This 80-year-old rode a Vespa scooter 16,400 miles to aid Ukraine war victims

Eighty-year-old David Weech was happy to park his Vespa scooter after riding 16,400 miles, covering all of the peripheral United States and Canada’s southern border in three months.

A friend in Toronto, Alec Wright, set up the scoot4UKE.org website. “Dave was adamant that we cover all real costs ourselves, and every dollar of the donations goes straight to the victims on the ground in Ukraine,” explained Wright.“I had an aluminum bracket that held up a scrolling 4-inch-high, 18-inch-wide sign that said ‘Sea to Sea to Sea, support scoot4UKE.org,” said Weech.

“The website is linked through a government-approved charity to St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Niagara Falls,” said Wright in an email. “Their volunteers in Ukraine buy the food, clothing, bedding, medicines, hygiene, heating fuel, etc. and send receipts back.”

Weech readily admits he has done a lot of crazy things. “I went into the trip without much trepidation. I always do things on a spur of the moment instead of considering the what if?” said Weech. “I decided I would deal with the ‘what ifs’ when it happened."

Growing up in the Bahamas, Weech had fond memories of zipping around on a Vespa as a teen.

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“I bought the touring model Vespa less than four months ago, especially for this trip,” said Weech. “I outfitted it with a couple things. I built a wooden box up front to hold things like tools and strapped on an extra gallon of gas that saved me countless time on the road. I remember going across the border from Northern Minnesota into Canada and couldn’t find a hotel or hostel to stay. I was in total darkness in the woods.” Weech said a homeowner took pity on him and let him refill his gas tank in his driveway while holding the funnel for him.

On his travels, Weech often met cyclists at youth hostels. “I was just a single old guy,” said the Vietnam veteran. “I would stay in big rooms with up to 10 people and you would trade stories. I picked up a lot of information. They were amazed that I would try this at my age and would think twice about doing it on a Vespa.

“The weather overall was really good to me,” Weech said. “Out of three months, I got caught in slushed-to-the-bone rain five times. If there was no overpass, I just went really slow and kept riding.”

Surprisingly, ‘Slava’ the Vespa can really cover some ground. “It can do up to 90 miles per hour, but I would cruise at 65-70 miles,” Weech said. “When I wake up after my trip I breathe a sigh of relief not to face 200 miles. Sometimes I would do 400-450 in a day. Once I did 500, and I was so worn out I didn’t care where I slept.”

The ultimate goal was to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Weech left South Knoxville on June 25 and started up the East Coast, from Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, and then crossed over from Maine to Nova Scotia, taking in Prince Edward Island. Weech zigzagged between the U.S. and Canada, traveling south when the scenery was better or he wanted to see friends.

Every bit of the 298-kilometer Cabot Trail around Cape Breton Island is breathtaking, according to Weech. And visiting Banff National Park was another goal that did not disappoint the intrepid traveler.

“On the flip side, the worst part was going across the Californian and Arizona deserts in 114 degrees. I had to stop in rest spots and take a nap." While riding, he would also spray water on his arms, torso and legs to cool down.

“I had a lot of instances where I regrouped my thinking (about the trip), but when you get so far it is a further distance back home,” Weech said.

After making it to Vancouver, Weech headed straight down through California to San Diego. On his way back east, he traveled through the desert, Louisiana, Alabama, and down to Key West, Florida, before returning to South Knoxville. “I started not to do that, but then how could I claim I had circumnavigated the U.S.?” he said.

Before COVID, local motorists likely spotted Weech driving his white Kia Soul all tricked out for Christmas or Halloween. “I had a Valentine heart with LED lights timed like a beating heart,” Weech said. “People who booked me through Uber knew me as the light man. I would cover it with 2,400 LED lights for Christmas and they would be looking for a white car."

Weech has combined his love of travel with raising awareness for a cause before. Two years ago, he set out on his WaveRunner to make the 2,000-mile trip from the west coast of Florida to Montreal and raise money for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of East Tennessee. A storm sunk his toolbox to the bottom of the ocean and Weech said that was the disappointing end to his trip.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 80-year-old rode Vespa scooter 16,400 miles to aid Ukraine war victims