Or, “It’s frikken hot in here!”

While Darek made his way across the Pennsylvania Turnpike, racing towards our lunch spot, Todd and I came across a dozen classic motorcycles parked off the side of Rt 641.  I pointed at them, in case Todd was asleep and didn’t see them.  After we passed, he flashed his high-beam and we turned around to investigate the roadside attraction further.

By the time we were off the bikes and Todd had his camera out, a friendly fellow calling himself George approached us.  George explained he was a mechanic, and part of a small company setting up shop at that location, then offered us the nickel tour.  George led us back to a 300′ converted poultry barn, now filled with literally hundreds of classic motorcycles of all makes, in various states of decay and restoration.  According to George, the place will be open for business in about 8 months as a one-stop purchasing and restoration shop for bikes over 20 years old.  Todd continued the tour and took some photos while I took a call from Darek and gave him last-minute directions to lunch.

Darek arrived at the Path Valley Family Restaurant about the time Todd and I were debating on whether to wait for him by the bikes, or head inside and get a table.   The waitress’ gruff and frank demeanor might be a bit off-putting for normal folks, but having been raised in Philly I felt right at home.  The food was good, and all three of us commented on the reasonable prices.  With our bellies filled, and our bladders emptied, we headed northwest towards Clearfield.

Back on 641 heading northwest, we picked up 522 north to 322 north.  With the GPS constantly recalculating our route to the campground in Moshannon State Park, I led our little group over 2-lane roads running parallel to Rt 322 north until we hit a dead-end on Old Rt 322 in Armagh Township.  Zooming in on the GPS map for more detail, Todd and I both decided on Lingle Valley Road to get us out of the area and back on track.  Lingle Valley Road quickly deteriorated from a narrow paved road into a gravel forest road.  We rode slowly through gravel - sometimes deep - over the mountain pass, and finally hit tarmac several scary miles later at Stone Creek Road.  Wandering through Rothrock State Forest, we made our way up near State College, where we picked up 322 north again.

In order to avoid more gravel roads, we stayed on 322 to Philipsburg, where we picked up Rt 504 (Black Moshannon Rd) East to the campgrounds in Black Moshannon Park.  We took advantage of the daylight and set up camp before heading to Clearfield to try and catch up with some STN’ers for dinner.  The tents went up even more quickly this time and with our less-valuable gear stowed inside them, we jumped back on the bikes and headed into town.

A quick run over I-80 put us into Clearfield in a few minutes.  The first hotel I spotted with motorcycles was the Super 8.  We stopped and chatted with a few folks there before pressing on to dinner.  We had settled on pizza, so Todd pulled up the nearest non-chain pizza shop on his GPS.  We found Mabel’s Pizza Shop, and the manager was surprised to learn it was on Todd’s Garmin.  The shop is not much more than a store-front in a residential neighborhood of Clearfield, and the inside is as hot as the oven.  Honestly, it was barely tolerable long enough to order our pizzas, but it was worth the effort (and the wait) for the classic neighborhood-style pizza most of us grew up on.  We gobbled down our pizzas on the front step of Mabel’s, then stopped down the street at Buster’s Sports Bar for a few six-packs of Yuengling Lager which fit perfectly in Todd’s saddlebags for the ride back to the camp site.

Heading back to camp, Darek and I swapped bikes, as we were both having minor issues that we couldn’t seem to diagnose.  Sometimes another rider can help pinpoint problems by feel, since they haven’t grown accustomed to the bike’s imperfections.  I had to agree that Darek’s issue was his chain - either too tight or not lubed enough - whereas Darek didn’t ride my VFR hard enough to feel the slight chattering I was experiencing in the front end under hard braking.

Todd led with his GPS pointing the way down some broken tarmac and even lightly-graveled roads through Moshannon State Park.  With the sun fully set, the local wildlife were active, and several deer crossed our paths, making the back roads through the woods on someone else’s bike even more harrowing…

Or, “I don’t think this tent sleeps two.”

