Relaxation and a Morning Vespa Ride

I'm that dog, quiet, aware, and letting the day wash over me.  Except I don't have to lay on the concrete.  And I can enjoy a breakfast sandwich and juice at the local Starbucks.  I don't know this dog, he doesn't know me, but we passed time quietly this morning in the same space.  Not sure how he arrived but I was delivered on a Vespa.

The morning was unplanned and as opportunities presented themselves the Vespa responded.  Farm lanes often lead to interesting landscapes, opportunities to observe and wonder.

I've photographed this tree many times over the past 35 years -- marking time and change.  Someday I made walk up to it and introduce myself.

The morning started as usual with Junior and I greeting the day.  He's learned that the scooter signals my departure and a guilt driven presentation of a Milkbone.  He seems satisfied with the arrangement.

State College is quiet on Sunday morning.  No other motorcycles to deal with and traffic is light.  Short trips into town, trips I have been making for decades still intrigue me.  There is always something to look at.  I still love the way things glow early on a sunny day.

Back on the road, a stop to dream about travel and riding and destinations too far.  For today I'm happy with the short ride through the central Pennsylvania landscape.  I have plans for the garden today so the Vespa can wait for another time.

One last stop at the Pump Station in Boalsburg before heading home.  A cup of tea and a cinnamon roll and some time to write in my journal.  This is what I do when I take short rides on the Vespa.  I've done the same on a motorcycle but for some unexplained reason a four-wheeled vehicle drains any desire to relax and reflect.  It's just a tool to get somewhere I guess.  Not sure why and don't really care.  

I'm just glad I have a Vespa.

Riding, Choices and Getting Things Done

Every action has a price. Most of the time the price is small and easy to overlook. At times chance and providence provide enough light to see the bigger costs. Riding, at it’s best, presents me an opportunity to see the world free of the chaos and illusion I create or find myself wading neck deep. On the road, even on a morning ride to work, the wind and the sound of the road can strip away the noise in my head and leave me breathless at the miracle of being alive.

Standing before Mount Nittany, watching the horses graze, tails slapping at the morning flies, watching the warm light lick across the tall corn I’m aware of how fleeting all this is. Behind me the morning commuter traffic roars by on the expressway with cars and trucks bent on getting things done.

Getting Things Done. A war cry in the business world and a phrase of near cult status among aficionados of achievement, success and Stephen Coveyites. I’ve pursued some form of this myself as I struggle to make better and more efficient use of my time and energy at work.

Just a couple weeks ago while riding into work on a particularly quiet, empty morning I could not help but notice how my mind raced around a problem at work, lighting for an instant on a solution before darting to another much as a hummingbird moves from flower to flower.

The idea of getting things done is seductive and the tools to plug in, connect and stay engaged are many. And behold, late in the evening last week, while barely able to keep my eyes open I found myself sitting on the bed, iPhone in hand, answering email, checking my calendar, adding notes to a Google Doc, and Tweeting a picture of my Vespa. I was getting things done. I was also torturing myself in ways I could not fully appreciate.

Nothing like a choppy, impatient brain to reek havoc on one’s ability to focus on complex problems, write, or make sense of chaos. With the iPhone sitting on my desk, bristling with data and information just an arms length away, I knew it had to go.

And so it has as I upgraded to a feature phone that is, well, a phone. And it can receive text messages or create them with mind numbing slowness that only a numeric keypad can engender. No more Camera+ or TweetDeck. No more checking email with addictive frequency or browsing the web at ever spare moment. I’ve taken back my brain so I can use for the things that I am valued for and not apply it to a kind of simulated feeling of accomplishment that can come from being plugged into an endless supply of data and information.

The result has seen the chaos in my head evaporate. And that which does appear is the result of real problems rather than artificially created through the misuse of a device promising convenience but delivering to me something different.
On the road I am careful of my choices as a rider. Seems only right to apply that to the rest of my life.

And perhaps there is a subconscious recognition of the danger of too much information when I recently responded to the familiar inquiry of “If you were going to buy a motorcycle today which one would you get?” with the words “Triumph Scrambler.”

A simple, functional machine that makes my Vespa seem overloaded with data outputs. No tachometer, fuel gauge, or much of anything.  I've been riding one recently and have fallen in love.  I suppose it's no coincidence that the bike is a model of simplicity.

