Where's Steph: Winter 2018-19

Here's my itinerary for winter 2018-19. Old Blue won't be with me this winter, but here's to some adventures on foot, or on borrowed/rented wheels! As always, most updated photos will appear on my Instagram, and please say hi if you find yourself in the same part of the world.

Boston, MA → San Francisco, CA

Now - Dec 16: Cambridge, MA.
Dec 17 - 24: San Francisco, CA with Fred!

San Francisco, CA → Hong Kong SAR

Dec 25, 2018 - Jan 2, 2019: Hong Kong, SAR. Hello, family!

Hong Kong → Taipei, Taiwan → Hong Kong

Jan 3 - 5: Taipei, Taiwan.
Jan 6 - 7: Back in Hong Kong. Fred goes back to the US.

Hong Kong → Chiang Mai, Thailand → Hong Kong

Jan 8 - Feb 4: Chiang Mai, Thailand. I'll be staying near Nimmanhemin for that expat life.

Hong Kong → ???

Feb 5: Hong Kong, happy Lunar New Year!
Feb 6 - ???: Hong Kong, Taipei, back to Thailand, who knows?

Serenity Revived! Summer Plans 2018

She's alive!

I know this is jumping around a bit in the overall narrative, but I wanted to get my summer riding schedule posted for anyone who might want to say, "Hi!"

Suffice to say, Serenity's engine swap was successful, she's all in one piece again, and running great! A huge thank you to everyone who chipped in for the GoFundMe, and Fred for tolerating the grouchy mechanic that is me. Click on to find out where I'm planning to be in summer 2018.

Plan: Yukon Ho, I'm Going To Alaska!

The cat's out of the bag, and my days of languishing in Fog City are numbered. When last I left off, the plan was to return from Boston to a bike that's packed and ready to go...but to go where? I'm gunning for the motorcyclists dream: I'm riding Alaska. The plan thus far...

Projected departure from San Francisco: Wednesday, April 26th, 2017. In Seattle.



Stage 1: San Francisco, CA → Seattle, WA (~1k miles)
April 26: Launch! Camping with Pete at Russian Gulch State Park, CA.
April 27: Motel with Pete at Willows, CA due to road closures from mud slides.
April 28: Fieldbrook, CA courtesy of Lisa and Rob of the Humboldt County Slugrockets.
April 29: Motel with Pete in Gold Beach, OR.
May 1 ~ 4: Portland, OR with the illustrious Sara Ryan.
May 5 ~ 8: Seattle, WA with Gwynne. Last stop for service.

Seattle will be my last big service stop. Big People Scooters will hopefully put a tire on for me (I hate wrestling with spoons). I'm seeking a well-appointed garage to do the rest of it myself, will trade stories for tools and space!

On May 9th, 2017 it's Yukon Ho!



Here's where the dates get extra flexible. Basically, I have about 40 days to ride where I feel like it!

Stage 2: Seattle, WA → Haines, AK (~5k miles)
May 9: Port Angeles, WA with Laura. Must resist oversupplying at Swain's.
May 10 ~ 11: Vancouver, BC with Rob, Vespa Club of Canada's website designer.
May 12: Whistler, BC with Neil the Cannonballer.
May 13: Lac la Hache at the Rangeland Motel, owned by Ruckus former prez, George.
May 14: Vanderhoof, BC. Motel.
May 15: Hazelton, BC with Pamela's friend, Phil and Peggy.
May 16: Stewart, BC. Camping.
May 17: Boya Lake, BC. Camping.
May 18 ~ 21: Whitehorse, YT. Beez Kneez Bakpakers.
May 22 ~ 23: Dawson City, YT. Hostel.
May 24: Tok, AK, via Top of the World Highway!
May 25 ~ 26: Fairbanks, AK. Billie's Backpacker's Hostel.
May 27: Coldfoot Camp, AK.
May 28 ~ 29: Return to Fairbanks, AK by plane. Huge thanks to Billie's Backpacker's Hostel.

On May 28th, my bike went down as I was returning from Atigun Pass. I flew to Seattle, WA with a broken collarbone. Serenity is currently stored in AK. Huge thank you to everyone who helped me towards recovery!

Stage 3: Mending in Seattle, WA
May 30 ~ June 28: Convalesce in Seattle, WA with Gwynne and Tom.