Sport-Touring.Net’s Region 6 fourth annual Meet-and-Eat (also called the “Burger Run”) was dutifully and expertly organized by Garry for Sunday, April 26th.  Over a hundred motorcyclists and their bikes were planning to show up for lunch at Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, PA, a place best-known for serving the largest hamburgers around, including a 100-lb burger that takes 9 hours to cook.  Todd and I took it as an opportunity to ride all weekend and initiate ourselves with motorcycle camping.  I had meant to meet up with Darek last year for a few rides but our plans fell through, so I invited him to join us on this short adventure.

Todd and I wasted no time, both heading out after work on Friday.  Todd had reserved a tent camping spot at the Harrisburg East Campground,  a privately-owned campground just 5 miles from downtown Harrisburg, PA.  We met at the Wendy’s at the intersection of Rt 283 and S. Eisenhower Boulevard, where I spent several minutes wondering why this Wendy’s didn’t have apple pies before realizing that Wendy’s never had apple pies - I was thinking of Burger King’s pies.

From there, the campground was only a few blocks away.  We located the bathrooms across the road in the RV section of the campground, and got to work setting up camp.  Arriving after dark, we were glad we brought our head lights (lights we wore on our heads) as we set up our tents and unloaded the bikes.  Luckily there was only one other tent in the area, and it was way on the other side; the tent sites are right on top of each other at this campground.

My tent went up easily enough - I had practiced putting it up inside my apartment last year - but it is much smaller than I had previously realized.  The labels says “Sleeps 2″, but it is also labeled as a “Junior” tent, so I’m assuming that means it sleeps two kids?  Anyway, despite Todd’s laughing and finger-pointing at my diminutive shelter, it was big enough for my 5′6″ body along with some of the gear I wanted to keep close and protected.  My riding jacket and helmet slept with me to keep them warm and relatively dry, and all of my valuable electronics (cell phone, camera, video camera, GPS) were kept within the tent, secured by the zippered door.

I slept very well, thanks to several comfort items that will go on my permanent camping list.  The big blue Wal-Mart tarp under the tent kept the tent floor dry and warm.  The Therma-Rest pad further cushioned by body from the ground, even though I skimped and bought a short one figuring I don’t really need padding under my legs.   And then there was the compression pillow I picked up at REI - absolutely invaluable.  Todd whined about how his makeshift pillow - a rolled-up jacket liner - just didn’t do the job.  Todd brought his own useful items though, not the least of which being a white-LED lamp that, when hung from the ceiling, lit up his entire tent very well.

Saturday morning we headed west.  The plan was to meander on two-lane roads to the Path Valley Family Restaurant in Spring Run, PA where we would meet Darek for lunch.  I pulled up the restaurant’s waypoint in the GPS, and used it as a general guide as we wandered along the two-lane roads that parallel the PA Turnpike.  I really wish I had turned on the GPS’ tracking feature, because we did find some nice twisties here and there.

Darek was making his way across the PA Turnpike from Philly when Todd and I made an unusual roadside discovery…

Or, “I need my heated seats!”

Well, it’s officially winter time here in southeast Pennsylvania.  Usually, winter is a dreary, lonely time for avid motorcyclists, as we grow too intolerant of discomfort, and avoid riding in the bitter cold.  Ever since I picked up my Subaru Forester in 2006, winter time has given me something else to look forward to: four-wheeling off-road and in the snow!

One particular event I went to last year has me looking forward to this coming January 15-18th (2009), during the height of winter’s chill.  The 48 Hours of Tri-State was started seven years ago by a few guys from NASIOC, as a weekend Subaru drive.  It quickly evolved into a charity fund-raising event, complete with a raffle dinner and corporate support - Subaru of America invited us to breakfast last year, and also matched all individual contributions.

This year, the 8th annual 48Hrs event is again benefitting the American Cancer Society, and the goal is to raise $8,000.  Subaru of America is hosting breakfast and showing off some of their custom-built models from the recent SEMA show; Subaru Distributors Corp is hosting lunch; a tour of Vermont Sports Car is planned, where SOA has their world rally cars built and prepped; and we have thousands of dollars’ worth of sponsored goodies to give away at the raffle dinner in Lake George, NY.  No off-roading is planned, as this event is more of a road-trip than a rally, but we’re sure to see some snowy conditions in Vermont and upstate New York.

