You know what they say about satire…

Have you noticed how many people are taking epic road trips on motorcycles or scooters these days?

I have. I get a fair number of messages from people about to undertake such journeys, asking if I’d like to do a story about them and their epic adventure.

I always politely decline.

Mostly because I believe doing your own journal, whether on paper or online, is a part of the journey. It should come from the rider’s heart and mind, and not be filtered through, say, this here blog.

But more importantly, I decline because epic journeys on two wheels have become ubiquitous, in the way elderly drivers crashing their Buicks through strip-mall storefronts have, reported on TV news almost daily.

I recently ran across a video that pokes fun at the whole epic-road-trip-on-a-scooter zeitgeist.

I have not heard from or of anyone actually planning a scooter trip to Antarctica (juice cleanse or no), but I have heard of rides that come close. Especially when the rider is trying to “raise awareness” about something. The now-dormant blog Stuff White People Like summed up that notion rather nicely.

In fact, the whole bucket list idea has grown tremendously of late; epic scooter rides are just one item on lists that often include such things as running with the bulls at Pamplona and going to Burning Man. In many cases, the bucket-list mentality has changed those events in a way most of their original participants find distasteful and disrespectful.

I personally am a great advocate of travel. I’ve few regrets in my life, but one of those was not traveling more when I had the chance. It really is a great big, wonderful world out there, and seeing as much of it as you can will do wonders for your heart, your mind and your mindset.

And that’s not to say a scooter isn’t a useful device for such travels. Mike Hermens’ blog Single Cylinder Psyche is well-written and well-photographed. That modern scooters and motorcycles benefit from the same advances in automotive engineering and technology that make new cars so reliable and maintenance-free makes these epic journeys possible and even practical.

What dismays me is most Americans’ inability to realize that scooters are just as useful for day-to-day transportation. A trip to the grocery store may not be epic, but it’s definitely possible. And doesn’t take nearly as long as riding to Antarctica.