Scooter in the Sticks

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

Elegant Vespa Utility

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Vespa carrying a long baguetteBeauty and Bread

On the way home from work I stopped at the Boalsburg Farmer’s Market to grab some things for dinner.  All my choices fit under the seat or in the top case save for the long baguette.  Can’t believe in all the years I’ve been riding and getting groceries I’ve not faced the baguette dilemma — how do you handle the classic long bread?

Having no beret didn’t help.  I remembered the famous image of a man and young boy riding down a tree lined road with a baguette strapped across the back of their bicycle.  After searching the scooter for a few seconds I realized the front rack not only is capable of hauling watermelons, it can carry bread as well.

Can there be an expression of elegant Vespa utility than that?

Drifting Through Fog

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Vespa GTS scooter on fog shrouded forest roacForest Magic

The dogs begin stirring before dawn, when they hear the birds come to life in the garden.  I play dead to delay getting up to take them outside.  Except when there’s fog.

I was drifting through the fog with plans to ride somewhere for breakfast.  To manage the risk and lack of visibility, I choose the roads less traveled.  Secondary roads.  Forest roads.  Paths.  You can spend more time entertaining your imagination on those roads.

And with fog, the world transforms itself into myth and legend.  And the early part of my trip had a little forest magic too.

Vespa GTS scooter in the fogSilent Landscape

There’s an uncanny stillness to a forest in fog. It can be a lovely escape from the noise of the world or swollen with anxiety over some unseen danger.  Today I was somewhere in the middle.  I tend to trust my gut with riding related choices and that little voice was whispering to turn around.

I had planned to ride along the ridge, head east over the mountain and then south toward breakfast in the next county.

Vespa GTS scooter on foggy gravel roadRetreating from Gravel

My route would require 20 miles of gravel roads, something I would normally not think twice about.  But my new Heidenau tires don’t like gravel.  With the scooter moving around in even the lightest stones at 15mph it would be more of a grind than I wanted to take.

The Vespa is not a dirt bike.  With the right tires it could easily move at 40mph.  But uncertain traction and a diminished view of the road surface seemed a poor mix.

Yellow lines on foggy road with Vespa GTS scooterEternity in Every Moment

On a foggy day the road can seem as if it goes on forever.  I’ve learned that every moment counts on a ride.  For safety and as opportunities of discovery.  Maybe that’s why I don’t pass up opportunities to ride in the fog.

Searching for Treasure

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Vespa GTS scooter at Jo Hays OverlookView From Above

You never know what you might find — evidence of something.

Or more.

Searching for answers to simple questions haunts my imagination. Looking out over the valley I call home I wonder how I’ve come to this moment in my life where I’ve stood on this overlook countless times and never really asked, “Why am I still here?”.

In a world in perpetual transition, with people moving rapidly from place to place, changing jobs, friends and families. I’ve worked for the same employer for 42 years.

I feel as if I’ve become an anachronism living here for so long. Sitting in a cafe during the middle of the afternoon, alone with these thoughts as I write, it comes to me. I’m searching for treasure. Not gold or silver, but rather moments in time where I recognize something that makes me smile, or wonder at the beauty, or just suddenly feel the flame of life leap up from my chest and utter to myself, “Holy shit!”.

I’m sure that’s how it was as I stood looking out over the valley on that cool, beautiful morning.

Vespa GTS scooter along mountain road

Rambling on a Vespa

Winding through the mountains and forests of central Pennsylvania has moved from coincidence to obsession. A thrill persists in the aloneness found in these places with space to think and dream about nothing and everything. Riding the Vespa has opened the doors to a search I was struggling toward for a long time before I started riding.

The scooter has a simple elegance in it’s design and utility as a vehicle to transport a rider physically, and more remarkably, spiritually.

This little machine is a fine companion.

blue sky with clouds and con trailsLook Up Once in Awhile

Not everything important is on the road ahead.  Or even to the left or right.  I try and take time to look up from time to time.  On clear days the blue sky is dazzling; so different from the night sky dripping with stars.  As a kid I would strain at night to see to the edge of the universe.  Now I understand the meaning of eternity.

And then off I go ducking the scooter left and right through tight curves and imagine a barn swallow gliding over fields and pastures.

Vespa GTS scooter on the summit of Jacks MountainAmiable Vagabond

Kim compared me to one of our dogs this evening — Iggy Pup.  He was an American Foxhound who was always searching for treasure — rabbits, deer, food, and myriad attractions only a dog can appreciate.  He had little interest in people save for those who fed him and kept his nose to the ground.

I’m like Iggy when I ride.  People don’t account for much of my interest.  Stopped at the summit of Jacks Mountain I forced myself to walk across the road to say hello to three riders.  Two were on large scooters, a Yamaha Majesty and a Suzuki Burgman.  The third was riding a Harley Davidson of some kind.  Big one.  After some brief discussion of the fine weather, where we were riding to and from, and some general chatter about being safe I was drained.  Like Iggy I was more interested in the rabbit I hadn’t found yet.

They were all surprised to learn how fast the Vespa scooter could move.

Everyone always is.

Vespa GTS scooter along a mountain roadThrough the Mountains

Pennsylvania has mountains.  Not by Colorado or Alaska standards.  But for someone from Illinois or Nebraska, we have mountains.  The roads are good and the views open to a wider world.  And trees everywhere provide a sense of wilderness that you don’t get motoring along through the agricultural valleys.

