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Motorcycle Ride to a Potato Chip Factory.

Posted: September 17, 2013 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
Tags: blog, Harley, Harley Davidson, HD, HOG, I-66, I-81, interstate 66, Interstate 81, Johnny appleseed, Kawasaki, Mama Zuma’s, meems Bottom Covered Bridge, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle touring, Mount Jackson, Northern Virginia, northern Virginia motorcycle club, NOVA MC, route 11, Route 11 Potato Chip, Strasburg, Suzuki, VA, Virginia motorcycle ride, Woodstock, wordpress, Yamaha PW50

Last Saturday I rode with the Northern Virginia Motorcycle Club (NOVA MC) to the Route 11 Potato Chip factory. Debbie had to work so she missed out on the fun.

The start point was in Manassas, VA with a link up time of 8 AM but I left the house early in order to stop and have breakfast with Debbie. We stopped at the Chick-fil-a in Leesburg to have a quick meal I then went to ride and she went off to work.

We had eleven bikes, several with passengers, show up for the ride. After a short safety brief from the road captain “Chaz” we started to roll out…. But, one of the bikes had a malfunction, it would not start. After a few attempts at “bump starting” it was apparent it was not going anywhere. We confirmed that the rider had the issue covered and then set off.

It was a bit cool when we hit the road, around 60 degrees (Fahrenheit) and of course even cooler as we road down Interstate 66. After the merge of I-66 and Interstate 81 we took the first exit (Route 11) and headed south. We rode though the towns of Strasburg, Woodstock (where we noticed that the temperature was now around 55 degrees), Edinburg, and Mount Jackson.

Turns out that I-81 was the major interstate replacement for Route 11. 11 begins at the Canadian border at Rouses Point, NY and ends in Louisiana. Route 11 is 1,645 miles or 2,647 KM in length.

Turning off Route 11 we hit Wissler Road (VA 720) and rode through Meems Bottom Covered Bridge. The bridge was a bit tricky, it had raised wooden planks for cars to traverse, which caught me a bit off guard. Going into a dark covered bridge with dark sun glasses trying to keep a good distance and pace while riding on raised planks….interesting!

A few miles from the covered bridge is the Route 11 Potato Chip factory. It is out by itself, you have to want to go there, which we did. They were not cooking chips that day but I have to admit that for a place that deep fries their product it was remarkably clean! The owner gave us an overview of how the operation works which was interesting and we sampled all their different types of chips.

I liked the BBQ chips the most and bought a bag for myself. I also bought a small bag of their “hot” chips, Mama Zuma’s! Now that was a spicy potato chip!

After the visit to the chip plant we stopped for lunch at Johnny Appleseed’s restaurant. The food was nice and the lunch conversation was better. After we ate it was time to head back. We took VA 340 North and I followed the same path as when Debbie and I visited New Market Battlefield (click here for that ride).

All in all it was another great ride with the NOVA MC!

: The MC at the chip factory

: NOVA MC!

Update on the 2 Million Biker Ride/Demostration

Posted: September 11, 2013 in Motorcycle news, Motorcycle Rides
Tags: 9-11, 911, Facebook, Fort Washington, ft Washington Harley Davidson., Harley Davidson, HD, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, Washington DC

Permit or not it is happening.

FOX 5 TV has covered the ride on their website. The still pictures are the riders outside of Fort Washington Harley Davidson, which is just outside Washington DC.

The Facebook page for the rides sponsor, 2 Million Bikers to DC, is also being updated.

Million Motorcycle March on 9/11, denied!

Posted: September 10, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
Tags: 9-11, 911, counter demonstration, demonstration, million motorcycle, Million Muslim March, September 11th

Regardless of your politics…. An interesting article about the Million Muslim March scheduled for September 11^th and the proposed counter demonstration of Two Million Bikers to DC.

The fact that one was approved and one denied is a bit…disconcerting. Although I understand the traffic issues, I think it might have been faster safer to move the bikes though in one pass vs. stops at every light.

Rattle the Runway 2013

Posted: September 9, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
Tags: 911, BMW motorcycle, Can-AM spyder, Harley, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle riding, pentagon, Rattle The Runway Ride, Victory motorcycles, Yamaha

I rode in the Rattle The Runway Ride on the 8^th of September. Below are photos from the event.

Motorcycle ride to Antietam Battlefield

Posted: August 29, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
Tags: American Civil War, American Supreme Court, Antietam, Antietam Battlefield, Antietam National Battlefield, Battle of Antietam, Clara Barton, Frederick, Frederick Maryland, Harley, Harley Davidson, History of the United States, MarylandMartinsburg, MD, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, national park service, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Red Cross, Sharpsburg, Sharpsburg Maryland, West Virginia, WV

Last weekend Debbie and I went for a motorcycle ride to Antietam Battlefield. The American Civil War battlefield is near Sharpsburg, Maryland about half way between Martinsburg, WV and Frederick, MD.

Ride to Antietam

This was the worst one day battle in American History. 23,000 soldier were killed, wounded or went missing in only 12 hours. After seeing the battlefield and understanding the tactics of the time I find it hard to understand how these men walked into the open for the cannons to…just wipe them out!