Bonus Stage: Boston, MA
June 29 ~ July 12: Fly to Peru for a family trip. Yep, you read that right, gonna hike Machu Picchu in moto boots!
July 13 ~ 16: Lammy Jammy in Lehigh, PA.
July 17 ~ onward: Rest in Cambridge, MA. Cuddle the Fred.

That's all for now!

Where's Steph: 2017 Winter and Spring Guide

Photo from West Yellowstone, Dec 2016. Thanks for a chill week of hanging out, Alice and Mike!

What travels am I getting up to between Dec 2016 and May 2017? Check below for a rough approximation. As always, dates may change, and most recent activity appears on my Instagram.

Projected Steph Sightings through April 2017 (probably)
Dec 17-25: San Francisco, CA with Fred. Festival of Lights ride with the Post Mods, and other festivities!
Dec 26-Jan 9: Hong Kong with Fred, plus a jaunt to Singapore Dec 30-Jan 3.
Jan 10-Feb 22: San Francisco, CA. Solo again, I'm looking for work and jitsu. I'm working at Scuderia, see you at the monthly PostMods group rides?
Feb 23-26: Las Vegas, NV for High Rollers Rally.
Feb 27-April 5: San Francisco, CA. Back to work, jitsu, and readying my bike for a big ride.
April 6: Sendoff ride with Gina as far as San Simeon, have a great 3-month cross country moto trip!
April 7: Pack up in San Francisco, CA.
April 8: PostMods camping rally at Lake Chabot.
April 9: Farewell, San Francisco!
April 10-23: Cambridge, MA interlude by the power of flight. Hi again, Fred, if you remember who I am.
April 24-25: San Francisco, CA. Ready for the journey north...

Plan: Serenity Reawakens!

Don't look too close, this hardly makes sense even to me.

After the accident, I was feeling pretty down. I was in quite a bit of physical pain, and had legal followup to take care of. My freshly assembled PX lovechild was fucked, and along with it my spring riding plans (Furthest Ridden at Dogwood Classic 13 was going to be mine! At least I got to ride an epic 283 miles CORSette with Fred). What is life without a bike? Going from being highly independent and mobile to being beholden to the schedules of other people, buses, and trains was not to my taste. After some court dallying back in Atlanta, I flew to Boston to burrow myself at Fred's for the indefinite future. I had paying work to take care of anyway.

I resigned myself to just getting used to feeling a bit lost and numb, when I got an email from Danni. She was asking if I would join the team for another Gudetama activation, San Diego Comic Con this time. A spark flickered. How will I arrange it? Can I get Serenity there? I texted my go-to folks in SF, Pete and Moose, to bounce some ideas around and responded shortly after. The spark had caught. Yes, sign me up!

When I broke the news to Fred, he mentioned he would be in Vegas for a convention around the same time. "I usually have a whole room to myself, want to join me?" Double yes!

The last piece of the puzzle was the BGL agency retreat, which would be held in Burlington, VT this year. A scant 219 miles from Fred's, I had intended to arrive by bike. A quick check on the calendar confirmed that I could fly back to Boston in time to ride for the retreat. By then, the Rally 200 might be assembled, or the PX would be repaired...

The fire was back. July and August will be ablaze again for me. Here's where you might find me:

Pre-Stage: Cambridge, MA/San Diego, CA
June/July: Cambridge, MA. Moose trucks Serenity to his buddy's place in San Diego, please send him fine booze. I work on work, and bikes.
July 13-18: Duluth, MN, getting to and from Lammy Jammy with Fred.
July 19: Cambridge, MA, one night to rest.

**Fly to San Diego!**



Stage 1: San Diego, CA → San Francisco, CA
July 20-24: San Diego, CA, arriving by the power of flight for another round of Team Gudetama.
July 25: Surprise stay in El Monte, CA, family home of Moose.
July 26: San Simeon Creek Campground. Dodging wildfires.
July 27-Aug 1: San Francisco, CA. Hello, Pete! Group ride with Post Mods on May 31.

**Serenity is stored again in San Francisco**

Stage 2: Las Vegas, NV
Aug 2: Yosemite National Park, camping. Cancelled due to heat wave and wildfires.
Aug 3-5: Las Vegas, NV, with Fred.

