Book review: 'I See by My Outfit'

An odd title, sure enough, but don't let that deter you if you ever dreamed of crossing America on two wheels -- with your best friend by your side, of course.

Peter S. Beagle made this journey in 1963 and wrote the book, a memoir, not long afterward. He and his sidekick, Phil, set out from New York City too early in the year (it was far too cold for two guys on scooters who hadn't even thought to pack long underwear), but there was a woman waiting for Pete in California, and he needed to get on the road.

The scooters are Heinkels, German, "as rare as kangaroos in this country." Their names are Jenny (Pete's) and Couchette (Phil's).

I have to confess, I probably picked the best possible time to read this book -- while I was making a much shorter solo scooter trip from Florida to Tennessee. I really looked forward to my nightly meeting with Pete and Phil and finding out what interesting characters they had met on the next leg of their trip.

It's not a travelogue, and the boys aren't sightseeing, but like all good road trip stories, this one gives you a fine sense of the country, the tedium, the distance, weather, friendship, and the strains a friendship will bear. Two things I think will stay with me for a long time: The image of Phil passing Pete and crying out, "Seventy! Seventy!" (I know how that feels!), and the afternoon they spent in a pawn shop, playing guitars and telling stories with some old men.

Some people called them beatniks, and they called themselves "fuzzy" -- bearded and shaggy, 12 years after Kerouac and much less worldly. It's a modest story, warm and tolerant, like your best friend's arm around your shoulder after a long, hard day.

Buy it at Amazon.com.
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Road trip: Florida to Tennessee

Here's the route I followed from Florida through Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July. I wanted to travel about 150 to 200 miles per day on smaller roads, and definitely NO INTERSTATES. Scooter style.

Northbound Day 1: July 20

From Gainesville, Florida:

• State Road 26, to Fanning Springs
• U.S. 19 (big road) through Cross City, Perry, and Monticello, Florida (Monticello is about 30 miles from Tallahassee)
  
• U.S. 319 (at Thomasville, Georgia)
• U.S. 319 Business to Moultrie, Georgia

Lunch: Cafe Marmalade, Monticello. Sunday buffet with fried chicken, Brunswick stew, greens, cornbread. (Who says Florida is not the South?) Not bad.

Slept: At the Barber-Tucker Bed & Breakfast in Moultrie.

Notes: Monticello has a big white courthouse smack in the center of a roundabout in the middle of town. The dome on top has four clocks, a style of public building I saw in a lot of Georgia towns along the way. Moultrie's downtown is largely intact (Early 1900s style?), nice looking, but lacking interesting shops and restaurants. There's a gigantic magnolia tree in front of their domed courthouse. This stretch of U.S. 19 is a boring road, but smooth and fast.

Miles: 185

Northbound Day 2: July 21

From Moultrie, Georgia:

• State Road 133 (about 30 miles) to Albany, Georgia (nice road!)
  
• U.S. 19/Liberty Expressway (about 7 miles of an Interstate-like highway) around Albany, then north on a smaller U.S. 19, to Leesburg
• State Roads 195 and 377 to Americus (good roads)
• State Road 30
• State Road 41 to Buena Vista (great lunch!), and then Geneva, then Manchester
  
• State Road 190 (I missed this turn in Manchester and went straight to Warm Springs by following the signs, then took State Road 85 south from Warm Springs to get on 190 and ride west to Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
  

Lunch: Aunt Mary's Country Kitchen, in Buena Vista, had awesome meat loaf, greens, beans, and cornbread. It was packed with people.

Dinner: Mac's Bar-B-Q, Warm Springs

Slept: At the Mountain Top Inn and Resort on S.R. 190.

Notes: In Americus, a lot of spectacular Victorian-style homes; beautiful old brick public buildings in the center of town. Warm Springs, small, charming, with a vintage motorcycle museum. Most shops closed Mondays. Did not go over to Pine Mountain (sounded so touristy).

