Freedom on wheels

It's been less than a week since I got my scooter, and I feel like I've really started living. The places I can go, the speeds I can reach, the thrill I get — this is exactly what I've been looking for and the only question is why I didn't do this sooner.

I love going fast, and I was always a little limited on my bicycles. Plus, going fast over bumps and streetcar ruts didn't feel the greatest (not that it felt great in a car either). And I could forget about getting a car based on how expensive the initial cost would be, plus gas, insurance, maintenance, winter tiring it, and licensing. But on a scooter? Well, it's a fraction of the cost and all of the fun.

The only thing I dislike is how gosh darn cold it gets. Toronto finally seems to have shaken off its winter blahs in exchange for more civilized weather, but it still feels like winter when I go the speed of traffic. I've managed to get most of an outfit together — down coat that goes down to my knees, boots with jeans stretched over top so no wind leaks through, and warm fuzzy gloves that reach semi-high on my wrists — but I haven't figured out my knees and thighs. For now, the trips I've been taking have been less than 20km, so the cold doesn't have a chance to settle in, but I'll be going on longer ventures soon and there's not exactly many places to pull over on Highway 7.

But the speed, the thrill — that more than makes up for any wind chill. To get downtown, I take a patch of Eglinton to Jane so I can access Dupont from Dundas, and that stretch of Eglinton is just glorious because of how open and fast it is. Mind you, the first time I went on it, I had just picked up my bike and it was only a few degrees above zero, so I'm nervous about how the bike will handle the upper half of its speed...plus how cold it was. There I am, gripping the throttle back, testing my limits, and silently cursing at how I'm losing feeling in my thighs and fingertips.

After that first trip, I got my confidence up pretty quickly and now it's just a matter of keeping doing that (and not trying to get carried away). Going over our roads (what fine condition they're in!), navigating over streetcar tracks (still just waiting for that one patch that'll be wet and slick), and roaring down an empty stretch of road is the best feeling in the world on a scooter.

With the wind rushing at me, drowning out all sound and providing a white noise soundtrack, I can almost see myself as the only one on the road. There's this freedom to feeling like I've got the city to yourself, as though I can do anything and go anywhere I want. And even paying attention to the cars, signs and goings-on around me has sort of being automatic to the point where I can kick back on my driving experience and let the pure joy of riding take over.

Nothing exists except me and the bike, and there's a oneness between us that makes me feel part of the road; I'm just an upright extension of it, another bump on its endless ribbon. It's an almost Zen experience where I can block out everything else that's going on and just...think nothing.

I just go.