**August 6th, Fred and I catch the redeye to Boston**



Bonus Stage: New England
Aug 7-8: Cambridge, MA.
Aug 9: VT/NH border, camping with mystery bike. Fred's GL, PX is still not together.
Aug 10-12: Burlington, VT, at BGL agency retreat.
Aug 13: Thompson, CT, for 24 Hours of LeMons.
Aug 14-18: Cambridge, MA, back at Fred's.
Aug 19-21: Uxbridge, MA, for the New England Rally.
Aug 22-??: Cambridge, MA.

I have a November book deadline that may keep me from extended overland travel for a while (plus, I need time to cook up new plans), but you know I'd never be able to leave Serenity alone for long.

Plan: Spring 2016 Edition of Where The Hell Is Steph Now?

Last I left you, I was undecided whether to go back east or head west after an epic two-scooterist ride to the Vegas High Rollers Rally. You may guess which way I ended up from the video, but let's recap anyhow!

February 29 - March 6: Las Vegas, NV → San Francisco, CA
Feb 29-March 3: San Diego, CA. Hanging out with Steve, and meeting the Vespa Motorsport guys.

Steve snapped this photo of my bike by the Pacific...again!

Keep an eye out for a podcast on Vespa Motorsport's Youtube channel...

March 4: Northridge, CA. Meeting epic scooterist Karen and her mom.

The guys in San Diego guys put me in touch with this cool gal, Karen, who has nearly 70k on her GTS250!
This was taken at her mom's place, just outside of LA.

March 5: Cambria, CA. Bridge Street Inn, great hostel and inn in a cute town.
March 6: San Francisco, CA!

Currently until March 24, 2016: San Francisco, CA

Pete and Marco for a Petaluma loop. Green hills after weeklong rain.

So I've continued west and north, and have been hanging out in San Francisco with the usual cast.

Moose (distinctive yellow GTV not pictured) and I explore Bernal Heights hilltop in San Francisco.

Pre-Delivery Inspection ninja.

In an unexpected twist I picked up a temporary gig, PDI-ing bikes for Vespa SF as they move to Scuderia. This is immensely good timing, as Pete is occupied at the new location and still in a cast, and I’m quite happy assembling bikes at the old location while catching up on podcasts (good to meet you again, Night Vale!). Sometime between putting bikes together and seeing all you awesome SF peeps, the plan is to catch up on blog entries.

But the bigger twist is yet to come...

Added some lines to my map.

March 25 - May 3: Atlanta, GA
In a huge and daring development, I found a place to store my scooter in SF, so it’s going to sleep there until the northwest gets warmer (sorry to cancel on you for now, Portland and Seattle). You read that right, Serenity is going dormant. It's a tough decision and I question what it will be like to be without my bestie bike for an undetermined amount of time, but the geographic positioning is about right for future travels, whether it's Utah or Alaska...

I’ll be airplaning it to Atlanta to buy Michael’s PX150/200. Some assembly is required, so it's a good thing Fred (remember him?) is flying down to help! Fingers crossed that comes together smoothly, just in time for what should be a beautiful time of year in Atlanta to go on some rides with the Terminal Scooter Club. I’ll be back at the Siaks home, and have some time to blog and work on the children’s book I’m supposed to be working on (oh right, can’t forget that). But really, let’s just admit: I want to build a bike with a boy, not freeze on rides, and go back to Alliance for all the jiujitsu! Woohoo, save me some arm bars?!

I may find resources for a roundtrip to PAX East (also, to see aforementioned boy). Mostly, I'm gearing up for chokes and pinch bruises in the Big Peach, and equipping my new old ride for touring.

Yes, after years of watching my bike numbers dwindle, Serenity will be getting a sibling. I'm looking forward to learning a different bike (I trust Michael's long-haul riding spirit already lives within this one), and have a way to get around on the east coast.

No home, but one bike for each coast. What luxury!

Speaking of the east coast... The plan is below.



May 4 - May 22: Atlanta, GA → Richmond, VA
May 4-6: Scooter camping along the Blue Ridge Parkway! Slow is the new fast.
May 7-8: Richmond, VA. Hey 7 Hills Scooter Club!
May 9-16: Roundtrip flight to Madison, WI. My sister’s gonna have a PhD, this is cause for celebration!!
May 17-18: Richmond, VA. Rest and recover. Ha.
May 19-22: Stanardsville, VA for CORSette and Dogwood Classic 13. Fred has promised a smallframe and a trailer.

