Howdy, howdy, long time no post! Mostly because life's been really, really busy. So I thought I'd tell about my most recent ride-which was actually a couple of months ago. My husband and I decided to go to Tombstone, AZ-the place where we got married! Of course, we decided to go the 'back way', because not only is it less dangerous (interstate 10 can be a bit daunting) but because it's much more interesting! We headed out from home, took Old US 80 across the bridge at Gillespie Dam, through Gila Bend and headed South. We did take I-8 from Gila Bend to Eloy, but it had very little traffic. We then took frontage roads all the way to Tucson, went through Tucson on the I-10 and then back to Frontage roads just outside of town. From there we headed further south to the very beautiful town of Sonoita, Arizona. I'd never been there and it was really a treat! Stopped at a steakhouse and got back on to ride and got hit by a tiny bit of rain. Luckily, we'd both brought our jackets. We headed toward Sierra Vista. Just outside of town, we were hit by a hailstorm! Our only option was to pull off the road and tough it out-we all know that rain hurts when you're riding and HAIL is WORSE! Our legs were soaked, but we didn't really mind. After the short hailstorm, we were off again. We went to Sierra Vista, and then rolled on into Tombstone. What fun! I absolutely love that town. The next morning, we had breakfast, mounted up and went home through Benson. We did take the freeway this time (I-10), but were super vigilant. We got on the I-8 then headed home via Gila Bend and Old Hwy 80. I can't wait for the weather to cool off so I can resume riding EVERYWHERE. I am considering a ride up to Sedona through 89 and 89a. That is one of THE most beautiful rides anywhere! Until next time... :)

