Scooter in the Sticks

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

Personal Riding Mantra

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I have a personal riding mantra — don’t rush, go slow, be present. It’s in my head during the ride and reaches into the rest of my life.

Do you have a mantra?

Vespa GTS scooter on a rainy roadDon’t Rush — Vespa on Wet Roads

After a long work week, I was looking forward to a ride on the Vespa.  Waking to rain on Saturday morning was a disappointment.  In part, because I wanted to do some work in the garden and around the house.  But mostly because I couldn’t ride.

Or so my brain was telling me.

When I have the chance to sit still and think, I can often see the tricks my mind plays. Like fueling assumptions about weather and riding.

On the road,  my riding mantra calls on me to slow down and step away from the more frenetic pace that’s so easy to drown in.  Not rushing is important in making clear decisions.  And when the roads are wet.

Riding along the silver threads of pavement winding through the central Pennsylvania forests is always a pleasure.  Especially when I’m not in a rush.

fiddleheads and Vespa scooterGo Slow — See More

It’s hard to go slower than stop.  Bringing the scooter to a halt along the road gave me an opportunity to witness the lush growth all around.  Especially the fiddleheads unfurling in the rain.  Can’t remember ever seeing one through the windshield of the car.  Or even on the scooter unless I stop to look around.  A friend and experienced photographer once told me you don’t see anything unless you’re traveling less than 35mph.  I’m not that good and have adjusted the speed to 25mph or less.

Except for limited access highways the maximum speed limit on Pennsylvania roads is 55mph.  And most small secondary roads, the ones I love to prowl, the limit is even lower.  Learning to ride slowly is an art.  I know few riders who have mastered it.

Everyone seems to be in a hurry.

Vespa GTS scooter on wet gravel roadRiding Inventory

Alone on the road, traveling at a pace that allows a bit of time to digest the surroundings and entertain thoughts, often leads me to think about who I am as a rider.  Slow going, loner, keeping to the little roads and consuming time rather than miles.  At least for now.

Don’t rush, go slow, be present.  That works.  So does the scooter.

The places I ride, like this road in Rothrock State Forest, afford a slow and ambling pace.  Saw a black bear loping along the road once.

Vespa along a mountain streamPrimeval Riding

In my first age of riding the Vespa was fun.  Still is.  But over time it has become much more.  Anyone who’s advanced past the occasional rider stage knows how addictive it can be.  And it’s not just about movement or speed.  There’s a blossoming of the senses that lay dormant in most other vehicles or places.

I ask myself if I would pick my way across a stream if I didn’t have a camera.  Just to look around?  Would I stop at all?  Yes, maybe, I don’t know.  What I do know is that I see things while riding.  And I see more when I’m going slow.

Vespa GTS scooter on a wet roadBe Present

As a kid I wandered and explored the woods nearly every chance I could.  Now, 55 years later, I still am.  A big old kid.  One signal that I’m not a kid is the increasing difficulty I have climbing up the bank along the road.  As a kid I would never worry about twisting my ankle or breaking a leg.

It’s hell to get old.

But it’s good to still have the desire to explore and be present in the world.  And my life.  As best I can.

Dame' Rocket with a Vespa scooterSmell the Roses

Or Dame’s Rocket in this case. Hesperis matronalis for the botanists who read Scooter in the Sticks.  It’s blooming everywhere here now and drapes the already beautiful roadways with white and purple flowers.

Can’t say I’ve ever seen another scooter or motorcycle along the road with the rider stealing a sniff of any of nature’s fragrant gifts.

Have you ever stopped to smell the roses or am I turning into an old eccentric rider?

cookies in the Pump Station CafeThe Cookie Mantra

Among the vices I feel comfortable writing about are cookies.  Small round rewards for the good ride, the ride where for a few minutes at least I’ve dwelled attentively in the world.  Tea, cookies and a few scribbled notes in a journal provide a non-moving way to connect with life.

Perhaps it has it’s own mantra — don’t rush, go slow, be present.  Otherwise I’d make short work of those cookies…

Karma and Coincidence

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Vespa GTS scooter at sunsetGrand View of the World

It’s been one year since I had a heart attack.  The road since has been a scenic tour of the countless expressions of life racing by minute by minute and a vast collection of moments that make a life.  Riding home last night from the Moto Hang I had to stop to make one more photography of my Vespa scooter against the background of a painted sky just after the sun went down.

I’ve wondered more than a few times during the past year why I keep photographing the scooter.  For a long time I told myself I needed the pictures for my blog.  But I know now there’s something else at work.  Perhaps the scooter is me, standing in the world and acknowledging time and place, creating reminders of where I’ve been and where I’m going.

There’s some karma and coincidence in play.  A year since a heart attack, a full moon approaching overhead, and here I am writing the 1000th post on Scooter in the Sticks.

