Indy 35mph and Amerivespa. June 10 - 14, 2015.

It's scooter party time! Skip this post if you're sick of seeing photos of a bazillion scooters, or Davide's face. Yep, it's round two of rally-to-rally riding with the crazy Italian on a Beemer. Besides seeing people, the big draw for me this year at Amerivespa was that we'd be allowed on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?! Rally on...

Return to Mad-Town! May 31 - June 9, 2015.

Sometimes it surprises people to learn that in all my trekking across the U.S. I hadn't ridden more than 400 miles in a day – I just don't really want to if I don't have to. I know other GTS riders who have, and a few riders have even suggested the Iron Butt challenges. I do count mileage, but I do it in the same way I track all sorts of things, like places I've slept and food I've eaten.

That being said, it was only a matter of time until I tipped the 400 mile mark. From Saint Louis, MO to Madison, WI, I just didn't feel like stopping for an overnight.

Arch Friends and My Favorite Museum Ever in St Louis. May 25 - 30, 2015.

I was too tired and missed visiting Saint Louis the first time around when I was headed west. This time I reached out to Myke, and he had a place for me to stay a whole week!

Memphis As Fuck. May 22 - 24, 2015.

Prepare for food, scooters, and wrasslin', because that's what's happening in Memphis. I reached out to some folks at Memphis Kings SC for things to do and a place to crash, which is how I met Cassi.

Dogpatches and Adventure Riding in Arkansas. May 15 - 21, 2015.

It's a super long map.

I'd heard the Ozarks had beautiful riding, but I had no idea how to start. Truth be told, before visiting Arkansas it had so little bearing on my life that I wouldn't have been able to point it out on a map (this can be said of many of the states in the middle, which was part of what I wanted to rectify the really, really long way).

I had a long riding day planned right off the bat to get me in the right area, even the overcast skies couldn't get me down.

Gear Talk: The GTS Tourer

The Vespa GTS 250/300 is pretty cushy for touring straight out of the crate, but here are some small additions that go the distance. I run stock inside, so really this is just a rundown of some luggage and electronic accessories I put on there.

The often-asked, long-awaited breakdown beyond the cut.

Texas Forever Part 2: Bikes, Buddies, Brisket, and Books. April 18 - May 14, 2015.

Houston has been the home of my uncle and aunt for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories of carsickness – I mean, road trips – are of taking the family car from Atlanta to visit them. In any case, I have my own two wheels now, so I was looking forward to seeing them again.

Texas Forever Part 1: It's Plains to see I'm going to Austin. April 6 - April 17, 2015.

I'm making tracks! For those wondering how I chart a path, it's roughly planned around a few fixed dates, and locations where I know I can hole up for a while. In this case, I had a motorcycle event I wanted to attend in Austin, and an impending work deadline that would require a stable location, Houston.

The content of the 4 days it would take me to ride to Austin blur together in my mind – wake up, pack up camp, and point the bike down the road. The landscape was mostly vacant yet I never felt lacking; ah, the duality of the open road.

Up In Two-stroke Smoke in Denver. April 1-5, 2015.

Colorado has been the most difficult riding I've done so far. I wanted to see scooter friends in Denver, did some research, and picked Salida as a waypoint. It appeared to be the best of both worlds for this early in the year; a cute town, splitting the different between the plains and what appeared to be a canyon pass instead of a high mountain pass.

Haha. Hahaha. Anyway, moving on...

Plan: The Way of the Scooterist, Winter 2015 Edition

So, I'm still on the road! I'll be dividing my time between the east coast and California. I wish I could stay longer in New England to watch the leaves changes (it's my favorite place for autumn), but a few immovable dates and the imminent cold is pulling me south. It's been a good rest, and even better to spend time with familiar friends! Here's my rough agenda, it'll stay at the top of the blog for a while. Please say Hi if you're in the neighborhood!

My winter destination: Atlanta, GA.
Projected arrival: Mid-November. UPDATE: I arrived on Nov 21, 2015.

Stage 1: Providence, RI → Richmond, VA
Oct 5: Farewell, Providence, RI! Montville, NJ, with Jon.
Oct 6-8: Philadelphia, PA, with Melissa and Rich.
Oct 9: Camping in VA.
Oct 10-12: Richmond, VA, wishing Davide a happy wedding!
~694 miles.

Stage 2: San Francisco, CA → Los Angeles, CA Roundtrip
Oct 13-20: Fly to San Francisco, CA. Staying with Pete.
Oct 21: Camping outside San Luis Obispo, CA, with Moose.
Oct 22-Nov 1: Team Gudetama revival tour, crashing with Aisha.
Nov 2: Motel in Gorman, CA, because it's too cold to camp.
Nov 3-5: Back to San Francisco, CA for a few days.
~864 miles.

Stage 3: Richmond, VA → Atlanta, GA
Nov 6-10: Return flight to Richmond, VA, just in time for Indian Summer Scooter Rally!
Nov 11-12: Hertford, NC, with Tim.
Nov 13: Ocracoke, NC, with Tim.
Nov 14: Beaufort, NC, with Tim.
Nov: 15-17: Oak Island, NC, with Don.
Nov 18-20: Mount Pleasant, SC, with Mirena and her family.
Nov 21-??: Atlanta, GA, with my dear friend from childhood, Wai. Hello, Terminal Scooterists!
~941 miles.

