We decided to meet as a group at the shop and ride out to the AMA National Flat track race. Upon arrival we were happy to see packed stands and a full crowd at Williams Grove Speedway. The bike show in the parking lot is always good as well. There were quite a few vintage Indians in the lot that were ridden there, and that is always a welcome sight.
The pits were open before and after the race. So you could get up-close and personal with the bikes and riders if you felt the desire to do so.
This Yamaha is simply beautiful! I think we were all in agreement that with the addition of some lights it would be a fantastic street bike.
The Indian, just in case you wanted to see it in racing trim.
The racetrack "blue grooved" pretty quick, but the riders were still putting on a show.
Yes, we even found time to find some cool scooters in the pits for our scooter fans.
When was the last time you saw a Genuine Black Cat in person?
Another Three Mile Island scooter Club rally in the books. Were you there? You should have been! If not, check out what you missed or if you were, relive some good memories. The clowns at TMISC have a reputation for putting on one of the best camping rallies on the East coast. This year the 2017 rally them was "The Greatest Meltdown on Earth". The clowns were out in abundance thanks to a Circus theme.
The registration table was open and ready to receive quests.
Friday night food was provided by Thatz'a Pizza. They kept up well with a hungry crowd providing subs, pizza, and all the side orders for us.
Friday started well with warm weather and sunny skies, but it wasn't to stay that way. The weather started to look gray and came in with a roar. The meet and great was still a success; as we had plenty of tents to be under in order to stay dry(ish). The Friday night movie was a rainout ( postponed till Saturday), but there was room to socialize and stay dry.
The water kept coming down till the tent area was a small river, So, we sat on tables and used the benches to keep our feet dry. It worked well.
Saturday Morning started off just a tad nicer than the night before. The truck from Bountiful Feast was there bright and early; serving up a good breakfast, sandwiches, and tasty breakfast favorites.
Folks got up and spread out their gear to dry as they prepared for a good (hopefully dry) day. The Long Ride pulled out at around 9:30 led by Paul Bolock. The lunch stop was pizza form Ciao-Bella delivered to a prearranged picnic spot by the lovely Ellen. There was plenty for everyone.
They had a relatively uneventful ride over the hills on the way towards Gettysburg and Mr. Eds Elephant Museum
Meanwhile, the vintage ride and the slow riders were out having their own enjoyable jaunts around central PA. After the riders all returned to the Meltdown campsite, they had only a short time to prepare for the Gymkhana and Field events.
There was some speculation that the boggy field might force the fun to be cancelled, but the coordinators persevered (a BIG thanks to Tim) and it led to a slippery, muddy bit of entertainment for the daring riders who participated.
There were no major catastrophes, and a little additional water only added to the fun.
Following the Gymkhana, was the eagerly anticipated BBQ food with all the fixings prepared on site by Fred's Campground. The food had all the hungry riders ready to eat.....or confused. We are never quite sure with these two.
Of course, don't forget one of the Greatest things to appear at the meltdown. The Miller Brothers ice cream truck.
You KNOW Denny wasn't going to miss that.
After we all got to gather around for the raffle there were many great items to hope for.
Trophies were handed out as an intermission, and Carlisle Cycle and Scooter was proud to bring home two more to add to our collection. Bill won the Gymkhana while Cody took home the Atomic Balloon Toss. The trophies themselves were handcrafted by JL to follow the circus theme. He did a Great job on these; quite happy to have one to display at the shop!
Then the scheduled entertainment for Saturday night arrived and we were impressed by a skilled juggler. Sophia R. from About Faces Entertainment juggled balls, knives, clubs, torches AND attempted to ride her unicycle in the boggy grass area. She was very talented, personable, and a good sport too.
Then as the activities wound down, there was music and a chance to hang out. The movie that had been rained out on Friday night was run on Saturday instead.
Free Beer made the evening complete. Even though the river continued to rise, with FREE BEER, who can complain, right?
