Starrucca Viaduct, May 29, 2011

Gypsy Stats:

12 hr 47 min elapsed time

8 hrs riding time

378.1 miles

47.3 ave mph

48.0 ave mpg (Beemer based on gas receipts)

$4.03/gal ave for 92-93 octane

Beemer stats:

387.6 miles

47 ave mph

49 ave mpg

Tim: ’00 Triumph Sprint ST 955 Triple

Dave: ’99 Triumph Sprint ST 955 Triple (aka Smokin’ Red)

Lindsey: ’07 BWM R1200R

Rich: Yellow Buell

The day started with a heavy overcast and haze in the air, not enough to sweep droplets of moisture onto the visor, but enough to put a grey blur on the hills in the distance. Temperatures were in the mid to upper 60's so I dressed in low-summer garb, long sleeve base layer, suit with liners, summer gloves. I had parked the bike with 210 miles on the clock since the last gas stop. Given my experience in Oakland, MD, with 206 miles on, and not sure how far I would have to go to find a station open at 7:00 am on a Sunday, I decided to put about a quart of lawn mower gas in the tank before I headed out. A couple of years ago, the guy at the chainsaw store had convinced me that it was worth a couple of extra cents to use better quality gas in small engines; I had the Wawa premium in the lawn mower can, so no worries about the octane. As it was, I found the pumps on at RJ's Quick Stop (formerly Mike's garage) at the corner of 562 and Sunrise Lane and was soon filled up and ready to go.

Since it was a three day weekend and the opening of the summer season, the plan was to go long on Sunday. We had already seen the Tunkhannock Viaduct in Nicholson and the Roebling Aqueduct in Lackawaxan so we decided to have a look a the Starrucca Viaduct in Lanesboro. Rich showed up on Drippy, the Yellow Buell, with limited time and things to do on the day, so we settled on Nesquehoning Fire House for breakfast to give a reasonable short ride for him and a launch to the north for the rest of us.

Full of firehouse breakfast, we said goodby to Rich, who headed home, and made our way north.  North of the mountain, Rhododendron was at its peak.  Temperatures were rising into the low 70's and the sky remained overcast with occasional sunny breaks.    We rode north and east across the Pocono plateau eventually heading up Rt 115 towards Blakeslee.  Buck River Rd over to Rt 435 turned out to be a great run with twisties following the stream.   Rt 435 is a reasonably nice blue highway crossing the Poconos with long straight stretches through the scrubby softwood forests typical of the area.  Eventually it brought us to the east side of Scranton where we hopped on the Interstate to fly over the city.  Our route north out of Throop essentially followed the Lackawanna River, past Stillwater Lake, and eventually up Rt 171 to Lanesboro. 

The Starrucca Viaduct was built in 1848 to carry the Erie Railrood across the Starrucca Creek valley.  It is 1040 feet long, 100 feet high and is the oldest stone railroad bridge in use in the State of Pennsylvania today.  It is clearly industrial construction.  The quarried stone is not face dressed, still showing the drill holes from where the feather-and-wedges were used to split it into blocks.  There are large corbels at the bottom the arch to hold the falsework for the arch construction.

By this time,the sun had come out, the sky was blue with white clouds,  temperatures were climbing into the low 80's and we were stripped down to high-summer gear:  short base layer under suit with liners removed.  Time to head home down Rt 92 which just happens to pass through Nicholson, site of the Tunkhannock Viaduct visited last year, but more importantly, home of the Ice Cream Stand in the shadow of the viaduct.  At 3:00 we took a half hour break for ice cream and a drink.  Tim and Dave settled on Chocolate-Vanilla soft swirl but I held out for a scoop of butter pecan in a waffle cone - extrageniferous - with a cup of coffee.

Refreshed,we started for home. Leaving Nicholson, I checked the tire pressure with the on-board gauge and found the rear at 31 psi.  Uh,oh.  This was 35 and stable this morning.  I rode about 3 more miles, monitoring the pressure and saw it drop to 30.  Bummer.  Off into a Denny's parking lot, up on the center stand, and sure enough, there's a big old fencing staple in my new Michelin.

I was thinking this meant riding 100 miles home, two-up, to get the pickup truck and ramps but it turns out that not only did Dave spend his formative years in a tire shop patching tires, he carries a tubeless tire patch kit with him on the bike.  In less than 15 minutes, he had the staple out and two patches in the holes with 24 psi still left in the tire, enough to ride a slow mile down the road to the Sunoco station and the air pump.  OK, lesson for the day:  picking up a nail is not a major catastrophe; picking up a nail without a tire patch kit on board is.  I am definitely going to hit the back pages of the Aerostich catalog for one of these tonight.

We filled her up to 40 psi and resumed our trek.  At this point it was getting late and we needed to make tracks, so we jumped on the slab (I 81 in this case) at Pittston and tuned 'er up.  I have to say (in fact I think I said last time) that while I love the blue highway twisties, when it's time to get from A to B, the Interstate highway system is beautiful thing.  And at the end of the day, these bikes are fun to ride no matter which road you're on.  And they just eat up the traffic, of which there was not too much on a Memorial Day Sunday evening zooming across the Pocono plateau down into the Valley and Ridge Province.

