The Scoot Shop kicked off the Spring riding season with a group ride this past Sunday. Twenty-four riders and 22 scoots (I’ll let you do the algebra on that one) came out for the first of many organized rides to be hosted by the shop this year. As usual, that many scoots rolling down the street was a sight to behold.

In the days leading up to the ride, I was a bit concerned that the weather was going to be less than ideal. The weather reports at the beginning of the week called for a chance of showers on Sunday. I posted on the Modernvespa.com forum that we were going to ride, rain or shine. As fortune would have it, by the time the weekend came around, the weather was unbeatable.

Meet-up time for the ride was 10am. I wanted to show up to the shop a little early to put out some pre-ride refreshments (are they really “re”-freshments if you already arrive fresh?), get the lights on, turn the compressor on, etc. My morning actually started much earlier when Rebekah and I loaded up some scooters on the Kendon trailer to take down to the Earth Day festival at Southside park. After getting the The Scoot Shop’s booth set up, I came back to the shop to find the first several riders already standing by, wondering where the heck I was. Soon the street was lined with 22 beautiful scoots of every size, make and model. We even had a supped up 50cc who swore he was going to be able to keep up. (And he did).

After a bit of cake and coffee, the customary scooter chit chat and a thorough ride/safety brief, we fired up our trustee steeds. We kept it tight through midtown as we made our way out Folsom Blvd. to Jackson Hwy. Once on Hwy 16 we were able to open it up a little. Traffic was light and the blockers did a fabulous job. At around Bradshaw, we bid farewell to some of our vintage scoot riders as they had another engagement to get to. It’s always fun having a mix of past and present on these rides.

After a pit stop for gas and rider adjustment, we continued west, toward the river. The pace got a bit more spirited once we crossed over Hwy 99. For the most part, we had the roads all to ourselves. Not only did this part of the ride afford us the peace and serenity that comes with being out in the country, it also, on one occasion, afforded us the breathtaking smell that comes with a cattle farm. Soon we were winding our way through vineyards and along the Sacramento River toward the town of Freeport. Everyone’s scoot was running fine, so we continued on into Sacramento.

The end point for the ride was Southside Park where Rebekah’s booth and the Earth Day festival were in full swing. Instead of heading straight for the parking lot, however, the scooter pack circled the park, honking joyfully to alert everyone of our arrival. We circled up under the freeway in the farmers market parking lot where I thanked everyone for coming out for the ride and promised to keep them posted on future rides. Many of the riders went on to Hot Italian for lunch. Some, including myself, checked out the activities in the park.

Overall, it was a great season opening ride for The Scoot Shop. My thanks and appreciation goes out to “Sic” Bastard for leading the ride and to “Cool”, “Absolute”, “Bodacious” and “Speedy” for blocking and sweeping. Stay tuned for next month’s ride when we hope to put on a slower ride so our 50cc brothers and sisters can play.