1/21 - All The Boxes

Remind me never to accumulate stuff again, mm'kay?

While my GTS is in the Vespa SF shop for the week having its epic service (crazy amounts of thanks, Tom and Mark!), Pete let me borrow his 300 to run errands back in SJ and help put on some break in miles. With the Pelican installed now, all that's left is to test it with all my heavy art stuffs and rearrange my riding configuration accordingly. I'm packing and shipping things away for the imminent turn back east. Soon, this will be travel blog again...

1/20 - Shop Guys FTW

Just doing a bit of mod to Pete's bike. The 2015 GTSes have a USB port in the glove compartment. With a bit of drilling, this can power a RAM mounted phone for GPS navigation. Basically, a more elegant version of my homebrew 12v outlet installation (mine also has the turn signal beeper from the linked installation guide). A few process photos behind the cut.

1/19 - Stretch Break

78 miles.

My scoot's been left in the capable hands of the Vespa SF shop for service, so I'm borrowing Pete's Triumph Bonneville again. This time, we took a little joyride to Point Reyes Station. That Bonnie is an absolute thrill, like straddling an airplane flying down the road, but the aggressive riding position really takes it outta ya.

Dropped bars, woohoo.

Bonus pic and GPS track behind cut. Just look at that handlebar position.

1/18 - Pelican is Go

Borrowing Pete and Vespa SF's shop for a little project. Waiting for the layer of Rustoleum to dry, and new Pelican topcase is go!

1/17 - Edwardian Scoot

Thanks to Moni and Kendall for costuming bits!

I do say, it's surprisingly not uncomfortable riding side saddle in a corset. Also, did you know a full sized top hat fits under the seat of a GTS? Edwardian Ball, ho.

1/16 - There goes the speedo

I don't see myself often when riding, but tonight Pete met me in Mountain View for dinner and some miles to break in his new GTS 300. As we sped along Rt-101 towards San Francisco, I glanced across the lane and couldn't help thinking, Holy shit is that what I look like on the highway?! No wonder people thing I'm crazy.

Also, my speedo cable broke on the ride to the rock gym today (I may have been riding hard to make up time). Odometer will sadly be at least 69 miles off. In a way, it was refreshing to be free of the tyranny of numbers attempting to arbitrarily describe your movement through space.

1/15 - Life Admin

Bills, banking, backing up files, and counting meds. The glamorous life of a traveler.

1/14 - VHB Repair

Somewhere between San Jose, Palo Alto, Oakland, and San Francisco, I managed to misplace my Satechi Bluetooth Remote. I use it to easily control music while riding, and occasionally as a remote camera trigger. Since my replacement would need a new Velcro backing anyhow, I decided to replace the peeling Velcro on my scooter handlebars with Matt's suggestion of VHB tape – very high bond by 3m. Photos behind the cut.

1/13 - Feast or Famine

With BoomChickaPop wrapped up, I rushed back to San Jose to gather my work things and get some revisions done quick-like. In my so-called career, works comes in waves. Long dry spells are broken by everything due yesterday.

One day, this will be a travel blog again.

Today, at least, I finally feel past the sickness.

1/12 - Balls

Also because we were handing out branded bouncy balls.

It's been a long weekend, but some of the most fun I've ever had on a job. It's pretty windy across the Golden Gate Bridge on a 150!

1/11 - No Vespa Left Behind

Circling the Moscone Center today, for the first day of the Fancy Food Show. Have achieved expert level at riding sidesaddle, standing, playing the horn, handing popcorn from saddlebags in traffic, and most of all making left turns.

1/10 - Boomchickapop!

I landed a job this weekend! Saturday through Monday I'll be slinging Angie's Boomchickapop popcorn samples from one of their branded Vespas. I'm totally getting paid to ride a scooter! Photo of me wearing more pink than I have ever worn in my life is behind the cut.

On the cold morning scoot to the job, barreling down one of the steep hills of the city, I looked downhill to see the Bay Bridge rising out of the fog, gloriously framed between tall buildings. Magical.

1/9 - Flatmates

1/9 - Flatmates.
(San Francisco, CA)

Lots of sleeping lately, trying to get over this sickness. Taking it easy doesn't come easily for me.

1/8 - Bowtie

I've borrowed outfits before on my scooter trek, but Pete's fancy clothes are my favorite so far.

1/7 - Pelican Dreams

I bit the bullet and picked up a discounted Storm iM2450 from ebay. It's huge! I'm nervous about messing with my current tried-and-true set up, but I'm hoping with some rearranging, I'll be able to take my illustration work on the road.

1/6 - NyQuil and Night Vale

Scooting out to San Jose to crash for a couple days, I felt like I was going 'to the quiet of the countryside' to rest up. I slept for 12 hours, to the sound of Welcome to Night Vale. My dreams might have been more interesting if NyQuil didn't wipe them out of memory.

1/5 - DayQuil and Drawing

Guess I can't deny it any more. In case readers were wondering why the posts lagged so far behind, it's because apparently I had too much fun cavorting around Oakland in the cold.

1/4 - Denial

1/3 - Hills

Fun scooting up hills in San Francisco! Matt managed to hang on, until I dropped him off for his flight back east.

1/2 - West Coast Gulls

Low key day, walking around Jack London Square. Seems we found an even better analogue for the Scurvy of Oakland, Merchant's Saloon.

1/1 - Hot Toddies of Oakland

Matt and I can find all the dive bars in any given locale. In this case, The Stork Club was the only place open on a cold evening scoot.