I know the iPhone and other devices of convenience aren’t a problem for everyone but for me, they hobble my abilities to think, write, photograph or wrap my head around large, complex problems. The price of ownership and use is just too high.

Later today I will purchase a paper calendar to keep in my pocket.

Togetherness

Kim last night after we returned from our first long ride together on the Vespa.  I never understood the attraction of riding two up until we were on the road, moving through the late evening light, feeling her body against me, my hand reaching down to touch her leg, her voice drifting forward from the ether, her hands on my waist.

I hate riding with a passenger.  Another preconceived notion destroyed.

She wore my bumblebee jacket, her new Nolan helmet and fancy Held gloves.  A heavy storm passed earlier sweeping away the heat and leaving us a dimming landscape dressed in low hanging fog, muted color, and a sense of riding through Brigadoon.

In the dark, under the glow of the garage door light, I could see the smile on her face, the wind blown transformation that makes riding magic.  Later she suggested we ride tomorrow.

For a long time I hoped Kim would crave a scooter of her own.  Now, after riding together, I'm not so sure...

Heat the Lazy Rider (Blogger) Does Make

Riding the past two weeks has been brutal. Words like fry, broil, bake, roast and hell come to mind.  Summer is my riding off-season especially when the temperature exceeds 80F.  I can't remember the last time I felt comfortable riding. Or walking for that matter.  Junior heads for the creek when we go for a walk and I don't feel like doing much at all. It's reflected in the infrequency of posts.

Heading into town last week at 7pm and the world feels like a blast furnace. Everything is fading to brown at the Pennsylvania Military Museum where the People's Choice Arts Festival had concluded a few days earlier. 

 

Junior and I spent some time this morning at Starbucks before the world started to fry. When his tongue began to drag on the ground it was time to leave.

I had great plans to finish a post today about the BMW Rally in Bloomsburg but chose to work in the garden and some time on the couch instead.

It's just too damn hot to ride, write or fiddle with a computer.

Bring on the snow.

From the BMW International Rally to a Pig Roast

On Friday, July 22, from 4pm until 7pm, Kissell Motorsports is hosting a pig roast at their State College dealership. Rumor has it they’ll also be offering ice cream from the Penn State Creamery. They’re holding the event during the BMW International Rally and invite riders who might like to get away from the crowds for a while, take a nice ride, and have some good grub. Free.

That’s where I come in. A few weeks ago Craig Kissell and I were talking about different ways to get from Bloomsburg to State College and one of us suggested the idea of sharing a route for riders that would take them through some beautiful countryside, get them to State College in a reasonable amount of time, and not be so difficult as to require close attention, a GPS, and a big dose of luck.

The ride.

I’m going to work backwards and start with the ride back to Bloomsburg. Since it will be late in the day a direct, still scenic route seems in order – US 322 (Expressway) east to PA 45 east (Centre Hall/Boalsburg exit). Take PA 45 through Lewisburg, on to Danville, and from there just 15 miles back to Bloomsburg. It’s simple, 79 miles, but also a beautiful ride. I made the ride early on a Saturday morning on a nice BMW motorcycle. Just to get into the rally state of mind.

Just east of Centre Hall the road enters a stretch of rolling hills and passes through farmland and small towns. The traffic is almost non-existent early on weekends but during the week can be steady and brisk. Passing by Spring Mills, through Millheim (you make want to check out the Elk Creek Café), past Aaronsburg and on towards Woodward the road offers a range of views.

I have a disproportionate number of images that are bisected by strong vertical lines – telephone poles, trees, posts and lines of a sundry origin. And one more.

As you leave Aaronsburg the occurrence of Amish vehicles increases and you should keep an eye out. Most Amish buggy drivers are familiar with the road and vehicles but from time to time a young driver or young horse shy away from motor vehicles. I always give them a wide berth to save everyone grief.

This trip I’m riding a 2011 BMW F650 GS. It’s one of my favorites, on my list of possible motorcycles I would like to own, and probably the most utilitarian machine in the lineup for the kind of riding I do or will conceivably do in the near to distant future. Finding my Vespa more than adequate in the power department for 99 percent of riding I do the BMW has plenty of power for any situation I will ever find myself in.

Someday.

