From: dc-cycles-digest-request@XXXXXX (The dc-cycles list administrator) To: dc-cycles@XXXXXX Subject: dc-cycles digest for 09/10/08 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ __ /-----\ __ 'dc-cycles' is an unmoderated email discussion list (__\/ _____ \/__) about motorcycling in the Washington D.C. area. =( \___/ )= \ ___ / An archive of the dc-cycles list is available at: | / _ \ | http://www.dc-cycles.org/ \ || || / \|| ||/ Subscribe/unsubscribe requests should be sent to: \| |/ dc-cycles-digest-request@XXXXXX |_| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:22:17 -0600 From: Brian Roach To: Julian Halton Cc: "dc-cycles@XXXXXX" Subject: [dc-cycles] MotoGP at Indy Meetup I know Hugh is going, and it appears some others are as well - shoot me an email with your phone # and I'll try to organize some sort of meetup. - Roach Julian Halton wrote: > I am wondering if anyone here has tips on a quick fun route to get across to there for MOTO GP. or if anyone is riding down Saturday. > _______________________________________________ > dc-cycles mailing list > dc-cycles@XXXXXX > http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles > _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@XXXXXX http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles _ _ _ _ .-.-.=\-. .-.-.=\-. .-.-.=\-. .-.-.=\-. (_)=='(_) (_)=='(_) (_)=='(_) (_)=='(_) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:01:56 -0400 From: "Carl Custer" To: DCCycles Subject: [dc-cycles] Annual Italian MotoFest I've missed it before cuz no one posted it so FWIW: Annual Italian MotoFest September 27 (ride) Sunday 28 (show) Shepherdstown, W(BG)V Carl in Bethesda _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@XXXXXX http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles _ _ _ _ .-.-.=\-. .-.-.=\-. .-.-.=\-. .-.-.=\-. (_)=='(_) (_)=='(_) (_)=='(_) (_)=='(_) From: Julian Halton To: "'Carl Custer'" , DCCycles Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:18:35 -0400 Accept-Language: en-US Content-Language: en-US acceptlanguage: en-US Subject: [dc-cycles] Moto GP weekend Well flying is around 425 bucks which would allow me to stay Saturday and Sunday but would also entail finding lodging for two nights..this is out of my price range.. Google says around 593 miles by slab 333 on I_70 My wrist and knees will curse me but I am thinking get up early Saturday - ride all day and find refuge for the night..up early to watch the race and home Monday. Julian Halton Group Logic julian@XXXXXX 703-778-8405 -----Original Message----- From: dc-cycles-bounces@XXXXXX [mailto:dc-cycles-bounces@XXXXXX] On Behalf Of Carl Custer To: DCCycles Subject: [dc-cycles] Annual Italian MotoFest I've missed it before cuz no one posted it so FWIW: Annual Italian MotoFest September 27 (ride) Sunday 28 (show) Shepherdstown, W(BG)V Carl in Bethesda _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@XXXXXX http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@XXXXXX http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles _ _ _ _ .-.-.=\-. .-.-.=\-. .-.-.=\-. .-.-.=\-. (_)=='(_) (_)=='(_) (_)=='(_) (_)=='(_) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:26:25 -0400 From: "Paul Wilson" To: DC-Cycles Subject: [dc-cycles] Trip to New Hampshire (long) Here are some longish and somewhat disconnected ramblings of my trip to NH last weekend. Doesn't seem like we too many trip reports on here anymore. WDGAH (We Don't Give a Hoot--so named to poke fun at the Honda Hoot) is an annual gathering in West Lebanon, New Hampshire for VFR riders and former VFR riders who have moved on (I'm loath to say "moved up"!) As usual, I have last minute maintenance to do, in this case, mounting a new rear tire to replace a worn-out tire with two plugs in it. The plugs have worked flawlessly, putting paid to the notion that plugs are just fine in a motorcycle tire, contrary to what the fear-mongers would have you believe. :) The tire change goes without incident and I get everything back together by 10 o'clock and it's off to bed for the 6:00 wake-up. Thursday Out of the house and rolling on-time at 7:45, which is something of a miracle. There's pretty much light traffic through DC and around Baltimore, with the exception on a little bit of the Baltimore Beltway. I got off on Falls Road to ride the back roads for the most part the rest of the way to Hancock, NY, the designated overnight rendezvous, where we were scheduled to meet Greg. I meet up with Rich S. and Rich R., at a crossroads in Hunt Valley, which is certainly the posh end of Baltimore's suburbs. It's one private school after another on this pleasantly twisty road that eventually gives way to rolling farmland. About 10 minutes later came Rich R's mishap--a low-side on a patch of sand laid down to mop up a diesel spill. Luckily Rich was OK, just a little road-rash. The bike less so, it was minus a brake lever and the rear bodywork was in pieces. The latter was solved with the heavy application of blue duct tape (very fetching on top of Honda "arrest me" red), but the missing brake lever would require the services of a dealer. The bike was road-worthy for a short trip with just the rear brake, so Rich S. and I went on ahead, and Rich R. backtracked to get the lever and get everything else sorted out. He would join us later. By this time it was pushing 11 and we had a good seven hours left on the road to make Hancock. It was on through Pennsylvania--lots of small-town drivers, but I'm being especially cautious today and not too many double-yellow antics. I always feel better getting north of Harrisburg--and out of Southeast Pa. traffic. We hit PA 125 south of Shamokin, which crosses three