The battlefield itself is well maintained and there are monument to many of the units and men that fought and died on that day. The museum has a thirty minute movie covering the action, I suggest you see the film first as it will lay out what occurred in a broad scope so you will have some context as you move outside.

You may run across two, non-military, names that were unexpected to see in a place like this. Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross and, then Captain, Oliver Wendell Holmes. Holmes, who was left for dead at Antietam, would later become a famous member of the American Supreme Court.

We also spent part of the day just wheeling around and by the time we arrived at home we had put nearly 120 miles on the bike. And for a great change, there was never even a threat of rain.

: Train Tunnel, Point of Rock, MD

: Ride to Antietam

: Ride to Antietam

: Ride to Antietam

: Ride to Antietam

: Ride to Antietam

: Brunswick, Md

: Brunswick, Md

: Brunswick, Md

: Brunswick, Md

: Brunswick, Md

: Brunswick, Md

: Ride to Antietam

: Potomac River and Harpers Ferry in the distance

: Boonsboro, MD (like it says)

: Boonsboro, MD

: Boonsboro, MD

: Boonsboro, MD

: Antietam National Battlefield

: Confederate Atillery Battery

: Dunkers Church

: Inside Dunkers Church

: Monument to Maryland Soldiers

: Bronze on the Maryland monument.

: Bronze on the Maryland monument.

: Bronze on the Maryland monument.

: Bronze on the Maryland monument.

: Monument to New York soldiers

Another Great September Ride…. 10th Annual Battlefield Run

Posted: August 27, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
Tags: Antietam, Army Special Operations Command, ASOC, Battlefield Harley Davidson, battlefield run, Charles Town, Gettysburg, Harley Davidson, Maryland and Pennsylvania, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, Shepherdstown, SOF, SOWF, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Virginia, West Virginia

This is another great ride (I just said that, right)! The Battlefield Run is about 110 miles long and rides through four states (Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania) ending at Battlefield Harley Davidson in Gettysburg.

The name comes from, I think, the fact that it rolls through several Civil War Battlefields including Antietam, Charles Town, Shepherdstown, and Gettysburg. The name is also representative of the charity it supports, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Which provides college scholarships the surviving children of fallen Special Operations Forces.

Debbie and I only discovered this ride two years ago. It is a cause close to our hearts (I spent 10 years in the Army Special Operations Command) and is a great ride (I said that, right?). If you can attend, please do!

Rattle The Runway Ride 2013

Posted: August 25, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
Tags: 9-11, 911, Dulles airports, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, National and Space Museum, pentagon, Pentagon 9-11 Memorial, rattle the runway, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

The “Rattle The Runway Ride”, which began in 2003, commemorates the events of September 11th. In particular it honors the memory of Flight 77 which began at Dulles International Airport and ended when it crashed into the Pentagon.

This year’s event will be held on the 8th of September, with the ride staging at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. If the event holds to form, the museum will open for about an hour before the run begins. To me, this is one of the best parts of this event, you get to view the museum with a, relatively, small group.

Once the opening ceremonies, which begin at 9AM, are completed the ride will pass in front of the Dulles Main Terminal, move onto VA 267 and end at the Pentagon 9-11 Memorial. There are no registrations or fees involved with this event. Any donations and money from the sales of event memorabilia goes to the Pentagon Memorial Fund.

The event draws about 1000 bikes each year. You can expect the standard accordion affects during the ride as you would with any group of this size. Debbie and I have participated in this event in the past and plan to do so again this year.

Motorcycle Ride to PAW PAW

Posted: August 20, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
Tags: Berkeley Springs, Berkeley Springs state park, blue ridge mountains, cacapon river, Charles Town, eastern panhandle, George Washington, Harley, Harley Davidson, Hillsboro, Martinsburg, mineral spring, mineral spring water, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, organic restaurant, Paeonian Springs, Panorama at the Peak, Paw Paw, shenandoah river, sonic restaurant, table to market, Ultra Classic, ultra limited, VA, VA route 9, VA RT 9, Virginia, Virginia State Route 9, West Virginia, west virginia route 9, Winchester, WV, WV route 9, WV RT 9

Well, Paw Paw, West Virginia was not the intended destination, in fact, we just went out to ride.

We pulled out about ten in the morning (on the Ultra Limited) and head west on Route 7. I noticed the exit for Virginia State Route 9 and decided, what the heck let’s see where Route 9 goes. We knew it went north to Martinsburg, WV but that was about it.

Route 9 in Virginia is also known as Charles Town Pike and passes through rolling farmland and the towns of Paeonian Springs (which has a historic district) and Hillsboro. Hillsboro sets in the middle of a gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains. A short climb out of Hillsboro and you have a great view of Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

RT 9 at WV/VA boarder

At this point VA Route 9 becomes WV Route 9 and also becomes a four line highway. While we did not take the road, by the looks of the area I can image that “old 9” down the mountain would be full of twistiness! Crossing the Shenandoah River we scooted through Charles Town and Martinsburg, we did not stop to look around, today was just about riding. A little after Martinsburg the road becomes a 2 lane again.

