Two Stepping Through Texas

My original plan was to start P.E.A.C.E. SCOOT at the end of May. I started researching weather temperatures in the South West and realized that by 10 am in June, temps reach a blazing triple digits. That would feel like God holding a hair dryer over my head. Speeding up doesn't even cool you down. I pulled into a campground in Austin, TX in the evening. Most of the trip had been spent in rush hour traffic.

Austin symbolized the gateway of a long drive due west through Texas, 1,000 miles. Steve Guzman and Urban Moto hosted a BBQ welcome. Texas hospitality rings true in Austin. Jazmin contacted me from the Modern Buddy (www.modernbuddy.com) forum and offered her house for awhile, which stretched into an unexpected six day visit. She just bought her buddy, it had under 200 miles on it.  We went on a lot of scooter rides and she asked for a bunch of pointers. I've long forgotten the process of getting used to your bike- it becomes a synchronized experience of many factors working together. One quote that sticks with me is from Chelsea, at Scoot Richmond. We were talking about a sixth sense of anticipating other drivers at intersections and she said, "Wheels are the windows into the soul." There are a lot of little tips that make it less stressful as new rider.

Austin is the hill country of Texas. There was some beautiful riding until I was about 150 west of Texas. Then things flattened out, became wicked hot and smelled of crude oil everywhere. While in Austin I saw scooterists everywhere. However, on the roads through Texas, I was the only one. I only saw few motorcyclists as well. They say everything is bigger in Texas and me on my scooter was the exception.

I had many surprising encounters with people; great conversations and interesting perspectives. Often those occurred when I had run out of gas and someone was helping me. I would get 130 miles to the tank before running out. I just happened to be in the Wild West, with crude oil everywhere and none at a fueling station.

Me and the Buddy held our own but I wouldn't recommend joy riding on some of the bigger Texas roads. If you live in Austin, there is a beautiful route towards Canyon Lake, that takes you through hill country and across the Guadalupe River. Speed limit is 45 mostly and there is a wonderful bonsai garden to visit along the way.

Expecting a friend to meet me in Tucson, I hustled over from Austin. This was a 1,000 mile ride in 4 days, going 55 mph, because of the extreme wind. Although it was a hard ride, the huge panoramas of the Wild West brought a sense of peace. Scoot Over in Tucson set up a group ride to meet me in Bisbee, AZ and ride me back to Tucson. I was shocked to see 6 scooterists ride in-that was a 250 roundtrip for them!

I had never ridden such a long distance with scooterists. Our pack made its way back through windy canyons and saguaro cacti began to accent the landscape. After the ride, Shaun asked to join P.E.A.C.E SCOOT. I want to introduce the new Buddy! He's riding a St. Tropez, that just hit 1,000 miles yesterday. He's a new rider, but has a lot of gusto. I initiated him yesterday with 263 miles, through intense heat and winds.

Shelby at Scoot Over Tucson was kind to open the shop up on a Monday to rig his bike with a topcase. That's just one of the great things Scoot Over did for my visit. Ron, their mechanic, is top notch, a total VIP. She's running great, with all the regular maintenance, plus a valve adjustment. A customer of theirs donated a Prima performance pipe, which has increased my speed a little. Although, I'm not so worried about the warranty at this point, which is null if you put on the pipe. Shaun's riding 1,000+ with me to San Francisco. Look for us on the road and join us if you want! We will arrive in San Diego on Tuesday and stay until Saturday afternoon. Then on to Long Beach, L.A. and then up the coastal highway 1.

Ride On!

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I would rather us make history creating Peace, than become history in its absence.