Ok, so let’s be honest here, I had been dreading this ride all week. It’s not that I
didn’t want to go. It’s just that I knew it was going to be hot…really, really hot.
And it was. I had never previously gone on a group ride. Unlike Theron, I am completely
directionally challenged and was always afraid I’d get separated from the group and be
lost somewhere in the foothills with no cell phone service. But, after several
assurances from the Bastards that they wouldn’t leave me behind, I decided to try it out.

Sic picked me up at the shop and guided me via Folsom Blvd. to the meetup location in
Folsom. There, we rendezvoused with the rest of the group, 12 scooters and a trike, in
total. Unlike many riders there, I was unwilling to give up my Corazzo jacket and jeans
for shorts and a t-shirt, since I was unsure of the route and am always concerned about
safety. So, I wet down my Hedz scarf, which did a good job of keeping me cool during
each leg of the ride. Once we got moving, the heat wasn’t so bad and I found myself
enjoying it tremendously. Sic did a great job of planning the route and we moved along
to Coloma at a good clip. I borrowed Theron’s SYM HD200 for the ride, as I am still
breaking in my vintage Vespa and don’t plan to take him on longer, out-of-town outings.
I outfitted the scoot with a new SX Appeal Pak Rest Case and used the opportunity to
review it?s performance. I would recommend it wholeheartedly! The case mounts on the
passenger area of the seat directly behind the rider and clamps down with quick-release
clips under the seat. It has a ton of storage in the zippered top and also provides a
backrest for the rider. I really appreciated having the backrest for this long ride. I
was able to keep my purse, spare t-shirt, cooler with ice water bottles, camera and a few
smaller items readily accessible and still had room for more. Anyway, back to the ride…

We wound through some beautiful scenery and stopped at the Coloma Club for lunch. After
taking a break to get hydrated and fed, we hopped back on the scoots and made our way a
short distance to the Gold Hill Winery. It was a great scene to see the scooters and
riders dismounting under the shade of a huge tree with vineyards stretching out behind
them. We all enjoyed the views from the deck and got back to the task at hand, riding.
We took a different route back to the original meetup location. This way had lots of
nice, easy turns and we went much of the way single file on the narrow backcountry roads,
rarely encountering another vehicle. There was a significant breeze coming down the last
stretch and even with the wind you could feel the heat setting in as we lost altitude.
By this point several of the riders had broken from the group to head their separate ways
home and we were left with 5 scooters and a trike to make our way the final stretch back.
All in all, it was a fun time and I did not get lost! There was great blocking at the
intersections so that the whole group could move through and nobody would be left behind.
Now I’m hooked and Theron and I will no doubt be fighting over who gets to tag along on
the Royal Bastards group ride next month. Does rock, paper, scissors seem fair?

Don’t miss out on our Scoot Shop group ride later this month. This time we’re making it
all-inclusive and keeping it a bit slower so all our friends with smaller scoots can keep
up. So, if you’ve got a scoot, no matter the size, come out and join us at 9am May 31st.