2009 ESTN Ride Report through the eyes of a (HiViz) Greenhorn!

[Marcster]

996 miles in 3 days.  That eclipses the 500 miles that I had put on the Yamaha since I bought it on 8/1/09, and is about 200 more miles than I put on the Kymco scooter in the 11 months I had it!



For some reason, I am unable to use Jetphoto Studio to geotag my photos.  It's worked in the past, so I'm probably just doing something wrong...  I may look into it further, but at this point am giving up on geotagging my pics.  I may try again later.

At least I have the .gdb files for use on GPSVisualizer.com.  If you were with me at any point and want to use my Garmin eTrex logs to geotag your own photos (or mess around on GPSvisualizer.com), go here: http://www.marcann.com/2009-estn and download the date(s) you want.  It makes for an excellent "now where did I go today" log.

Day 1 -- 9/11/09
Zoomed in to show more detail (the soggy run up the turnpike is not shown):



Alarm went off at 4:30 am to a driving rain outside.  The plan was to meet Rincewind (Alex), MustangRider (Greg) and Mustang (John) at Letterman's Diner (one of my favorite diners) in Kutztown, PA for a 6 am breakfast.  My wife made me turn the 'puter on and make sure there wasn't a message through ST.N that we'd go up later in the day due to the rain...  There wasn't of course.  Donned my brand-new "waterproof" Tour Master gear and loaded the bags on the Yamaha in the dark...

Nothing lifts the spirits like a good breakfast and a cup of coffee:



During the ride I almost lost both of my saddlebags rain covers -- the retention system on Fieldsheer Expander bag's rain covers sucks!  Fortunately, I was able to grab and stuff both of them underneath my tankbag's rain cover (including yanking one at a stoplight going towards the turnpike and an unplanned pull-off onto the shoulder of the turnpike for the other).  Thank goodness I had the forethought to put all my clothing in Ziploc Big Bags "in case the rain covers fail".

I got SOAKED on the turnpike.  It wasn't even funny... I never thought I'd enjoy the ride through the Lehigh Valley tunnel on the turnpike, but it did mean that the rain "stopped" if only for 2-3 minutes.

Our first gas stop was when we got off the turnpike, at a Pilot station in Dupont (which is near Wilkes-Barre).  I realized that I had left one of the chest vents open on the jacket and was soaked and cold.  I grabbed a fresh shirt, the quilted liners for my jacket and pants, and my Nelson Rigg SR-6000 two piece rainsuit that I bought during a break at my Beginners MSF course from the adjoining Suzuki dealer (the rain jacket fits over my armored jacket well enough, but the pants are so loose that they'll fall down if I don't hold them up when I'm off the bike.)  

Just my luck, I dropped the fresh shirt in a puddle while juggling all the stuff on my way into the Pilot station.  

It was challenging to change into all that stuff... A baby-changing table would have been most helpful, but this station was bare bones.  I grabbed the handicapped stall for more space to transform.

"Waterproof" Joe Rocket Nitrogen Gloves were so wet I was wringing them out over the toilet!

Waterproofing shoe stuff I had put on my boots that morning had no effect... Socks were soaking wet.

When I was done, the station's janitor was cleaning the sinks and told me that he had been stuck in weather like this while riding in previous years, how it sucked and asked me where I was headed (I guess the hiviz jacket gives it away).  He told me that the Adirondacks are beautiful and that now is a pretty nice time to visit and the leaves were probably starting to turn...  That lifted my spirits a bit.

I still must've looked a down because Rincewind told me there was no shame in going home if I didn't want to go.  The thought crossed my mind, but hell, the rain was starting to taper off a bit and I'm already wet -- it can't get much worse...  I put my Sansa Clip on instead of earplugs (Led Zeppelin's 4 disc greatest hits).  

I had a hell of a time getting my hands in the wet gloves.  I finally got the right one on, but gave up on the left.  Grabbed my regular left gauntlet from a Ziploc bag and we pressed on.

We took 81 North and stopped at a rest area just inside the NY border...  We had finally escaped the grasp of the storm!  I grabbed a dry pair of underwear and socks from my bags and headed to the bathroom again.

