Summer Scootering

One of the particularly enjoyable aspects of my summer here is always the scootering. Riding a scooter effectively forces me to take the back way, to slow down, and encourages stopping to stretch the legs and generally enjoy myself in ways I am less likely to do when driving a full size vehicle. For these reasons, when looking to cross the Susquehanna River this summer, I found the ferry instead of taking the bridge. Yes, there is still a ferry, a wooden paddle boat that takes you across a wide stretch of the river, almost a mile, in a leisurely twenty minutes. Considering that in the summer the river is rarely more than a couple feet deep, one need not be too concerned about the seaworthiness of the vessel! So, here are a few pictures of the scooter and my brother’s cycle on the Roaring Bull.

Most of my scooter miles are, of course, commuter miles. My ride to work is almost always in the middle of the night which, at least in the summertime, is a great time to ride. The stars, the moon and the chorus of bugs that make noises all night long generally make up for hazards such as the occasional sudden cloudburst or the black cow standing in the middle of the black road in the middle of the black night who is not impressed by my scooter whizzing toward her! It’s not generally such a great time to take pictures, but I was impressed by the shadows thrown up by the spotlight on the face of this old mill.

This stone underpass holding up an old railroad, now a rail-trail, was built by Italian laborers back in the day, I’m told. Anyway, it is bumpy under there and always seems to be wet, so it’s a good place to slow down.

Dirt roads are always appealing. Although this scooter is definitely not an off-road vehicle, anyplace with no traffic and summertime shade is hard to resist.

The corn is ready for harvest; summer is apparently over!