The 550 mile round trip, on the other hand, was magnificent. Saturday was a little blustery, but manageable. Sunday was near=perfect riding conditions... (Near-perfect. Perfect, of course, being the exact same weather - but... with waves of beer-wielding, bikini-clad girls charging over the hills at us, a-la Braveheart meets Girls Gone Wild). We had a great ride, lack of bikinis and beer aside.
We left Frederick via Rt 15/Point O' Rocks. Don't know why, as the master plan (a sheet of notebook paper on which was scrawled Robin's chicken-scratch route, stuffed into the map pocket of my New Wolfman Explorer tankbag) said to go down 340 to Rt 7 into Winchester, and then to 50. We did this on the way back to reclaim the boring miles between Leesburg and Winchester.
We stopped in Winchester to fuel. (Actually, to fuel Robin's gas-hungry Softail. This would be a theme for the entire trip - the glaring disadvantages of riding such a machine when contrasted against the relatively diminutive, but functionally-superior-in-all-ways Wee-Strom).
I'm not sure what the goofy grin is about here, but we had them for the entire trip. Rarely do great weather and free time intersect so fortuitously. It's tough not to smile about it.
We were traveling against the tide of Ultra Classics carrying mustachioed men and their mates from elsewhere to DC for the annual Memorial Day run. All were very happy to talk and trade route stories at every meeting. Most of you DAMN guys will know these locales and roads better than I, so I won't name every spot. But this gas-station at the border of MD on 50 and 90 is a goldmine for riders. The owner must be happy.
Another recurring theme was Robin's desperate need of a full-face helmet. I think he's starting to realize it's benefits, and I expect to see one on his noggin next trip.
We rode down Rt. 90 for a bit to find Rt. 219 and Rt. 33...(I think. After this, things get fuzzy).
We found overlooks and spaceships.... (Me thrown in for scale).
Eventually, we ended up in Burnsville, after miles of great mountain twisties. Most of these were too hard to photograph. May would toss you given the chance (I'm sure you guys are familiar), and demanded full attention. The V-Strom performed perfectly, however. I no longer have even a sliver of chickenstrip left on my tire. Great machine, and my confidence in it grows exponentially every day. I had to wait for my partner on many occasions after getting a little too excited and zipping down a mountain. (His wide rear tire wasn't cut out for mountain twisties). But he gave it hell.
We hit interstates occasionally, but even these in WV aren't bad riding...
Burnsville is a little place where Robin has a family member. We stayed at a truck stop in Flatwoods. The 67. Nasty accommodations, but cheap, and great breakfast. Beer available until 2 AM as well.
On the way home the next day, the wind was completely gone. Perfect day. We took great advantage of this, and made good time on the way. We stopped at this place for a basket of wings, beer, and conversation with bikers and cute backwoods bartendresses.
The look of Monkey Butt after 500 miles.
All in all, a great weekend getaway. Next time, I will adapt the destination to be a little more interesting, but the journey was the goal, anyway. Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day! I will spend the rest of mine scraping mile after mile of insect carcass from my fairings, and drinking cold ones.
Cheers, DAMN!.