The road cuts through Bald Eagle State Forest and past some nice options for gravel and dirt if you have the time. With a belly full of roast pork this may not be the time.

Leaving the forest the road cuts across an expansive agricultural valley, through Hartleton (SPEED TRAP—GO SLOW), Mifflinburg and on to Lewisburg.

Lewisburg is situated along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and is a quiet college town, home to Bucknell University. If you are out and about during the week the Lewisburg Hotel is a great place for lunch or dinner. Can’t remember if they serve breakfast

After crossing the river the road stretches on to Bloomsburg just 24 miles away. Find PA 54 into Danville and then US 11 to Bloomsburg.  You can't miss the fairgrounds where the BMW Rally is being held.

All in all not a bad ride with a belly full of pork-- 79 miles from State College to Bloomsburg.

 
Now, the more interesting ride to State College. Just outside the gates of the Bloomsburg Fair Grounds, going west about a half-mile take PA 42 north to Buckhorn. Buckhorn is one of those commercial hubs that spring into existence at exits along Interstate 80. I sat here to take a long drink of water before beginning what would be a 100-mile ride to Kissell Motorsports. Craig chose the route. The one I suggested about take about 5 hours and cover nearly 200 miles. But it would take a rider through some of the best riding territory in the state.

The 100-mile path is a great ride though.

At Buckhorn you’ll find PA 44 going north. That’s your road for the next 45 miles as it winds through woods and farmlands, towns and villages. It’s not unlike the landscape on the ride to Bloomsburg, at least until you begin climbing into the mountains.

Rain threatened all day with a few times requiring me to wipe the water from my visor. I left unprepared and was glad I didn’t get drenched. Riding past Jerseytown and Watsontown and on towards the Susquehanna River finds some long rolling stretches of highway. Watch out for horse apples and Amish buggies, both in abundance.

By the time I crossed the river the sun was out and I was muttering about the heat and wishing I had worn my summer riding jacket.

The fragrance of fresh cut hay, manure and the melodies of cows greet you as you pass through Allenwood towards Elimsport.  Allenwood is home to the Federal Penitentiary that was home to some of the Watergate Burglars.  Elimsport has a decidely Amish feel to it.

Remember, you’re still on PA 44. For those of you who use GPS you can bleep past all the road identifications.

As you enter the Tiadagton State Forest the road climbs clickly up the mountain. The skies also darkened just as fast and I watched the temperature drop nearly 10 degrees.

At the summit of White Deer Ridge the view is lovely and I try to image the winding roads ahead. The BMW F650 GS eats this kind of pavement up. By this time I’m already testing arguments to purchase one in my head, weighing possible responses from my wife, and cursing the fact that we just purchased two cars.

Those of you who stop a lot might be more familiar with the frequency of offers of help. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been making a picture and someone stops to see if I need help. It’s nice and this day was no different. A rider pulled up and asked the routine question and added that he lived just down the road, had a fully equipped garage, and was welcome to use it if needed. He was riding a Honda so he probably didn’t realize a BMW never needs attention along the road.

 
Just past Oval, Pennsylvania you turn onto PA 880 bound towards Rebersburg. More winding, narrow roads through more forest and farmland. And more Amish buggies. Lots to see and look out for.

 
At Rebersburg turn right onto PA 192 and race towards Centre Hall on a smooth road through the middle of farmlands and the gateway to the Kissell Motorsports Pig Roast.

At the light in Centre Hall turn left, go two miles to the next light and turn right onto PA 45 West and ride like the wind to the US 322 Expressway. Jump on the four lane, go about eight miles to the Valley Vista Drive exit and you will be able to smell the pork roasting.

Turn left at the intersection and about a half mile ahead you’ll see Kissell Motorsports on the left. Look for the motorcycles. Smell for the pork.

I’ve made rides like this many times on motorcycles and my trusty Vespa. No reason you can’t do the same, enjoy some good food and company away from the rally for a few hours, and get back in time to enjoy the beergarden.

Drop Craig or Nate a note if you think you’ll be attending or give them a call. That way they’ll have enough ice cream. I was going to suggest Death by Chocolate but that’s just me.

Craig Kissell:  craig@kissellmotorsports.com
Nate Mattern: nate@kissellmotorsports.com

Toll Free: 866-547-7355

Good luck, eat well and safe riding.