The Stink Bug Ride

It's that time of year for a ride out to the hills to see the changing colors in the trees. We're still a smidgen early, but there still some color going on – and there's not a lot of wet leaves all over the road that have the potential to ruin your day. Our CMA chapter had our planned “Fall Foliage Ride” today and the weather report was about as good as it could get. KS & I still put on some extra layers since it was only about 50 degrees out when we left at 8:45am. We went down Rt. 29 to Johns Hopkins Road where we met Shawn & Monica at the Chick-fil-A. Us Colum-bums figured it would be better just to meet the CMA gang out here as they rode through, rather than us ride the whole way into Glen Tucky only to reverse course and ride right back out here.

That was the plan.

We met up at Chick and proceeded out Rt. 216 west towards Highland. We crossed over Rt. 108 and moved on to Brighton Dam Rd. where we turned left, moving south and crossing over Brighton Dam before turning right on Rt. 650 (New Hampshire Ave.). We rolled on toward Sunshine and stopped at the service station at the corner of 650 & 97 where we were to meet up with the rest of the chapter.

That's where the plan kinda changed.

Jimmy was leading the ride and he said they'd be going through there at 9:15. Personally, I never thought they'd be there on time; it's a long way across from Glen Burnie with lots of opportunities to be slowed down. Plus, Jimmy's a retired Air Force guy – and the Air Force is never on time for anything – so I wasn't particularly worried when we got to Sunshine at 9:20. Well, the stars (and the traffic) were in alignment and as we found out a couple hours later, they had indeed rolled through Sunshine at 9:15 on the dot. We waited around for half an hour or so before decided to head on out towards White's Ferry, thinking we'd be able to hook up with them there. I'd been down to the ferry a couple times and knew basically how to get there, but I hadn't really looked at a map very well before we left and the one I had in the bike wasn't very good. Thankfully, Monica had her GPS with her so she plugged it in, set a course for Poolesville and we took off with her in the lead.

We didn't go too far on 650 before turning left on Sundown Rd. which ended up being a very nice ride through some farm land and fancy house land. Around Laytonsville, Sundown Rd. becomes Brink Rd., and we continued to the southwest and an easy pace. KS & I were rather surprised at the several Mennonite churches and cemeteries we were seeing throughout that area. It made us wonder if Mennonites were among the early settlers in that area since the way it looks now doesn't exactly make one think of a large Mennonite community.

We arrived in the Germantown area and turned left on Rt. 27, taking it down a few miles before we jumped on I-270 for a brief scoot down one exit to Rt. 118 to continue to the southwest. This was probably the least enjoyable part of the trip since we hit just about every traffic light we came up to. Traffic was fairly busy for a Saturday too, which didn't help matters any. Regardless, we made it through town with no problems, except for the jackwagon taxi driver who cut across a couple lanes and right in front of Monica in order to turn into a shopping center.

Rt. 118 comes to an end at Rt. 28 where we turned right and headed northwest a few miles before turning left on White's Ferry Rd.. This was another nice road which took us through some nice farms on our way through Poolesville and finally out to White's Ferry. There was a line of traffic in queue for the ferry so we got off the bikes and headed for the restrooms, only to find out all of the facilities (except for the ferry) were closed for the season. KS decided to give the porta-pot a try but it was full of stinkbugs so she opted out. We waited for a little while in hopes that we'd find or at least hear from our other CMA folks, but after a while we decided just to push on towards our destination of the Bavarian Inn at Shepherdstown.

The ferry ride was enjoyable but too brief. I'd love to take a longer ride again sometime, kinda like the one KS & I took across a lake at the Arkansas/Missouri border down by Branson. Biking and boating at the same time. Fantastic.

Anyway – we crossed the Potomac and made our way out to Rt. 15 where we turned right and headed north towards Harper's Ferry. Monica and her GPS took us back up into Maryland, crossing the Potomac again at Point of Rocks. We went on up 15 a little ways before turning left on Mountville Rd., heading west. This was probably one of the highlights of the day. We topped the hill and the valley below really opened up to us with a spectacular view. This route took us over to Rt. 340 which we jumped on for a south-bound ride towards Harper's Ferry. We crossed the rivers and as usual, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery that the area provides. As we were riding through Harper's Ferry, I got a call from Billy letting me know that the rest of the gang was already at the Inn. Ah well, it's not like we weren't enjoying the ride!