On Pause...sorta

SO, I say I'm 'on pause' because my husband has injured his leg. He hurt his leg on October 24th, climbing off of a truck and he severed the tendon that holds his patella in place. He had surgery to put it all back together and, in the meantime, I got my scooter back and found that another part was bad. So we took it back in and got it fixed-another week-long repair. So after he recovered for a few weeks, we decided to take a short ride. We went to Lake Havasu, AZ.It was a little bit chilly for some of the ride, but it was tolerable. We went down the Salome Highway (A small portion of the Salome Highway was dirt, but not much) and then on to Parker. Then, from Parker to Lake Havasu. We went to the London Bridge and then stayed the night in a hotel and returned home the next day. It was a fun ride. on December 7th, we decided to take a little trip on up to Oatman, AZ. I FINALLY got my M endorsement on my license, so I was able to ride down the I-10. It was REALLY cold, but I had my leather jacket and gloves and boots, and he had a new jacket-the fancy kind with the armor in the elbows and shoulders! So, although we were a little chilly, we were both excited to get out on the road! We got off in Vicksburg and went to Parker and then up to Needles. It was the first time I'd taken my scooter to another state! YAY! We then went down route 66 to Oatman. What FUN! It was a great, little road and the town was wonderful. We loved it so much, we decided that we would go back to Needles to sleep and then ride down the Oatman Highway from Topock. And that's just what we did. It was like being in a dream! I enjoyed it more than I can say. We spent a while in Oatman and then decided to head to Seligman via Route 66 and then return home through Ashfork, AZ, to Prescott, to Wickenburg. Unfortunately, we got a bit of a late start and the sun sets MUCH earlier in December. So by 6:00pm, it was nearly dark and VERY cold. We made it to Peach Springs, but we were rather cold. So We stopped in to have some hot chocolate and warm up. This was SUnday evening and I had to get to work Monday morning, so we needed to press on! We were in a bit over our heads, though. After warming up a bit, we headed toward Seligman. Typically, I can go about 80 miles on a tank of gas on my scooter. BUT, the high altitude, or the cold, or who knows what, make my gas mileage TERRIBLE! I ran out of gas about seven miles out of Seligman. So, we put the scooter on the side of the road and covered the reflectors so I wouldn't draw any attention. Then I got on Brian's bike and we rode to Seligman to get some gas. We had no gas cans and so we drank two gatorades and cleaned the bottles out and filled them with gas. We headed back to find the scooter and we couldn't see it. It was too dark and everything looked the same! Tall, yellow grass. So we rode up and down the road where we thought we had left it and, finally, after about twenty minutes of searching, we found it. It had fallen over on its side because the ground was so soft and moist. We put the gas in the scooter and it started up quickly. We headed into Seligman. It was around 7pm and my poor husband was much too cold to push forward- and we had a long, cold trip ahead of us. So I called into work and took the morning off and we got a room. It was a cute room, all decorated with a Route 66 theme. The next morning, we had breakfast at the Road Kill Cafe and then headed out. We were going to get on the I-40 and get off in Ashfork and head south. We got about a mile out of town and Brian suddenly decided to make a right turn to get on a road that he believed to be the road to get on the 40 and hit some gravel and fell onto his right side-the same side where his knee had been injured-and reinjured it. So, we had to have him taken to Flagstaff via ambulance and I had to get a towing company to move his bike four miles. I left his bike in storage in Seligman. I rode my scooter to Flagstaff, via the I-40, all by myself. Trucks and cars whizzed around me, but I didn't mind. It was very, very cold. If the sun had not been out, I don't know if I could have born it. I got to Flagstaff and they released Brian from the hospital. Fortunately, my daughter lived there and she drove Brian home. I decided to ride my scooter home from Flagstaff down the 89a. It was both horrible and wonderful at the same time. It was already getting dark by the time I made it to Sedona. I then headed down through Cottonwood, to Jerome and to Prescott Valley, Prescott, down the Yarnell hill to Wickenburg. I was beyond cold and I was physically miserable, but my spirits were soaring higher than I could ever remember. I felt amazing. A year ago, I would have never dreamed of doing something like this, and here I was, alone, in the dark, on a scooter, in December, riding home. And it was a beautiful ride. Curves galore! I enjoyed every, frozen minute of it! I arrived, at last, safely at home. And now I'm 'paused'. I do ride my scooter here and there, but the opportunities to ride are few and far between. It's cold if the sun isn't up, and when the sun IS up, I am at work or having to drive my husband or daughter some place. I can hardly wait for him to recuperate and for the warmth to return! I'm getting itchy to go!!!!

Scooterless

Yes, I am scooterless. I changed my oil, my gearbox oil, my spark plug and cleaned out my air cleaner. The scooter was stalling at stop lights and stop signs, so I figured that it would help to do these things. It didn't. So we sprayed some carburetor cleaner through the carburetor and it really did help! But the scooter did stall out twice, but it wasn't at an idle. So I had read somewhere that there was a small adjustment screw near the carburetor, and I gave it the slightest little twist. That seemed to do the trick. So I rode to town and ran a few errands and all seemed well. Until the next day. Suddenly, my scooter wouldn't start. It would turn and turn and turn, but would not start up. My husband thought that maybe the adjustment I'd made to the screw had something to do with it. So we called a scooter shop, and they told us that the valves most likely needed adjusting. So we took it in. They called us a bit later, stating that the motor was in fine shape, no adjustments were required, but that it most likely had a bad CDI or stator. Unfortunately, they don't keep those in stock, so we are now waiting for the parts to come in from Kymco. They ordered the part exactly a week ago and the tech told me it takes between eight to ten days to arrive. So, I am waiting VERY impatiently. I am squirming with annoyance, because I truly enjoy riding my scooter. I know that even when it's freezing cold here, I will be riding my scooter. I prefer it over my car. I keep hoping that they will miraculously call me today and tell me it's ready. Sigh. Trying to be positive.