Miles: 182

Northbound Day 3: July 22

From FDR State Park, Georgia:

• State Road 190
• North on County Line Church Road (I had to stop for a flock of pheasants milling about on the road; they ran and then flew in confusion, as if no one had ever disturbed them before), through Durand
• State Road 18 (special nice one), through Greenville
  
• U.S. 27 Alt, to Newnan, then Whitesburg
  
• State Road 5, to Douglasville
• State Road 92
• U.S. 41/Cobb Parkway
• Red Top Mountain Road (toward I-75)
  

Breakfast: Foxx Den, Greenville (nice people, great latte)

Lunch: Cinco de Mayo, Douglasville (very yummy food; close to I-20)

Slept: At the Red Top Mountain Lodge (in the state park)

Notes: In Newnan, more wonderful Victorian houses, including this one. Some construction on U.S. 41 seems to have eliminated a clear sign to the state park. Follow signs to I-75, but don't get on it. The road with the ramps to the highway is the road to the park. A long bridge leads to the park entrance, which is impossible to miss. U.S. 41 was the only big road today -- realy nice riding! Spent all day July 23 in the park and nearby Cartersville.

Miles: 130 (includes a round-trip detour to Kennesaw to visit the Vespa dealership there)

Northbound Day 4: July 24

From Red Top Mountain State Park, Georgia:

• U.S. 41/Cobb Parkway, to Calhoun
  
• State Road 136 Connector (clear signs to 136)
• State Road 136, toward Sugar Valley, then Villanow (nice road; runs through Chattahoochee National Forest)
  
• State Road 151
• State Road 95
• U.S. 27, through the Chickamauga Battlefield and Fort Oglethorpe (I made a wrong turn here and got onto U.S. 2, which added at least 20 miles to my intended route -- grr! I wound up on State Road 41 going into Chattanooga.)
  

Lunch: Greg’s Restaurant, 12560 N. Highway 2, Chickamauga -- awesome Southern chow. I had a country fried steak, macaroni and cheese, and fresh ripe tomatoes. The waitress assured me the mac&cheese was great by explaining, "We use real Velveeta." It hadn't occurred to me that there might be fake (?) Velveeta.

Slept: At the Chattanooga Choo Choo Holiday Inn, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Notes: Stayed in Chattanooga from Thursday afternoon until Monday morning. It's a great mid-size city with a lot going on downtown, a nice-looking river going through it, some cool old bridges, quite a decent art museum, etc. I can recommend Lupi's Pizza on Broad Street, La Altena Mexican restaurant on Main Street (first-rate!), and the Long Horn Restaurant (really a diner) for breakfast anytime. I'm really sorry I missed Rock Point Books, near Lupi's on Broad Street. I found it Sunday evening after they had closed. Their windows were so enticing. I missed visiting the aquarium too. (Too busy looking at scooters!)

Miles: 113
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Home from a 1,300-mile road trip

Just got back today from my ride from Florida to Chattanooga, Tennessee. That's my Vespa LX 150 on the sidewalk across the street from the Choo Choo hotel, headquarters for AmeriVespa 2008.

I will be posting some details about the trip as soon as I have some time!

More photos here.

From Florida to Tennessee

Right now I'm in a coffee shop in Greenville, Georgia, on my way to Amerivespa in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The back roads in Georgia are sweet! More to come later ... There will be photos ...

Yes, I'm riding my 150cc Vespa LX!

Ride report: Cedar Key, Florida

I've had my new Vespa LX 150 for five weeks now, and yesterday I took her for our first long ride. We started with 158 miles on the odometer and ended the day with 275.

The weather was unseasonably warm for north central Florida -- about 75 F. The morning started out so cloudy, I wasn't so keen on the ride until later when some blue sky started to peek through.


A two-lane state road runs nearly straight from my home to Cedar Key, a former fishing village on Florida's Gulf coast. I figured it to be a good first trip because there's enough traffic on the road to keep me from becoming a sad story ("Found three days later ...") but not so much traffic that it's no fun to ride. The road is so straight, it's not exactly exciting, but the trees are pretty, and the air is marvelous.

I was really glad to be wearing a proper motorcycle jacket, with double zippers and Velcro flaps. I was doing 60 mph much of the time (speed limit = 60), and I have no windscreen. My arms and shoulders are a little stiff today, but I think the jacket protected me better than most.

The Vespa rode like a champ and was completely comfortable. I stopped to stretch my legs and get a beverage once in each direction.


I didn't stay long in Cedar Key -- I've been there many times. Took some time to sit by the water and watch the boats, then hopped back on and rode home. All in all I was out for about four hours, enjoying lots of fresh air and sunshine!