have you ever driven a scootcar?

I would consider myself a person with a high degree of self-constraint when it comes to spending money on entertainment. Maybe self-constraint is the sugar coated way to hide the ugliness of the more accurate description of the fact that I am more or less "cheap". Nonetheless if you spend enough time with me, it will become quite clear that it is a rarity that I will self-indulge in forms of entertainment that I would deem "unnecessary" or "costly".

With that preface; I found myself on Orcas Island in the beautiful San Juan Islands, north of Whidbey and south of Canada, staring at a contraption known to the general public as a scootcar. I had never seen a scootcar before, but there it was parked outside a little shop, surrounded by mopeds, and sticking out like a dandelion in a green lawn. It took ten minutes or so for Amber and I to be talked into renting this little vehicle, while Dan rented a moped for a quick tour of the island. Wedged in there shoulder to shoulder, Amber and I navigated the scootcar along the roadside, barreling along at 30mph and sometimes 40mph on the downhill.

The scootcar is a glorified moped, it has three wheels and two training wheels to steady the vehicle as it turns. The windshield is kept dry by one wiper, but the driver and passenger are expected to wear rain gear (I'm guessing) if it is wet, due to the lack of a roof. Two seat belts and a roll bar are the safety checks in this little matchbox car. And that is pretty much the whole of the description. Well, besides the mini-trunk which worked well to hold a few handbags and nothing more.

It was hilarious, ridiculous, and worth the expense.