Saturday, March 19, 2016

Scooter in the Sticks

On Friday afternoon, we drove from Elizabethtown, PA, to State College, PA. It was less than 100 miles and a fairly pleasant drive on a multilane highway following the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers for a good part of the trip. The only thing I can say about PA roads and drivers is that tractor trailer rigs like to cruise in the left lane and too many cars drive at 1.000000 mph under the speed limit or 25 mph over. And more than a few at speeds well above that. But I did not spot a single deer along the highway. Something that is always a concern on roads with trees and brush running almost up to the shoulder. After arriving in State College, we were given a brief walking tour of the more historic part of campus. Penn State is much larger than I ever knew and they have this eclectic mixture of building architectures. This is the administration building.

I thought that the sundial looked pretty cool especially since it was located within sight of the clock tower on top of the admin building. I like all of the old stonework on some of the buildings then just to throw you off, there is the ultra modern IT building. I think I prefer the older to the swooping curves of the new building.

Here is Steve of Scooter in the Sticks in his photographer pose. Note the lack of riding gear as he came to meet us with the minivan due to other commitments that day. He had considered swinging by the house to pick up the Vespa but thought that idea kind of silly. I can see why the scooter is the preferred mode of transportation. Lots of traffic in town with people everywhere. Free parking for two wheeled transport such as where Steve is currently standing.

A posed shot of the well known moto blogger at Duffy's Tavern in Boalsburg. He said that Dom should recognize the place. The food was excellent as well as the company. Their sign claims that it's been around since 1819. And they claim that it is the best restaurant in town. A lot of topics were discussed and we both agree that this whole "working thing" is overrated. I liked his comment about starting to wear white pants and shoes were in the same category as getting a Ural. A sure sign that he has lost his mind...

I couldn't resist a food pic as I have never had fries on top of my salad. It was tasty, kind of like the steak and potato salad at the Silver Gulch in Fox, AK. I had this with a wonderful French onion soup and some hot tea. We did try the homemade pretzels with honey maple butter. More honey maple than butter.

10 comments:

  1. I'm going to file away for a future post: "Lost My Mind". You'll be reading about the insane process that brought a URAL into my life. I'll have a helmet and a fine riding jacket hiding a white belt. And beneath the armored overpants will be a pair of bright white riding shoes.

    It's funny, but reading your description of town and Duffy's I realize I take it all for granted. It's nice to be reminded I can walk down the street for dinner.

    Good luck and safe travels on your journey home to Alaska. Seems so far away...

    Steve Williams
    Scooter in the Sticks

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    1. Time to dig out Photoshop to add white shoes and belt with a Ural in the background.

      Alaska sounds further than it really is.

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  2. Nice trip south Richard. Steve is a great host.

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  3. The meet-up of two blogger legends... ;-) good stuff, Richard.

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    1. Yeah, right. I must've missed meeting the other blogger. First place in the Moto-blog category is pretty impressive!

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  4. Great that you guys were able to spend some time together!

    As to "losing your mind" when it come to URAL sidecars, yep, I can firmly attest to that. In fact, it's pretty much the official greeting when someone announces he's gotten one: "Welcome to the insanity".

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    1. Really, I guess I never really noticed. How can you tell if you are losing your mind? Happily going along thinking that 2.5k km service intervals and frequent engine rebuilds are normal. I guess that's what friends are for, to let you know that you lost your mind...

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  5. So very nice that you and Steve could connect. I can imagine the conversation never stopped with so much to talk about.

    That salad looks interesting with fries on it too.

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    1. I'm really happy that we had an opportunity to meet. And you're right, no shortage of topics.

      The fries on the salad were definitely different, and tasty!

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