Vespa next to barn with biblical saying painted on itIn the Scooter’s Dreams the Road Goes on Forever

The road will end.  And I believe there is more afterwards.  The night sky tells me that as does the immeasurable complexity I see all around me.  I’ve ridden by this sign before but this was the first time I stopped to make a photograph.  Not so much to share here but as an acknowledgement of faith — fealty to an intuitive understanding I’ve long avoided.

Searching for treasure perhaps.

Vespa GTS scooter on the road to Shade Gap, PennsylvaniaOn the Road to Shade Gap, Pennsylvania

Riding south along US522 pushed me into a more rustic area of Pennsylvania, one full of legend and mystery for me.  In 1966 America was held spellbound by the kidnapping of 17-year-old Peggy Ann Bradnick which led to the largest manhunt in U.S history at the time.  “The mountain man got Peggy Ann!”, the cry of her younger brother as William Hollenbaugh dragged her off into the dense woods as she and her siblings were walking home from the school bus stop.  Walter Cronkite provided nightly updates on the search which lasted a week.

I sense bad energy here.  I’ve heard stories of serpent handling churches and the Klan.  None of it may be true, but it’s in my head.

History.

Vespa GTS scooter and covered bridgeCovered Bridges

For as many of these sorts of bridges that are indicated on maps I’ve encountered very few.  I’m not doing something right.  Don’t want to turn into a bridge chaser but may make some more deliberate efforts to explore these throwbacks to a simpler time.

160610_vespa_ride036Visual Monotony

The trek from Shade Gap to Mifflintown was nearly 40 miles of nothing — farm after farm after farm. The boredom felt during this stretch of the ride could have been the result of an aching shoulder or a growling stomach.  The road just stretched on and on…

Vespa GTS scooter along Juniata River road near Lewistown, Pennsylvania

Lunch and Homeward Bound

Stopped to pick up a sandwich for lunch to eat along the road in the shade.  Poison ivy kept me dining upright but it was still a fine way to take a meal on the road.  Two vehicles passed by during the 45 minutes I was here, a road wandering along the Juniata River headed toward Lewistown, Pennsylvania.

With a couple hours of riding ahead before arriving home I was happy to have the chance to explore a bit more along the road.

And continue searching for treasure.

Riding Kaleidoscope

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Are your weekends on your scooter or motorcycle a riding kaleidoscope?

Winding road ahead sign with Vespa scooter in the backgroundWinding Roads

Some days, I swear I see better than others.  Objects seem to leap out toward my eyes and landscapes become small cinematic experiences.  It’s like a riding kaleidoscope where there’s a constant change of pattern, texture and form.

Or maybe it’s just my imagination.

Out early on Saturday morning in hopes of beating the heat seemed like a good plan but by 9am the temperature was already above eighty-degrees — hell for someone like me who thrives in the fifty to sixty-degree range.

Some riders would feel a thrill at the sight of a sign warning of winding roads ahead with the attendant leans and lines as they hurtle along.  My Vespa and I are lollygaggers with little interest is speed.  I just thought the sign looked neat.  And to offer some hope to those in the midwest who live in grids.

Vespa GTS scooter along a country roadLate Spring Lushness

The rain and sunshine have created a lush landscape of plants.  The fragrance of flowers fill the air and the heat has driven me to my vented summer riding jacket.  You can often tell from the photos when I stop to smell the roses — the helmet comes off meaning I want to look around.

The scenery changes mile by mile, around every bend almost.  What a fine day to ride the scooter.

intersection of country roadsWhich Way?  Who Cares.

When I left home I didn’t have a destination.  Wasn’t really sure if I wanted to ride or stay home and work in the garden or visit my granddaughter who I see far too infrequently.  I find it a bit unsettling riding  when I don’t know where I’m going, especially at intersections where I make a choice of left or right based on a feeling without a focus.

Where am I going?

What’s nice about riding the Vespa, or pretty much any two-wheeled machine, is the relative ease in making changes in course and direction.  At this intersection I eventually turned around and decided to go the other way.

water plants and algae in a creekGazing in the Water

There was a time when I would take my boots off and wade in the water.  Now I just look, maybe make a photograph, and keep my distance from anything so juvenile as getting my feet wet.  Still, it’s a lovely pastime to wander along a stream with a camera.

Wished I had seen a muskrat.  Or an otter.  What a wonderful view in my riding kaleidoscope.

Vespa GTS scooter on rural roadLoving Those Rural Roads

The quiet loneliness of a rural road transited on a Vespa scooter rises to the level of near perfection for me.  Ride at my own pace, stop when I want, go when I want, go where I want.  These empty places are the stuff of dreams and memory that I’ll one day be replaying.

I do love these rural roads.

Riding jacket and Vespa scooterA Stop for Lunch

Pausing for a few bites of a sandwich and to rehydrate before moving on to a discovered destination just outside of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania — Nature’s Cover where I would order two truckloads of stone for our garden.

I’ve become adept at sitting and emptying my mind of thoughts (without falling asleep) and just absorbing the worlf around me.  I scribbled no notes.  Just stared off in the distance until a conversation behind me broke the spell.

Three mallard ducks in the grassChattering Chorus

Three mallard ducks began to talk to me, no doubt interested in an arrangement which would include me sharing part of my lunch with them.  Don’t feed the ducks.  I learned that a long time ago.

A no nothing ride.  Nothing special or unique.  But an eclectic riding kaleidoscope of scenes that are now firmly stored in my gourd.

Ah, the Vespa…

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.