NEW Travels: July 24 – July 28 (Due to tropical Storm Barry)

Travels: July 17 – July 21

GlideFest is an annual ride with some seasoned riding friends to various destinations around the Country. The ride has been going on for many years and this year finds us heading to Bluefield, Virginia (about 50 miles north of the Virginia/North Carolina border and 85 miles north of Cherokee National Forest) and the awesome Back of the Dragon.

The Back of the Dragon travels along Rt 16 and spans 3 mountain ranges. It climbs to over 3,500 feet and offers 32 intense miles (and 260 windy curves) of exhilarating riding fun. Check back for more information as the date gets closer. Follow these links for more details.

http://www.backofthedragon.com/the-road.html

https://www.appalachianbackroads.com/back-of-the-dragon

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Travel Day!

It’s almost 4:00AM. Kat and I are working to leave here as soon as possible towards our first ride-through destination… Front Royal and Skyline Drive.

The day is done and it was a beautiful day of riding. Total distance was about 450 miles but I was weary when we arrived at the hotel and forgot to check the mileage, especially with Fred, Tim and Leroy preparing to leave for dinner. Wednesday morning was crisp and cool with temps in the mid-60’s much of the way. Although the temps started to warm a bit as we arrive in Front Royal the temps dropped back into the 60’s as we entered Skyline Drive (SLD). Fortunately Kat and I were dressed warmly and felt good.

As we negotiated SLD it felt good to glide the bike through the twists and turns. The Road Glide Special handled the twists in performance-like fashion and I could tell Kat was enjoying herself, especially with this being her first time on SLD. With the weather being so nice it was easy to lose focus and enjoy the ride but the “animal crash zone” signs that appeared from time to time were a stark reminder to keep a watchful eye on the road. In fact Kat mentioned several time that she saw deer on the sides of the road. Unfortunately, no bear 🙁.

During our way south we decided to stop at several overlooks to take pictures and some video and enjoy the strong cool breezes blowing across the mountains. It felt great to sit with Kat and look out across the blue-toned mountains with the breeze blowing across our faces. If we weren’t following a plan I believe we may have laid on the stone wall and taken a snooze in the warm sun. But alas, the Road called to us to keep moving. Great memories made though on there on the wall.

As we prepared to start our journey south some folks in a car approached looking like they wanted to talk. So Kat and I abliged and had a nice conversation with a family of Kentuckians on their way down SLD and onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. Once we waved goodbye to our new friends we quickly hopped on the bike and were off but with a slight change of plans. Instead of heading down to Rockfish Gap to exit SLD we decided to exit at Rt 33 to save more time for our next stop… The Natural Bridge. More on this latter as it’s now time for Thursday morning breakfast with the group. Hopefully I’ll catch up with my writing later today. Until that time we’re off…

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 *Click HERE to Track My Adventure*

Travels: Jun 20 – Jun 24, 2018

GlideFest is an annual ride, with some seasoned riding friends, to various locations around the U.S. The ride has been going on for a number of years and this year finds us heading to fellow rider LeRoy’s backyard in Northwestern Pennsylvania, just south of the Allegheny National Forest (ANF). The ANF seems like an awesome place and I’d like to spend some time there camping, boating and fishing at a later date.

*Check it out here..  Visit ANF    U.S. ANF

On this trip we’re hoping to visit Kinzua Dam & Skywalk, the PA Grand Canyon and the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville. Check back to see where we end up…

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Travel Day

After getting home from work yesterday I realized I’d better mow & trim my jungle-lawn so I decided I’d finish packing this morning. After some good coffee, leftover pancakes w/maple syrup and yogurt I’m ready to throw my gear on and head out. Check out the (*Click HERE to Track My Adventure…) link above to see how it works. More to come…

Shoving off at 9:00am

The riding day has been ideal. Temperatures in the 70’s with lower humidity. I only encountered a few short-lived rain storms that barely dampened me.. unlike most others in our group as I’d find out later.

My route took me along the Susquehanna River trail with some stunning views of this mighty river. My problem was that I couldn’t find an adequately safe area to pull over so I couldn’t get any photos. Oh well, it’s imprinted in my brain ;-).

With only about 50 miles or so to go I decided to stop off in Boalsburg at the Pump Station Cafe for some good coffee… and a cannoli. Boy that cannoli was good… the coffee was too.  Pump Station Cafe

The rest of the journey to the base hotel Best Western in DuBois has been great. Many farms and mountains as far as I could see. It proved to be quite the pleasant ride.

