Scooter Diaries

I think it’s time I share with you the event Niko and I refer to as, “The Scooter Incident of 2016.” We had been on our sailing trip for a few days already, and while I will forever say it was one of the greatest adventures I have ever been on, that doesn’t mean it didn’t have its issues. On day two our bathrooms broke, forcing most of us to jump in the ocean and cool off (among other things) until we were able to dock somewhere that had running water, which we learned early on was NOT every pier we would be stopping at. We were constantly hungry from our nonstop movement, and exhausted from exploring all day in some of the most beautiful places, to then spend our nights on the town which was leaving us feeling drained. Add on that our beds (I use that term loosely) were basically a thin mat on top of a hard wooden surface, mine happened to be on top of the kitchen table, and by day four or five we were all a little cranky. We tried to make the best of it, choosing to see the beauty around us instead of anything else, and Niko and I were looking forward to riding scooters around the coast like we had been talking about for months leading up to our trip. The morning of what would have been our scooter adventure, we realized we had less time in town then we originally thought. It wouldn’t have been a problem except we all needed a shower, the boat needed to be cleaned inside and out, breakfast needed to be made, we had to buy groceries for the next two days at sea, Niko and I wanted to ride scooters, everyone else wanted to go shopping, oh and to make matters worse we were all pretty exhausted and starting to feel the dreaded seasickness. – This is where you should know that when I am tired I typically start to cry, I wish I could say it’s cute in some way, but it’s definitely not – So when I heard that we might not have time to ride scooters I started to become emotional, I hid it until everyone left and it was just Niko and I and that’s when the waterworks really started. We had sent everyone off into town with tasks while we stayed behind to clean the boat and realized that if we cleaned quickly we might still get the scooter adventure we had always dreamed of. As I cleaned and the tears kept falling (Once they start, it’s hard to make them stop) I kept thinking about how much fun it would be to be driving down a street along the coast, with the ocean air on my face and my best friend by my side. The day was starting to look bright again.

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We cleaned up quickly and headed to the rental store, and after signing pages that essentially said they weren’t responsible if we died, we were ready to go. Niko and I each had our own scooter and decided to test them right outside the shop until we started to get a feel for how they drove. I buckled on my helmet, kicked up the stand and placed my hands on the gas and brake ready to go. I looked back at my brother who was testing his behind me and smiled because we were finally going to have our adventure. I looked forward and took it all in for a second, I was in Croatia with my friends, living on a beautiful boat, about to ride a scooter (a lifelong dream of mine) on a gorgeous cobblestone street in the cutest village and I was happy.

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Then I hit the gas.

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Now, I have never experienced my life flashing before my eyes, but I would assume it felt a lot like that moment. Where your gut tells you, “You’re about to die,” you brain says, “You’re an idiot for even getting on this thing” and your heart says “At least you’re in a beautiful place.”

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I had only moved about three feet.

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Now here’s something else you should know, there are lots of things I want to do before I die, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I have done the research on these activities before I have attempted to do them. I tell you this, because if I had done my research I would have known, that the scooter is one of Croatia’s most popular vehicles. It is what many people drive to work every day and therefore goes significantly faster than the 20-25mph I expected it to go. So when I hit the gas, I was essentially pushing my foot down on the gas pedal of a rental car, when I had no idea how to drive one.

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I instantly hit the brake when it shot forward and thought to myself “It’s ok, you’ve got this.”

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I did in fact, NOT have it. I kept hitting the gas, then hitting the brake, hitting the gas then hitting the brake. Then when I ran out of room to continue driving straight, I attempted to turn it around and go back in the direction I had come. I also couldn’t comprehend how something with only two wheels and a motor was supposed to keep me upright, so I was driving with my toes stretched outward and still touching the ground trying to keep my balance.

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Hit the gas, hit the brake. Hit the gas, hit the brake. I was completely and absolutely freaking out. Tears were streaming down my face, and I felt like I had ruined what was supposed to be an amazing moment for Niko and I. I saw him coming towards me on his scooter to check on me and make sure I was ok and that was when I noticed the people sitting in the nearby restaurant ALL staring at me waiting for me to crash into a person, or a boat, or even a building. An employee from the restaurant, an older man who had most likely driven these scooters since before he could walk, was yelling at the person in charge of scooter rental for allowing me on the vehicle in the first place. I got off my scooter and felt defeated, Niko offered to let me ride on the back of his but the idea that he could crash because I might freak out while riding with him terrified me so I said no.

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We returned our scooters and decided to take the time we had left to wander around town just us two while I calmed down and my tears stopped flowing . We popped into a bakery and bought croissants for our walk and just talked. We talked about our trip and how grateful we felt to be on such an adventure, even with the broken bathrooms. We talked about other places we would like to visit, even though we knew Croatia had stolen a piece of our hearts. We continued on this way for a while, and I realized that this was what I actually needed, some quiet time with my feet on steady ground and my best friend by my side. By the time we returned to the boat, my tears had long dried, we were all in better spirits and our experience had turned into another funny story from our trip on the sea.

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It’s been months since that trip and yet every time I think of riding another scooter I have a moment of panic, remembering how helpless I felt when the strength of the motor launched me forward. Flash forward to moving to Montana, and seeing that my friend Tyler had a scooter parked in his garage. I don’t think I could have hid my awe when I asked, “You have a scooter?” wondering how on Earth he was able to drive one without freaking out the way I did. He explained that it didn’t go as fast as the one I had tried in Croatia and was actually pretty fun to drive. I walked away from it believing that I would just have to take his word for it because I certainly wasn’t going to be riding that thing anytime soon.

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Until last night.

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After dinner, he and Sarah kept encouraging me to do it, saying that it was fun and that I could handle it. I remember even saying, “No, I’m ok” or “Maybe another day” before Tyler eventually just said “No.” It was now or never, and I wasn’t going far, the goal was to try and drive it to the end of the driveway (it’s not even a long driveway) and all I kept thinking was, “Don’t break it, don’t break it, whatever you do, do not break this scooter.” It took a few times, but on the last one I drove it to the end of the driveway and was able to take my feet off the ground, relying on the scooter completely.

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As soon as I got off the scooter I realized my heart was racing and I was feeling grateful for friends who push me out of my comfort zone, helping me live my greatest life. If it had been up to me, I probably would have never stepped foot onto another scooter in my life, but with their encouragement and guidance I knew I could do it and it was an amazing moment I will never forget.

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What an adventure this trip has already been, and I feel as if I’ve only made it to the end of the driveway.

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I just know, there is definitely more to come.