It’s not the same as dragging your toes through a corner with your buddies, but there’s something exciting about taking a competent all-wheel-drive vehicle into unexpected weather conditions, and sometimes (intentionally and controllably) getting it sideways on an icy back road.  Doing that with 35 other folks, and raising money to fight cancer at the same time, just makes it worth waiting for.  And the electrically-heated seats make it quite comfortable.

If you want to join us in your Subaru, check out the 48 Hrs registration page and sign up.  If you wish to support our cause and make a contribution to the American Cancer Society, you can do so in two ways.  You can buy raffle tickets at $10/each (to win Subaru-related parts, services and other products) by donating through our main team page on the ACS website.  Or, you can donate through my individual page; your donation here buys my raffle tickets, for those that don’t want them for themselves.  100% of all donations go to the American Cancer society.

This took me almost 2 months to get around to finishing, but considering it took me almost a year to get around to writing up my Americade 2002 trip, I think I’m doing okay. Instead of a full detailed write-up or chronological account of our trip, I decided to make this one more of a pictorial, with just a few notes to let everyone know what’s going on in the pics. It’s still set up chronologically, but with more pictures than words this time. Just click any thumbnail to load the full-size photo.

Los Banditos

I think the rest of the pictures will make more sense if I introduce the riders and their mounts first. I met all these guys from the Maximum-Suzuki.com forums. I still have yet to meet a Bandit rider that I wouldn’t want as a friend - these guys are some of the best people around.

First there was me on my silver 2001 Bandit1200S. Oh, and I brought my little riding buddy, whom I’ve come to refer to as “Roadkill”. After a nice leisurely ride up to Diamond Point and checking into the hotel, DJGoody showed up, as if on cue, on his blue Bandit. After dropping the luggage, we headed into town to check things out and eventually met up with BlueMax and MWT, both of whom I met in Lake George during Americade 2002. Just to show we don’t discriminate, BlueMax and MWT brought along FJoe on his Kawasaki ZRX, and Sinops on his CBR600. After a few minutes of “talking bikes” in the parking lot, it was off to the Lobster Pot for dinner!

Out on the Town

Canada Street in Lake George was already hopping, and there was plenty to see. Everything from cruisers, to customs, to full-on touring rigs, to stuff we’ve never seen before! Americade had just officially opened that day, and things were already getting good. We parked the bikes in the hotel lot, and walked down to Duffy’s Tavern, checking out all the bikes along the way. The outside deck at Duffy’s provides one of the best places to relax and watch the action. We made sure not to stay out too late, as we had made big plans for Day 2.

We had been planning this trip for a few months. Many Americaders are planning this trip by the time they leave Americade the year before. Last year, Paul and I had planned on lots of riding; not riding for distance, but riding all frikken day. This time around, the group made some simple goals and we pretty much fulfilled them all.

Day Two - Five Motorcycles, One Mission: Lap the Lake

Our main goal for Tuesday was the simplest one: to head north and ride all the way around Lake George. Not a long distance, really, but it was a solid goal. The secondary goal was to get back to town early enough to visit the dealerexpo before they closed. Both of these goals were attained, despite my subconscious attempt to thwart them from the beginning.

Maybe it’s because I usually don’t wake up before noon, but pulling out of the hotel parking lot, I was watching approaching traffic more than the guys in front of me. I thought MWT was pulling out, I looked left and went - when I looked ahead, he was still right there. DOH! I collided with him and down I went. In my defense, I was cresting a speed bump on a steep driveway when we hit, which threw me even more off-balance, resulting in the right side of my Bandit hitting the ground. Luckily, MWT stayed upright. Total damage: my front right turn signal, my Zero Gravity windshield lost a corner (the mirror folded back and whacked it), and a broken brake lever, along with a few new scratches. MWT suffered a broken rear turn signal and some scratches. Luckily, I had a spare brake lever (you what…?! That’s right!) and it wasn’t long before we were on the road again, just like it was supposed to happen.