We hopped off at Frackville and headed south on Rt 61 through Pottsville (with the obligatory nod to the Yuengling brewery), through the Schuylkill Gap at Port Clinton (tip of the visor to Hermy's Cycle), down Rt 662 through Moselem Springs, Fleetwood, and Oley, and on to home.

A Ride Around the Block

Saturday was clear blue sky and sunshine for the first weekend day in several weeks. You know what that means: mow the lawn! If you don't get to it today and we get more rain and who knows how many rained out weekends, you might as well call up Grimms to come over and bale it. The top of the grass dried in the sun and was cut-able but at some points I was running the mower thru standing water. Good thing the blade was in the highest setting or I would have left a wake. That took most of the working day, but we got it done in the end.

Sunday morning came up cloudy and grey with a forecast of possible showers by afternoon. We past the last frost date last weekend but so far have not had enough dry weather to dry out the ground so we could till. Yesterday did the trick and all but the lowest patch of garden was tillable. Tim was off pouring wine and Dave had other business today so no group ride in the morning. Out came the tiller. By 1:00 or so, the garden was tilled, peppers tomatoes potatoes and eggplant set out, and beans in the ground ready to sprout.

Except for a quick trip through the sort-of rain to the Masonic Temple in Birdsboro for breakfast last Sunday, I haven't been out on the bike since getting home from West Virginia three weeks ago - way too long. I decided to go out solo for a quick ride around the block before the rain started. The temperature was in the low 60's so I could lighten up on the gear, though I still wore the long sleeve base layer and the Gerbing jacket unplugged for its thinsulate.

The day was grey, grey, grey. Even the phlox was having trouble looking bright. I headed north towards Kutztown and quickly realized we had not had lunch. I remembered that the refreshment stand at the WK&S in Kempton featured Johnsonville Brats and served a pretty decent cup of coffee. A destination was born! But Rt 737, usually a great ride, was closed and the detour down Rt 222 and back old Rt 22 was pretty blah in the grey of the day. I got to the WK&S just in time to see the 2:00 train return from its excursion, but the refreshment stand was out of brats. To make matters worse, they had no coffee today. I had to make do with a kraut-dog with yellow mustard and a bottle of YooHoo. The grey of the day seemed to be just permeating everything.

Well, I know when it's time to head home and focus on something else. So I headed down Rt 143 through Lenhartsville, Virginville, and Moselem Springs and motivated on home.

Final tally to ride once around the block:
2 Hr 20 min elapsed time
1 Hr 52 min riding time
71 miles total distance
38 mph ave. speed.

Mt. Davis, April 29 - May 1, 2011

April 29, 2011
Gypsy Stats:
10 hr 19 min elapsed time
7 hr 34 min riding time
347 miles
45.9 MPH
Beemer Stats:
357 miles
48 MPH
44 MPG

April 30, 2011
Gypsy Stats:
8 hr 34 min elapsed time
5 hr 52 min riding time
351 miles
59.8 MPH
Beemer Stats:
357 miles
60 MPH
45 MPG

The plan was to take Friday off work, make a three day weekend of it and bag a couple of high points we should have hit long ago. I was a bit cramped for time, however, so I planned to ride out for a day and half then slab home on Saturday afternoon while Tim and Dave went on with the adventure.

Friday started out with a beautiful Pennsylvania spring morning full of bright sunshine and a cloudless blue sky. Heading out at 7:00 the temperature was in the mid 40's, rising to the low 50's by the gas stop at the Redner's Quick Shoppe at 7:30. The landscape was full of the bright yellow of wild mustard. Redbud and azaleas were at the peak of the season. Dogwoods were blooming and lilacs were opening, but neither were having a prime season this year.

I was wearing the usual outfit except with regular jeans in place of the flannel lined. Even at these relatively mild temps the Aerostich neck kerchief and heated jacket were welcome on the long haul.

We decided to slab it out of the normal Sunday morning range and hit I78 west to Harrisburg at a lively pace. We got off the highway up US 11 to Marysville and hit the Marysville Diner for a great breakfast (dang, that's a long stone arch railroad bridge). We would have headed up over the first ridge of the mountain, but the i-Pad showed the access along River Road which appeared to be some mighty wet wheelin' as the Susquehanna was up over its banks, so after breakfast we headed west thru Perry County and on.

Our circuitous route seemed to take us north to go south, constantly zigging to zag. But that's the best way to cross the Valley and Ridge Province on a motorcycle and we hit some really excellent roads. Rt 641 from Letterkenny Arsenal west was a particularly nice stretch of unencumbered twisties as it crossed the ridges. We tried to take a short cut down Locke Valley Road but soon found ourselves in the woods full of redbud with diminishing pavement and the ominous strains of banjo music coming from the underdeveloped real estate. A return to civilization and the blue highways (as opposed to the dotted grey back roads) soon had us on Rt 475, another really prime run, a definite come-backer.

