Roads

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Vespa GTS on gravel roadDirt and Gravel

Maps sate the desire to wander.

Almost.

Do you fantasize with maps?

Pouring over roads and potential places to ride generates ideas and excuses to make trips without need or purpose. As is often the case, routes are weighed against possible places to eat.

A few days ago I found myself puzzling over a road across Stone Mountain leading into Big Valley in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. A road I had not traveled before and wondered if it was paved. And if not, what condition it was in.

I’ve ridden enough dirt and gravel roads now on the Vespa to discern the differences that present themselves. Packed dirt like encountered by this powerline provides a smooth, easy ride. But that’s not always the case.Continue Reading

Thoughts on Autumn

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pine needle path through the woodsPine Needle Pathway

From deep inside I feel the coming of winter. That time of magnificent transition in the northeast part of America is autumn. It has a unique scent and color palette; the feel of the air on skin is prickles a ripple of events in the body that resonate with some ancient, primal programming that whispers of endings and decay. And with it, for me at least, comes a rush of melancholy swirling around all those things that I’ve lost in this short life.

Walking through the woods I can feel it. As the cycle of the season rolls on we head to the quiet death of winter.

Modern life has certainly masked those whispers making it possible to be deaf to them completely. Ample food, shelter and clothes challenge even the most bitter weather. I confess my own guilt and reliance on technology to blunt the lessons programmed by DNA for survival — triggered by the coming of autumn.Continue Reading

Thinking About Riders

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David Masse lying on the road in Sproul State ForestPeople You Meet on the Road

Riders are unique individuals. They may ride the same scooter or motorcycle, or dress according to a code or style, but when you look closely, they’re different in small ways, and big. Thinking about riders I’ve known, I’ve not met two who are the same.

Recently I had the opportunity to ride again with my friend Paul Ruby, and with fellow blogger and Vespa rider, David Masse, who had ridden his scooter from Toronto, Canada to have a closer look at the sticks of Pennsylvania.

There’s a special magic in the mountains and forests of central Pennsylvania that can cause even the most even tempered riders to succomb to a sudden onset of riding madness — that temporary giddiness that results from flying through the world on two wheels. And when it happens, it’s hard to tell where it will lead.

It’s not often that you meet a Canadian lying in the road.Continue Reading