BlueMax led us over a small winding road that passed over what seemed to be a small mountain, and dropped us in a little village on the lake called Hewlett Landing. I thought the locals would be a little disenchanted by our motors rumbling through their little retreat. Instead, the few we saw waved and smiled as if we were relatives come home to visit. We waved back, then stopped at the dock where the road ends, for a short break - and lotsa pics.

Well, a few hours and some pizza slices later, we hit town again for the dealerexpo. There’s nothing like parking in a field of thousands of motorcycles of all types, and going shopping for stuff that will make your own bike stand out from the crowd even more. While I searched for a new windshield, MWT took DJGoody on the ride up to the top of Mt Prospect - a view you can’t pass up when visiting Lake George. I found a replacement shield at the Givi stand, and easily installed it in the parking area.

The Lonely Road Home

With another Americade week getting crowded, my friends already gone home, and I having to work the next day, it was time to pack up anb head home. Rolling south on I-87, I missed my exit that would put me on 209 South. I took the next exit and headed west, figuring I’d pick up 209 eventually. As it turns out, I couldn’t have planned a better route - I ended up on 55 going west through some great mountain roads - wide open 60mph sweepers, the kind heavy bikes like the Bandit just love. And the scenery was nice, too.

Well, I hope you enjoyed sharing this trip with me. Please feel free to e-mail with any comments or suggestions.

For official coverage of Americade 2003, and up-to-date news and info on the next Americade, visit www.tourexpo.com.

It was barely a month before the opening celebration of Americade 2002 when Paul invited me along. He already had a room booked at the Adirondack Diamond Point Lodge. I had never been to Americade before and Paul had everything ready to go; how could I refuse?

We were both limited on vacation time, so our trip was set for just four days total. The first and last day were set aside for travel from the Philadelphia area to Lake George and back. This gave us two days to see what makes Americade, Lake George, and the surrounding areas so appealing to so many motorcyclists every year.

I mounted my new set of Corbin Beetlebags onto the Bandit; Paul had his Givi’s mounted on a Wing Rack on his own Bandit. I also brought along a Joe Rocket tank bag and tail pack for even more storage. This setup worked well. The Beetlebags hold alot more than their contoured shape implies, and the JR tailpack held 4 days worth of t-shirts, underwear and socks. Fully loaded, the Bandit’s handling and acceleration were hardly affected - the heavier cargo sitting low in the saddlebags.

We met up and headed north on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Norheast Extension. The weather was cool but sunny. Other motorcyclists were everywhere, but most of them were headed in the other direction to participate in the annual Daniel Faulkner Memorial Run.

Paul and I had planned our route a few weeks earlier, and estimated a 6-hour ride if we kept mostly on the interstates, with just a few surface routes as we cross the PA/NY border. Instead, we stretched it into an 8-hour excursion by heading west out of Albany and railing up the eastern shore of Great Scanadaga Lake. The twisty 2-lane lakeside road had plenty of curves and very little traffic. After scraping the pegs a few times, the road dumped us out just south of Lake George. Paul and I couldn’t help but hi-five after that run - we don’t have many roads like that back home, and the few we have can get kinda crowded with trucks. We didn’t know it at the time, but that was just a quick preview of what was to come.

We rode north through Lake George, up to Diamond Point. There were plenty of bikes around, but Americade was not scheduled to start until the next afternoon. After checking into our room and dumping our luggage - Paul’s detachable Givi bags made things alot easier than unloading everything from the Beetlebags - we turned back south into Lake George to see what was happening. The late afternoon sun kept things comfortable at around 70 degrees F. We found an outdoor restaurant and chowed down on some popcorn chicken.

You know you’re a real motorcycle enthusiast when you’re happy as a clam just sitting back and watching one bike after another rumble (or buzz) down the street. And we weren’t the only ones - nearly everyone at the tables around us would also perk up at the sound of a rumbling motor approaching. We knew we were among friends already.

