One of the annual Netscum gatherings that I attend is the annual MAMMARY run. (No, it has very little to do with female breasts; search this blog for MAMMARY label for a definition.) Since the gathering is centered in the Chesapeake Bay area southeast of Washington DC, which isn’t that great a distance from the home garage in Michigan, I tend to minimize the vacation days expended to get there. That means the route to/from MAMMARY usually consists the necessary evil of turnpikes. Continue reading Turnpike alternatives and traffic stops
Category Archives: Road Tales
In a fast-paced world where most long journeys are viewed from 20,000+ feet in a jet airliner, we miss out on the detail afforded by the low viewing angle of a motorcycle saddle. In this category I have stored a collection of interesting experiences gleaned from years of motorcycle touring. Each tale may describe a multi-week trip, a single day, or one sublime instant. Some tales even have photographic evidence. While I post these tales largely for my own amusement, I have been told they have inspired some to try motorcycle touring. If so, then that seems like a useful purpose. May they help you realize that the universe still holds many thoughts to consider, humor to be enjoyed, and wonders to behold.
2013 SNIFF Run – Map and Summary
My friend Yo Adrian and I took a little ride over to Redbeard’s place for a party. Never mind that he lived on the other side of the continent.
Continue reading 2013 SNIFF Run – Map and SummaryMITM 2012 Photos and Video
The 2012 trip to Butch and Pam’s farm (formerly known as MITM or Meet in the Middle) is long over so it’s about time to post some photos from the event. After the gallery thumbnails is a video of the start of the traditional bonfire and a photo map showing where each photo was taken.
Continue reading MITM 2012 Photos and Video
MITM 2012 Summary and Map
The 2012 run to Butch and Pam’s farm (known as MITM, Meet in the Middle) is over (actually, almost a month ago), and I’m finally getting around to posting photos of the trip.
MAMMARY 2012 Final Map
Sure, this year’s MAMMARY run was just over a month ago, but here’s one last post with a full map for the run.
Continue reading MAMMARY 2012 Final Map
Night Riding with Yo and Mr. Fun
Sometime during the recent MAMMARY run, Yo Adrian proclaimed that he and his friend Scott (Mr. Fun) would be stopping at my place on their way to Butch and Pam’s farm for the gathering called Meet in the Middle. So it came to be that Yo and Mr. Fun showed up in my driveway about 8:30pm with plans to pick me up and ride on to Anderson, IN… another four hours away.
Continue reading Night Riding with Yo and Mr. Fun
MAMMARY 2012 Run Summary & Photos
The 2012 MAMMARY Run is in the books and it was a hell of a good time. Mitch and Kathy outdid themselves yet again and hosted a most excellent gathering of Netscum. This post includes links to the other posts for this trip and a photo gallery and photo map.
For Karen and I, we logged 1,425 miles on the Vector, not bad for a long weekend and our first two-up trip together on that Bike.
Continue reading MAMMARY 2012 Run Summary & Photos
Of curves, heat, and the final dash home
Even before we left the cool comfort of our Super 8 room in Morgantown, WV, we knew we were in for a hot day. The forecast was for record highs in much of Ohio and Michigan. We also knew that we may have to adjust our planned scenic route if we got too far into the day without traversing enough distance. So, we departed Morgantown with curvy roads on our agenda.
Continue reading Of curves, heat, and the final dash home
A good lesson in loitering
When Karen and I travel out to Mitch and Kathy’s, we usually leave after work on a Thursday and ride as far as we can that night. This leaves a manageable ride on Friday, resulting in an arrival time before dinner so we can have a full evening communing with friends that we see all to rarely. However, for the trip home, we have two full days (Sunday and the Memorial Day holiday on Monday) to travel so we generally indulge in a longer route that involves fewer miles on the superslab (that is, interstate) highways.
Continue reading A good lesson in loitering
Avoiding the 495
We had a fairly easy ride from north of PIttsburgh to the Chesapeake Bay area to attend Mitch and Kathy’s MAMMARY Run. (By the way, that’s Mid-Atlantic, Myersville, Maryland, Annual Run, Yup.) We made good time eastbound along the Pennsylvania Turnpike to the crazy interchange-community of Breezewood, PA.
Continue reading Avoiding the 495