Lake Pleasant

This past weekend, October 4th, we decided it was time to do some routine maintenance on our bikes. Brian changed his oil and I changed my oil, my gear oil, my spark plug and cleaned out my air cleaner. It really needed it! The scooter was starting to stall at stop lights and stop signs and it seemed to be getting worse. I hoped that servicing it would help. When I saw the condition of the air cleaner, I was sure that it was why the scooter was stalling. I blew it out and it was so dirty I could feel chunks flying off of it and hitting me in the face. It was also a bit oily. So I put the air cleaner back in and hoped for the best. No luck. It continued to stall. I did some research and found that the problem could be a dirty carburetor. That would be my next project. Sunday, we went to breakfast and then headed up to Lake Pleasant. I'd never been there, so I was up for some new sights. It was a pretty nice ride-but it was a little on the warm side. Still, it was enjoyable. We sat at the lake and drank a bottle of cold water, then went to Scorpion Bay and ate at Dillon's. IT was pretty good food. We were both tired and decided to just head for home and relax. All in all, though, it was a nice, little trip. I don't know if I'll get to take much of a ride this weekend. Brian has to work. I'd love another weekend where we can go out and camp.

Salome Highway, Lake Pleasant

So, two weekends ago, we took a very short ride. We went to Wickenburg for Breakfast and then to Aguila and Salome. The weather was pretty nice and we had pie in a place in Salome, and then we had dinner at a little restaurant in Wickenburg called Screamers. I had no idea that Aguila was so big-and so was Salome. Of course, they are not HUGE towns, but there was much more to them than I remember. I did notice, much to my amusement, that there was a Family Dollar in both of these towns. Those people are EVERYWHERE! But, I guess that's very convenient for the local residents.

Jerome and the 66

Okay, so I got a little off-track. I haven't posted like I should have! So let me tell you about the big trip about three weeks ago. We, my husband I, decided one Friday to take a trip to Jerome, AZ. I was very excited for this trip. It is gorgeous up there! So that's just exactly what we did. We tried to get all packed up the night before. WE didn't take much for clothes, just a change, a jacket for each of us, our sleeping bags and a small, two-person tent. Early Saturday morning, we were off. We rode to Wickenburg, up Yarnell Hill and into Prescott. From Prescott, we went up the 89A to Jerome. What stunning scenery! And I really, really love driving up that winding road! When we arrived in Jerome, it was PACKED! Beautiful motorcycles lined the streets and leather-clad bikers stood in the doorways of the local saloons. Everyone was laughing and happy and it created such a fun atmosphere. So we backed into a parking space along side the big bikes. It was really amusing to see scores of Harleys and other bigger bikes and ONE, little scooter. We walked around a bit, but it was difficult because the sidewalks were quite crowded. After a bit, we popped into a small cafe and had a soda and some pie and ice cream. While we were sitting there, I noticed the amazing view out the front window-you could see into the valley below. The rocks and mountains are all red and the sky was a glorious blue with puffy, white clouds scattered about everywhere. After a while, Brian, my husband, suggested that we ride on up to route 66. I agreed that it sounded like a lot of fun. So, we got back