My grandfather lived and worked on the mines in South Africa. He always rode a bicycle wherever he went. I remember they bought him a car, but he did not like it and never drove it. When I visited him during the school holidays, he would take me for a bike ride after work each day. I remember he would let me sit on the handlebars, while he pedaled away. We would go up and down the streets. I still remember looking up at the very tall trees with autumn leaves. They were so beautiful. I really enjoyed those bike rides! Sometimes, on a Sunday, we would dress up for Church. I would sit on the handle bars, all dressed in pink, with my pink church hat and off we would go. Goodness, what a site we must have been arriving at the church! My grandfather was really a fit and a strong rider. He could keep going for miles and those hills never stopped him. His pedaling pace was something to see! He could probably have won many a cycling competition in his day. What fun I had on that old bike that always looked like it was brand new.
Nice Story! ...to the Bat-Bike! http://birnews.com/thrill-seeker-grandfather-set-to-zip-wire-wing-walk-and-complete-the-tour-de-bartley-green/
This thread reminds me of an uncle with a scooter. That scooter is like an extension of his body. It is strange to see him riding in another vehicle. He has 3 sons and it was unfortunate that we have no photos of those times when his entire family was on his scooter, i.e. his 3 sons and wife too. He works in the newspaper as a photographer and that scooter served him very well especially when gasoline prices shot up. If I am not mistaken, Vespa is the brand of his beloved scooter.
A Vespa was the first scooter my husband ever owned. He bought it with his paper route money as a young boy and then used it to do his route on. He rode it everywhere back then and it was his first in a long line of motorcycles. A Vespa is also what the meter maids rode in downtown Memphis when I was a tiny girl. I loved to watch them zipping by on those scooters. I finally got my own scooter three years ago. It's not a Vespa, though I would like to have one. It is a Honda Reflex. It goes quite a lot faster than a Vespa and I need that around here. The highway in front of our place has become a fright since the truckers discovered it about ten years ago.