I was staying in the Collegeville/Trappe area, so I rode Rt73 to Rt61, then Rt443, Rt143, Rt309, and I-81 into Wilkes-Barre. It was a nice ride in very light rain!rdsmith3 wrote:ebiker wrote:.....The Harley Davidson Experience continues in Pennsylvania.
IOn Tuesday, I head into Pennsylvania's Anthracite coal country for a few days, then New York state for Finger Lake Rally.
More to come....
Ed..
Did you ride Route 209 (?) through Jim Thorpe PA down to Pottsville (home of Yuengling Brewery, America's oldest)? There are some nice roads out in that part of PA.
Wilkes Barre Hooters had a "Tuesday Bike Night" near my Motel, so I rode on over to take a peek. Quite a few bikers were impressed with my GL1800's mileage and that I was on a 7,000 mile trip. A few BMW and Gold Wing riders were REALLY impressed. Several HD riders would only comment with:"Hummph"
Upon leaving W-B a few days later, I took a slow ride up thru Red Rock, Dushore, Towanda and into New York. There was no rain....that came later.
The Finger Lakes BMW Rally had rain all thru Saturday and part of Sunday. It seems that Ernesto was in town and didn't even pay a rally fee, either. Attendance was down a bit due to heavy rain, but I'm used to rain at a BMW rally. The FLR BMW rally is one of only a handfull that I try to attend each year.
The Harley Davidson Experience continued.....
I visited a couple of HD dealers in my ride into New York state and upon on my return ride to Arizona. Although I was riding a Gold Wing, most of the HD dealers thanked me for stopping into their store. Gee wizz, I don't recall ever being thanked by a BMW dealership!
Things I noticed on my 7,000 mile ride across country....
1). Most Interstate highways need repair and are traveled by idiots who don't believe in giving up the left lane. (Truckers are the exception)
2). Young female drivers talking on a cell phone should be required by law to drive only in the truck lane. They are a menace to other motorists in any other lane.
3). Arkansas Interstate roads are still crappy. Pennsylvania Turnpike is next on bad surface list. Nicest four lane roadway were Kentucky's parkways.
4). US two lane roads, IMHO, offer the best way for a motorcyclist to travel the country. The roads are in better condition, there is less cager traffic---you'll make better time and you can experience America as it really is.......or was, depending on your age. However, avoid US40 in Ohio and US30 in Pennsylvania due to urban sprawl.
5). The GL1800 Garmin GPS unit is sometimes useless due to sun glare and an inability to pan the screen while on the move. A good paper map is still necessary. (Tank bag with map pocket on the Wing would help, too---hello Honda)
6). If you own a Shoei Syncrotec helmet, go out and hold that helmet firmly in your hands and with a 10-cent coin tighten the screws that hold the chin piece onto the helmet. Don't ask me why, but let's just say the state of Kentucky has another loose screw lying around.
7). A BMW three season jacket with the enclosed rain cover and warm liner was all I needed for the trip.
Finally, Anti Monkey But powder works as advertised. Nuff said.
More to come....
