What is Scoot 66?

Scoot 66 is a 66 day, 10,000 mile spring journey across the US. It starts on April 30 and should end around July 4. More importantly, Scoot 66 is something that I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid, but now I want to do it on a scooter.

Where are you going?

Hm. The thing is, there is no real destination. Sure, there’s a bunch of stuff I’ll be seeing along the way, but really, the journey is the destination. From the second I shove off on April 30 till the moment I roll back into town on July 4, I will be exactly where I want to be.

How many miles total?

Roughly 10,000, though I’m assuming it will actually be much more than that.

How many days?

Scoot 66 is 66 days. Though it’s possible that it will take longer.

What are you riding?

I’ll be riding a Vespa GTS250.

How fast can it go?

It can do around 80 - 85mph. Faster than one should go on 12″ wheels.

What kind of mileage does that thing get?

Oh, about 75mpg. Much better than that SUV, huh?

Why ride instead of drive?

There’s a sort of freedom you experience when you ride. It’s there on bicycles, mopeds, scooters, motorcycles - anything on two wheels. You’re not trapped in a cage like you are in a car. You feel the land beneith you, see the sky above you and smell the cow poop all around you. It’s great.

Why a scooter and not a cycle?

Route 66 and many of the other roads I’m taking have been done on motorcyles over and over. Like I said before, it’s the best way to see the country. But for me, I have taken to scooters (generally Vespas). Nothing against motorcycles, really, I just like scooters enough to ride one a couple of times across the country.

How many miles a day will you ride?

It varies. While I’m on the Route 66 portion of the trip, I’ll average about 150 miles a day. It’ll probably end up being more than that, but that’s the goal. I am only riding that much because I want to see as much as I can. After Route 66, I’ll average around 200 - 250 miles a day.

How many hours a day will you ride?

I’ll probably be riding from 9am till 7pm each day. Obviously, I’ll be doing a lot of exploring off the scooter.

Are you at all qualified to do something like this?

Maybe. I’ve never attempted anything like this. It would be like someone who has never hiked attempting the Appalachian Trail. It’s best to travel a bit before leaving. I guess I have, but mostly in a car. I’ve done a week long (or so) trip on the scooter a couple of times. Hopefully that’s prepared me. Not much I can do about it now.

What will you eat along the way?

I’m a vegan. That means that I don’t eat meat, eggs, dairy, etc. Anything that was or came from an animal doesn’t go in my body. It’s actually a pretty easy thing to do. But some folks have asked how I’ll do this in the mid-west, etc. I’ve traveled through most of the places where I’ll be riding. In some places there are grocery stores. When those don’t exist, there’s Subway. Even a local diner has some things that vegans can eat. It won’t always be super easy, but that’s ok. I’ll survive.

Will you be camping or staying in motels?

Oh, mostly I’ll be camping. There are a handful of motels that I really want to stay in (Blue Swallow, WigWam), but mostly it’s camping. Not primative camping, of course. Every place must have a shower. I get weird when I can’t shower. I get angry. And you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.

What types of weather are you prepared for?

Rain. That’s it. No snow, please. If you have long legs, you can do some snow on a scooter, but if you have short legs like me, you’re pretty screwed once the flakes start dropping. I’m fine with rain. Even a steady downpour. But I’ll be riding through “tornado alley.” We’ll see how I do there. Hopefully I won’t run into anything bigger than a rain storm.

How will you keep to the schedule?

The miles I’m doing each day should make it easy to keep to it. But if something like a break down happens, there’s not much I can do. I just have to be detached from things like that.

What about scheduled maintenance?

Every 3,000 miles you should go over the scooter, checking it for nasty things. Also, the rear wheel will need to be changed. And oil. And belt (every 6,000). I’m planning stops for such things in Albuquerque and Salt Lake City.

What are some of the highlights that you’ll be seeing?

The journey is the destination, of course. But some highlights are all of Route 66 - from Chicago to LA. California Route 1 up the coast, my friend Cole in Berkeley, Donner Pass, the loneliest road in America, vegan food and Mandy in SLC, hitting the five northern states that I need to have cover all 48 continuous states. Oh, there will be tons of fun out there.

How long have you planned this?

“Since I was a kid,” in a way. But planning the monster called “Scoot 66″… that’s been about three years. It’s taken on different incarnations, but this thing is roughly three years in the making.

And what will you do after all this is over?

Who knows. Got any suggestions?