May 23 - ??: Richmond, VA → Boston, MA/Providence, RI/New England thereabouts.
I have a storage unit to sort out, and a Fred to spend time with. Additionally, research indicates June is the best time to motorbike to Alaska, and my sleeping bike is waiting. I know I'll find plenty of new places to ride.

That's as far as I have for now! If you're wondering where I am most currently, my Instagram (@quezzie) is probably the most updated.

Plan: Atlanta to Vegas, for TWO Scooterists?!

It's been a grand time wintering in Atlanta. I can't say thanks enough to my host family, the Siaks. I've known them since I was little – they are my Atlanta roots, and it's an unbelievable luxury to come back from Alliance Jiu-Jitsu to still-warm home-cooked meals. Also, yep I took the opportunity of staying still to do the thing I missed most being on the road: martial arts, 4-5 times a week. Thanks, Alliance, for improving my game and helping me stay sane through work. Catching the diehard Terminals that come out in winter on Wednesday nights was also super fun, and dropping by Vespa Marietta and Scooter Mercato. I'm going to miss my HQ in Atlanta! I feel well-rested and ready to hit the road again.

In February, I'm headed west on another long haul. This time, the adventure is two-fold: my sights are set on Vegas for another round of the High Rollers Scooter Rally, and I'll have company for the trip!

Details below. Instagram is probably the best way to follow what I'm most recently up to (username: quezzie), and as always, say hi if you're along the way.



Stage 1 (solo): Atlanta, GA → Austin, TX
Feb 4: Farewell, Atlanta, the Terminal Scooterists, Alliance Jiu-Jitsu, and the Siaks! Off to Pensacola, FL, to meet Jami (jamisea on MV).
Feb 5-6: New Orleans, LA, with Jeremy and Caitlin.
Feb 7-9: Houston, TX, with Uncle and Auntie 3. Happy Chinese New Year with family!
Feb 10-12: Austin, TX, with Fred.
~1,168 miles.

In Austin, I'll meet up with Fred, the guy I got involved with in Boston (oh right, I'll catch up the blog someday). We've been cooking up a plan to ride to Vegas, him on his 1965 Vespa GL with a PX200 engine, me on my bike as expected. Assuming all goes to plan, his GL will arrive in Austin by trailer by Feb 9, and we'll have a couple days to poke around this super fun city. Serenity can get a once-over at AF1 Racing. Then, we'll load up on breakfast tacos and we've got 11 days to cover about 2,000 miles to Vegas, on all secondary roads!

Stage 2 (with a Fred!): Austin, TX → Las Vegas, NV

Feb 13: Junction, TX. Maybe as far as Del Rio, TX depending on how much we're slowed by BBQ. Actually ended up being Kerrville, TX, in a motel.
Feb 14: Seminole Canyon State Park, camping.
Feb 15-16: Home of Voni and Paul Glaves!
Feb 17: Bonus night in Marfa, TX, Tumble In RV Park.
Feb 18: El Paso, TX, fancy hotel. Thanks, Fred.
Feb 19: Las Cruces, NM, motel, and a visit to White Sands National Monument.
Feb 20: Rodeo, NM, Rusty's RV Ranch, just outside Portal, AZ.
Feb 21-22: Tucson, AZ, Roadrunner Hostel.
Feb 23: Salome, AZ, motel.
Feb 24: Rally! Downtown Grand in Las Vegas, NV.

~1,926 miles.

Gearing up a 1965 GL with PX200 engine, currently in Boston, MA.
Snowball passenger not included.

It's a new kind of adventure for both of us. For me, this is next level riding partner territory (I'm excited to have him for two weeks!); for Fred, it's multi-day touring on a 50 year old bike. Plus, I definitely want to scoot by some terrain I missed last time, and see friends along the way. We plotted the route together, slowing the pace to just around 200 miles per day – for once, my bike may not be the runt of the litter (heh heh), and I want to make sure there's room to figure things out and hopefully not break anything. We've scouted out the local U-Hauls just in case, but come hell or high water (which maybe I shouldn't say in light of my last pass through Houston) we're going to Vegas!

