With a fresh set of tires mounted and the 12,000 mile service completed plus the favorable weather forecasts for the area I would be in, I decided I was going to the Rally. I was like a kid the night before Christmas Thursday night as I was rushing through dinner so I could finish packing. The plan was to be in bed by 9 & get up at four but that wasn’t to be. I got to bed after 10 and tossed and turned all night.
I did get out on time and met John M. at the Bayside Marina at 6 AM. John enjoyed the rats frolicking among the rocks before I arrived. It’s a bit hectic getting back on to the Cross Island there but much thanks to Walter for showing me the route to the RFK, Harlem River Drive, GWB to the Palisades on the way to the MOA a rally in July. The sun rising over the Hudson from the Palisade Parkway was spectacular.
We didn’t hit any traffic to Port Jervis. At Scott’s suggestion, we tried Roy’s for breakfast. It was most enjoyable and reasonable. I have to say when they say Large Juice, they mean Jumbo! Overall a great value I thought. We saw a few motorcyclists pass while we ate and assumed that some of them must be on their way to the Rally. We knew the loud pipe guys weren’t!
John M. wasn’t going to the Rally but he wanted to check out Route 97 & Hawk’s Nest. We got behind some tourist doing 20MPH! That stunk! A few miles up John turned around and headed home. He said the ride back was the way it should be (Great). I continued on 97 to Hancock where I picked up 17. Last year Rob got me one of those Motocycle Tour Maps of the area. I used that to pick a back way to Watkins Glen just west of Owego. Got detoured due to some road construction but it was nice scenery all the way. Made it to the Hidden Valley Campground around 1PM after 325 miles.
I tried calling Mike from Canada so we could set up together but he didn’t have a great signal there. He found me after I had my tent set up, lol. A trip to Walmart for beer, ice, snacks, chair and a cooler and a stop at a local restaurant for the worst pizza in my life. T
hat evening Mike, Martin, Frank and I enjoyed drinks and cigars. When I was ready for bed some of their friends were just pulling in. I thought I would sleep like a rock but it turned out to be more like an ice cube. My 40° sleeping bag is worthless under 55°! I would be going back to Walmart the next day for some additional bedding. Breakfast came early as it was warmer in the pavillion. I met a fellow (Jimmy R) from Ocean State Beemers while waiting on line for our grub. He rides a ’14 RT so we had a lot to talk about. One of the tips many of you might find helpful regards the Garmin GPS. With the Gamin “Smart Link” app downloaded to your smart phone, you can find your destination using your phone from the comfort of wherever, save the destination (give it a recognizable name) and then send it to your GPS. When ever you get to your bike and turn on the GPS it will ask if you want to accept the address (s) sent to the device. I thought this was slick. We have the Navigator V. I don’t know what other models this app works with though.
The canadian contingency wasn’t into what they had for breakfast at the Rally so they went out. I brought a rally sweatshirt to prepare for that evening temps, checked out the flea marker and at 11 I decided to make my own ride plans as they weren’t back yet. I headed out to Letchworth Park also known as the Grand Canyon of the East. That was well worth the trip. I had lunch and ice cream at the park and enjoyed many of the vistas. On the way back to the rally I stopped at Walmart for a blanket.
After the roast beef dinner served by the Finger Lakes Club, we enjoyed too many drinks and cigars (I’m starting to see a pattern here).
Enjoying my coffee in the morning I could hear the sounds of the racers warming up for tha race later in the day. I didn’t realize how close the track was. Saw a guy in a race suit at the gas station in his Ferrari Sunday morning. After breakfast we took a nice ride led by Frank from PA. He seemed to have a knack for finding unpaved roads for a while but then he found his groove. Stopping in Hammondsport for lunch we found some shops and a park in town to relax. Martin wanted to check out the brewery he knew of on the other side of Seneca Lake but we found one closer overlooking Keuka Lake. What a view it was! They even had live music. After a beverage we headed back to the rally site for dinner.
On the way back the race nearby must have just finished as the cars were lined up to get on to Route 14 for quite a ways.
Glad we weren’t going that way. It was sad waking up this morning and knowing that I should get packing after coffee but I was looking forward to having breakfast at Cracker Barrel to break up the ride a bit. I said my goodbyes and left the Campground around 8:30. I must have put the wrong address for cracker barrel in because it led me to a house. Maybe next year.
With traffic building on 17 I decided to take the ferry home. When I started the bike in Port Jefferson, the lamp out indicator came up and I realized my main beam went out.
I pulled into my driveway around 4:30 with 295 miles for the day and 930 miles for the weekend. All in all a great time with great people, great roads (many freshly paved) and great weather.
See you soon!