Modern Vespa

Subtitle: My GPS software takes me on some GREAT routes!

It was a beautiful day and I had some spare time so I went for a nice 132 mile ride from Maple Grove to Stillwater then up to Taylors falls on the MN side and back on the WI side following the St Croix river and I didn't see ONE other scooter the whole ride, not even a maxi. I saw hundreds of MCs, mainly cruisers with some crotch rockets, but NO scooters.

It was the perfect riding day, I started early so it was in the mid 70's while I rode, the sun was out, the roads were perfect... no scooters.

When I tell my GPS software (Garmin) to mainly avoid highways it takes me on some great no-where back roads which makes this kind of trip fun. What a great ride. (most of my ride was in well worn streets, though, where my fellow scooter brethren should have been). Milena just loves these kind of trips and purrs the whole way!

Roadbum, I thought of you a lot since we'd talked about taking this run. It was great, we'll have to do it!

I went out early for a 60 mile spin in horse country... great day here too. I just finished some chores and will go out again for a late afternoon ride.

I'm not very familiar with GPS. Can you tell me how difficult it is to program a route avoiding highways?

I tend to just wander and when I think about heading back use the sun to get me headed in the general direction until I find a road I know. I'd like to take a longer ride this year (probably up to New Paltz, NY) and have wondered how a a GPS device might make this easier. Any advice?

It's pretty simple, actually. My TomTom can be set up to only map using roads that have a max speed limit of xx miles per hour.

That's very cool! I've seen some interesting ways to mount the GPS here at MV. I think I'll search some more here on "GPS".

BTW, love the Trunk Monkey link!

And now... it's time to ride!

Where?

I had nothing to do today. So breakfast at the Ace and then up to JT's then 90 miles or so of getting lost and enjoying myself in 30C+ temperatures, lovely gentle day.

Saw very few cagers, a few bikers, hardly any other scooters, so what, I had a good day.

www.beardedladymotorcycleshow.com

This is where we were!

I saw many scooterists here in the city yesterday and with the Bearded Lady saw many more.

Lomunchi, that is one reason I want to go the GPS route, so that I can take a ride like that out of the city on a whim. A few weeks ago went on a ride to Stillwater/Hastings that TC John put on with The Heck's Angels and it was awesome!

At Amerivespa 2008, where we ought to be

..likewise...30deg. plus in Norfolk U.K. today, so we had a nice country ride to Southwold... a really olde worlde seaside resort. No amusements, no noise apart from sea and a few kids playing outside their beach huts...nice! 8)