By Sunday morning, the river had overflowed its banks, and most of us were looking forward to drying out.
There was a final ride out to the Old Sled Works which is an interesting Antique mall in Duncannon, PA.
Overall, although Mother Nature tried to put a damper on our favorite rally of the season, she failed (well maybe she put a DAMP...) We had a great time with old friends and new. It was time to ride home, but at least some of the trailer crowd has figured out how to ride home WITH the trailer.
How's that for the coolest way to get your scooter home from the rally?
A Link to the TMISC event page for more pics and info.
Remember to frequent all the TMISC Meltown sponsors. They contribute their time, money and prizes so the club can have a great event. Make sure you go see them when you need the products and services they offer!
Specials thanks to Kevin Jiannotti and Denny Magdule for the use of their pics.
If you liked this blog, feel free to follow us here, on Facebook, Youtube, or on our Instagram. Or you can always stop by the shop to visit.
We just spent another enjoyable weekend with scooter friends. As always, the folks in Baltimore put on a good time. Our meet and greet was downtown at De Kleine Duivel a Belgian beer hall with a good atmosphere and some amazing beers on hand. The scene outside was friendly with plenty of cool scoots to look at and quite a few mopeds on hand.
A small crew from TMISC made the 100+ mile trek ON small scoots. Riding is the best part, even with a little precipitation in the mix. Good rainsuits and good technique still make for a fun ride.
If you found yourself hungry, there were plenty of places to eat on The Avenue. There were even some coupons for Cafe Hon which was right up the street.
We had a 4H rocket launch to run, so sadly, the Scoot Carlisle crew had to miss brunch and the rides for the day. Don't worry, although hot; we had a great day too. Over 100 rockets flew with dozens of smiling faces in attendance.
The weather was quite hot, but our hosts had a good plan. The Clipper Mill Pool was provided by the event hosts for some serious cool-down after the rides.
Speaking of eating. The folks at Supersonic Kitchen did an amazing job putting out some great food!
Who doesn't love a smiling spinner of tunes.
Of course there is always time for some hooligans to have a slow race!
Good food, good beer, and good friends. What more could a fella ask for? a raffle too? Sure, we have that covered!
We missed the Sunday morning Brunch as we had parts to move North. A great rally. If you didn't make it, make sure you catch the next one! If not, this guy may come to your house and make sure you know about it.
We had a great ride. We enjoyed seeing many old faces and a few new ones. We will be sure to see you at the next one! There are still ways to get things done at a rally (note $20 bill).
Thanks to Christine Newell, Norm Hess, Alex Szymanik, Chef Jeremy, and Jennifer Lyon for some of the pics.
If you liked this blog, feel free to follow us here, on Facebook, Youtube, or on our Instagram. Or you can always stop by the shop to visit.
So, why did we decide to sell coffee in a motorcycle shop? Motorcycles and coffee DO go together quite well.
Black Rifle Coffee Company is a relatively new kid on the block when it comes to coffee companies, but they sure did come out of the gate at full speed. They also happen to make great coffee. We like their coffee and their message so much that we decided to sell it here.
The company is veteran owned and supports hiring veterans onto their work force. Where many companies are talking a great game; these guys are actually DOING IT! They have veterans manning the phones, taking the orders, and even doing the mundane tasks around the shop. I heard....they even employ some Air Force folks (something about quotas ;))
We try to keep most of their various roasts in stock. We keep mugs and gear in stock when we can (they sell out fast). We have tried most, if not all their roasts, so if you have any questions about what something tastes like; just stop in and ask. We can probably steer you the right direction.
If you are a coffee lover, try BRCC. You may change what you wake up with every morning...yes, it IS that good. They roast their own beans in house. Not a coffee drinker? They make an awesome cocoa as well.
Everyone likes to talk about shopping local and helping the veteran community. Come do both at once. We can help you with that.
