Most of the summer was spent not riding, which is never my first choice, but seemed like what needed to be done at the moment. However, I found a reason to head from hometown in NC back up to PA to see some friends. My wife was finishing her summer internship and could not join me as I headed up to PA for
Steel City Con.So, I headed out early Thursday morning. I figured if I left at 5 a.m. then I could be as far north as possible when the temperatures started to rise. I rode the tourer straight up I-77 from NC to VA to WV. I did pause for a moment at the WV welcome center off of I-77. The welcome center looks like mountains.
Instead of just jamming up the interstate I jumped off onto Hwy 19 through WV. It wasn't as straight and fast but it was shady and playful. It was a fun road. As an added bonus I missed the WV toll booths! I did eventually jump onto I-79 for a little faster riding, only to hop off again to cross into PA on 119.
My wife, missing from this trip, is generally in charge of the fancy camera work. I did my best.
119 may not have been the fastest way to where I was going, but it was a fun option full of small towns and farm land nestled in between mountains. Turning off onto Hwy 30, Lincoln Highway, in Greensburg didn't save time but it too added enjoyment.
I enjoyed beautiful weather in every state, until I was almost to my destination in Indiana, PA. Then it started to rain.
I went up to an overlook above the town as it rained gently and the clouds became increasingly ominous. I heard the loudspeaker at a soft ball field cancel the evening ball games because of weather. I watched lightening dance on the horizon as I called my wife to check in. I headed back down into town to meet up VRCC buddy Dino at his place. Dino and his wife, Sandy, provided a nice sleeping floor for the weekend.
Friday, I made the trip over to Monroeville to check out the comic and toy show. My morning was a near comedy of errors on motorcycle. The result was me arriving early, thinking the show didn't start until Saturday, chatting with some locals at a comic book shop, and not meeting Mr. Belding (not necessarily in that order). The morning did provide time for riding around town and shopping for belt buckles in the mall.
This is the mall that Ramero used to film the zombie flick. Remember the entrance where the motorcycle gang burst into the secured mall? That entrance looks like this now. I did picture myself as Tom Savini as I snapped pictures of my bike out front.
I did eventually make it to the show.
Then I headed back to Indiana, PA to hang out with college friends and listen to poetry in a coffee shop (after a wet ride back to town on hwy 22). Does 30% chance of rain mean I was only 30% wet?
Saturday Dino put together some folks for a morning ride to eat a ham sandwich at Walets on Laurel Mountain (hwy 30). Walets is a smoky biker bar with cheap, good, food. The ham sandwich is notable. Dino bet I couldn't eat one. In case you're in the area, the ham is not sliced deli meat, but instead thickly sliced thanksgiving quality ham. The ham was so big it had to be folded in half to come close to fitting under the bun. It is apparently inches and inches thick of ham sandwich. My wife later pointed out I should have snapped a pictures. She is right, but was not there to chime in, so someone should ride out there and take a picture to show off.
We made a nice lazy circle of a ride in the mountain heat. The locals thought it was hot. After the summer in NC, I thought the air felt comfy. It's all about what you are used to. We're probably all right.
It was a festive ride even if it wasn't high mileage. It was a nice day in the saddle shared with friends overall.
After the group broke up Dino, Sandy, and I rode up to Keystone Lake.
The end of the day found my odometer creeping closer and closer to a monumental point.
Sunday we hopped up, or were dragged out of bed, because sadly it was time that I head back south. Dino and Sandy joined me for the first leg of the return trip home. We breakfasted at a Kings, the headed down the 66 Turnpike back to 119. I led the way. At Kings I gave them a warning that I would need to pull off for a picture soon.
I did.
We celebrated briefly. It was nice to be able to share this turning point, pun intended, with friends. Dino helped me out by taking a few pics.
We parted ways a little piece down the road. Southbound for home I did a little more interstate riding on the return trip, but to keep it from becoming boring I hopped onto local highways for a while. I did the section of 19 that I had missed on the way up among others.
I didn't stop often for pictures, but I did find a few spots I'll need to return to with my wife so we can photography them up but good in the future.
In Virginia the afternoon heat dropped and the smell changed. I knew rain was coming even before the black clouds arrived. In the tunnels I fully expected to emerge into a rain shower, but luckily didn't.
I made it back to NC before the rain started. It wasn't enough to stop me from riding, just enough to slow me down and cool me down.
When I made it back to Hwy 150, nearing the house, I called my wife and arranged for her to meet me for pizza. So we chatted about the trip that she had missed and ate at one of our
favorite local restaurants. My wife had had her own weekend fun and had pizza for lunch, so dined on burgers instead which are also good there.
Having a limited amount of time, with other things competing for attention at the moment, I couldn't make it up to Inzane in Bel-Aire, but I did manage to have a fun time riding with other VRCC members. This weekend was uneventful, since I did not attend THE event, but it was fun because I was able to spend it with friends and good weather.