After pulling into our hotel I was greeted by the friendly familiar faces of Leroy and Fred then Bill and Bob. As we talked a few others shows up, although no Phil and Nancy yet. After a quick trip to the grocery store, in Fred’s truck, for some snacks and beverages we decided to take the short walk to eat at the DuBois Diner. I had the Reuben sandwich and we all caught up on the past year of happenings with life, family and motorcycles. Now back to the hotel to continue…

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Flight 93 Memorial

(Flight 93 Memorial)

After a great night of sound sleep I woke up early, as usual. With a little time before complimentary breakfast I decided to dry Dory from a night of rain. Best Western hotels have a deal with Harley Davidson for various discounts AND many offer bike wash stations and/or drying towel service. In short order Dory was pristine once again. Time for breakfast.

Breakfast and coffee were very good and the company was great. It was so nice catching up with the guys on a year of happenings. As we ate we planned out the day. After breakfast everyone dried their bikes, gathered their ride gear and in no time we were off. A couple guys decided to stay behind as they weren’t feeling all that well.

The day was intermittent sunny, cloudy and rainy. No big downpours but at times we had to wear our rain-gear. The 100 mile ride to the Flight 93 Memorial was fun although the time at the memorial was very somber considering the circumstances in all those passenger deaths. As I walked around and looked at the pictures and artifacts real sadness struck me at times. I’d been here a couple other times and the sadness is always there. If you’ve never been here you should come.

Afterwards we stopped at the close-by Lincoln Café (The Lincoln Cafe) and were treated to a fresh, home-made meal. I got a steak sub which was awesome. After lunch we cruised the back roads to our hotel. The ride was in and out of a little rain but it was a fun ride none-the-less. Once back I showered and decided to do some blog posting before dinner. The weather tomorrow is forecast to be very rainy… we’ll see ;-).

For dinner we found a great, nearby Italian restaurant called Luigi’s and boy we were glad we did. The food was authentic, fresh-made and quite good. I opted for a Caesar salad with shrimp as I was not very hungry after my big lunch. Luigi’s has an interesting history and quite the memorabilia on their walls.  (Luigi’s Ristorante)

After dinner we went back to our hotel only to find that Phil & Nancy had arrived. The rest of the evening was spent catching up, celebrating their arrival and the official introduction of Jack into our group.

Friday, June 22, 2018

Kinzua Dam & Skywalk  Thunder in the Valley Motorcycle Rally

After another good night sleep and tasty breakfast we’re busy scoping out the rainy weather trying to decide on the day’s destination. More on this to come…

Storms everywhere!

It was decided to head south to the Johnstown, PA Thunder in the Valley motorcycle rally instead of the Kinzua area due to weather concerns. Before we got on the road we walked to nearby DuBois Harley Davidson and were treated to quite an interesting dealership. As you’ll see from the photos the dealership’s inside theme was as if their store was a small town with a road, streetlights, parking meters and more. As I think more about it I’m sure I’ll think of other unique aspects but it was very cool. Oh, check out the urinal with the clutch operated flush.

The weather for the ride was drizzly at times and very rainy other times. Just before reaching the rally it poured so we decided to stop to let the rain subside a bit. As luck would have it the place we stopped at were giving away free breakfast sandwiches. Several of us took them up on the offer and the sandwiches were good. Soon we were back on our way and reached the rally uneventfully.

As we entered Johnstown Leroy decided that we’d park in an indoor garage, which was a nice touch considering the weather. I decided to wear my rain-jacket and good thing as we were pummeled with rain. As we walked around I saw the normal vendors that are at most MC rallys. Having been around biking for 37 years there’s very little I need so the vendors weren’t of much interest to me. We did find a place offering cheap beer and great french fries outside under a large tent which was timely as it started pouring. So there we sat drinking beer, eating great fries and socializing. It was fun but soon the rain slowed and out we were to finish our vendor tour.

Before too long we decided to hit the road on our way back via some twisty roads. The ride back was fun and uneventful. Soon we were pulling into our Best Western and I made a beeline for a quick hot shower then to the lobby for dinner. For dinner it was decided to walk to the Hitching Post which was pretty lively with some sort of party or celebration going on. We were seated at a large heavy wood table and had an attentive waitress taking care of us. I was surprised to hear that our waitress had three daughters as I do. I wound up with an awesome cheeseburger and a tropical drink that our waitress promised I’d enjoy (as she was also a mixologist). The drink was good but every bite of that burger was great. I was satisfied!

After dinner we walked back to the lobby and did some end-of-day reflection but soon dispersed for a much needed rest. Tomorrow I’m thinking we’ll head to the Kinzua Dam & Bridge Skywalk…. I hope!!

By the way, in one photo you’ll notice flood marking on the wall of City Hall. The area is in a flood area and has had some real doozies.

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Kinzua Dam & Bridge Skywalk

(Kinzua Bridge)

Well, here we are at our final riding day. It’s 9:00AM and having just finished a nice breakfast with most of the group I decided to save my photos to Dropbox and do some posting. The weather is looking stormy as it’s been each previous day but I think we may be heading to Kinzua. It’s a 10:00AM kickstands-up call so I’m going to finish typing for now and go get my gear ready for a day of exploring and adventure. More to come, after I get back home.

