So green...and so photogenic!

Even now, we encounter folks who - sometimes because the subject of scooters comes up, or sometimes just out of the blue - mention having seen "a whole bunch of scooters" parked downtown or traveling in a pack, late last summer.

Like the angel/devil on-shoulder thing in cartoons, part of us thinks this is great for scootering in general - you know, promoting alternative transportation, saving resources, minimizing our eco-footprint, etc. The other part of us just plain loves the attention. (And if you've ridden with a big group before, admit it - you do, too!)

At any rate, someone contacted the local newspaper about the rally (it wasn't us), and on Saturday morning, a photographer from the Spokesman-Review was capturing great shots of the group at breakfast and on the road afterwards. The front page of Monday's paper featured member Karen, astride her custom Vino.

She and her bike became minor celebrities, it seems. Days after the picture appeared, we saw and heard bystanders point out Karen and the bike on rides, saying "look, there's the pink one!"

We'll also note that the article did point out many of the virtues of riding a scooter. Plus, new member Mike (who happens to be sales manager for Vespa of Spokane) got in a great quote about Vespas being "the Harleys of the scooter world."

So, thanks to Amy Cannata for the great article and to Dan Pelle for the great shots. Our inner angels and devils were equally pleased.

"Scooter convention..." (Spokesman-Review, weblink)