Adventures with Vivi Vespa

Where did 2010 go?

2010-12-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

...I'm not sure where it went so fast, but I guess I was just too busy to post this year. I'm currently working on my business and settling in after the big move to Seattle, but I hope to update this blog with pix and all the highlight from 2010. Check back as I'll be posting all kinds of fun stuff from Gus n Red's Scooter Shack, including scooter club news, events, shows and fun scooter-related posts!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2011!
-Red

Summer Scooter Pictures

2009-10-06T00:43:00.000-07:00

Here are links to my photographs from the different events that I went to:

Oyster Run 2009

Festa Italiana 2009

Wurst Rally Ever 2009

R2DQ 4

Westender's Tour di Mari 2

Hamster Run 2009

5711 SC ride to Mukilteo

Snohomish Black Cat Westender's Ride

Vashon Island Lavender Fest Westender's ride

Operation Chano 11.7.09

2009-10-06T00:16:00.000-07:00

You'll wanna save the date for this event. It is open to the public and you'd have fun while supporting Sean's amazing family. See you there! Click on image to enlarge.

Festering OktoberScoot pix posted!

2009-10-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

Pictures from this weekend's Festering OktoberScoot can be found here!

Summer Scooter Adventures

2009-09-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've blogged since I've been so busy with all sorts of scooter adventures! It's been a fun summer and now it's winding down with the rains of September setting in.

Last weekend, my family and I camped up in Lynden, WA at the KOA. My parents love this place because there is so much to do for the kids, so they booked us 5 spots along the pond. I decided it would be fun to scoot up the backroads and meet them.

The ride up was pretty good, despite tons of road construction. I was scouting back roads for our ride to BC on Labor Day weekend, so it was good for me to see where it got sticky so I can plan a re-route for Friday with the group. My favorite parts of the trip were when I rode along the water, up Pioneer Hwy north of Stanwood...and also the ever infamous Chuckanut Drive offered spectacular views. I stopped over in Conway to see my Aunt and Uncle for a break, and she and I gathered a shopping bag full of plums from the tree in her yard for me to take to my family. They were delicious!!

The weekend was full of swimming, putt putt golf, s'mores, and there was a bicycle poker run on Saturday. We all biked/walked around the campground to 5 different locations, drawing a card at each stop and collecting the best poker hand. Prizes were awarded at the end by the family that runs the campground, and my nephew Brandon collected a 3 of a kind and won the top prize, a $40 pass where he treated us all to a round of putt putt golf. He even got to go out on a paddleboat, what a blast!

We also had a round of Chubby Bunny around the campfire, where we all see who can stuff the most marshmallows in our mouths while saying "I am a chubby bunny!". We get to laughing so hard, it's really hard not to. My nephew Michael on the other hand, broke the record at 14!! This makes for some fun, and very GROSS pictures too! haha!

I wish the family could have camped longer than the weekend, we all agreed that we need to do this again! We used to camp together each year in Leavenworth and at Flowing Lake in Snohomish, but we were amazed that it had already been since 2005 since the last camp trip together. We will not let another 4 years go by before doing this again!

The ride home on Sunday was gorgeous! I was enjoying the ride so much, I forgot to turn off Chuckanut Drive at Bow Hill Rd and ended up in Burlington. I plugged in the GPS and went on an adventure and stumbled upon Big Lake on my way out to Hwy 9. If you have not done this ride, you should check it out when you are up in the neighborhood. After I rounded Lake McMurray, I decided I really wanted to cut back over and stop in Conway for lunch at the pub there. My aunt's family owns it, so it's great to go there after a long ride and get treated like royalty! It's always fun pulling in with my scoot and finding a parking spot amongst the rows of harleys! My cousin Brady was working, so I made sure that we got a picture together! I had the pan fried oysters and enjoyed a pint o brew while sitting in the sun. At that point, I wish I could lay down for nap, but I had to ride on.

I stopped at my sister's in Marysville and snapped this pic of the dogs. This is how *I* felt after the long weekend of playing! More pix can be found on my Facebook page. I didn't take as many as I normally would because my sister was doing an amazing job of taking pix with her super nice camera. Can't wait to see the pix!