The Kinzua Dam was very nice as dams go. After a short time looking around and taking some pictures I’d had enough. I wanted to see the Kinzua Bridge Skywalk. A few people in our group opted to return to the hotel to pack for Sunday’s return trip home. That’s a shame as I felt the bridge may be the highlight of the day. Not only WAS it the highlight, the ice cream parlor a few miles from the bridge was AWESOME!!

As you’ll see from the photos the bridge was stunning. Although it was raining the four of us walked out to the end of the bridge. I believe I read that the bridge is 300 feet tall with part of it having collapsed from an F1 tornado passing through it. It was an awesome  spectacle with much of its structure laying below on the valley floor. If you get up this way you definitely have to eat ice cream and see the bridge.

Mt Jewett Tastee Freeze

Kinzua Dam

IceCream & Kinzua Bridge Skyway

This being our final evening we decided to walk to Hoss’s Steak & Seahouse. I had some ribs and broccoli which turned out a bit on the overcooked side. All in all we had a nice dinner and conversation before walking back to the hotel. Once back we decided to gather for a parting group photo to include new member Jack and two new interesting recruits whose names escape me.

After our photo op we stayed around a bit to discuss the trip and some possible ideas for next year. Floating around was the idea of shooting over to eastern Ohio in Phil & Nancy’s home state (or at least one of them). After some drinks, ride planning and goodbyes I was off to get organized and get a good night sleep. My plan was to pack and be ready to head south towards home before breakfast, figuring I’d eat on the road.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

The Ride Back Home

I was up at 5:00am, packed by 6:00am and riding away from the hotel by 6:30am. With rain in the forecast, go figure, I decided to wear my usual rainproof riding gear. After a quick goodbye to Canadian Brian, I was off.

For this ride home I wanted to glide south along the mountain ridges which looked great on the map. Not always trusting the GPS to follow my route instead of its own I wrote down the roads on a piece of paper. From DuBois I essentially followed these routes South and/or East. There’s a Harley Ride Planner link of the route below.

In retrospect this proved to be an absolutely gorgeous route that I’m anxious to ride both ways some time soon. I’m certain the sun, cool temperatures and dry roads helped but I could only think that this ride epitomized why many of us ride with the sights, sounds, smells and feeling of gliding through the breeze. I could smell the strong aroma of honeysuckle in the air, feel the warmth of the sun against my skin cooled by the cool morning breezes, hear the thumping of the tuned engine making easy work of the hills as I glided up and down.. left and right.

I did make one stop for bacon & eggs at Nick’s Diner right on Rt 22 near Lake Raystown. I’m glad I stopped as the food was good and I met two riders who were camping at the Lake. We had some good conversation as I enjoyed my tasty breakfast. Within 45 minutes I was off and enjoying this fabulous ride home while thinking about this year’s GlideFest adventure overall. It certainly proved to be a very wet journey, all-the-more glad I learned to ride in the rain and practice this critical skill on a regular basis. I would admit that I’ve had some of my most memorable rides in modest to raging downpours although I’d admit I prefer sunshine, cool temps and dry pavement. This trip was very nice and enjoyable and now I’m looking forward to my next adventure, somewhere…

Harley Ride Planner- route home

Key Roads Home:

1. Rt 219
2. Rt 729 (past Lumber City & Glen Hope)
3. Rt 453 (through Tyrone & Birmingham)
4. Rt 22 (through Alexandria, Huntingdon & Mt Union)
5. Rt 522 (past Shirleysburg to Shade Gap)
6. Rt 641
7. Rt 997
8. Rt 30 (past Gettysburg and on to Hanover)

The awesome route back home

Dory is packed for the ride home

Breakfast spot near Lake Raystown

Mmmmmm

Glidefest NumbSkulls DuBois-PA 2018

Glidefest NumbSkulls DuBois-PA 2018

CANCELLED: Due to the purchase of my new home in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania I regrettable had to cancel what would have been an awesome ride.

Travels:  Jun 17 – Jun 25, 2017

This trip is all about our annual GlideFest road trip and gathering. For 2017 our epicenter will be Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and all points surrounding this historic area. Check back near June 21’st for more on this awesome road trip.

Travels:  Jul 28 – 31, 2016

This road trip is dedicated to fearless Fred and the hardy bunch of motorcyclists I had the good fortune to meet some years ago in Marietta, Ohio. This well-traveled, experienced group of riders hail from many different parts of North America but come together for an annual ride at some beautiful destination throughout the country.