This started as a beautiful spring day with the promise of warming weather but with clouds in the sky and rain spitting, we had to stop by an old covered bridge for shelter as we geared up for the wet. As we crossed Baldy Knob (Elev. 2906) on the Lincoln Highway it was cloudy and the temperature dropped to 45 degrees. I was glad for the heated jacket liner and electric hand grips.

Following Tim's excellent internet guided navigation, we managed to find Mt. Davis, the highest point in Pennsylvania. There is a State Park with an observation tower at the peak giving an excellent view of the surrounding countryside, including the wind farm on the opposite ridge. By this time is was definitely overcast and the temperature had dropped to 40 degrees. We were back in full winter gear mode with the electrics turned up.

We motored on to Oakland, MD where we put up for the night. Dinner was Mexican at the restaurant attached to the motel. A couple of Dos Equis and a plate of re-fried beans lead to an early turn in on a full stomach.

Next morning woke to bright sun and 37 degrees with ice on the bikes. We walked 100 yards up the road to Denny's for eggs and grits while the sun warmed things up. Back at the motel, all packed up and ready to go, I had trouble starting the Beemer!!!!! Hans, Klaus, What's up? This bike is supposed to be perfect! With the bike running rough we toddled 300 yards down the road to the local gas station where I put 4.75 gal in the 4.8 gal tank. Oh, I see. It doesn't run if you forget to put fuel in it. Good thing we hadn't tried to go another ten miles last night. So now we know the answer: 206 miles. Don't try to go any farther.

On to Hoye Crest, Md., again guided by Tim's internet directions. To reach Hoye Crest, the highest point in Maryland, you have drive into West Virginia, park along Rt 219, and walk up a mile long trail with 700 ft climb, crossing back into Maryland about 100 yards before reaching Hoye Crest. We managed the hike in our very comfortable BMW motorcycle boots, shedding layers as we went. We finally reached the crest, certain that we had hiked at least 2 miles and climbed 1000+ feet. Thrilled to find a small concrete obelisk we set down our jackets, took pictures of each other and congratulated ourselves on reaching our goal. As it turned out, the obelisk marked the Md/W VA boarder and the sign marking Hoye Crest was 100 yards further along and maybe 1 or 2 feet higher in elevation but we never saw it. Well, we hiked up that mountain and as far as I am concerned we are going to put a check mark in the "highest point in Maryland" box. I really don't think the extra 2 feet or the other plaque means much; we were close enough for a high point with no direct motorcycle access.

Following this adventure we motored on to the Sheetz in Morgantown, WVA around noon, where we had to split up. After gas and a snack, I said goodby and jumped on I68 to slab home. Much as I prefer blue highway twisties, I have to admit that the Interstate Highway is a great way to get from A to B when you need to be somewhere else. Cranked up on the R1200 it's makes for a pretty smooth glide home in a hurry. For some reason, the visitor's center at the Sideling Hill road cut on I68 is closed, so it really is not possible to stop for a decent photo. I finished up running down the Pa Turnpike from Carlisle, then over the new Rt 322 to Reading and on home by 5:15.

Meanwhile, the other half finished up Saturday with a great ride:

You missed some good roads today. Went west on rt 7 toward New Martinsville turned back south/east on rt 20. Check out rt 20 expanded on the ipad. So many twists and turns. Then turned south on 19 to Clarksburg and blasted back west on rt 50. Turned north on rt 23 til we found rt 18 back south and east to Troy. Jogged onto 47 to get to 33 east to get to Weston. Then we grabbed your favorite rt 19 into Sutton. All said and done checked into our favorite hotel at 7:20 with 348 miles on the clock. Tires are not squared off and we expanded the chicken strips. We dined on salisbury steak and chopped sirloin. Couldn't tell the difference.
Intense riding with no time to look around but honed our high speed line through the corners.

Next day was not so smooth as steel cords started showing through the tread (or lack thereof) on Tim's rear tire in Greencastle, resulting in a two-up run home for a new tire and a very long day:

Made it back and forth from Greencastle by 11:30 P.M. Seats in the car
felt marvelous and there was no precip on the return trip. All told
Dave calculates it at about 650 miles of saddle distance. Long day,
but Dave didn't complain about the Pontiac Vibe's absense of heated
grips. Thanks to Dave who had a spare tire mounted up on a spare
Triumph wheel. When we arrived back in Greencastle it looked like a
NASCAR pit stop. Triumph rear wheel stand inserted, pipe removed, wheel
replaced and back on the ground in less than 20 minutes. Sure wished I
could have nursed it closer to Reading but.... I really owe Dave a debt
of gratitude for him making the trip back with me and serving as chief
on the pit crew. I have learned my lesson and will now get an extra set
of wheels that will be swapped in just for trips and a complete
accounting of total miles logged. This situation cured me.