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.
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This years weather was certainly better than last years. Last year we had snow, sleet, rain, lightning strikes and water filled air boxes on a few bikes. This year? We had beautiful weather, sunshine and only one bike with a vacuum lock issue, which was easily remedied with a little help from great folks at Dunham's do it center hardware.
Our farthest rider out this year was Todd who journeyed all the way from the Philly area to Carlisle the night before the ride started on a 50 cc Genuine RH50. He did over 100 miles on a 50cc before the ride even started!
Carl was lucky enough to start a day early as well and had the genius idea of camping at Mahoning drive-in for an all night vampire feature.
The ride "officially" started Saturday morning at Carlisle Cycle and Scooter. From there we headed North to pick up more riders.
Nothing like climbing the mountains on PA rt. 74 on a small displacement scooter to set the mood for the weekend.
We arrived in Port Royal PA to pick up sidecar #2 for the trip.
Now we were set;
We had our race winners.
And our male models
Time for fuel, drinks, and to set out on a long drive. Well, not so long, but at 50cc speeds everything takes a bit longer than it should.
There were some slow uphill climbs.
And some major temptations.
"but it's NOT a motorcycle"
We did make it to Wellsboro before dark; so some white table clothes and fine food were in order at The Penn Wells.
The streets in Wellsboro are still lit by gas lighting. It's a beautiful sight after dark.
The Rangers at Hills Creek state park had everything ready for our arrival and the rooms were clean and dry.
While at the cabin we had Adam taking good care of us on coffee duty. We only bring the essentials...like a French press and coffee from BRCC.
Saturday morning we headed to the Wellsboro Diner for breakfast. The things you will see while sitting at the breakfast table!
Yes, that is a John Deere toilet train. Now, I HAVE seen it all.
We headed out to Colton Point State park (otherwise known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania). The weather was clear and provided for some great pictures.
We even had a bike pick up a nail during the ride, but Todd was prepared with the tools to get it back on the road and we all learned the value of a good plug and air kit.
We picked up food on the way back to our home in the woods, and some firewood was needed for cooking dinner. Well supplied on scooters (you just have to use what you have).
We did some back road exploring, a gravity race or two, and generally enjoyed a day to ourselves. Todd found some wonderful views for the sunset.
Dinner was grand, stories were told, and we had the most relaxing evening some of us have had in a while. Just friends and no schedule for the weekend.
Todd had to get back early Monday morning, but he may have had some help from Black Rifle Coffee Company to get him up and running early.
The ride home is always the tough part, but we made sure to make an adventure out of it. That means dirt roads, kids. We even found a great spot for a break and to use the last of our spare fuel.
I think we wore some of the guys out :). He just took the re route as an opportunity to catch a few zzz's.
We did all arrive home safely and without incident. I was ready to head out and do some more....soon.
The day had promise. It was a lovely day, the first Saturday in June. But, due to circumstances beyond our control, we started almost an hour late. It turned out to be a good delay because we had two AWESOME folks ride out from Philly, just to meet us at the shop, and then ride back with us. Your faces are always welcome at our shop. We were running behind, so forgive us for not being the most gracious hosts we should have been.The Royal Bastards are always a welcome sight.
Once we got organized, suited up, and ready to head out. We hit the road with 8 bikes leaving from the shop.
The weather was a bit chilly for some, but the sky was clear and the sun was coming out. We picked up riders on the way to our lunch stop close to Philly.
The lunch stop was at The Pepper Mill for their renowned cheese steaks and they were good! We already have another trip in the works to try more cheese steak places recommended by the "locals". The "best cheese steak" battle continues. We WILL do the research and find the answer; no matter how many delicious cheese steaks we have to eat.
I think we reached a maximum of 14 riders at lunch stop. We had a good mix of modern and vintage bikes with Genuine, Honda, Suzuki, Lance, and we were even joined by a Zundapp Bella and her beautiful rider.
Some Royal Bastards and a few more riders came out to meet the rest of our group for lunch. Always nice to see you guys.
From here on, we had Todd step in as our local tour guide to navigate the tight in-town roads. Tim Did a great job getting us to our location and Todd did the city navigating for us. We were glad to have them both leading the way!
When we finally made our way to the JFK in the naval yard, we had another smiling face waiting to great us.
She is something else to see up close, even parked and aging.
Sadly, too many delays kept us from making the Cruiser Olympia in time to get aboard. So, we may just have to make this trip again.
As usual, eventually it was time to head home. Missing the expected 2 hour tour of the ship left us with time for a little break; so we decided to take one in a shady spot just outside of town. A few good snacks, some welcome drinks and a small shade tree did the trick.
The numbers of our group slowly diminished as we all got closer to home. Gratefully, everyone arrived home safe-and-sound after a long days ride.
Just a note to all our riders. Thanks for riding smart and safe all day. We had a few minor bike issues ( all easily fixed on the road). I have to admit, I still get a thrill when I see riders waiting on the side of the road to be picked up by the group. I have seen one or even over one hundred riders waiting to join my group, and I tell you, it brings a smile to my face every time no matter the number. We look forward to seeing you all on the next ride. Be sure to keep an eye on our Events Page.
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