What a great weeked that was.
8am, Sunday morning, myself, RoadRunner, Sport, BigDaddyDan and Sam (non forum member on a SV1000) met at a York, PA junkyard for the ride up to Carlisle...
Uneventful slab journey to Carlisle, where we found this...
So we parked up and headed inside for a hearty breakfast, and a review of the pre-prepared routes.
We decided to take Randy's five county ride, about 170 miles through the South Central PA countryside, and who better to lead us than Randy himself. Accompanied by Russell Fleming, ChecksWrecks, FredandJeannesRacer, and Jerry (soon to be a new member here), we readied ouselves for blast-off.
We hit some great roads, but then got split up at some traffic lights in Nowheresville. The trailing pack missed the turn, and about a minute was lost as the group got back together.
As has already been mentioned, we came across a serious road accident that had just occurred, and I was proud to be part of such a great team. I was delegated traffic control duties (Thanks Jerry), due to the brightness of my Hi-Viz jacket, and many motorists, after enquiring about the situation, thanked us for our actions. The thanks were echoed by the local Fire Department who later arrived and took over from us.
Had we not missed that turn, it could so easliy have been one, or more of us involved, but thankfully we were able to get our bikes in a line and help out...
Back on the road again, and Randy led us through what must be some of the finest roads in the area. the 10mph hairpin bend signs brought a huge grin to my face each and every time I saw one, and there were many. Tight bends, sweeping curves, elevation changes, breathtaking views, this ride had it all, and to top it off, there was a Mini Freeze stand, which hit the spot on this 88 degree day...
The ice-cream stand was fairly busy as you would expect on a beautiful Sunday. Ma, Pa and the kids were enjoying a quiet afternoon, until the peace was shattered by a group of leather-clad, crotch rocket riding asshats, who decided it would be cool to pull wheelies, and rip past at well into triple digit speeds. Staff at the stand commented on how different our behavior had been. (If only they had seen us in the twisties!!!).
Refreshed from the cool fix, even more spectular roads were encountered on the ride back to the Middlesex Diner in Carlisle. Since the accident had added over an hour to our trip time, most of the other groups had already eaten and left, but those remaining feasted ourselves and exchanged anecdotes about the days events.
Great weather, awesome roads, and some fabulous people that I am both pleased and proud to be associated with, and can't wait to do it all again next year.
Thanks to Russell and Randy for the event, ChecksWrecks for his instantaneous actions at the accident scene, and everyone else that rode, for their team spirit, friendship and attitude throughout the day. You guys all Rock...