on our bikes and headed back down to Prescott Valley and then up to Ashfork. We spent a little bit of time having dinner and cruising around Ashfork, but the sun was going down and we needed to start heading west to find a place to camp for the night. Unfortunately, there weren't any paved roads that would take us to directly to Seligman, the next stop on our little trip, so I had to jump on the 40 for a short distance. I wasn't thrilled with the idea, but my scooter will do about 62, and I figured that would be enough for the nine or so miles we had to go. And it was. We stopped in Seligman at a small gas station to use the restroom. Then we decided we wanted to see more of this town in the morning, so we rode west to try to find somewhere to camp outside of town. It was very, very dark and we could only see what the headlights allowed. We pulled off in a few places and finally found somewhere that seemed quiet enough and had a few trees to block us from being seen too clearly on the road. There was nearly no traffic and we hadn't seen any trains (we were near some tracks) and so we put up our tent and laid down for some rest. We could see the stars through the top of the tent. They looked amazing! We heard a train go by in the near distance. It wasn't too loud and I figured that such a train passing in the night wouldn't be enough to wake me. So I slowly drifted off to sleep. Some time later, maybe less than an hour, I heard some horrendous noise. It sounded like a semi truck was coming off of the road and headed straight for us. I knew that that wasn't the case here, but it still sounded terrifying. I already knew it was a train. And this kept happening, all night long. About one train every hour! Why were they sometimes SO LOUD and sometimes SO QUIET!? Then, some time during the night, a pickup pulled off of the road near our camp and then they drove off. That scared me pretty good too. Needless to say, we didn't sleep very soundly that night. I woke up around 6 am and got up and looked around a little bit. Brian said that we were right next to the BNSF mail line-and just a ways over, there was another train track-which is why we were hearing a 'quieter' train from time to time. We took a few pictures and packed up and headed to Seligman. It was a quiet, little town early in the morning, but by 9:00am, tour buses began to roll in and the streets filled with people from Japan, France, Germany and other places. They were all fascinated by the little shops and all of the Route 66 memorabilia. We hung around, walking from shop to shop and then headed on out of town going west. It was a beautiful drive, but we were going to have to hurry a bit because my husband needed to be home fairly early to rest up for the next day, as he had to go to work early. We cruised along and stopped briefly at the Grand Canyon Caverns, buy only to have a quick look, then we pulled into Peach Springs, again, just to stretch a bit and then we rode to Hackberry and browsed in the General Store. There were several bikers there as well. Finally, it was off to Kingman for some lunch. We were all out of time so we decided to head back down toward Wickenburg. Unfortunately, there only way to get there quickly was highway 93, and you must travel about 18 miles on I40 to reach it. And what a terrible road the 93 is! People were in such a hurry! They were passing us constantly, even when it wasn't safe to do so. One guy ended up forcing two cars off of the opposite side of the road! We finally made it home safely. It really was very enjoyable! And the weather was fabulous!

