Scooter in the Sticks

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

Shedding the Noise of the Day

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Vespa GTS scooter at sunsetEscape

After a long day, as the day slows but the head still spins, a ride on the Vespa makes a world of difference.  Doesn’t matter where I go or what I see — just the sensation of movement and air flowing across skin — that changes everything.

Made this photograph two miles from my front door.  I watched the sun fade and the evening deepen.  Rivers of cool air crossed the low spots in the road.  I forgot who I was.  I didn’t care.  The feel of my hand wrapped around the throttle made me feel organically connected to the machine.  And I wouldn’t let go until it was dark.

It was a ride to nowhere to leave behind everything.

Sometimes shedding the noise of the day is all that matters.  Riding makes it simple to achieve.

Why aren’t you riding?

Balancing Riding with Life

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stone steps in naturalized gardenWorking with Stone

Evidence of work; an iPhone image at dusk of of a series of meandering stone steps rising through a steep part of our woodland garden.   A day ago this was thick with mountain laurel, ferns and other plants.  Even the dogs had trouble penetrating this area.  While sitting in my little chair in the garden with a bowl of cereal I decided another pathway was necessary and abandoned plans to ride the Vespa.

A lesson in balancing riding with life.

Blue sky and clouds over central PennsylvaniaBlue Skies over Central Pennsylvania

Balance has never been an easy state to achieve as I can become obsessively focused on a task — particularly one as enjoyable as riding.  A week ago I was on the road and enjoying the clear air and low humidity on a morning ride in central Pennsylvania.  It would be a lie to suggest any sort of balance — I was just doing what I wanted to do — ride the Vespa scooter.

Vespa GTS scooter along side a cornfieldOn a Clear Day You Can See for Miles

The riding weather a week ago was exceptional — not too hot and low humidity.  As the week progressed the temperatures climbed along with the feeling that everything was moist.  I confess a level of disappointment riding on sunny days.  Everything seems too easy and relaxed with little natural drama to behold.  It affects my desire to make photographs too.  Everything looks like a postcard which to me translates as boring.

Still the desire to ride wins out and I headed south out of town to no where in particular.

Vespa GTS scooter with a 1932 Ford hot rodHot Rod and Scooter

This ’32 Ford Hot Rod looked dazzling in the parking lot at the Spruce Creek Bakery. My father always talked about building one of these but ended up always working on some other more conventionally useful and adult project.  I’m not sure how his example informs my own behavior.

The owner told me this was a kit car and not build from a ’32 Ford.  And I think it has a Chevy engine complete with some snazzy looking Offenhauser heads and dual four-barrel carbs on an Edelbrock high rise intake manifold.  For a few moments these brands transported me back to hours spent on a creeper underneath cars dreaming of building fast cars.  Those motor head days are behind me.

The chrome sparkled in the sunlight. I bought chocolate chip cookies at the bakery.

Vespa GTS scooter along the railroad tracksWaiting for Trains

If I ever hope to photograph the scooter with a train I need to coordinate schedules better.  These two tracks carry all the freight and passengers back and forth across Pennsylvania.  As I write this passage I struggle to remember how I got to this place.  I do remember a spark of excitement at the possibility of seeing a train.  My wife’s cousin was an engineer for Penn Central then Conrail and finally Norfolk Southern until his retirement.  He spent years running trains east to Philadelphia and west as far as Chicago.

I’ve still not ridden a train in the United States.  That’s a sin.

Vespa GTS scooter and the Allegheny PlateauLeaving the Allegheny Plateau

The morning evaporated during a long, meandering ride through three counties and across the ridge and valley region and onto the Allegheny Plateau.  As I stood along the road making this picture I felt an odd satisfaction knowing the Vespa had transported me to this point all the way from the horizon.  By the time I would return home the scooter and I would ride another 120 miles.

Vespa GTS scooter and farmlandChildren of the Corn

This time of year the cornfields are beginning to soar across the wide agricultural valleys of Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to be able to so easily escape the noise and confusion of town so quickly and easily to find myself standing somewhere and look to the horizon and know there’s more of the same rural landscape.

Thinking about balance while riding usually means an eye on the clock to be home by a certain time.  Kim wants to see me.  The dogs demand my presence.  It’s an old balance.

Vespa GTS scooter with the Big Vespa sculptureThe Big Vespa

I was surprised to see the Big Vespa sculpture on a trailer on my way home.  At one point the creator, William Snyder III, was going to set it up at my house for awhile as a temporary storage site until a better location surfaced.  Will and I were in art school together.  I photograph a Vespa.  He builds monuments to them.

This one is 16 feet tall.

Arriving home, tired, sated with riding, hungry and smiling inside I’m uncertain if I’ve learned anything about balancing riding with life.

Perhaps I’m looking at it all wrong.  Maybe riding is life…

Open Road

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open rural road with a Vespa scooterPerfect Saturday

Clear skies, open road, Vespa.  The perfect Saturday morning.  Almost.  One element is missing — time. Looking down the road I see nothing but possibilities. A quick look at my to-do list and I grudgingly accept this ride will be short.

Regardless, even a short ride is good.  Allows me to set the tone for the weekend in a relaxed manner.  As long as I don’t resent not being able to follow the road over the horizon.

watermelon and baguette on Vespa scooterPerfect Carrier

The Vespa can handle a lot of cargo.  Under the seat, hanging from the purse hook, in the topcase, on the front rack or strapped on the seat.  If a rider is inclined you can do things most people would consider a little crazy.

At least it seems that way to me.

I’m a creature of habit.  Summer time means watermelon. Lots of it.  And breathing means bread.  Preferably a crusty variety.  And whatever I get I always gnaw on it before it arrives home.

That’s what a perfect Saturday ride looked like this time.

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.