The Oil Drum

I spent the weekend at the Laconia rally. Nothing like tens of thousands of bikes in one place to understand what a force of nature consumption is. It would have been a good place for a Peak Oil outreach booth. If one had reached some tiny fraction of the people in attendance, one would have made more difference than by isolating one's self with a small group of the same people who already know about energy issues. In my opinion scientists leave a lot to be desired in terms of the ability to market ideas.

There were guys giving out Bibles from the backs of Harleys... now there is an effective social movement that understands how to actually proselytize. They have convinced millions of people that Jesus rose from the dead etc etc etc, but the Peak Oil crowd still can't convince people that we're running out of oil. Hell, scientists in the US can't convince many people of evolution!

Because I am also not a fan of noisy rides, I rode up there on my Aprilia Scarabeo 150cc scooter...

Maybe if we could sell Peak Oil a little better, my buddies would have ridden their bikes up too instead of dragging them in a 2000 pound trailer behind a pickup... they averaged well less than 10 MPG on the way up from CT, while I made the same trip with less than 1/10 the consumption.

I got some funny looks but no outright hostility... I thought riding a goofy bike like that would threaten the whole phallic totem worship that is biking culture, but apparently it is more robust than I imagined. Actually the entire experience bordered on hallucinatory for me. Staggering around among the half-clothed masses at the Broken Spoke Saloon, I imagined myself transported to one of the inner circles of hell, and ended up enjoying it.

Riding up rt 3 from Ashland to Franconia as the sun was rising will stay with me for a long, long time. Even during bike week, at that time of the day I had the road to myself.

Most of the locals I encountered were friendly and I think that they must have valued the economic boost from tens of thousands of bikers more than they were turned off by the traffic and noise pollution.