The Intro

So...I recently inherited a scooter. It's a Kymco People S200. The name is deceiving, though, as it's only 163cc scooter. I don't fully understand what that means. According to something I've read, this particular scooter uses the exact same engine as a people s50 and a people s150-but the 'bore' is different. So-whatever. Let me tell you how I got started. My father passed away on August 19, 2012. He left several things, one of which, was this scooter. I didn't really think much of it. The grief was nearly unbearable, really, so it just sat in the garage of the house in which he died for about a year-and-a-half. My children had moved into that house and life went on. One day, though, I started to think about that scooter. It was just sitting there, unused. I asked the kids if they wanted to maybe get it going, and they all seemed mildly interested, but not much. So I decided I was going to get it running and then decide what to do with it. Maybe I'd give it to one of my brothers, or maybe I'd sell it. Then I got to thinking that it would be fun to putter around the yard on, maybe for Maggie, my fifteen-year-old daughter, and me to play on and just take short rides around the dirt roads that surround our house. We might even get really adventurous one day and drive it to a nearby store for ice cream and soda. I asked my very mechanically-inclined son, Josh, to have a look at it and see if it would start. He said it only needed a new battery. Well, that sounded ridiculous. Surely it needed more than that. So I went looking for a battery. There wasn't a battery to be found in Walmart. The auto parts stores did not have them either. So I just kind of gave up for a while. So a little time passed and my daughter was due to get her permit. In Arizona, you can get your motorcycle permit at fifteen-and-a-half. I figured this would be a good way for her to get to town from time to time. I went down to the MNVD and had the scooter put in my name. And then I decided to look on the internet for a battery, get insurance, etc. Well, I had no idea what kind of scooter it was. So, after a few days, I looked at the title and registration, got the necessary information, got insurance on it and then ordered a battery off of the internet. The battery came in, I gave it to Josh and he hooked it up and BINGO. It fired right up. He has a motorcycle endorsement, so he cruised around a bit on it and said it ran perfectly fine. I was so happy. I went into town and decided I was going to ride it home so Maggie and I could ride it around near our house. Just know, I was TERRIFIED of motorcycles. I'd had a few wrecks on dirt bikes and other off-road machines over the years, and the thought of riding one on actual roads was nearly overwhelming. It was the beginning of July and VERY hot. But I decided to just be brave and do it. After a couple of quick 'lessons' from Josh, I got on it and rode away. My daughter followed me in the car-she CAN drive, she just isn't supposed to yet. I putt-putted my way home-fifteen miles away from my son's house. I had to go through town and out onto some roads that have a little more traffic than I'd have liked, but I was determined. I looked down at the speedometer after I'd crossed the big highway that I have to cross to get home. I was going 55! WOW! I was actually going the speed limit. I was so brave! Or so I thought. Later, I realized I was only going 55 KILOMETERS per hour, not MILES per hour. Oh well. Eventually, I made it home. Maggie rode it around the dirt roads for a bit. Then I did the same. It really was a lot of fun. We bungeed a crate to the luggage rack and took the dog for a ride. She didn't seem to mind much and was happy to be included. So I decided to get my motorcycle permit. I knew I was going to need it if I was going to be driving the seven miles I'd have to go to get to the store. I live in a very rural area, so everything is sparse and far away. And so Maggie and I decided to go get our permits at the same time. We failed. It was really, really hard! And I had studied like mad! So I got online and bought a practice test and practiced and practiced until I could pass with very few missed. And the next day, I passed! Maggie didn't. So now I could ride in the daylight hours, but not on the freeways-no big deal, I really don't know if I'll ever have the nerve to ride on the freeway, since my scooter tops out at 65 on a GOOD day. And so I started taking longer rides. Two miles. Five miles. Then I got brave and drove about eight miles to an old bridge (Gillespie Dam Bridge)that crosses the Gila river. I was hooked. I wanted to ride much more. So then I started trekking in to town, fifteen miles away, for a few groceries. Then I started going in to pick up my daughter from practice. And one day, when she was at an away game, and my husband was away, I got really crazy and rode to a town that is about fifty miles away named Wickenburg-all by myself. I stopped and had dinner at a restaurant named "Screamers" that someone had once mentioned to me. It was good. I didn't even want to go home. By now, it was the beginning of August and it was still horridly hot outside, so all of my riding had to be done in the evening and in the early morning. I decided it was just too much fun. I was going everywhere on my scooter, whenever I could. My husband decided he also wanted to ride, so he bought himself a motorcycle about three or so weeks ago. We have been riding a lot, mostly around here. Our first 'big' ride, and the real test for my scooter, was a ride up Yarnell Hill and then to Prescott. We left in the evening, arriving in Prescott around 8:30pm. We spent the night in Prescott and then rode back home again. It was truly a lovely ride, but we have to bunch everything into evening and morning hours due to the heat. My scooter is air-cooled and I d not do well in the heat. It was a truly, wonderful experience. Now I want to ride every, single weekend. I want to just get up and go. I want to strap a sleeping bag and a tent to my scooter and ride and just stop wherever I come to. I wish I didn't even have to work so I could just ride and ride, all across the country. I don't see THAT ever happening, but I can see my next vacation being on two wheels. I have been doing searches on the internet, looking for others' experiences. I find a lot of motorcycle rides and maxi scooters, but I want to find as many stories as I can about people who ride on little scooters. I've found a couple of pretty good stories. So, let's consider this 'the beginning'. I am going to be taking as many rides as I can get away with. Some people drink, some smoke, some sit around watching TV, or lose themselves in their computers and smart-phones. This is my vice. You only get one life. I want to be able to say I had some sort of adventure in my life. I don't want to spend the rest of my life staring at a TV and doing nothing. That seems like such a waste to me! OFF I GO!