Turning right on Rt. 9 and then right again on Flowing Spring Rd., we headed north towards Shepherdstown where we turned right on Rt. 480 and arrived at the Bavarian Inn. Now, the ride out there is great but I think I've eaten my last meal at the Bavarian Inn. Don't get me wrong, the ambiance is very nice as is the rest of the property. The site sits on a hillside overlooking the Potomac and it's a very nice view. However... the restaurant is pricey and the food doesn't do much for me. KS got a Caesar Salad and I got a Chicken Caesar Salad, and that set us back most of a 20-spot. Coffee was $2.50. I'm just not into paying $25 (mind, before the tip) for a couple salads and coffee. Give me a diner any day. Shawn and Monica didn't seem overjoyed with their meals either, although I'll admit that Shawn's club sammie was a good size. Monica got a very German dish (I'll butcher the spelling so I'm not going to try) which she wasn't impressed with at all. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang had already got their checks before we placed our order so they went on their separate ways while we ate and enjoyed each other's company.

Once we were done eating, we walked back to our bikes and spent a few minutes flicking all of the stink bugs off of them before mounting up and turning left on Rt. 480 just long enough to cross (another) bridge and re-enter Maryland (again) on Rt. 34. I really enjoy this ride up 34; it takes you through some very nice farmland with great views of the hills and it goes right through the Antietam National Battlefield where my great great grandfather fought with the 100th Pennsylvania in 1862. We rode through the towns of Sharpsburg and Keedysville before coming up to Boonsboro where we turned right on Rt. 40 and headed east. Rt. 40 can really be a fun ride with the small towns, hillsides, and tight curves as you ride up and down the mountain. Apart from the many stink bug hits, this was probably my favorite part of the day.

After a pit stop outside of Middletown, we moved on eastward on 40 before we came up to I-70 which we jumped on going east, just to get around Frederick. We got back off on the other side of town, this time hopping onto Rt. 144 which is a very familiar and enjoyable route for us. We rode through New Market and stopped for a break at a Baskin Robbins just on the other side of Rt. 75. As we were sitting at an outside table enjoying the weather and the ice cream, we saw two bikers pull in and park beside our bikes. Their helmets came off, and right away I recognized them from our days in Upwards Basketball. Bob had been Kenny's coach and his brother-in-law Bruce's son was on one of Kenny's teams at some point, too. I spoke to them as they walked up and after a few moments they remembered us. Bob's family is up visiting from Virginia Beach but Bruce and his family live nearby; Bruce is the pastor at Cornerstone Community Church here in Columbia. After we all finished with our goodies, Bob and Bruce joined up with us as we continued on Rt. 144 east until we came up to Rt. 32 where we turned towards Columbia and they broke off towards Granite.

What a great day for a ride! We put just over 170 miles on the bikes and really got to enjoy what turned out to be just about perfect riding weather. We were disappointed that we weren't able to get any miles in with the rest of the CMA group, but we had a great time with just the four of us (six for a while) riding through some beautiful areas of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland.

Through the Pennsylvania Hills (Aug '10) - Return Trip!

Before I had to roll back to Maryland, I was able to get a little more riding in around the old stomping grounds. I cut out from our family reunion on Saturday for about 20 minutes to give cousin Louise a ride around Amish Country between Mercer and Volant. Passed a few buggies along the way and waved at a couple Amish kids who were admiring my ride (they have good taste). After the reunion, I cruised back down around home and rode down past Cooper's Lake Campground to observe the collection of bucket-heads who were gathered for the Pennsic War. My friend Kat (no, not Kat Von D, unfortunately) was somewhere in that gaggle with her family but we weren't able to connect.

Moving right along, I rode over to see my friends Mike & Shelley so I could check out Shelley's Raider. Now, I always thought Shel was a cool lady, but any gal who rides a Raider takes it to a whole 'nother level! I'm thinking about putting different pipes on my bike, and she had a set of Cobras on her's that I wanted to hear.

Shelley's rockin' Raider.

View Portersville, PA to Columbia, MD in a larger map

On Sunday morning it was time to head back to Maryland so I started off by retracing my steps back as far as Ebensburg on Rt. 422 where I hopped over to Rt. 22 and moved east a few miles before dropping off south on Rt. 164 toward Raystown Lake. This was another excellent ride through the hills and valleys of central Pennsylvania. There are some fantastic sights along the tops of the hills, and some nice curves and sweepers one would expect whilst rolling up, down and around the hills. There are a few small towns along the way as well, in case there's a need for fuel for the bike or your belly. There's a big gap between Portage and East Freedom, and then you have Roaring Spring and Martinsburg in quick succession. After another shot of hills, I came up to Rt. 26 which is where I turned south toward Everett.

I don't think I knew I would cross the Eastern Continental Divide.

On Rt. 164 towards Raystown. Darn power lines mess up a great view.

Rt. 26 runs north/south along the entire western side of Raystown Lake, but I caught it down near the south side. It was time for lunch; I'd passed a few fast-food joints in the aforementioned towns because I wanted something local and diner-ish. As luck would have it, I came up to the Happy Hollow Restaurant near Saxton. From the outside, it seemed like what I was looking for. I walked in and the first thing I saw was a counter with paper placemats and a few knick-knacks fastened to the wall. Perfect. One of the specials was ham steak so that's what I ordered, and I settled in with coffee and my map to take a look over where I'd been and where I was moving toward next. I enjoyed the banter between the wait staff and the locals while I worked on the ham steak & fries that I ordered.

The Happy Hollow Restaurant near Saxton on Rt. 26.

Heading back out on Rt. 26 south, I had a nice cruise along the Warrior's Path State Park and then a few miles along the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River. The road bends west a bit before curving back south towards Everett. Below Everett, I very much enjoyed the great curves on Rt. 26. What a fun road!

I needed to get on back to Columbia so I hopped onto I-68 and rolled east, getting on I-70 to get on back home. This weekend’s rides through Pennsylvania was incredible. I can’t wait to do it again - hopefully with some company next time!

One happy biker, raccoon eyes and all.

PA Forest Ride

I was up home for the weekend of August 6th for our family reunion. Nothing was going on until the evening of the 6th, so Dad, Mike & I headed for the hills on our respective rides. Before we could go, though Mike had to pull a screw out of his rear tire. I broke out my never-used fancy, well advertised plug patching kit that I'd bought from some web site but after two failed plug attempts, Dad broke out his kit that he bought for $3.99 from Tractor Supply (I think), and we had the thing plugged and inflated in less than five minutes. So much for my fancy kit taking up space in my saddlebag. 

We finally got underway and Dad was in the lead since we were heading to his riding/hunting/camping area. We started by heading north on Rt. 19 but the ride almost ended before it began. We were rolling through Leesburg when some jackwagon on Leesburg Station Rd. went blowing right through the stop sign and crossed 19, nearly taking Dad with him. I would've liked to have had a idiot-seeking missile mounted on my Raider; that joker would've been toast.

After collecting our wits and continuing north, we came into Mercer and turned east on Rt. 62. This is a nice road, and it gets nicer as you get into the hills. We split off on Rt. 965 near Jackson Center and rolled on north east, rejoining Rt. 62 just outside of Polk. As we came into town, I noticed what looked like a nice college campus on the hill to the left as we moved east. I thought I'd heard something about it, though - and I later found out that it's a mental hospital. Not the kind of campus I want to spend time on!

We turned left on Valley Rd. and as we topped the hill above the hospital, we were greeting with a fantastic view of the hills and valleys of western Venango County. We rolled around Valley Rd. until we came to Noggle Rd. where we turned right and moved on north. At some point along these back roads we turned right and rolled into Franklin. I'm thinking it was Georgetown Rd., but I'm not sure. I do know that we left Franklin on Rt. 322 toward Cranberry. Once we got into town, we turned left on Rt. 257 towards Oil City where we got back onto Rt. 62 towards Tionesta, a great stretch along the Allegheny River.

Once we crossed the river into Tionesta, we turned right onto Rt. 36 and then cut back on a hard left onto Nebraska Rd. at Newmansville. The road comes to a Y and we slid to the right to continue on Nebraska Rd. At some point this becomes State Route 3004 which rolls right into State Game Lands #24, and I found myself in the Allegheny National Forest. I could probably spend a couple days riding around the forest; very little traffic and lots of cool riding through the shade of the canopy of trees all over the place.

We hit Rt. 66 at Roses and turned left to ride into Marienville. Going on through town, we turned left on Beaver Meadows Rd, taking us back into the National Forest to check out the campground that Dad has stayed at. We turned into the campground but had to take it easy since the road going in and all around the campground was small gravel with some muddy spots thrown in. We pulled over at one of restroom facilities which was essentially a permanent, two-room porta-pot. It may sound crappy (no pun intended.. well, maybe a little) but it was clean.

The loo.

Dad inspecting the blueberry plants.

We left the bikes and took a walk down a trail to a big blueberry patch that had been put in for the enjoyment of the campers. We checked out a couple handfuls to ensure they were good enough for the campers, then we walked back to the bikes so we could head back out for some real food. Back in Marienville we pulled into the Route 66 Dinor for lunch. No, spell checker, that's how they spell it. The hot roast beef sandwich with fries (and gravy covering the entire plate) was pretty good, and the coffee was better. This was my kind of joint; something that's been around for a long time (on that location in some form or other) since 1939.

I was hoping the food was better than their spelling. It was.

Don't come hungry on Tuesday.

Time was getting on so we figured we'd take a more direct route back home. We went back out on Rt. 66 and headed toward Clarion but turned right on Rt. 322 for a quick trip before turning left on Rt. 208 Shippenville. This was a nice ride along rolling countryside with I-80 running parallel to the south. Coming up to Barkeyville, we turned left on Rt. 8, cruised through Harrisville, then right on Rt. 108 to go through Slippery Rock. We got back to Harlansburg and turned left on Rt. 19 which took us on back to the house.

The sign guy had his lunch while waiting for the oncoming traffic.

We pulled in with 199.9 miles on Dad's trip meter. It was a great ride with a great mix of hills, valleys, sweepers, river runs, and lots of forest. 

Through the Pennsylvania Hills (Aug '10)

For the past few years, I've been wanting to hop on the bike and ride up home to PA. I know that there are some great views as you go through PA, although traditionally the roads themselves leave a lot to be desired. We we roll up home, we're usually taking the fast-moving highways to get up there quickly since our visiting times are limited. But even from the big roads - especially I-99 between Bedford and Altoona - you're treated to some fairly impressive scenery. I knew that it would be all that much better if I could get on the Raider and hit the state roads and cut across the hills on the less-traveled routes.

So that was my plan when I hit the highway after 8am on Thursday the 5th of August. I'd gone over the PA map several times, looked at online maps and even hit a couple web sites that I've looked at before. Things shaped up nicely. I got a Sharpie and an index card, and proceeded to mark out my turns. I slid the card into the viewer flap of my tank bag, grabbed my backpack, and hit the road. 

View Columbia, MD to Portersville, PA in a larger map

Keeping it simple.

Traffic was busy but mostly going in the other direction. I rolled west on I-70 toward Frederick with an eye on the sky. There was a 40% chance of scattered thunder showers and from my seat it was looking more like 80%. After a few splatters on the windscreen, I figured I might as well don the rain suit. I was in for a long day and I didn't want to spend it wet. Besides, I tote that suit around with me all the time anyway; might as well get some use out of it, right? Of course, once I got back underway again the rain stopped and I didn't get another drop the rest of the day.

I'd decided that I would take my time and stop frequently to enjoy the scenery but more importantly, keep loose. I rolled up on the newly-renovated South Mountain Rest Area between Frederick and Hagerstown and figured I might as well take the opportunity to doff the suit and check on the new restrooms. Rolling into the parking lot, I spotted a pair of bikes parked with a couple guys & their ladies standing around, so I pulled up next to them. We got to talking and the one guy asked where I was heading. "Up north of Pittsburgh," I replied. My inner monologue added, "Yeah, I'm tough." I return the question, "Where are yinz headed?" He says, "Sturgis." Suddenly I didn't feel so tough. They were planning on doing 500 miles the first two days, then trying for 750 on the last day. My grand adventure of about 600 miles - round trip - didn't seem that impressive. Still, my can wasn't use to much more than the occasional 100-something-mile ride on a Saturday, so it was going to be a challenge nonetheless.

I continued on I-70 then broke off on I-68 at Hancock toward Sideling Hill. I stopped at the rest area there as well, mostly to just enjoy the scenery. The geologic formation that became visible when they poked through the mountain is just fascinating. I'd love to spend a couple days with a geologist and learn about the many layers of earth that are on display. 

Sideling Hill

After another visit to the facilities and some stretching, I rolled on westward for a few miles before jumping off at Exit 68, Orleans Rd. I went north, hung a right at the "T" on Rt. 40, then after about 100 yards I hung a left on Orleans Rd for the northward run. You only go a few miles on Orleans Rd. until you enter Pennsylvania and the road becomes Rt. 26 (a.k.a. Clear Ridge Rd.). Surprisingly, the road actually improves upon entering Pennsylvania. What a road, too! There are plenty of sweeping curves, rolling hills and even enough sharp curves to keep you honest. The road goes through the Buchanan State Forest as well. I saw a lot of great scenery, some deer, and very few cars. Parts of Rt. 26 are newly blacktopped (particularly around Clearville), and the rest of it is very good road. I did encounter a few spots where some gravel had washed out into the road, however. 

At a curve on Rt. 26 in the State Forest.

Rt. 26 in Buchanan State Forest

Rt. 26 took me right into Everett, PA, where I changed directions to head west on Rt. 30 for a spell. It was getting close to lunch so I stopped at the Landmark Restaurant just inside Bedford for a steak salad (with fries, of course!) and coffee. That was a good place to spread out my map and refocus on the next leg of the trip which was really the most unfamiliar to me. 

Lunch break!

Rolling on west on Rt. 30, I left Bedford and proceeded to Schellsburg where I turned north again, but this time on Rt. 96. This was a fantastic road with beautiful scenery: hills, farms, and small towns like New Paris and Pleasantville. This is exactly what I'd been hoping for! A route up through the hills of PA with all of the curves, hills and scenery that one could imagine. The only "bad" part about it was that I had to keep looking at the road! There was so much to see; I was commenting to KS when I returned home that I'd like to have some sort of a voice recorder so I could just talk to myself, as it were, in order to keep track of all of the things I see out on the road. 

Covered bridge off of Rt. 96. Like a dumdum I didn't write down the name.

As good as Rt. 96 was, I think Rt. 869 was even better. There's no town at the intersection of the two roads; you're rolling north on Rt. 96, Rt. 869 comes in from the east, and suddenly you're on 869 north. Whatever - you're still heading in the right direction. There's more great scenery on the way to and through the Blue Knob State Park, where I stopped at a pull-off to enjoy the forest, hit my bottle of water and take couple pictures. If the rest of Blue Knob is like the little portion that I drove through on Rt. 869, it's definitely worth a return trip for more investigating!

The 96/869 split.

There's a lot of scenery like this on Rt. 869

Pull-off in Blue Knob.

Rolling road in Blue Knob.

After hitting the end of Rt. 869, I made a left on SR 2006 and only went a short way before turning right (north) on Rt. 160 toward Ebensburg. Yet again, I was treated to a great road and excellent scenery, but I was starting to get into some more population so traffic and buildings picked up a bit. Just outside of Ebensburg I was surprised to roll up on a factory that had a huge field of wind turbine blades laid out. I've since learned that the factory is operated by a company called Gamesa, and at this particular plant they produce two different types of turbines. 

Rt. 160 took me to the outskirts of town and after following signs to Rt. 22 but before I hit it, I made a quick stop at Ebensburg Yamaha to check out their inventory and to see if they had any cool new shirts. Moving on out, I hopped on it for a short trip west to Rt. 219 north, which was another short trip before turning onto Rt. 422 and heading west for the rest of my trip. There's some nice scenery along 422 but the road was easily the worst that I'd been on - as far as conditions are concerned. I've been on 422 many, many times over the years and there always seems to be construction going on somewhere, just like it's larger relative (the PA Turnpike) to the south. 422 alternates between two and four-lane between Ebensburg and Kittanning, with Indiana being in the middle which has the four-lane section on either side of it. There's some nice scenery along the way, and some small towns with nice restaurants like Tina's Log Cabin Restaurant in Elderton where I've had a pretty good steak salad (with fries mixed in, of course) for less than $6. Before I started on the last leg of the trip, however, I made a stop at West Penn Choppers  on Rt. 422 near Kittanning to check out their store and take a peek at their workshop. 

The rest of the trip was uneventful and I arrived at the folks' place near Portersville just shy of 300 miles and eight hours. We usually make it in five hours at 280 miles, but my new course and frequent stops added to the totals just a bit. The stops were well worth it, though, giving me opportunities to enjoy the scenery and to keep from getting knotted up in the saddle. I hope to be able to take that route again with family and/or friends. 

Another Holiday Weekend Ride

The weather lately has just been spectacular and I was very excited to have a ride planned for the weekend of July 4th. KS & I have been wanting to ride with Clarke & Angela H. for some time now and we finally had one set up. Chuck R. came along to chaperone us couples as well! We met at our church (South Columbia Baptist) at 9am and took off toward Harper's Ferry, WV.

We rolled west, starting off on Rt. 216 west to Brighton Dam road where we turned left to cross over the dam and then right onto Rt. 650, which eventually becomes Rt. 108. At Damascus, we went north for a short distance on Rt. 27 and then turned left on Fingerboard Rd./Rt. 80. Fingerboard Rd. is a very nice ride with lots of small farms and other nice homes to see along the way.

Passing on through Urbana, we went a few more miles before turning left on Rt. 85/Buckeyestown Pike. This ride is essentially more of the same great scenery that is experienced on Fingerboard Rd., and we continued on it until we hit Rt. 28 to go towards Point of Rocks. We were doing fine until we came across a Road Closed sign - which KS reminded me we'd seen when we were in the area on Memorial Day. Thankfully the Detour signs were well posted and we made our way through some more great small farm scenery before coming out on Rt. 340 which we hopped on to take us right into Harpers Ferry.

Traffic wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be as rolled into town around 11:30am. Parking was a challenge as usual, but we found a spot together for all five bikes and walked on down to Hannah’s Train Depot It was the first place we came to - and it wasn’t crowded - so we hopped on in. The service was fine and the food was okay; my fish & chips was nothing like the great fish & chips meals I’ve had in the UK, but I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’m going to have a hard time finding any better over here. Angela’s pork bbq sandwich looked good, and she fixed it properly (with the cole slaw slapped on top of the pork).

We walked around town and down to the river before getting back out on the road. I really hadn’t planned anything for the return ride since I figured we’d just see what folks wanted to do. I suggested a ride up to the Antietam Battlefield so that’s where we headed, riding up Rt. 67 and enjoying the fantastic view along the way. I really enjoyed looking out to the west at the beautiful hills and thinking that we definitely need to run this route again when the leaves begin to turn.

Since I hadn’t planned any route ahead of time, I sorta winged it and hoped I could remember how to get to Antietam from the south - but I was wrong. We found ourselves in Hagerstown where we stopped for gas and to check the maps. Chuck R. decided to head on home so he could be there in time for some family activities and the rest of us rolled on toward Smithsburg with Clarke and his GPS leading the way. Once we were just about to Smithsburg I jumped back in front since I’d reacquired my bearings and we turned right on Rt. 77 toward Thurmont.

If you’ve never been on Rt. 77, it’s a great road with lots of twists and turns going up and down the Catoctin Mountain. Apparently bicyclists enjoy it too, as we came upon a cyling foursome on the downside of the mountain. We carefully worked our way past them but it took me a while to get around the leader since he was taking full advantage of gravity - not to mention the fact that he was hogging the road - but that’s okay since I know they’re allowed to. I finally got around him and we proceeded to wind our way down the mountain when all of the sudden that joker passed me over the double yellow. As he was going by he shot me a very annoyed look to which I returned an “are you an idiot?” look. He’s lucky he didn’t become a hood ornament at that particular moment. Yeah, it’s tough to admit that me and my 113 cubic inch Raider got passed by some spandex-wearin’ clown on a three-pound 20 speed.. but I like my bike in it’s current condition, not as a hood or a tree ornament.

KS & I got a good chuckle out of a squad of sport bikes working their way west on Rt. 77, probably looking to get some great curves in. Unfortunately for them, however, they were stuck directly behind a Maryland State Trooper.

We rolled on through Thumont and took Rt. 550 down to Rt. 26 and continued east before dropping south again on Rt. 94. A well-deserved break was in order, and we took it at the Dunkin’ Donuts near Woodbine. After that, it was a normal run back to Columbia on Rt. 144 and Rt. 32.

Couldn’t have asked for a better ride. The weather was perfect, traffic was light, and the scenery was outstanding. We’ll certainly need to run that route again when the leaves are turning!

Bike Nights

We went to our first "Bike Night" of the year last night (Fri 6/11) over at Bruster's in Glen Burnie. It was just about the perfect evening for a ride, too. I think the temp was in the low 80's and traffic had mostly died down for the evening when we left the house. I'd been messaging Angela H. back & forth, hoping to meet up with her and Clarke so we could ride up together. That worked out well; we met up at the police station over off of Rt. 170 & Rt. 32, then Clarke took the lead a we rolled on up to Glen Burnie and Brusters'. There were probably ~20 bikes there when we arrived, and they even had a DJ playing some "biker friendly" tunes (I was particularly pleased with the selections from .38 Special - and Gary F. would be happy to know that I can still identify Molly Hatchet's "Flirtin' With Disaster" in about a nanosecond!).

As with most of my visits to Glen Burnie, I saw a lot of - well, interesting folks. One obviously pregnant lady had the lowest, most protruding-ist basketball belly I have EVER seen. She wasn't a big gal but garsh that belly was out there! Saw another gal in what looked like a tutu and some sort of make-up around her eyes that looked like small wings. Permanent makeup tatoo, perhaps? Fascinating.

Bayside Believers had a strong showing at Bruster's and I think it was great for the folks to see all of the CMA back patches enjoying a great time of fellowship.

Tonight (Saturday) was to be the very first Bike Night at the Chick-fil-A on Johns Hopkins Rd.. Unfortunately, thunder was rumbling in the distance and weather.com wasn't looking very good with large splotches of green and orange all over. Nevertheless, I was determined to be there since I got the thing organized with the store management. We went ahead and rolled on down the road to Chick and got there before 7 and stayed until 7:30 (enjoying a chicken strip salad whilst waiting) but nobody else showed up. Oh well - maybe next week!

Memorial Day 2010

The weekend of Memorial Day 2010 was a great time for riding. On Sunday the 30th, of course, was Rolling Thunder. That's something I want to do someday, but it just hasn't pushed to the top of my list yet. KarenSue & I had been planning on riding on Memorial Day itself for a couple weeks so as the weekend approached, I was doing a lot of looking at the map and thinking. Gettysburg was and always is a possibility, (as is High Rock) but as KS pointed out, we'd done that before. I did want to visit some place Veteran-related since it was Memorial Day, so I considered the Monocacy Battlefield just south of Frederick. On Sunday, we went on a bicycle ride out on the C&O starting at Point of Rocks and turning around at Brunswick (more on that later) so I decided that we'd visit Monocacy then roll on to Brunswick before looping back around toward home.

I posted a note on Facebook that KS & I would be at the Chick-fil-A on Johns Hopkins Rd. (just south of Columbia off of Rt. 29) at 9:30am on Monday morning and invited folks to ride along with us. Monica B. chimed right in that she and Shawn would be there, as did Chuck R., and right about 9:30 in they rolled along with Darrell B. who we'd met last year on a CMA ride. Shawn prayed over our ride and asked the Lord to keep us safe (which He did), and we mounted up and headed out on our trip.

We started out riding through the new development of Maple Lawn before turning right onto Rt. 216 heading west. We crossed over Rt. 108 at Highland and continued on to Brighton Dam Rd. where we turned left. Crossing the Tridelphia Reservoir on Brighton Dam, we shortly came up to Rt. 650 (Damascus Rd.) where we turned right. 650 basically ends at Etchison where it runs into Rt. 108 coming up from the south, and we continued on in a westward course the whole way to T's into Rt. 27 at Damascus. Coming across 650 and 108 is a beautiful ride through the countryside spotted with very nice homes, horse farms and sod farms. The only "problem" is that the speed limit is mostly between 35-45mph which my beloved Yamaha Raider just does not like to do. It brings to mind that one horse on Ben-Hur that wants to leave the rest of it's team behind (don't worry, I'll tie in Ben-Hur in a moment). KS kept - uh - lovingly whispering in my ear (via our helmet comms) that I was leaving the group behind, so I relinquished the lead to her more stable pace. With four of the six riders wearing CMA back patches, we endeavored to follow the traffic rules to the best of our abilities, and I think we did a pretty good job... as difficult as it was for some of us!