Days 4-8: California

2009-07-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

I am updating my blog at the airport as I get ready to fly out from San Jose. We were having so much fun that I didn't take the time to blog and wait for pictures to upload.

In the meantime, take a look at my friend Gretchen's blog which is full of great pics of all the fun we were having...and describes the remaining days of this wonderful trip.

vespaventure.blogspot.com

All of my Amerivespa 2009 pictures can be found at my Flickr page.

Day Three - Coos Bay to Eureka

2009-06-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I found out today that you can now go to www.scooterinsanity.org to track our journey down Hwy 101 toward San Jose. There, you just click on “Track The Ride” and it is updated hourly when we're on the road.

So today we woke up in Coos Bay and grabbed a quick breakfast and hit the road. The coast was MAGNIFICENT. The wind was RELENTLESS! We drove into Gold Beach for a fuel up and for an awesome lunch at the Double D diner. By far, the best service we've had for lunch! Then we drove into Brookings and the temp climbed to a sweltering heat that was almost unbearable in all our gear, but then, just past town as we drove on and the temp dropped back down and I temporarily had to wear my thermal gloves.

Driving into the Redwoods really took my breath away and was so picturesque. I took many photographs using my onboard camera and even managed to shoot some video of us rolling out onto the coastline. We even got to see Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox, and even rolled up onto a herd of Elk in a yard and took tons of pics.

Once we got into Eureka we fueled up again and checked into the hotel. The Scotts had left earlier in the day and had hit the liquor store and had drink mixin's waiting for us. We then walked down to the Lost Coast Brewery and met up with some local scooterists who plan on being at Amerivespa also. Also, a fellow named Rich, from BC, who is also on his way to Amerivespa, drove by and saw the scoots and stopped in to eat with us.

We then got back to the hotel and then had a nice soak in the hot tub and took a swim in the pool. Total mileage today was approx. 241. Tomorrow will be a longer day as we journey toward Santa Rosa. Gorgeous!!

Day Two - PDX to Coos Bay

2009-06-29T23:23:00.001-07:00

Finally got internet access at the hotel in Coos Bay! woohoo!

So today started off slow, we didn't get out of Portland metro area until lunchtime because of mechanical probs with one of the bikes because one gas station attendant happened to overfill a scooter and it stalled it out and had to go onto the support truck after failing to work itself out.

After rolling through gorgeous hills near Newberg, Oregon with scenic orchard vistas, we pressed onward to the coast. The views were breathtaking! After losing a layer of clothes because it got so warm, we had to bundle back up with the coast's cool winds beating down on us. We stopped at Lincoln City at a nice sports bar named Mulligan's to eat lunch, then headed out toward Coos Bay. Turns out, I should have added a 3rd layer and will do so tomorrow as we journey down the coast. It gets so cold that the muscles in my hands and shoulders start to freeze up.

Once we arrived in Coos Bay and check in to our hotel, we enjoyed dinner at the sport's lounge with great company. Also, a scooter couple from PDX happened to also be staying the the same hotel. Also, Gretchen, our scooter friend from Eugene drove over to join us and was at the hotel waiting for us. We are so excited for Amerivepsa! I will post pics soon, my computer is acting up and taking forever to load pics!

Day One - Seattle to PDX

2009-06-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

(From my journal from yesterday since I didn't have internet access.)

Day one has been a long one. After a weekend of Scooter Insanity, we were rearin' to go! We met at Krispy Kreme in Seattle this AM for the ride to Tacoma for a BBQ and a big send off to those of us who continued south toward San Jose for Amerivespa.

We had a bunch of stops along the way and stopped for a bite to eat in Castle Rock at a dive Harley bar before we pressed onward toward PDX.

We rolled into Portland a little after 8. We went to get a bite to eat at the Galaxy, chinese/american food set against the backdrop of sunday nite karaoke. Approx milage for the day was 220, but not quite sure because I forgot to reset tripometer.

Vivi ran like a luxury liner today...my favorite parts were the long and fast open stretches. My least favorite part was crossing the Burnside Bridge with the crazy crosswind and then the lane change to exit.