I'll be in Atlanta, GA through December 2015.

Travelers of Santa Fe. March 29-31, 2015.

It was a bit of a shock to be back in the rest of America after such an immersive experience in Zuni. I'd been through this region with Tim in the rental car, but it couldn't have been a more different experience. Everything is different on the scooter. Maybe everything is different each time you visit.

But now, the vastness of the desert stretched out before me like the ocean. I passed through Albuquerque with just a stop for a burrito with green chile sauce. My sights are set on Santa Fe.

Tamales and Mudheads. Arizona and New Mexico. Mar 22-29, 2015.

In the serendipitous way that is life sometimes, news came that Sash and Steve were staying in Tucson. Plus, a certain celebrity cooking show host, who's show sold out in RI while I was there, was touring in Tucson... I guess I'm making tracks to Tucson!

Gear Talk: Navigation and Route Planning

Coffee and snacks are key to route planning.

Navigation is an entirely personal process, but I've been asked often enough about my system that here's a post about it!

Southwestern Car Interlude. March 17-21, 2015.

This map is a bit misleading.

Part of the press to turn north again was to meet up with Tim (previously referred to as the Giraffe) for a southwestern road trip. The map above doesn't cover car territory – this is partly because I'm more concerned with scooter tracks, but it's also because we only had one charger in the car and I couldn't keep my GPS running all the time. In any case, this would be a bit like a whirlwind vacation from riding for me, a rest from the emotional intensity of Baja as well as catch up time with a dear friend. So, less talk and more photos now?!

The Transient Life, Ongoing

I think I need a new tire. Tri-Sports, Brunswick, ME.

I feel like I've lived at least 5 lifetimes in the past year.

Baja 1159, Part 2 - Now with baby whales! March 10 - 16, 2015.

Where were we? Ah, right, safely and happily ensconced at Mauro's Posada in beautiful Bahia de Los Angeles. Which of course means I couldn't sit still.

Baja 1159, Part 1. March 5 - 9, 2015.

How do I even begin this post?

Departing from the intensity of the Las Vegas High Rollers rally was a familiar pang of loss. My intermittent scooter family had gone home to real families (puh-leeze), and I was off for a night of camping alone in Joshua Tree National Forest. As with so much of life, I longed for the solitude and ached for the loneliness in the same breath.

Nose to the Grindstone

Crashing in Providence, RI until the end of the August.

I've managed to catch up a few drawings, but the photo posts are taking a long time to put together (the memories are just too fantastic!). A few work deadlines are dominating my energy, while I take advantage of having access to a reliable scanner, printer, and desk space. There's also this issue of a storage unit I need to empty while I'm in the northeast...

I'll be crashing more or less in Providence, RI until August 28th. Then, I relocate to Brooklyn, NY where I plan to be HQ'ed through October. From there, well, the cold of winter may press me south. Suffice to say, I'm still on the road?!

It may take a while, but I'll catch the narrative up to Lubec, ME!

7/25 - Rally!

79 miles.

Ski's Shrimp Run holds a special place in my heart for being the first scooter rally I ever attended. I'd never heard of such and event, but saw a poster for it on a work visit to Portland, ME. I rode up by myself and camped, both experiences fairly new to me. I didn't know what to expect and didn't know anyone, but I put aside my fear and made friends. I can't tell you how happy I am to see many of them again here, two years later!

So this is how I would like to conclude my daily drawings: Revisiting the site of my first camping distance ride with fun scootery folks.

Very shortly after Ski's, I went farther, taking two days and camping along the way to go to the Curd Vintage Scooter Rally in Ottawa, ON. You could say it took.

In case you're curious, my first multi-day distance ride was from Providence, RI to Washington, D.C. in April of 2012.

That's all for drawing...for now!

7/24 - Onward

267 miles.

The fog is a living thing up here, clinging to dark islands.

My rear tire is bald, I've got an appointment with Tri-Sports in Brunswick, ME to make. Not to mention, a rally!

7/23 - This is it

288 miles.

Things seemed to quiet down after Bangor. Just logging and lakes.

This is it. Whatever remaining framework there was to my life, it's exploded now. I honored a commitment I made to myself, though it took nearly 15 months (I'm not sure I've ever even stuck to a diet that long!). I made myself open to people, places, and experiences, and I measure success in the ways they've changed me. Pulling up to West Quoddy Head Lighthouse was monumental, but in a quiet way. It's only one conclusion. I needed a framework to begin, but perhaps I've grown beyond it. Tomorrow, I get back on my bike and keep going. I know the ride isn't actually over, or else I'd be freaking out a lot more.

Lubec itself is quaint in all the New England ways. I booked an actual bed and breakfast, the Water Street Tavern Inn, as a mini celebration. Most of the folks are the bar were older, and talked about power boats and travels to Italy – probably not quite the kind of travel I would picture for myself. I felt a bit out of sorts, but the innkeepers seemed to like my story and were extremely kind and welcoming.