Canada Street, the main road through the town of Lake George, has dozens of shops selling t-shirts, hats, and other souvenirs as well as the necessary pizza and ice cream shops. After walking past the majority of the storefronts, we came upon Duffy’s Tavern where we could hear live music being played from the 2nd floor balcony. We made our way back to the Bandits and brought them to Duffys - a tradition we continued the next two nights. Duffy’s appears like an average bar on the first floor, but the second floor had a live band. The “music” we heard coming from the outside balcony, was actually several folks taking turns, uh…”singing.” To their credit, they played their instruments much better than they sang. Although the balcony crowd was mostly the Harley and cruiser crowd, nobody paid any mind to our bright sport jackets and full-face helmets. We were all ‘bikers’ that week, and we were all there to ride and have fun - and Duffy’s was alot of fun.

Day 2: Monday morning. The plan was to get up at a reasonable time, check out the complimentary donuts and coffee at the lodge, then head north through Ft Ticonderoga, and hit some Vermont roads. Well, I could have used more than a donut for breakfast, but we were both eager to hit the road.

Paul and I headed North on Rt 9 along the West coast of Lake George, stopping first at a scenic overlook, where more than a few bikers were taking in the view. A few minutes of taking photos and checking out other people’s bikes, and we were on our way again.

Heading farther north, we stopped at Fort Ticonderoga. The tour itself cost $12 and was supposed to take an hour or so. We hit the gift shop for about 20 minutes (including a tour of their mens’ room), and I bought a few shot glasses for some friends back home. While some other bikers were taking in the tour, Paul and I hit the road again.

North again on 9, we crossed over into Vermont at Chimney Point. The loop we had mepped out through Vermont was pretty simple, but apparently there are no bad roads in this part of the country. 17 East, 100 South, 73 West and back over to Ticonderoga, NY. Small towns, twisty mountain roads, and some of the most beutiful mountaintop scenery anywhere!

Our route worked out as planned, except for the end. Instead of crossing the bridge into Ticonderoga, we got a little lost and ended up at the Larrabee Ferry. This small cable ferry runs every 20 minutes, so we decided to wait, along with a few Gold Wings and Harleys that had gathered. This was definitely a nice break before the final stretch back down Rt 9 to our hotel.

As I tried to take a nap at the hotel before heading out to a late dinner, I was awakened by a knock on the door. Some online buddies had seen our Bandits from the road and found our room. We met up with them later that night at Duffy’s. Dinner, Duffy’s, sleeeeeeeep.

Day 3: Time for the DealerExpo! Parking at the dealerexpo is like nothing I have seen before. The expo is actually on what is usually a parking lot, and all the bikes are channelled into the grassy area of the park. This makes for a huge field of motorcycles for the rest of the week. One can show up and just spend the whole day looking at bikes. For registered guests of Americade, admission to the dealerexpo was free - just show your wristband. For day-trippers, like Paul and I, it was $10/day admission.

The dealerexpo has just about everything you could want for touring on two wheels. Maybe not all the brands you want, especially when it comes to helmets, but they did have something for everyone. You can even buy more than you can haul - they have UPS standing by to ship your stuff home for you. Or, if you want your new accessories installed, let the dealer know and you can bring your bike in for servicing. The food court was okay, and I made sure I ate before I used (read:touched) the porta-johns.

A few t-shirt purchases, and we were deciding where to ride for the rest of the day. I don’t remember the route, as Paul was leading by memory, but we headed NorthWest into the mountains. Soon, we found Paul’s old summer camp from his younger years. A quick tour of his old cabin, and we were headed back towards the Lake George area, trying to beat the rain clouds that were coming in.

We got a little damp, some sprinkles catching up with us, but we made it back to the hotel. A little while later, we braved the drizzle and headed into town for, you guessed it, dinner, Duffy’s, and back to the hotel to sleeeeeep.

Day 4: Nothing to report. We went home. Mostly highway. We passed many Harleys. Sometime while we were in Lake George (I forget which day - I need to take notes sometimes), we ventured to the top of Mt Prospect. Mt Prospect is accessible from Canada Street in Lake George, and the admission was around $2 or $3. It’s a leisurely ride up the steep, winding road to the top, where you can see most of the town of Lake George and about half of the lake itself. Definitely worth the admission to see this view.