Sica not Ferrari.
Enzo called last week and asked if I wanted to go for a ride. He would be in town a couple days. A last minute change in my schedule at work meant I could take a day off and head out for adventure.
Enzo is my youngest daughter Aleta’s boyfriend. They live in New York City where he has chosen not to ride. His recently acquired 2002 Suzuki SV650s lives at his parent’s house in State College is only on the road when he’s in town. The stars and planets aligned and at 6:50am on a chilly morning he was in the driveway.
Enzo is a photographer and I saw him kneeling out in the driveway with his camera. My mess of a garage never looked so good.
The ambient temperature indicator on the Vespa read 58F. Chilly, but nothing a windproof jacket under a vented riding jacket couldn’t handle. Cool air leaking though to skin had me wishing my First Gear Kilimanjaro IV winter riding jacket wasn’t having the main zipper replaced. I was still warmer than Enzo, who had a T-shirt under his mesh Revit jacket. We stopped at Café Lemont for breakfast and to allow the temperature to rise to a comfortable 64F before riding on towards
Sproul State Forest.
Most of the activity in this area, at least until deer season starts, is focused on natural gas exploration of the Marcellus shale. I pulled off the road to stretch my legs and Enzo started investigating the line of brand new pumps used in the fracking process – injecting chemical solutions under high pressure to break up the shale deep in the ground to allow retrieval of natural gas.
I’m really not that much bigger than the Vespa GTS250ie.
Hundreds of gas wells are being drilled and roads which used to be practically devoid of cars now sees a steady stream of big rigs moving equipment, water, brine, and fracking solution throughout the area. Just like loud motorcycles don’t project their sound forward neither do these behemoths. If you aren’t paying attention they are bearing down on you before you know it. So now I watch for deer and big trucks.
The region is part of the
Pennsylvania Wilds Program. Huge stretches of forest with amazing views. Two Rocks Lookout offered a chance to stretch our legs and warm up a bit. There were no signs of use at the picnic area and I wondered how long we might have to wait before someone came along if our machines quit working. No cell coverage for at least twenty miles. As close to wilderness as you get in Pennsylvania.
Much of PA Route 144 has been repaved making it a wonderfully smooth road through an enchanted forest with just enough turns and curves to keep it interesting.
In the distance we could see fog in the valley where the West Branch of the Susquehanna River flows. Enzo is probably the only person I have ridden with who seemed to inspect the landscape with the camera as much as I do. More probably. I still didn’t stop as often as I would otherwise and passed many scenes begging to be photographed.
Most times I just shoot pictures wherever I park. But at times I see something better is possible with some adjustments. One of the rare times you will see me without helmet or gloves as I move the scooter 30 yards down the road. I didn’t even bother putting my feet up.
So here it is, the setup, and I am reaching inside my jacket pocket for my camera. Another big truck cracking the silence.
And here is the picture. My impression of the place. A move of the scooter, a change in the focal length of the lens and you’ve created riding propaganda. I love photography.
Soon we would ride on to what I think is the highest elevation along this road and begin our descent into the valley and the city of Renovo and the rare opportunity to find fuel is this area.
A stop to make a photograph on a particularly twisting stretch of road. I told Enzo I have ridden through here many times but never stopped to make this picture.
Scoot’s Service Center is new to me. The last time I came through Renovo in search of fuel for a nearly empty tank I found the gas station had burned down. Today there was fuel and a few packs of crackers and cookies to tide us over until lunch.
We left Renovo for
Hyner View State Park. With clear skies and the thermometer hovering around 70F the views promised to be exceptional. One of the nicest parts of the ride is the meandering road up the mountain to the Hyner View overlook.
In places the road moves through a tunnel of light and leaves. While making pictures at this location a man stopped to see if we were having problems and needed assistance. He had a hang glider rig attached to the roof of his car and said he hoped to fly today. Hyner View State Park is known as one of the premier locations in Pennsylvania to fly.
