First Long Trip of the Year

by Jim Zeiser
(Deposit, New York)

I had to get a medical test done for my job which required a round trip of seventy-eight miles. I've been using the family minivan for the last few months and while it's a very comfortable beast I get tired of shelling out money for its fuel consumption which hovers around 21 mpg.

The weather was promising to climb up to near eighty degrees today so I decided to take the scooter on an epic journey on two State Roads to my office for the test.

The morning sky was clear, but chilly (thank heavens for a warm leather jacket) and the sun was warm as I started out. My only equipment shortcoming was in my gloves, which could have been warmer, otherwise I was fine.

The scenery here in upstate New York is fairly diverse. Farms and barns and silos and cows and Llamas. Llamas!! Yes, I saw Llamas at one point in a farm outside of the village of Otego. Or maybe Alpacas, I can never keep them straight.

Either way it's always a shock to see a South American animal staring at you from the side of the road in the snow belt.

I got to the appointment surprisingly early so I breakfasted at the Golden Arches, marveling at how I had covered forty miles of road in under an hour while traveling at no more than indicated 45 mph.

The scooter just hummed and seemed to get stronger as the trip went on. I stopped and got gas before I started home and was surprised to see it take less than half a gallon for the forty miles there.

The trip home was equally as pleasant, even more so as the air warmed and my hands did with it. It's been awhile since I rode the the scooter that far and it did the trip, over some decent climbs and descents, with nary a complaint.

Best of all, I saved a good ten dollars of gas leaving the car home and had an enjoyable ride in the bargain.