I had a great experience last Friday and Saturday. I had answered a post by Blackvalk, from Chicago, asking for advice on a Route and directions for a trip he was planning through New York, New England, and eventually going south from here. Being as proud as I am of all the great roads that I am lucky enough to be able to ride on, I of course volunteered some information.
One thing led to another, and Bill and I decided we would meet in Bennington, Vermont and spend the rest of the day riding through, over, and around the hills and valleys of beautiful Vermont. Actually, things started off kind of funny, since we were both waiting for each other at the appointed time and in Restaurants with the same name, but in different towns about 55 miles apart.
While I was in Bennington, Bill was in Rutland, Vermont. Hey, s**t happens I guess, and the error was soon rectified with Bill setting a new elapsed time record getting from point R to point B.
We hit it off great, and it felt as though we had been best of friends for years. The ride was fantastic! Both Valks soon fell into a common cadence, and the miles travelled were only exceeded by the smiles on our faces. For those of you familiar with Vermont, you know just how great the roads there really are.
We ended up riding the Mohawk Trail accross north western Massachusetts, to the eastern side of the state, and finally crossing over into eastern Connecticut, where we were going to spend the night at my home rather than a hotel. It ended up being a great day!
Saturday morning, after a great breakfast provided by my wife, (Jeez, I wonder if I can get her to get up every Saturday at before 7 am and cook me a full breakfast? Naw, being married for almost 41 years, I already know the answer to that one
) we took off on some of Connecticut's finast roads. As Bill said, "The ride began right off your driveway". Funny how we start taking our surroundings for granted, and need to be reminded by someone not from the area about just how good we have it. Anyways, the weather was perfect, the company was even better, and the Valks ran flawlessly!
We ended up riding all accross Connecticut, into NY, crossing the Hudson River before riding through the Catskills. We rode together until we got to where Route 209 meets up with I84 in Port Jervis, NY. Here Bill took I84 West to Harrisburg, PA while I went East to get back home.
What was even more special for me was that this was the first time I travelled together with another Valk. Needless to say, I loved everything about it! The fact that both bikes had the same performance capabilities made it easy to ride at the same pace, and the look of two black Valks riding in formation was awesome!
So, when a long time ago, Honda advertised their motorcycles with the slogan. "You meet the nicest people on a Honda", they obviously knew of what they spoke! We both ended up riding 700 miles plus in those two days, had a great time, and parted as new, but good friends!
I got an email from Bill tonight from Boone, NC, where is is staying after spending a long and interesting time navigating the curves of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The only problem that I see about this whole experience is that I did not have the time to ride further with him, but I'll take two great days and a new riding buddy any time!!!
