Change and Alternative – Scooter within the Sticks


Using Panacea

2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle on a mountain road in the forest.
Discovering that peaceable, simple feeling.

Wanting over the weblog posts of the previous 12 months reveals a gentle decline within the manufacturing of tales, essays, and messages together with the attendant images which have been a secure of Scooter within the Sticks for 15 years.

Any deep investigation of this development has been prevented, handed off to the realm of driving the place an imagined revelation would happen and supply a stable, succinct roadmap for the way forward for Scooter within the Sticks.

I’ve been generously rewarded by driving my scooters and bikes. Perception, understanding, and readability revealed throughout a journey haven’t been unusual. However to assume driving is a panacea that may substitute considering and arduous work is just not true. A minimum of for me.

So I’ve been combating what to do with this weblog.

2005 Vespa ET4 at a gas station.
Out operating errands on the at all times pleasurable Vespa ET4.

Simply Shut the Ebook

Greater than as soon as I’ve thought Scooter within the Sticks has reached a pure conclusion and I ought to create one final put up to say goodbye to these readers who’ve subscribed and adopted alongside as I posted my ideas and experiences.

I’ve learn that blogs are useless. Judging by the dramatic decline in visitors I can see how that could be the case. However there are nonetheless tens of millions of blogs with tens of millions extra being created yearly. So there’s that.

Closing doorways, burning bridges and saying goodbyes has by no means felt good. A lingering unease of error and remorse probably gasoline these emotions. So closing the e book on Scooter within the Sticks at this cut-off date received’t occur.

I’ve been driving constantly for the reason that final put up and thru the chilly of winter right here in Central Pennsylvania. Some rides, like the newest on the Vespa ET4, had been to run a couple of errands and train the fluids and the drive prepare of the machine to maintain it limber by means of instances of much less than-normal driving.

Vespa GTS scooter riding through a snow covered landscape
Don’t let the winter magnificence cloud the danger administration wants of driving in winter.

Apply Drive

Simply do it idiot. Drive your self to create extra weblog posts and shut up. Or power your self to not care and simply do what you need. Relating to creating extra posts I’ve to ask myself, “Why?”

There have been constructive outcomes from Scooter within the Sticks. I’ve met different riders and bloggers. I’ve gained data and perception from the numerous who’ve shared and commented over time. And the posts have served as a sort of non-public historical past by means of which I can peer into my previous in a means that’s extra correct than reminiscence.

I’m proof against power. One thing else motivates me to motion.

YouTube thumbnail for Scooter in the Sticks
A YouTube thumbnail for “Are You and Trustworthy Rider?”

Enter YouTube

A 12 months in the past I made a decision to start producing video content material on YouTube. The plan was to not eradicate weblog posts, however the work required to script and produce movies consumed extra time than deliberate, and writing weblog posts received misplaced within the shuffle.

And surprisingly, YouTube generates income. Not loads, however sufficient to cowl gasoline each month.

Wandering down the video manufacturing path was undertaken as a substitute for writing essays for the weblog. I had grown weary of writing. Creating movies was a difficult puzzle that altered my curiosity and power in creating one thing centered on driving. Earning money was by no means a spotlight however has been a nice shock.

Portrait of Steve Williams, scooter and motorcycle rider.
Made it by means of one other winter.

Writing a Ebook

If there’s a mercenary side to any of this it’s within the considering that if I ever end one in all my books, the weblog can be an excellent place to promote it. A BIG if, that concept of me ending a e book. However there it’s.

The Eclectic Strategy

The trail shifting ahead that holds probably the most promise is an eclectic one, paved with no matter content material I create, discover fascinating or in any other case deem worthy of setting within the digital stone of Scooter within the Sticks. And the way typically that could be? I don’t know. All I do know is I’m releasing myself from my very own arbitrary objectives relating to posting frequency.

So till subsequent time, I hope you’re nicely and driving safely.