mountain ridges in quick succession and that was a lot of fun. The old girl VFR still has some gumption, despite her 96,000 miles. After passing through the college town of Bloomsburg, we zoomed up PA 92 through Nicholson, and under the Tunkhannock Viaduct, an enormous concrete arch railroad bridge. A little bit later, on a back road--one of those four-digit "state" roads--I whacked a deer. Mama saunters across the road with a yearling in tow. I see mom in plenty of time and scrub off some speed but here comes the youngster. I shove the bike to the left to steer around Bambi and Bambi almost makes it, but I slammed into the deer with the tire. Amazingly, this is the only part of the bike to make contact. There's not a scratch on the bodywork--well at least not a scratch that wasn't already there at the beginning of the day! Rich reports that said critter made a couple of pirouettes on its way into the woods. I didn't notice that--I was focused on keeping the bike up, which I did successfully by some miracle seeing how I got a severe jolt. (It felt a lot like the day I ran over a brick in the Third Street Tunnel). After that I kept going, in full adrenaline rush. The steering felt normal and I didn't stop to smooth out the pucker marks in the seat. It's a rough back road for the last little bit into Hancock, a road found with some follow-your-nose navigation with the help of the GPS. It's probably just as well. After nearly wiping out, I didn't feel too frisky. Rich and I roll in Hancock around 6:30 and after about 340 miles for the day. We find Greg already installed at the Colonial Motel, an establishment I've used for 3 of my 4 excursions to West Lebanon. We had a nice pizza dinner, plus a couple beers, some "sea stories" and some bench-racing. Rich R. rolled in later, but I was dead to the world. I fell asleep on top of the covers, propped bolt upright on a pillow, with all the lights on. I was beat after all the day's excitement. Friday In the morning Pat, Greg, the two Riches and I go to breakfast at our favorite greasy spoon diner in Hancock. The blueberry pancakes were in fine form, the coffee less so. After consuming enough calories to feed a battalion of Marines, we head east toward Pepacton Reservoir, through the Catskills, eventually ending up at Rip Van Winkle Bridge over the Hudson. There are some great roads in this part of New York, and resolve to sample some more on the way home. We snake our way through the rest of New York and into Vermont, rolled into West Lebanon and the familiar Fireside Inn base of operations. It's a beautiful day, warm and sunny. Then it's the BBQ at Bryan's. I turn right off of NH 120, and I'm having a senior moment and convince myself I'm on the wrong road, but stop and ask directions, are you kidding? I have a GPS and a semi-accurate memory! I don't remember it being this far to Bryan's. But, I persevere on Hanover Center Road, and finally hit the familiar gravel/hard pack and instantly know I'm in the right place. I'm seriously late, since I was stuck at the hotel, on the phone with a client for the better part of a half hour. I munch on a hot dog and ogle some of the two-wheeled eye candy. We've traveled about 310 miles for the day, and I collapse into bed after a couple beers and some BSing in the parking lot. Saturday I wake up and flip on the TV. The crisis-mongers on the Weather Channel are at a full boil, and "Hanna" is already affecting New England. It's raining hard at breakfast-time, but it appears we'll have some respite around mid-day, so the two Riches, Herb and I noodle around Queechee and Windsor a bit, then head south on Vermont 100 and have lunch in West Dover. A glance at the Blackberry shows the next round of rain closing in fast, so we plot a back-roads route across a couple of covered bridges back to the Connecticut River. The rest of the guys pick up the interstate for the quick ride back to the Fireside, while I elect to cross into New Hampshire and follow the river back to West Lebanon. About twenty miles out it really starting pouring. Overall, it was a fun ride of about 210 miles despite the occasional downpours. I killed some time in the hot-tub until dinner time. Thanks to Bryan for providing the taxi service to Lui Lui on account of the rain. Sunday Sunday the weather is clearing and it looks much too nice to "waste" on the superslab, so I plot a fun, but more-or-less direct route home of about 560 miles. After the full breakfast, I say my goodbyes and hit Vermont 100 again, then pick up 11 past the Mt. Bromley ski area, then 7 for a bit. After that I hit the northwest corner of Massachusetts and crossed into New York State. After getting over the Hudson, the Catskills beckoned and I found some new roads, ending up in Port Jervis. I ate lunch in Phoenicia, consuming nearly all of a 12-oz burger topped with carmelized onions and gorgonzola cheese. Yum. I missed "Hawk's Nest" by turning left instead of right at the end of NY 42. Oh well, I've done it plenty of times. It wasn't until I got to Easton, Pa. that a trip on the super-highway became inevitable, between Easton and Lancaster. Southeast Pennsylvania has some really odd town names. I'm surprised there's no Krapptown. Fittingly, Virginville and Intercourse are separated by a good thirty miles. South of Lancaster it was dark, so I crossed in Maryland and hit 95. Overall, a great day on the bike and a fitting end to a great trip. Although I've been to Maine and Ohio this summer, this was probably the best trip of the bunch, and it was good get my groove back. _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@XXXXXX http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles