Well, England is playing Italy today, so off I go on the scooter. Since I'm leaving early, I'll stop at a couple of shops on the way. First, is Motorella on College street. The problem with that is, I've forgotten that Taste of Little Italy is on this weekend, making College street even worse. So no going to Motorella :-(. Next, well after getting out of the mess of the "Taste of Italy" traffic, Now I'm heading down to "Town Moto". This is a motorcycle shop that caters to the cafe racer crowd. Not really my cup of tea, but they tend to carry good quality stuff, and items that other stores don't carry.
One of those products that they just started carrying is Nanotips. Since I'm a big user of my smart phone while riding, I've been looking for a product that can work with all my gloves. I've got a few pairs of gloves that I can use while riding, but I need to retro fit some of my colder/gortex gloves (hey I'm cheap and I will not throw out good gloves) so when I spotted this, I'd thought I'd give it a try. It comes only in black and kind of looks like nail polish, thank god all of mine are black/blackish. It also says to use on leather or rubber gloves, you can use on cloth but as it says "May alter texture"
The staff at Town Moto speak highly of the product, and since I've got some big trips coming up, it's going to come in handy. I'll update this thread to let you know it went. Now off to "The Bristol".
 |
| I didn't take a good outside shot, so credit to "Toronto Life" for this one from their review. |
Well I thought I'd got there early for the game, 4 pm for the 6 pm kickoff, but it was already packed, not a seat to be found. Though I ended up getting a stool in the corner after about 45 min. Not a problem as the Uruguay-Costa Rica match with Costa Rica upsetting Uruguay by 3-1. Great game and hopefully England has such a good go at them. The only draw back was the pies would not be ready till 6 pm :-((. I was hungry but sometimes one has to wait for good things, and having had Davy Love's pies at "The Bristol Yard", I know the wait is worth it.
 |
| Costa Rica winning, and before the England game crush! |
 |
| Looks like Davy, hey, aren't you suppose to be making my Pie? Actually it's nice seeing Davy enjoying the game instead of Cooking all the time! |
The game ended with a Costa Rica win, with most England supporters going with Costa Rica. Everyone loves the underdog. Now time for the England game. A few of the usual's that I've seen over the years are in attendance.
Well half time arrives and it's now 6 pm and pie time, Stake and Ale with Stilton on top. I have to say the Stilton really takes this pie over the top. Nice size strips of steak inside. The hardest part was deciding on whether to eat or watch the game. I ended up doing a bit of both. It took to the end of the match to finish off this great pie, the game, not so great. Nice to see the youngsters coming into their own. Well you can lose one game and still go on, so let's hope this is the case with England. Since I've got an early start tomorrow I'm off.
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Trip to PVSC's Bandcamp
Since I finished later at work than last trip, I can't do my usual stay over at the parents and get the head start, next day trick, but there's really no point leaving the city @ 4 pm, it's toast. So I mostly load the bike the night before and leave at 4 am. It's not as hard as it sounds, as this time, I've been going to work at 4 am all this week. So it's up at 3 am, shower, coffee and I'm off. It's also one of the few times there is no traffic in the city, none at all. A hour later I'm seeing the sun starting to come up behind the city while on the other side of the lake, it was something I'd never seen before, strangely eerie and beautiful. Also nice that it was already 60 degrees, and so it should be, as it's the 3rd week in June! The big surprise was all the traffic coming towards Toronto at 5 am. Ton's, but almost none going to the US.
For once, I actually reach the border when I planned, I picked the Niagara falls bridge to cross this time, well, duty free was still closed, but it does offer some nice pics.
As you can see, the sun is just getting ready to rise, so over the border I go. I get the shift change, and get the crusty guy, guess he didn't like putting out his cigarette. So after a few extra questions, they still let me anyway. So down to the I-190 and on to I-90. Since it's still before 6 am, traffic is still light. I filled up after my last trip as I always try to do, so I started with a full tank of gas. The plan was to stop at one of the rest stops on the I-90 and hit a Starbucks. But it seems they've been replaced by Timmie's :-(). I don't mind having Timmie's for work, but this morning I wanted something a little better. I also felt like the blueberry oatmeal to go with it. So off to Rochester it is.
No problem finding a Starbucks off of the I-390. The coffee, oatmeal and free Wi-Fi hit the spot.
No problem finding a Starbucks off of the I-390. The coffee, oatmeal and free Wi-Fi hit the spot.
Gotta love the biker that comes to Starbucks for his coffee, Harley, skid lid, etc, he doesn't really fit in with the Starbucks crowd (nether do I), but tells me to ride safe, even though at the time I thought nothing of it, I'll learn that I would have to work for it later on.
I fill up the bike and it's time to head south. After getting out of Rochester, the traffic dies off and it's a nice easy relaxing ride to Corning, NY. Up and down some low mountains, I hit some wicked fog, as it would get really dark with some light patches, hard to describe, but really cool to ride through, nothing dangerous, just fun. I also rode some of this a few weeks ago, so it's nice to see some sites that I know. Then I take the off ramp to route 15 south. I can't believe that New York state finally finished their little part of Route 15, it's only taken you 30 years ;-).
One of the reasons I left early was to hopefully miss the rain. I still can't believe this, but literally as I crossed the state line the rain begins :-(. I noticed the Pennsylvania welcome center sign that let's me know that the center is a few miles down the road (good timing). I've got one of those Scorpion modular lids. To save space while traveling. Right now it's a 3/4 lid. Now that's its raining I need it to become the full face. So I take the ramp off to the welcome center.
This is the first time I'm riding the bike in the rain, well, while traveling anyway. I'm dry so far, so the only change will be the helmet for now. I only dig out the rain gear if I really have to, and I want to see how the bike lives up to it's legendary weather protection. But now it's time to relax in the welcome center.
I fill up the bike and it's time to head south. After getting out of Rochester, the traffic dies off and it's a nice easy relaxing ride to Corning, NY. Up and down some low mountains, I hit some wicked fog, as it would get really dark with some light patches, hard to describe, but really cool to ride through, nothing dangerous, just fun. I also rode some of this a few weeks ago, so it's nice to see some sites that I know. Then I take the off ramp to route 15 south. I can't believe that New York state finally finished their little part of Route 15, it's only taken you 30 years ;-).
One of the reasons I left early was to hopefully miss the rain. I still can't believe this, but literally as I crossed the state line the rain begins :-(. I noticed the Pennsylvania welcome center sign that let's me know that the center is a few miles down the road (good timing). I've got one of those Scorpion modular lids. To save space while traveling. Right now it's a 3/4 lid. Now that's its raining I need it to become the full face. So I take the ramp off to the welcome center.
 |
| Wet, cloudy and beautiful. |
This is the first time I'm riding the bike in the rain, well, while traveling anyway. I'm dry so far, so the only change will be the helmet for now. I only dig out the rain gear if I really have to, and I want to see how the bike lives up to it's legendary weather protection. But now it's time to relax in the welcome center.
Nice if you find him hunting, not so nice if you find him riding. It's a nice center, new, clean washrooms, free Wi-Fi and "DRY". I grab a Cherry coke while catching up on Facebook etc.
Now after looking at the weather app, I now know I have more that a few hours of riding in the rain ahead of me. So I might as well get this unknown out of the way. The windscreen goes fully up and I get the pleasure of riding looking through it. It bites! I end up coming up with a compromise, the screen comes down, the helmet and face screen gets wet, but everything else stays mostly dry. Plus I can see the road well enough. 85 miles later I'm in Lewisburg, Pa, I fill up the bike and spy a just closed down supermarket in a strip mall with a subway. So time for lunch and a dry place to park the bike. Salad time, as I try to eat a little better on the road ;-).
One of the reasons I came this way, was to go to a few Army surplus places. The first on the list is Coleman's Military Surplus, as I'm looking for some waterproof compression bags. So here's some pics:
Well, I found my army waterproof compression bags at a price way cheaper than eBay, so that's a win and worth the stop. The only thing that wasn't so fun was the ride to the surplus place. On a dry day it would have been great. But on a rainy day, I had to work for it. OK, maybe I had a little fun ;-). From here the rain let up and finally stopped. Also it's time for the England game to start. I'm just glad XM radio is broadcasting all the games this time. Last time they only broadcasted some, so way to go. So it's a better/dryer drive along the river and into Harrisburg and my hotel for the night. I check in quick to watch the last of the game and don't I get the hotel that has 80 channels! First I find the Spanish feed, then finally the English one. Well what a game. England lose the game and are out, but being a Liverpool fc supporter I'm glad to see Suarez back in form, I just wish it wasn't against England. Guess there's a sale now on at the FA website on the England Kit ;-).
Day 1
460 miles/740km
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Gettysburg and the Lincoln Hyw
Well I wake up to a nice sunny morning. Since the army surplus store in Gettysburg doesn't open to at least 10 am I can sleep in. Catch up on the blog, add some details that I forgot, shower, shave and down for the motel breakfast.
Actually the coffee wasn't half bad. Pack the bike and off at 8:30 am. Since the Adidas store doesn't open to 10 am, I'll head down to the army surplus store in old town Gettysburg. Well I called that wrong as it doesn't open to 11 am. By this time it's getting close to 10 am, so I head over to the outlet mall and the Adidas store. Unlike last time, (last fall's, new summit point scooter rally) there was nothing to be found. But if you don't go, you'll never know. So back down to the army surplus store.
The reason I wanted to come back here is that last fall I bought a great German police sweater and I wanted to get another. For $35 they are a great deal, though I could have sworn they were $30 last fall. Also they have these great German army rain ponchos. Which I bought one a few years ago, I wonder where it went? Gonna have to start digging around. Anyway it was busy in there and there, and with nothing else to interest me, I'm off. The surplus store is on the Lincoln Hwy so this is more or less my start for today's trip on hwy 30. Since I've done all the civil war/Gettysburg stuff, here's the one pic I took below:
So now I'm out of Gettysburg and on the Lincoln hwy. As I ride, I'm thinking that a lot of this looks familiar, and then I remember that I took this route back from NSP one year. I also remember what a blast it was in the car. Now it's summer and I'm on a bike, this is going to be good. So it ends up being a day of going up and down the mountains. The best part about Pennsylvania's roads, is when they built them, they followed the lay of the land. Up and down, left and right. Up the side of a mountain and back down the other side. Wow. I did stop to clean off the bike and trailer. Only $2 at a self serve car wash.
She came up nice and clean, but little did I know it would rain again later. One nice thing that Pennsylvania does is, they let you know when you reach the summit, with a sign telling you the name of the mountain and the height. I must of seen at least 6 to 10 of these today. Also thanks to XM radio so I could listen to the world cup live, and the games did not disappoint. By the time I came into Breezewood, Pa, I really needed a coffee, washroom break and there was a Starbucks, ya :-).
Damn, I really wanted this sign, O' well, can't win (steal ;-)) them all. Well that coffee did it, and got me ready for some more great riding. So back on the bike and some more mountain climbing ;-), you've got to remember these mountains are only 2500 to 3000 feet high. Still, I don't know if I want them any higher ;-).
Last time I was this way I saw the sign for the memorial for flight 93, I didn't have time to stop. Well I've got the time now.
What can I say, but to reflect on that day and the events that happened and the lives these brave people saved by their actions.
Time for me to leave, but I'm surprised by all the people who were visiting the memorial, at least a couple hundred who showed up while I was there.
Well it's back on the road and off to Pittsburgh and on to PVSC. So outside Pittsburgh the cloud's are getting dark, so I stop at a McD's for a light dinner and the free Wi-Fi. The weather report at the campsite just sucks. Rain all night. So I have to make a decision. Go to the site in the rain and set up my crap, or hotel it and go there tomorrow. I chose to be dry and booked a hotel. Surf the weeb and off I go. But too late, the rain has already started and Google map gps gave me directions to the other end of town. It's one of the reason's I still run a Garmin GPS. They just work better. So back to the other end of town and the hotel ( it's a small town, 10 min each way) in the rain with the 3/4 lid was not that pleasant. I check in with a great lady who even offers to let me park the bike under the awning to keep it dry for the night, but it's already parked so no worries. Time to relax, get some supplies and have a ice cream next store at the ice cream shack.
Day 2
210 miles/338 km
Total
670 miles/1078km
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Rainy start but great ending.
Well I wake up to a grey and cloudy day and that's what greets me below from the motel room:
I do the usual, shower and indulge in the "Free" breakfast that comes with the room. With the rain off and on and the weather channel letting me know that the rain should knock off around noon, there was no hurry to get going. So I slowly pack up.
As the morning gets later it seems to dry up. With no more excuses I pack up the scooter and get going. The rain by this time has stopped and I'm hoping that the rest of the day will be better.
Just when I think that I'm getting the better of the weather, I get a few drops starting as I pass a bridge and exit on the I-376 going into Pittsburgh. First I look at the traffic coming the opposite way, they've got their wipers on (not a good sign) then as I crest the hill I can see the wall of water 1/2 mile away. With no choice I drive through it. It's pouring and the 3/4 lid just sucks in the rain as it really cuts down on the visibility. 2 miles later I find a bridge to hide under and recoup. Congrats to Otterbox for keeping my phone dry (mostly) and working, yea!
I check the weather app radar to see what's up, which is just a passing storm. 10 min later I'm back on the road. Still to lazy to put on the rain gear, hoping it won't be too bad. I hit another cell in downtown Pittsburgh, not really where you want the heavy rain, but I made it through, and the tunnels around the city make for a nice break from the rain. Soon I see an exit for a mall, so I get off and look for some protection from the rain and some lunch. Only to find the mall has shut down. Thankfully the Supermarket part was still open and there was a unused covered and now closed entrance to the mall where I could park the bike and keep dry and unwind. Into the supermarket for lunch. I tend to do this a lot when I'm on the road, you get a better/healthier choice, and it's cheaper, plus I can stock up on Gatorade, supplies etc. Well it's let up enough to head to PVSC. So a short trip through West Virginia, which is only like 2 miles at the point I cross, and into Ohio. Then on to the site.
I get to the site, check in, and make the rounds and see where everyone is camping. As Ian, Rich and most of the others got there Thursday they were able to get some premo spots. but alas, no room for me. So over to the usual spot where the Dogs Bollocks have set up. I unpack and set up. The good thing about Facebook is you can keep people up to date on what your doing, The bad part is that Band Camp has no cell phone reception. Good as it keeps everyone socializing, bad if you want to keep in touch with the world. Everyone was wondering where I was. But most guessed that I spent Friday night in a hotel. Sounds like I missed a rather good Friday night with just some rain, but not constant, that and the alcohol helps everyone forget about the rain. With a lot of people out on the ride, I hung out by the barn and caught up with people that I've not seen since last year. Since Amerivespa didn't schedule their run for the same weekend (like last year) attendance was up. Easily 250-300 @ PVSC.
Here are some assorted pics:
Thanks to PVSC for making that great mid afternoon snack of curry. It was great and tied me over until dinner. People were returning from the ride and Phil comes up the hill and does a donut on the grass. Little does he know the bandcamp fathers are watching and hop on their golf cart and over to see Phil. So after all's said and done I go over to see Phil. Well they told Phil he was kicked off the site. So Phil does a quick wardrobe change and tries to blend in. Hopefully nothing becomes of it. Next was the opening of the Porco Lounge & Tiki Room all the way from Cleveland, well the bar was anyway. Free, free, free is all you hear from the PA, and the line ups start.
Having sampled a few, these were strong. I must watch myself if I ever end up in Cleveland. As you can guess free bar means soon to be empty bar. 45 min later the bar was closed down to to lack of liquor.
The scooters lined up for Judging and watching the "Wall of Death" entertainment.
No problem as it was time for dinner.
What happens when you tell people not to line up for dinner? , well the line becomes long real fast. Looks like me up front with Rich. It's amazing how many people came up to talk to me and hung around the front of the line ( no names to save the guilty).
The PVSC crew really out did themselves with dinner this year, as everything was great and filling.
As you can see, Dave's not feeling well, as he had to take some sick time off of work. I know the feeling as I've had to do the same for Burwell more than once. It might even be happening to me this year. O' well, one can never tell when they are going to be sick. Now on to the events. I'll let the pics do the talking.
The Mexicali easy, first eat a burrito, without anything to wash it down with, then do a lap of the field. Next drink a beer, then do a lap again. Third and last, you have to drink the tequila and do the final lap. This year it was won by el' Coucho.
Everyone's now just mellowing out and getting ready
for tonight's festivities.
Potato winner didn't win this year. But that didn't stop Matt enjoying himself.
It's starting to get dark, but that's when the fun begins!
Fish & Dave
Lot's of smoke from all the fireworks going off!
Around and around we go!
Party Central, the main barn
The morning after
It will wash off!
The morning fog and dew, and the quiet time.
Bill and a friend looking for smokes. Still going from the night before. The coffee's just getting ready :-)
Do I need to say anything?
What can I say about bandcamp. This year there were 3 broken ankles, well you lot signed the releases! At least no one had to be air lifted out of the site. Thanks to the PVSC crew for putting on another great run and hope to see you next year.
Day 3 mileage
Daily 108miles/173km
Total 778 miles/1252km
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The ride back.
These are the same guys I met in Indiana a few years ago. Correction, they were driving back to Milwaukee, WI, and not the windy city. I've got it easy, they've got it a wee bit harder. A nice clean rest stop after the low water pressure of bandcamp is a god send. The one nice thing about american rest stops is that they are clean.
Since we didn't do the group breakfast thing at Denny's this year and having
3/4 of a tank of gas I decide to just head up to Eire on Ohio Route 11. Same setup as a interstate but way less traffic. Gotta thank the GPS for this one. A good drive on route 11 and as we get closer to Lake Eire the clouds clear and the blue sky comes out. Also the temps rise as well. I take my back way into Eire as I try and avoid Peach st if I can. Fill up the almost empty bike, which is only $20 and head over to Starbucks for the ever free Wi-fi and oatmeal, coffee, the late breakfast.
The I-90 is the I-90, easy, boring and busy, but no problems. Top up the bike in Buffalo and give dad a call to see if he still wants to go out for a belated father's day dinner. Of course, he's been waiting for me. I almost wanted him to say no, as I'd head over to Anchor wings for a fix. But there's nothing wrong spending some time with dad. You might ask, why not take dad to Anchor wings? Well the line to come back to Canada started at the top of the Peace bridge and it was not any better going over to the US. I shut my bike down and coasted all the way to the booth. It was busier than usual, due to World Pride this week in Toronto.
So Dinner with dad, some tv and a bed for the night. I don't have to work till 2 pm tomorrow so why do the end of the weekend rush back home. I stopped at the new outlet mall just outside of Niagara Falls. Ont. Not much there, so off to home and work ;-(
Here's me unloading the bike, can't believe it all fit.
Ride totals
Daily 400miles/643km
Totals 1178 miles/1896km
Getting close to doing the 6000k oil change. Next ride is the 11 day East Coaster and Lammyjammy.
================================================================================================================================================
Now after looking at the weather app, I now know I have more that a few hours of riding in the rain ahead of me. So I might as well get this unknown out of the way. The windscreen goes fully up and I get the pleasure of riding looking through it. It bites! I end up coming up with a compromise, the screen comes down, the helmet and face screen gets wet, but everything else stays mostly dry. Plus I can see the road well enough. 85 miles later I'm in Lewisburg, Pa, I fill up the bike and spy a just closed down supermarket in a strip mall with a subway. So time for lunch and a dry place to park the bike. Salad time, as I try to eat a little better on the road ;-).
One of the reasons I came this way, was to go to a few Army surplus places. The first on the list is Coleman's Military Surplus, as I'm looking for some waterproof compression bags. So here's some pics:
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| How do these end up in a surplus shop in Pennsylvania? |
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| Thinking of getting it for Dave, or Chris after a night of drinking. |
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| Didn't someone steal one of these one year? |
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| Good size shop if your ever in the neighborhood. |
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| Civil war bullets for a couple of $, why not? I wonder what field they dug them out of, in the middle of the night? |
Well, I found my army waterproof compression bags at a price way cheaper than eBay, so that's a win and worth the stop. The only thing that wasn't so fun was the ride to the surplus place. On a dry day it would have been great. But on a rainy day, I had to work for it. OK, maybe I had a little fun ;-). From here the rain let up and finally stopped. Also it's time for the England game to start. I'm just glad XM radio is broadcasting all the games this time. Last time they only broadcasted some, so way to go. So it's a better/dryer drive along the river and into Harrisburg and my hotel for the night. I check in quick to watch the last of the game and don't I get the hotel that has 80 channels! First I find the Spanish feed, then finally the English one. Well what a game. England lose the game and are out, but being a Liverpool fc supporter I'm glad to see Suarez back in form, I just wish it wasn't against England. Guess there's a sale now on at the FA website on the England Kit ;-).
Day 1
460 miles/740km
==============================================================================================================================================
Gettysburg and the Lincoln Hyw
Well I wake up to a nice sunny morning. Since the army surplus store in Gettysburg doesn't open to at least 10 am I can sleep in. Catch up on the blog, add some details that I forgot, shower, shave and down for the motel breakfast.
 |
| Don't that look good ;-) |
Actually the coffee wasn't half bad. Pack the bike and off at 8:30 am. Since the Adidas store doesn't open to 10 am, I'll head down to the army surplus store in old town Gettysburg. Well I called that wrong as it doesn't open to 11 am. By this time it's getting close to 10 am, so I head over to the outlet mall and the Adidas store. Unlike last time, (last fall's, new summit point scooter rally) there was nothing to be found. But if you don't go, you'll never know. So back down to the army surplus store.
The reason I wanted to come back here is that last fall I bought a great German police sweater and I wanted to get another. For $35 they are a great deal, though I could have sworn they were $30 last fall. Also they have these great German army rain ponchos. Which I bought one a few years ago, I wonder where it went? Gonna have to start digging around. Anyway it was busy in there and there, and with nothing else to interest me, I'm off. The surplus store is on the Lincoln Hwy so this is more or less my start for today's trip on hwy 30. Since I've done all the civil war/Gettysburg stuff, here's the one pic I took below:
So now I'm out of Gettysburg and on the Lincoln hwy. As I ride, I'm thinking that a lot of this looks familiar, and then I remember that I took this route back from NSP one year. I also remember what a blast it was in the car. Now it's summer and I'm on a bike, this is going to be good. So it ends up being a day of going up and down the mountains. The best part about Pennsylvania's roads, is when they built them, they followed the lay of the land. Up and down, left and right. Up the side of a mountain and back down the other side. Wow. I did stop to clean off the bike and trailer. Only $2 at a self serve car wash.
She came up nice and clean, but little did I know it would rain again later. One nice thing that Pennsylvania does is, they let you know when you reach the summit, with a sign telling you the name of the mountain and the height. I must of seen at least 6 to 10 of these today. Also thanks to XM radio so I could listen to the world cup live, and the games did not disappoint. By the time I came into Breezewood, Pa, I really needed a coffee, washroom break and there was a Starbucks, ya :-).
Damn, I really wanted this sign, O' well, can't win (steal ;-)) them all. Well that coffee did it, and got me ready for some more great riding. So back on the bike and some more mountain climbing ;-), you've got to remember these mountains are only 2500 to 3000 feet high. Still, I don't know if I want them any higher ;-).
Last time I was this way I saw the sign for the memorial for flight 93, I didn't have time to stop. Well I've got the time now.
 |
| This little guy likes my helmet in the parking lot. |
 |
| The black box was 25 feet deep in the ground. |
 |
| The largest price that was left. |
 |
| May god rest their souls. |
 |
| That's the place where it ended. |
What can I say, but to reflect on that day and the events that happened and the lives these brave people saved by their actions.
| A beautiful view, but also the final approach of flight 93. |
Well it's back on the road and off to Pittsburgh and on to PVSC. So outside Pittsburgh the cloud's are getting dark, so I stop at a McD's for a light dinner and the free Wi-Fi. The weather report at the campsite just sucks. Rain all night. So I have to make a decision. Go to the site in the rain and set up my crap, or hotel it and go there tomorrow. I chose to be dry and booked a hotel. Surf the weeb and off I go. But too late, the rain has already started and Google map gps gave me directions to the other end of town. It's one of the reason's I still run a Garmin GPS. They just work better. So back to the other end of town and the hotel ( it's a small town, 10 min each way) in the rain with the 3/4 lid was not that pleasant. I check in with a great lady who even offers to let me park the bike under the awning to keep it dry for the night, but it's already parked so no worries. Time to relax, get some supplies and have a ice cream next store at the ice cream shack.
Day 2
210 miles/338 km
Total
670 miles/1078km
================================================================================================================================================
Rainy start but great ending.
Well I wake up to a grey and cloudy day and that's what greets me below from the motel room:
I do the usual, shower and indulge in the "Free" breakfast that comes with the room. With the rain off and on and the weather channel letting me know that the rain should knock off around noon, there was no hurry to get going. So I slowly pack up.
As the morning gets later it seems to dry up. With no more excuses I pack up the scooter and get going. The rain by this time has stopped and I'm hoping that the rest of the day will be better.
Just when I think that I'm getting the better of the weather, I get a few drops starting as I pass a bridge and exit on the I-376 going into Pittsburgh. First I look at the traffic coming the opposite way, they've got their wipers on (not a good sign) then as I crest the hill I can see the wall of water 1/2 mile away. With no choice I drive through it. It's pouring and the 3/4 lid just sucks in the rain as it really cuts down on the visibility. 2 miles later I find a bridge to hide under and recoup. Congrats to Otterbox for keeping my phone dry (mostly) and working, yea!
I check the weather app radar to see what's up, which is just a passing storm. 10 min later I'm back on the road. Still to lazy to put on the rain gear, hoping it won't be too bad. I hit another cell in downtown Pittsburgh, not really where you want the heavy rain, but I made it through, and the tunnels around the city make for a nice break from the rain. Soon I see an exit for a mall, so I get off and look for some protection from the rain and some lunch. Only to find the mall has shut down. Thankfully the Supermarket part was still open and there was a unused covered and now closed entrance to the mall where I could park the bike and keep dry and unwind. Into the supermarket for lunch. I tend to do this a lot when I'm on the road, you get a better/healthier choice, and it's cheaper, plus I can stock up on Gatorade, supplies etc. Well it's let up enough to head to PVSC. So a short trip through West Virginia, which is only like 2 miles at the point I cross, and into Ohio. Then on to the site.
I get to the site, check in, and make the rounds and see where everyone is camping. As Ian, Rich and most of the others got there Thursday they were able to get some premo spots. but alas, no room for me. So over to the usual spot where the Dogs Bollocks have set up. I unpack and set up. The good thing about Facebook is you can keep people up to date on what your doing, The bad part is that Band Camp has no cell phone reception. Good as it keeps everyone socializing, bad if you want to keep in touch with the world. Everyone was wondering where I was. But most guessed that I spent Friday night in a hotel. Sounds like I missed a rather good Friday night with just some rain, but not constant, that and the alcohol helps everyone forget about the rain. With a lot of people out on the ride, I hung out by the barn and caught up with people that I've not seen since last year. Since Amerivespa didn't schedule their run for the same weekend (like last year) attendance was up. Easily 250-300 @ PVSC.
Here are some assorted pics:
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| Thanks to Corey for the pic, Tiki bar, free drinks! |
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| Wall O death entertainment after dinner. |
Thanks to PVSC for making that great mid afternoon snack of curry. It was great and tied me over until dinner. People were returning from the ride and Phil comes up the hill and does a donut on the grass. Little does he know the bandcamp fathers are watching and hop on their golf cart and over to see Phil. So after all's said and done I go over to see Phil. Well they told Phil he was kicked off the site. So Phil does a quick wardrobe change and tries to blend in. Hopefully nothing becomes of it. Next was the opening of the Porco Lounge & Tiki Room all the way from Cleveland, well the bar was anyway. Free, free, free is all you hear from the PA, and the line ups start.
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| Ian's going to be feeling no pain real soon! |
Having sampled a few, these were strong. I must watch myself if I ever end up in Cleveland. As you can guess free bar means soon to be empty bar. 45 min later the bar was closed down to to lack of liquor.
The scooters lined up for Judging and watching the "Wall of Death" entertainment.
No problem as it was time for dinner.
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| Me and Andrea trying to distract the PVSC crew for a perogie. Thanks to Corey for the pic. |
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| The long dinner line pic taken by Corey |
What happens when you tell people not to line up for dinner? , well the line becomes long real fast. Looks like me up front with Rich. It's amazing how many people came up to talk to me and hung around the front of the line ( no names to save the guilty).
The PVSC crew really out did themselves with dinner this year, as everything was great and filling.
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| Thanks to Corey again. Fish, Dave and me enjoying some dinner conversation. |
As you can see, Dave's not feeling well, as he had to take some sick time off of work. I know the feeling as I've had to do the same for Burwell more than once. It might even be happening to me this year. O' well, one can never tell when they are going to be sick. Now on to the events. I'll let the pics do the talking.
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| Drive round and round and when the music stops, you find the potato! |
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| Corey was a little closer to the action, thx |
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| My personal fav, the Mexicali 500 |
The Mexicali easy, first eat a burrito, without anything to wash it down with, then do a lap of the field. Next drink a beer, then do a lap again. Third and last, you have to drink the tequila and do the final lap. This year it was won by el' Coucho.
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| The winner! |
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| One relaxed dog! |
Everyone's now just mellowing out and getting ready
for tonight's festivities.
Potato winner didn't win this year. But that didn't stop Matt enjoying himself.
It's starting to get dark, but that's when the fun begins!
Fish & Dave
Lot's of smoke from all the fireworks going off!
Around and around we go!
Party Central, the main barn
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| My poor little army one man tent in the background. |
The morning after
It will wash off!
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| Someone got off easy. |
The morning fog and dew, and the quiet time.
Bill and a friend looking for smokes. Still going from the night before. The coffee's just getting ready :-)
Do I need to say anything?
What can I say about bandcamp. This year there were 3 broken ankles, well you lot signed the releases! At least no one had to be air lifted out of the site. Thanks to the PVSC crew for putting on another great run and hope to see you next year.
Day 3 mileage
Daily 108miles/173km
Total 778 miles/1252km
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The ride back.
These are the same guys I met in Indiana a few years ago. Correction, they were driving back to Milwaukee, WI, and not the windy city. I've got it easy, they've got it a wee bit harder. A nice clean rest stop after the low water pressure of bandcamp is a god send. The one nice thing about american rest stops is that they are clean.
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| Damm finger! |
Since we didn't do the group breakfast thing at Denny's this year and having
3/4 of a tank of gas I decide to just head up to Eire on Ohio Route 11. Same setup as a interstate but way less traffic. Gotta thank the GPS for this one. A good drive on route 11 and as we get closer to Lake Eire the clouds clear and the blue sky comes out. Also the temps rise as well. I take my back way into Eire as I try and avoid Peach st if I can. Fill up the almost empty bike, which is only $20 and head over to Starbucks for the ever free Wi-fi and oatmeal, coffee, the late breakfast.
The I-90 is the I-90, easy, boring and busy, but no problems. Top up the bike in Buffalo and give dad a call to see if he still wants to go out for a belated father's day dinner. Of course, he's been waiting for me. I almost wanted him to say no, as I'd head over to Anchor wings for a fix. But there's nothing wrong spending some time with dad. You might ask, why not take dad to Anchor wings? Well the line to come back to Canada started at the top of the Peace bridge and it was not any better going over to the US. I shut my bike down and coasted all the way to the booth. It was busier than usual, due to World Pride this week in Toronto.
So Dinner with dad, some tv and a bed for the night. I don't have to work till 2 pm tomorrow so why do the end of the weekend rush back home. I stopped at the new outlet mall just outside of Niagara Falls. Ont. Not much there, so off to home and work ;-(
Here's me unloading the bike, can't believe it all fit.
Ride totals
Daily 400miles/643km
Totals 1178 miles/1896km
Getting close to doing the 6000k oil change. Next ride is the 11 day East Coaster and Lammyjammy.
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