At the top of the mountain we’re greeted with a spectacular view. Enzo made this photograph of a young couple sitting on the edge of the stonework at Hyner View. The woman was talking on her cell phone. My iPhone had no service. Score one for Verizon.
The pilot sits on the overlook gazing out over the valley. The view is stunning and I hope to see him fly. Though I’ve been here a number of times over the years I have not seen a hang glider take off since the 1970s.
There’s a lot of air between the overlook and the valley floor where he would land. We talk about flying and he tells me he has been flying here since 1975. His record at this location for time in the air is just over seven hours and he has reached an altitude of 7500 feet. I thought it would be a straight glide to the landing area. Things have changed since I first say gliders here 35 years ago.
As he watches the wind and air flow it’s obvious how methodically he considers the risks of making a flight. I’m reminded of
Dan Bateman at Musings of an Intrepid Commuter. He communicates the same informed, methodical approach to evaluating and managing risk on the road.
I’m not reminded of
Jack Riepe at Twisted Roads. Well, I sort of thought of him. I figured Jack would have made a beeline towards the woman on the cell phone. He is Jack Riepe after all.
But I digress.
Groups of motorcycles (almost all Harley-Davidson with a stray BMW thrown in) came and went while we waited for the hang glider and admired the view. When it seemed as if he was in no hurry to fly Enzo and I made a decision to head towards a mid-day meal.
A road sign indicated it was only five miles to PA Route 44, a fine road winding along Pine Creek. I knew a way to loop around home from there and was certain we would find a place to eat. What I didn’t know is the condition of the 5 miles of forest road. The addition of heavy trucks and equipment related to drilling and building pipelines makes it hard to predict. The road where this picture was taken was thick with fine dirt and rock dust. I was glad it was only five miles. Actually, it turned out to be closer to nine.
Route 44 was freshly paved and smooth and we may good time south towards Waterville and a place to have lunch. I can’t remember the name of the place but they had a good cheesburger.
After lunch we still had 60 miles or so before home but all on familiar back roads. At least to me. I think this was a new world for Enzo.
A last stop for fuel in Millheim and some ice cream. While we were getting ready to leave an Amish buggy pulled up to the gas pumps. Looked odd and then the two women driving proceeded to fill a half dozen gas cans. Hard to tell what they use the fuel for and I didn’t feel like prying. I was on an adventure after all.
Arrived home with another 177 miles on the Vespa and a relaxed smile on my face. Poor Enzo had to drive back to New York City.
But he’s young.
My local Vespa dealer (and BMW, Triumph, Ducati, Aprilia, and Piaggio) Kissell Motorsports is moving. I stopped by their new location to have a look and get a feel for the new space. At lunchtime on Friday the place was a flurry of activity as contractors and Kissell staff worked to have the new location in business on October 1st.
Head technician Tim was busy moving shelving, parts and other equipment so he and his colleagues can continue to offer expert service for my Vespa. And I suppose other machines too.
The shop area looks like a great work area. Bright, lots of light, and plenty of space to work in. I’ll have to take another peek when they are set up.
After Craig Kissell showed me around the place it was back to moving tires. I probably should have lent a hand but I had to take pictures. Alas, the life of a photographer. I looked around at the tires they had moved looking for some nice, aggressive tires for my Vespa to get me through the winter. They must be coming on another truck.
The showroom is impressive, even in this early stage. The concrete floor was stained dark with a high gloss clear coating applied on top to produce a jewel-like surface. Motorcycles and scooters will look nice on that floor. At the far side of the room near the large windows will be a carpeted area for the BMWs. The whole layout sounds great and on Monday they’ll start moving the motorcycles.
Painters were hard at work enhancing the appearance of the building. I kept my Vespa at a safe distance to avoid any overspray. I’m not really sure why I care since I haven’t washed it in almost two years. Tomorrow though I plan to give it a bath.
Landscape contractors were at work cleaning up the site and I expect the next time I stop by I’ll hardly recognize the place.
