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Yellow and the Rider’s Life

February 22, 2017 by Scooter in the Sticks 25 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter on a road with a double yellow lineDanger Will Robinson!

Yellow.  It’s the color of danger.  It’s the color of warning.  It’s the color I often reach for first.  And it’s one I pay attention to closely.  On this particular morning I was hyperfocused on the road surface.  The day before the snow began to melt and there was a lot of water running across the road.  During the night it frozen leaving some wide swaths of ice to negotiate. You can see them in the photograph.  At each I had to come to a complete stop and slowly paddle the scooter across with my feet.

The yellow kept me sharp.

Yellow lines on foggy road with Vespa GTS scooterYellow Lines — the siren song of the road

The yellow lines leading past the horizon.  The visual cue for unknown adventure.  I think I always stop when I see those scenes.  They’re easy to identify.  They’re blazing with yellow.

Verbascum thapsus plant with Vespa scooterYellow Torch

Yellow stands out, calls out, demands a close look.  In this case the stalk of yellow verbascum flowers signaled a turn off the paved road to explore another track.

Steve Williams and Vespa GTS scooterProtective Yellow

By the time I made this picture my First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket was growing weary of protecting me.  The once bright yellow was a weak presentation of its former self.  Yellow has become a central element of my protective riding gear choices.

BMW 650 GS motorcycle on gravel laneYellow Machines

I’ve always loved yellow motorcycles.  And cars.  This BMW 650GS that Kissell Motorsports lent me for a ride was exactly the color I love.  I’ve ridden several other fine yellow machinves.

Vespa at a construction siteDon’t Tell Me Which Way to Go

Signs, signs, everywhere they’re signs, telling me what to do.  More and more I refused the commands of signage…

Vespa GTS scooter parked along a field of sunflowersYellow Happy Faces

Sunflowers glowing in the sun.  Yellow faces blazing across the landscape.  Warm and inviting.  Looking at them all becomes right with the world.

Courtesy, in part, of the color yellow.


2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

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