This year’s excursion will find us centered in Beckley, West Virginia for three days of comradery and riding pleasure in the hills and twisties of one of my favorite states. Stay tuned for more details…

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Day 1 – Heading Out

I was packed and on the road by 6:00am, heading out Rt-70 towards Harper’s Ferry then out to Winchester, WV. I decided to craft a country-roads route on the computer from my home to the hotel in Beckley, WV, then upload it to the GPS.

After a brief time on I-81 I took Rt-48 west then Rt-28 south through the mountains and Seneca Rocks (no stopping to climb Mark, lol) then on to Marlinton, WV for lunch at the Greenbrier Grille. The riding and views were great as there was a lot of twisty mountain roads on Rt-28. Dory just ate up the miles ;-)).

After a tasty lunch by a stream in Marlinton I followed the preset route to explore some more great roads before heading to my hotel In Beckley, WV. I expected nothing but rain and storms on this trip but didn’t get a drop today. I’m looking forward to seeing the guys and Friday’s ride…

After I got to the hotel I met up with some friends to catch up on the past happenings and talk about Friday & Saturday’s ride. The weather will play a big part of our weekend as it looks like storms every day. Not everyone is thrilled with the forecast and some decided to stay home. Although the rides would need to be more conservative I just enjoy getting out, rain or shine, and that’s what my rain gear is for anyway.

After dinner and drinks we decided that we’d reconvene at Friday’s breakfast to decide on Friday’s riding.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Day 2 – Friday’s Ride

After a nice breakfast at our hotel we decided to follow Saturday’s more interesting ride plan for the day. This was prompted by the unpredictability of the weather and the general feeling that Friday would be better than Saturday. While Phil and Nancy headed to the local golf course to play “18” (yes, they strap their golf bag to their motorcycle 🙂 the rest of us mounted up and headed out for the hills.

It felt so good be be out with the group again and being a very experienced group we tend to have spirited rides. While I can’t recount all the roads we were on (some of the group actually can) I will tell you that we were curving left and right, up and down and every conceivable combination of these movements. For a while the air was cool and I had a good time getting better acquainted with Dory up close and personal on some great roads. After a while we decided to stop for lunch at the same Greenbrier Grille that I visited the day before.

At the Grille we sat outside in view of the stream while enjoying some good food and fun conversation. After lunch we headed back to the mountains for more gliding through the hills. Although dark clouds were seen much of the day some ominous rain clouds grew up ahead in the direction we were traveling as we headed back to our hotel. Although my spidy-sense told me to pull over to don the rain gear we collectively decided to race the storm back. We lost and about 10 miles from the hotel it poured. So we all hunkered down behind our windshields and limped back. After a warm shower and some tumbling in the clothes dryer we were good to go (the clothes that is).

At dinner we talked about the day’s events and what’s on tap for Saturday. Due to the worsening weather part of the group decided to head back home Saturday. A handful of us decided to stay and give Saturday a try. Good thing we did as Saturday turned out to be another good riding day.

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Day 3 – Saturday’s Ride

After a hearty breakfast and some weather talk those of us that stayed headed to New River Harley Davidson for coffee and “stuff”, taking the scenic way. We happened to catch an antique car show going on at the dealership which was a nice touch. After spending some time here we took the long route back to the hotel.

As we headed back we came to a strange stretch of great twisty road with fresh blacktop that appeared to be carved into the mountains. It had some steep walls and actually reminded me of roads out in the mid-west. It was the strangest road I’d seen in a good while. Good thing it hadn’t rained as fresh asphalt tends to be slippery when wet. I’ll have to ask one of the guys what that stretch of mountain was called to put it on my redo list. Scott may remember.

Continuing on we negotiated more twisties before arriving back at our hotel. After some cleanup we decided to hit the local Pizza Hut. After some great veggie pizza we walked back to the hotel and landed in the lounge for our evening recap of events and boy has it been eventful. After drinks and conversation I headed to my room to pack some things for an early Sunday return trip. I decided to head back with Bill, Leroy and Scott who were all heading north to points in PA and NY State.

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Day 4 – Returning Home

After a 6:00am breakfast we did our final bike packing, fueled up and were off. It was a foggy, cool morning and I really enjoyed it. We generally headed up Rt19 and made our way to Rt79 heading towards Morgantown, WV. I enjoyed the leisurely pace and the great sweepers of Rt79. Eventually we stopped at the Pilot station near Morgantown to fuel up and say our goodbyes. We decided it’d been a good trip and looked forward to maybe taking a Fall ride.

As the group of three headed north up Rt79 I headed east on Rt68 back towards Baltimore. The heat started going up the further east I went, which is typical. As I made my way home I thought about the trip and how nice it was to get away. I thought about my daughters and how much they would enjoy trips like this. Although it drizzled a little on and off it never really rained on me. Amazing how much it rained everywhere but not much on me.

As I pulled into my home part of me wished I was still out there exploring in the hills. Ah well, I guess that’s what planning future trips is all about. Until the next ride… ~Dan