There’s no way to know what tomorrow will bring but for the past year I’ve looked forward to each day, each ride, each gift that comes my way.  Riding a Vespa through the countryside brings everything into focus and leaves me breathless for the next mile.

It’s been quite a party…

 

Vespa Scooter in Rain

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Vespa GTS scooter in the rainRiding in Rain

It’s always a little different — rain.  And so is riding in it.  The quality of the rain, temperature, how I’m feeling, the tires on the scooter; they all have an effect on the experience of riding a Vespa scooter in rain.

The ride home from work, though like so many others, was unique for a dozen different reasons.  The rain stood out.  Anyone who rides in the rain on a regular basis knows what to expect and has learned how to respond.  The beginning of a rain event after weeks of dry weather often creates a slippery slurry of oil and other road film which can send a rider down in a hurry if not paying attention.  That’s decidedly different from riding after hours of a steady rain where the road is washed clean.

On this ride, everything conspired to create a perfect embrace; as if there was no place warmer and safer than being in that rain.  You may know the feeling, a time when you aren’t concerned with being wet or if the road is slippery.

That’s where I was.  No rush or hurry, no concerns for safety, just a pleasant ride in the rain.

I wish those rides were more frequent.

Evening Riding

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Vespa GTS scooter at sunset

Riding at Sun Down

Often, I feel a sudden burst of mortal awareness as the sun nears the horizon. The end of something. Or perhaps the beginning. Life with the lizard brain is never easy to predict or understand — just relentless in it’s march of survival and desire.

I look to the sky whenever I feel stifled or trapped by a mind refusing to disconnect from the trials of a day. The tapestry of clouds and light kindled a need for the camera and a desire to go for a ride. Even a short journey through familiar ground.

A short time on the road.  Evening riding.

Pausing on the approach to the expressway to make a photograph I wondered at the longing for rest as I looked at the open sky. Riding, the Vespa is my counselor, questioning and directing a conversation no one can hear. It’s why I ride.

Vespa along freeway with truck

Flying the Expressway

Odd choice to ride on the expressway. It was the fastest route to what big sky we have; glimpses of what the landscape is like in the flatlands. Open and looking at heaven.

And then a monster roars by. The modern era bear or Tyrannosaurus. It’s hard to dismiss the destructive power of a large truck hurtling just a feet away. A potential embrace too awful to imagine.

Yet I continue to ride.

And enjoy it.

The joy of evening riding.

Lost in a Vespa Ride

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Vespa GTS scooter on a winding wet road

Thrill of Departure

At the beginning of every Vespa ride an electric thrill travels through my body. It’s short and fleeting, but in that moment I have no cares or worries; I’m smiling and alive. It happens at the start of of adventures and is the same for a short errand. The feeling should not be confused with the joy of riding — something quite different and longer lasting. The thrill I speak of is a direct connection between the mind and soul.

Or so I like to think.

A heavy blanket of gray covered the valley this morning. White clouds of fog draped along the mountain ridges and the air was thick with rain that would not fall. The Vespa scooter and I moved slowly away from home and on into the unknown; a lack of meaning, direction or concern for the rain that might bring danger to a rider with new tires, the shiny, slippery factory coating still in place threatening a sizable loss of traction on wet roads.

On we went, riding, lost in a world of gray.

Vespa GTS scooter along small farm lane

Learning to let go

I used to make plans; routes, timetables, destinations and all the related trappings of someone who refuses to let life unfold at its own pace. Often now, the ride takes shape mile by mile, like scenes in a movie, leading me along it’s own unique story. Time and circumstance have brought this about. There can be no disappointment or failure when you have no goals or expectations.

Wandering along farm lanes and country roads frees the mind from the cat and mouse game with traffic and gives it a chance to rest.

Vespa GTS scooter along a rural road on a gray day

Love of the road

No matter how many times I’ve been down a road, I’m happy to embrace it one more time. It must be love.  I do look forward to new territory and the excitement of discovering what’s around the next bend.  But without taking some longer trips that’s becoming a more challenging goal.

And I’m beginning to wonder if goals are much use in my personal life.

Vespa GTS250 scooter on a farm lane

Seduced by the Vespa

There are a wide range of motorcycles and scooters I could be riding. But I drank the Vespa Kool-Aid.  It’s really hard for me to imagine something different in this photograph even though I can quickly name a half dozen motorcycles better suited for gravel road riding.  But the Vespa is a perfect dance partner.

The scooter is running great after the it’s recent service.  I still need to repaint the muffler and have to add some Super Glue to a slipping heated grip on the throttle.  The grip uses a friction fit but I recall the installation instructions indicating sometimes a drop or two of glue may be needed.

A drop or two of glue is needed.

And so is a Vespa ride.