After the rally shenanigans, there will be an empty crate that held the raffle bike which will take Fred's scooter back to Boston. From there, I will decide: Do I continue west, or turn back east? But I don't need to decide yet...

See you at the Rally!

Raffle bike. Hope the crate works out.

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.

Plan: Launch for the Return East (via the south)

Rolling out: Wednesday, February 18th.

Sticky post here, till takeoff. Daily drawings will continue to update below.

The date has been set for the eastward bound trip. The Route page has been updated to reflect projected path! As always, this map above is a work in progress and subject to change.

For the return, I'm planning on rolling into Baja California a bit, then hope it's warm-ish enough for Colorado. Texas is on the agenda, and then a roughly diagonal path to the eastern most point of the contiguous US States, Lubec, ME. Hopefully, a steam boat across Lake Michigan, a few rallies, and a Horizons Unlimited meeting will be along the way?!

Plan: The Grand Canyon and Vegas, baby

Heads up, I'm going to drop off the internet for a little, but hopefully not off the canyon edge! Changing gears from fulltime traveler back to something of a weekend warrior was much needed for the first week, but the Roar was just saving itself up. Winter would soon limit mountain travel, and next spring seems so far away. That's when I saw that Sash and Steve would be in Vegas, for Sash's birthday. Time to start planning a mini-trip (a scant 2,000 miles, ha) to see her, and perhaps swing by some of the sights in Nevada and Arizona before it gets too cold.

Apologies that posts have fallen behind a bit, I was rushing to finish work-type stuff before I go!

After all this time, I still have anxiety before traveling. I know I'll feel better once I'm on the road, but getting started means overcoming the inertia of staying in one place. It never seems to get less-inertia-y.

Plan: Angle or Bust

Just in case you were wondering if the trip has prematurely ended and I've settled here in Madison, have no fear. Tomorrow, I set off for the northernmost point in the 48 contiguous states.

The proposed route for the coming week:

Northwest Angle is the little piece of Minnesota that sticks up into Canada. It can be reached by boat, air, driving over the ice in the winter, or by a 20-40 mile stretch of dirt road that crosses into Canada (I've heard different reports on the distance that is unpaved). Guess which way I'm planning to tackle?

The miles will go on fast, 331 miles to Duluth, MN, tomorrow (28th state for scoot). 310 miles via Itasca Lake (Mississippi headwaters!) to Warroads, MN, just south of the border. Then... a 20mph crawl through Canada to a remote town that survives entirely on fishing tourism. It has the last one-room public school in the state. Remote is the least you could say.

Turn south again for a short stay in Fargo, ND, Mitchell, SD, and it's on to the Sturgis party.

Plan: Blue Ridge Parkway

That's 469 miles of 35mph.

So, this is when things start getting new for the scoot.

The plan, outbound from DC: Blue Ridge Parkway. One Dogwood Classic Scooter Rally, then 1-2 nights of camping either along the parkway, or a jaunt into the mountains, or Hot Springs, mood and weather depending. Then, arrive at the home of author and fellow agency member, the gracious Alan Gratz. On this map, the total is 537 miles. Possibly looking at 4-5 consecutive days of camping, and all new ground for me and the scoot.

After a bit of recouping and laundry, I'd like to poke around Asheville, NC. A motorcycle-only campspot was recommended to me, at some point Deals Gap for the Tail of the Dragon is on, and then down to Atlanta to meet old family friends and new scooter friends.

End of the first leg!

The Plan(s)

It's snowing outside, and difficult to keep my thoughts from drifting to ride planning. It feels like there are so many moving parts to manage before embarking, but in truth I think I just can't resist tossing and turning ideas over in my head. Riding across country has been on the To Do list for a couple years, but I resisted mentioning it aloud (in case it scared it away, obviously). It's weird to finally break the silence. I just quietly busied myself collecting experience points with shorter journeys, acquiring relevant skills (like 'Camping' and 'Sneaky Parking', still working on the 'Weather Sorcery' skill though), and equipping appropriate gear.

The main obstacle for my proposed departure date of April 22 is the possibility that work on a picture book runs overtime. Read on for the breakdown.