Scootering to San Marino

Got to go with my son to the world finals of the ITU duathlon.
Because of my misunderstanding of "meet you here" I had his gear and
delayed his start which wasn't helpful. Ouch. He was very gracious
about my miscue and after the race we had a cappuccino at a close by
bar. It was okay as were most of the espressos and doppios I had over
the short 5 day stay. I'm not that impressed with the taste of the
coffee, but the whole espresso bar thing has always been very
attractive to me. They seem very much to understand the concept of
life and how to live it, at least the time I've spent in Italy.
The afternoon of the miscued race was scheduled for a team USA
mixer. My son had said before we left for Italy that he wasn't
interested in mixing with the team as he knew a lot of them and could
mix in the states. He was interested in seeing San Marino nearby. The
bus schedule was not going to work and in a conversation with some
Canadian team members he discovered one could rent scooters. He has,
to my knowledge, never been on a scooter as a driver. Heck of a bike
rider, but not a motorized contraption. I was pretty hesitant with the
idea of working my way through heavy traffic in an unfamiliar area
alongside a novice rider. But he was insistent that hanging with
Americans wasn't going to be a highlight of a trip to Italy. I'd say
most of the contestants didn't get out much to see the area. So down
we went to the rental place. As soon as he saw the lineup he discerned
his riding would best be on the back. Off we went.
I'm not sure the traffic signs came back to me as quickly as they
should have, and getting on the autostrada wasn't our first choice.
But being on a short time line and wanting to beat some heavier
traffic lulled me into doing stuff I sure wouldn't have done given
enough time. Buzzing down the road with my son on the back holding a
heavy camera pack between us and trying to decipher some badly drawn
instructions was looking like a bad idea. The traffic was crazy,
backed-up and going to cause us to be way too late to see San Marino.
Then the big boys came along with the MotoGuzzi brigade. Splitting
lanes, driving carefully on the double yellow (white?) to pass traffic
these guys (maybe women too) just grinned when they saw us and
motioned us in behind. Like a little motorized puppy following the big
dogs we quickly got on the fast track and cleared about 5 kilometers
of traffic in short order.
Heading through the little places strung up the promotory that San
Marino sits on with one's adult son on a scooter is an absolute hoot.
He only once tried to put his foot down on the pavement as we leaned
deep into a curve on a sweeper going up. A sharp "don't do that!" from
his dad brought a laugh and an okey-dokey. Short sleeves are not
recommended on a fall day if you are climbing up a few thousand feet I
realized. But it was well worth the chill when we finally made it to
the top and saw why San Marino is a spot many recommend. The walled
and fortified town is amazing. Built on the highest hill for many
miles and everything is stone work. The views are amazing and we had a
great day for visibilty. Because of the time we had to leave pretty
quickly, but saw a lot of what we wanted.
Back down the road to sea level was a lot easier and faster than
going up since we knew mostly where we were headed. Got into one-way
traffic from soccer games and the races so we were whizzing down dead-
ends and getting motioned by traffic police who just shook their heads
at the scene. Made it back in time just as the scooter man was
beginning to fret. The look on his face when we showed up was great.
Off the scooter and walking down the cobble stone lane with my son
after letting him talk me into scootering up the San Marino. Life is
sometimes so, so sweet. I understand a few interesting things
happended in the world while we were gone, but I didn't have easy
access to the news and boy was that great. I'd highly recommend the
off-season in Rimini to anyone. Especially the scooter rides.
Bernie
.

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