So I was able to load pics from this weekend to my computer, but am unable to connect to the hotel internet so I am blogging via cell phone. I will post pics tomorrow, I promise.

I heart Scooter Barn...

2009-06-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was an awesome day! I went to Scooter Barn in Lynnwood and got some kickin' deals on some last minute items before the ride next week to Amerivespa! I rate these guys a '10' for customer service!

Turns out they have group ride every Tuesday evening at 6:15. So I returned to the shop to go for the first official SC ride...and it was NICE! We took a short jaunt through Meadowdale Beach, down through Edmonds and Woodway, stopped at Richmond Beach to take in the scenery, then returned back to DT Edmonds where our ride ended and we went to Taki Tiki for a bite to eat and refreshing beverage. The food was really great and I LOVED the atmosphere and decor! It was like being on vacation in Hawaii...and I *heart* Hawaii!

The best part of the ride, I was able to test out my new Airhawk seat cushion. Let's just say it was nothng short of AMAZING! Num bum no more! Looking forward to testing it out some more this weekend at Scooter Insanity!

MPG/gas stats

2009-06-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Do you need another reason to ride a scoot? I crunched the numbers for the gas bill for our trip to SJ, you see for yourself! All values approx.

yee haw!

Ride preparation

2009-06-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Now that we're into the last week before the 1100 mile ride to California for Amerivespa, massive prep is going on. Lists, itineraries, bags, bungees are abound!

What I'm SUPER excited about: my new airhawk "touche cush" is due to arrive today. I purchased it online after much research...it's guaranteed to cut down the numb bum, which makes me a happy scooter girl!

Also looking forward to this weekend of Scooter Insanity, the rally in Seattle that leads up to our send off on Sunday.

Also, was pleased that my pooch has a place to stay for 8 days...the doggie meet and greet on Friday went well and she wasn't too "street rat crazy" with Emily's adorable pug pups, so it will be great. *breathe*

Eureka to Santa Rosa route change

2009-06-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Because of requests that came in to our trusty route-planner Eric, the route has been changed in the leg from Eureka to Santa Rosa...we'll head West at Leggett on Highway 1 and follow that along the coast to Jenner, where we'll follow 116 to Santa Rosa. Will be a longer trip, but WORTH every scenic turn!

Click here if you have difficulty seeing map below.

View Seattle to San Jose in a larger map

Saratoga Springs, CA

2009-06-17T02:32:00.000-07:00

...4th of July venue for Amerivespa 2009!

All City Scooter Day 2009 Pics

2009-06-15T08:22:00.001-07:00

Today's scooter hap-hap-happenin's!

2009-06-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

Heading off to The Seattle All City Scooter Community Day!

What's going on there?
* information on scooters as alternative transportation
* local scooter clubs and their members talking about their activities
* group rides leaving from the event
* scooters galore!
* games and door prizes

Also there's a Scooter Drive-in Movie up at Lynnwood Scooter Barn! Who can pass up free popcorn and a kung-fu movie?

Seattle to San Jose Ride to Amerivespa

2009-06-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

Click here for Route Map

Distance: Approximately 1,100 miles over four and a half days.

Route: After leaving Seattle, we'll pick up some scooter peeps in Tacoma. We'll head south and then along the eastern side of Mt. St. Helens, then taking us to Bonneville at the Columbia River...then on to Portland. After Portland we'll head west and follow the coast along Hwy 101 into California. As much as possible our route will stay on secondary roads or 2-lane highways.

Support: We will have a support vehicle travel with us that will be carrying extra gear and our luggage.

Lodging: We'll be spending the night in Portland, Coos Bay, Eurek and Santa Rosa before we arrive in Los Gatos at Amerivespa.

Getting home: After 4 days of Amerivespa rides and events, we have a truck to bring bikes back to Seattle from San Jose. I'll be taking a flight home Sunday evening.

Amerivespa or bust

2009-06-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

I woke up today and cannot believe that I'm going on a 4.5 day ride with the Vespa Club of Seattle all the way to San Jose for Amerivespa 2009. So much to plan for! After finals are completed!