So with me lovingly whispering directions into KS' ear, we moved north on Rt. 27 for a short piece until turning left on Rt. 80 (Kemptown Rd.). Kemptown Rd. becomes Fingerboard Rd. (still Rt. 80) as it moves on to Urbana where we turn right (north) on Rt. 355 (Urbana Pike). From there, it was a fairly quick ride up to the Monocacy Battlefield where we pulled in to the Visitor Center for a break and a chance to pay respects to a particular group of Veterans. You can read about the battle here.

The Monocacy Battlefield is probably one of the closest battlefields to our local Columbia area which it seems very few people know about. It wasn't an epic battle like Gettysburg, Antietam, or Shiloh, but it was epic enough for the thousands of casualties that day. Outside of the Visitor Center, there were rows of flags (KS thinks she counted 20x24 rows) stuck in the ground to commemorate each of the men on both sides who were killed in action that day. The Confederate Army carried the field when the fight was over, but they'd been beat up badly enough by a Union force a third of it's size that they their movement to Washington was delayed long enough for General Grant to rush reinforcements to the threatened city. The Union commander that day, General Lewis Wallace, said that "These men died to save the National Capital, and they did save it." This is where my earlier Ben-Hur reference ties in; after the war, it was this very same Lewis Wallace that wrote the novel, Ben-Hur.

After the battlefield visit, we moved right up the road about half a mile to have lunch at a Chick-fil-A (no - they're not a sponsor; I just like their food, their organization, and I'll give them a free plug whenever I can!) before heading back down Rt. 355 a mile or so before turning right (west) onto Araby Church Rd. We were only on that road briefly before turning right onto Baker Valley Rd. That was a fairly brief ride as well before we turned right on Rt. 80 again (still called Fingerboard Rd. at this point) and proceeded west before coming to a "T" on Rt. 85 (Buckeyestown Pike). We turned left and rolled on for a few miles until we came to Rt. 28 near Tuscarora. Turning right onto Rt. 28, we proceeded on to Point of Rocks where we turned right on Rt. 15 and moved north for a mile or so before turning left towards Brunswick on Rt. 464. We hit Brunswick after several miles and rolled through town before making our second stop of the day at a little gem that KS and I discovered just the day before called Beans in the Belfry.

Beans in the Belfry is my idea of a great ride destination. It's in a smallish town, serves coffee, milkshakes, sandwiches and desserts (among other things) in a cozy, relaxing atmosphere. As the reader may deduce from the name, this establishment is housed in what was once a church - and they even still have a few pews in there for seats among some other items left over from it's original purpose - which makes the conservative Christian in me cringe a little, to be honest. Oh well.. at least it's not a bar - else it may be named "Pint in the Pulpit" or something similar.

We decided to head on home at a little faster pace then we'd previously been on, so we pulled out of town on Rt. 17 north (Burketsville Rd.) briefly until proceeding straight onto Rt. 79 (Petersville Rd.). That was a fairly brief ride as well before we connected with Rt. 180 and turned right. Again it was a quick ride before we jumped onto Rt. 340 (which merges with Rt. 15) toward Frederick. The rest of the trip was what one would expect on I-70 on a holiday weekend. It was heavy but moving fast, so we rolled up to Rt. 32 and broke off toward Columbia and home after making that last leg of the trip.

Apart from the slow speeds rolling through the countryside, this was a fabulous ride. Lots of great scenery (that you are able to appreciate more since you're going slow) and excellent roads and top-notch destinations made for one very enjoyable ride. One thing I liked about the course was that the various intersections we hit were situated in such a way that there was plenty of visibility to allow for perfectly safe egress onto the new route. There weren't too many traffic signals either, nor did we hit much construction. Those facts, combined with the great time of fellowship with friends served to make this Memorial Day ride one to be remembered!