My first Epic Journey

Im pretty confident now that my scooter works.  And I very 'grateful' that I appear to have an engine/electrical/carburetor setup that is reliable and consistent - I always worry about those sort of intangible 'physics' aspects of an engine.  I hate spluttering engines or erratic idling because they always seem to be difficult problems to trace; unlike a snapped clutch cable that is obvious and fixable. 

And so after a few local runs to prove that she runs reliably, I needed a journey to test durability and endurance (of me AND the machine).  I'd been planning for a while to go down to see mum and dad on Sunday (110 miles away), and as the day approached I started to wonder if I could go by Vespa.  The weather in the proceeding week was pretty rubbish and i was paying close attention to the forecast for the weekend.  Come Saturday night I still wasn't decided - the wind and rain was on and off all the time.  It was literally a last minute decision as I got dressed on Sunday morning and looked out of the window.... sky was grey but dry, wind was blowy, but not harsh..... i decided to put on my thermal vest.

I was on the road by about 8.30am and i felt good.  In my mind I had about 4 mental milestones that plotted my route.  I'd checked google maps earlier for a walking route (id figured this would be most direct and would avoid motorways) - as it turns out the exact mileage this way would be 101 miles.  The four stages were, Warwick, Milton Keynes, Dunstable and Welwyn - if i could tick these places off in turn, I would feel like I was making progress.
Unfortunately I didnt make a print of the google map route, and so once past Warwick and into farming country, villages and lanes I quickly became lost.  I had to stop on numerous occasions to check on my phone which villages I should be aiming for.  And when I couldnt get a GPS signal, I had to resort to the inbuilt compass on my phone and simply head south.
The journey went well.  it stayed dry, I felt comfortable on the saddle, and the engine ran without hesitation.  I often became aware that the pressure of my helmet on my cheeks was making my jaw open slightly and my tongue slip between my teeth; if i thought about this too much i could feel a sort of sense of panic come over me - to distract my mind I would sing to myself - which sounded quite nice inside the little cosy world of my helmet.
I stopped for fuel twice - Im not sure of just how much fuel i have when the gauge gets close to showing empty, so rather than find out the hard way, I made sure I kept full (and fuel stops are also a welcome stretch)  Even with the gauge showing empty I appear to only be able to put 5 quid of fuel in the tank - which makes me feel like a rich man when I compare the experience to filling the car for £75.
At one garage the attendant asked about the scooter, and was rather surprised to hear of the distance I was intending to cover that day (his surprise worried me a little - 101 miles? surely thats not such a big deal is it?)  He also went on to tell me of his friend who found a Lambretta in a shed AND of the last time he visited Luton - his stories were a perfect opportunity for me to linger a little longer in his warm shop.
Once out of the Warwickshire farming country and bound for Milton Keynes, I had to face an hour on the A5.  This was both a blessing and a curse.  On the one hand cars and lorries are moving very fast here, but on the other hand when it was duel carriageway, they passed me with a wide birth.  On the one hand whilst it is quite a direct route, it was on the other hand monotonous - at 40mph without the pleasure of Radio 4 to entertain, these long dull roads are VERY long and VERY dull.  I was pleased to enter the metropolis that is Dunstable.
It was in Dunstable that I had my first 'fright'.  I was riding through some road works and was approaching a temporary repair to a channel dug across the road.  I wasnt traveling fast, but I quickly became aware that this was quite a deep trough that I was about to go over.  I reduced my speed (but i dont think I was actually braking as I went over the trough) and as I bounced over the road repair I had a significant wobble.  All was well and I carried on but it was a few moments later when a cold shiver went down my spine as i thought about how that might have turned into a spill.

Dad (aka TVOR) gives the Vespa a once over

From here on I was in familiar country and the Vespa seemed to pick up some spirit and drive like it wanted to get to its destination - The song 'Space oddity' by David Bowie came into my head and I found myself singing inside my personal sound booth "... and I think my spaceship knows which way to go".  I was 3 hours into my journey and I was becoming both; more and more comfortable in the saddle, and more and more mad by the solitude
I arrived finally at Mum and Dads in time for a late lunch.  4.5 hours after I had set off from my home 101 miles away.  I was delighted to see mum and dad, delighted to have achieved this epic journey, but slightly disappointed in my slow performance.

I might not have had a spare clutch cable, but I had smartly packed a toothbrush and clean pair of underpants in my rucksack when I set out that morning - there was no way now that I was going to attempt a return journey on the same day.  And so we enjoyed a lovely afternoon (dad even getting to have a ride on the Vespa up and down the drive) and evening together.  I slept remarkably well that night :-)

I woke early the next day - I needed to get back home in good time for a teleconference meeting.  As I lay in bed slowly waking up, it occurred to me that I was in a rather different situation to the morning before.  Yesterday when I woke up I had a choice.  I had a choice primarily based on the weather conditions as to whether I would travel down to see mum and dad by scooter or by car.  This morning however, I had no choice whatsoever.  Regardless of whatever the weather had in store for me, I had to ride home, and so it was with a little more intrepidation than excitement that I set off that morning.

preparing for the journey home

I was on the road by 8.45.  it was overcast and gloomy, but the little Vespa seemed happy to be buzzing along the country lanes again.  I took the same route home as I did coming.  It was uneventful. The weather was variable; I was grateful for my waterproof over trousers when it drizzled, and I was grateful for my black jacket when it captured a little of the warmth from the sun when he popped his nose out now and then.  The biggest battle was the blustery wind I faced as i came into the Midlands.  This invisible force seemed to want to test me by springing out on me at any moment causing me to lurch across my lane.  It was at times quite stressful both mentally and physically, but easily cured by simply dropping speed down to 25 - 30 mph.
I arrived home just in the nick of time for my teleconference meeting after 5 hours in the saddle - this had indeed been an epic journey for me.  And one I look forward to doing many more times :-)

I love my Vespa.