When we reached Berkeley Springs we did stop. Right in the middle of the town is the Berkeley Springs State Park. The town (its real name is Bath) was considered the country’s first spa and resort area because of the mineral spring producing 2,000 gallons a minute. George Washington even visited the springs. Heck the town even has a castle!

Continuing on Route 9, up the mountain out of Berkeley Springs we summited to a spectacular view of the Potomac River in the valley below. We decided to have lunch across the street from the fabulous view at Panorama at the Peak restaurant. This is a farm to table, organic, restaurant and the food was awesome!

Back on the bike we rode down the mountain and into the Cacapon River Valley. This stretch of road from Berkeley Springs to Paw Paw was very lightly traveled, I doubt that we passed a dozen cars. It undulates along the Cacapon River and was just a very nice ride!

Riding in the Cacapon River valley

We reached the end of WV 9 when we hit Paw Paw. It is a very small town at the intersection of WV 9 and 29 and was the point where we began our return trip. We did not retrace our route instead we zigged and zagged through a variety of roads until we reached Route 7 at Winchester, VA. After stopping at the Winchester Sonic restaurant for ice cream (I love there coconut milkshakes) we quickly made it back home.

We put in 198 miles on this trip with only a few stops….it was a great day with the wife and the bike!

: Debbie and me somewhere in WV

: One lane bride in WV

: Welcome to Paw Paw

: Railroad bridge over the Cacapon River

: View of the Potomac River

: A castle, really!

: What?

: Berkeley Springs History

: Berkeley Springs History

: George Washington’s bath tub?!

: Berkeley Springs

: View from RT 9 north of Martinsburg

: Route 9 in WV

: New old school MacDonalds

: WV/VA border

: WV/VA border

: WV/VA border

: View from RT 9 in VA

: Hillsboro, VA

: Hillsboro, VA

: View from RT 9 in VA

: Route 9 in VA

Harley Davidson In China – Dragon Riders!

Posted: August 6, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
Tags: China, dragon riders, Hangzhou, Harley, Harley Davidson, HD, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride

Life Behind The Wall published a really nice post on a ride with the ex-pat motorcycle club Dragon Riders!

Beyond the obvious good time she had on the ride, the item that struck me the most was “ Harley is illegal to ride in Hangzhou city but they didn’t seem worried at all about it as one by one all Bikes began to arrive. “

Tie that statement with the comment from my earlier post regarding how it is illegal to ride a Harley Davidson on the highways —- not quite right!

The Bridges of Pennsylvania,,, A motorcycle ride.

Posted: July 29, 2013 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
Tags: Harley, Harley Davidson, Maryland, MD, meetup.com, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle touring, northern Virginia motorcycle club, NOVA MC, PA, PA Route 75, Pennsylvania, The Old Mountain Stone Inn, US Route 15, VA, Virginia

Foggy start to the day

This past weekend Debbie and I rode with the Northern Virginia Motorcycle Club (NOVA MC) to see and ride through a bunch of covered bridges in Pennsylvania. This was an all-day ride; we left the house on a foggy Saturday morning at a few minutes after six AM to get to the rally point. The club met up outside a Starbucks in Chantilly, VA before rolling out for the day.

Heading north on US Route 15 we crossed into Maryland at Point of Rocks passed through Frederick and quite soon entered Pennsylvania and the first stop. This bridge was literally just across the state line off of Route 15. I am not sure where we stopped or the name of the bridge but the picture is below. From that point on we attempted to capture a picture of the name or historical marker.

After a bit we rolled out to see the other bridges. About one o’clock we stopped for lunch at The Old Mountain Stone Inn in Bloomfield, PA. The food was good, the company better but the show was the best (LOL). About half way through our lunch a poker run arrived and they were having a lot of fun which made it a lot of fun for us to watch!!

Pennsylvania Amish country.

During lunch we also noticed that the incoming weather was getting much worse and decided to cut the ride a “bit” short. We decided to visit the longest covered bridge (271 feet) in PA, the Academia Bridge. From there we jumped on PA Route 75, which passed through the Pennsylvania Amish country.

Storm Chaser Powers ACTIVATE!

It was on Route 75 were we got the wettest! While we had experienced sprinkles and light rain we got a downpour, and of course nowhere to really pull over. We finally reached a gas station where Debbie and I did the group a big favor; we put on our rain suits, which normally guarantees the rain will stop. We split off from the main group to head home shortly after that stop and we might have had ten rain drops from that point on! I hope the others fared as well!

About Northern Virginia Motorcycle Club

NOVA MC is a “Meetup.com” group that “is for motorcycle enthusiasts who are interested in taking short jaunts, usually on weekends, around Virginia’s highways and byways.” Debbie and I discovered them about a year ago and this was our second ride with the club. I have to say that we have tried to ride more with them but life, schedules and other events have conspired to limit our experience with the club. BUT, I can say that without hesitation, if your live in Northern Virginia and want to ride in a motorcycle agnostic environment and want to have a good time, check them out!