Since the rain was South of us, I put my raingear away, put on my regular Fieldsheer gauntlets (adding my silk liners) and we hit the road again.  Dry, comfortable and warm, that's the way to be!  And I am much happier in my regular gloves -- the Nitrogen gloves are thick like diapers to begin with, but even worse as wet diapers.

We split off from 81 North to 88 East and criss-crossed our way to Oneonta for a gas and lunch stop.  Rincewind's GPS told him there was a Burger King nearby but it was a housing development instead...  All GPSes are filled with some lies and half-truths, it's just a matter of how important it is.  Fortunately for us, there was a McD's around the corner.

Back on the road, we took 205 to Harwick, NY where we cut over to 28 North, road through Cooperstown and picked up 80 North, then hit some backroads cutting over to 10 North.

At some point, Rincewind (in the lead), scared a flock of wild turkeys that were just hanging out in the middle of the road.   We might have been the only vehicles they'd see all day -- that's how "off the beaten path" we were.  

10 North wound us through some small towns and into the Adirondacks where we picked up State Route 8 to State Route 30.  A beautiful ride...

GPS log zoomed in in further to show the 'dacks:


At some point we pulled off into an abandoned ice cream shop's parking lot for a much needed stretch:



We took 30 to 3 to 86.  At a stoplight in Saranac Lake, we saw a sign that Lake Placid was only 8 miles away.  Those were the l-o-n-g-e-s-t 8 miles ever...  I was tired and afraid of getting sloppy with my riding.  I had already eclipsed my longest ride which was the Camaraderie ride (including the 150 miles round trip to and from Carlisle).

We finally reached the Econolodge and checked in...  Greg and I split a room.  For some reason, they put us in a "Senior Room" which meant the sink and beds seemed to be lower than normal, but whatever.

A good burrito at some brew pub and good conversation with the guys...  A stop at Stewards for beer and back to the hotel for some tall tails, war stories, plenty of laughs and general BS.

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Day 2 in progress....  Let me know what you guys think so far.  Am I including too many details (be honest!)

[st2sam]

So far so good.   Are you sure your not a professional?  

[chas]

How did I know you were the right guy for the position of photo czar?

[DosEquis00]

Nice report so far and it is a shame Rincewind tried to ditch you at the diner.

[Tony T]

So who's who in the dinner picture?  

[Rincewind]

Nice report so far and it is a shame Rincewind tried to ditch you at the diner.

  He was so wet and miserable, I had to give him the option at the truck stop.  Steady rain and 50-degree weather is not a good mix for being wet to the skin.

Marc was a little shy of higher speeds on the turnpike; he said that his new high speed record is 87 mph.  Then when we hit the Dacks, I of course started passing cars and Marc was a little shy of that at first, but seemed to start passing better by the time we got there - I didn't need to pull off to wait for him, just slow down now and then.  Overall he did just fine for being so new to it all.
Posted on: September 14, 2009, 10:08:30 pm

Nice shot of the route.  The Rt10 in SW Dacks (the most southern green squiggly) was the best road on the way up.  Keep up the good report. 

[Marcster]

Nice report so far and it is a shame Rincewind tried to ditch you at the diner.

It was at a gas station, actually, and maybe they just didn't like my diner suggestion (I'm kidding, I'm kidding...)  I mean if they really wanted to, they could've just ditched me when I was getting changed!

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Day 2 -- 9/12/09



Chas (Charlie) led our band of seven out for a "reasonably paced" ride through the 'dacks.  Charlie is from the 'dacks area and knew just where to take us, and had many options at different points of the day...  

It was a mix of twisties, scenic spots, and great stops...  If Charlie is leading you on a future ride, you are in for a great day (afternoon, whatever).

Since it wasn't raining, I was able to break out my RAM mount and point-and-shoot camera.  I knew from a test run that only about one in ten shots would be in focus and worth looking at, so I took as many as I could...  With auto-shutter and multiple 8GB MemoryStick Pro Duo cards, I had diarrhea of the shutter button!

Here are a few of the better photos:







It drizzled here and there...  I think the raindrops add a little sumthin' sumthin' to the photos:





The ones where we weren't in motion were easy:







Again, child's play:



We started out on 73, through Keane where 73 becomes 9N all the way over to Westpoint and headed South.  Every so often we would see Lake Champlain to our left, then tuck back into the trees, then back to the Lake again...  9N joined up with 22, which we took to 74 East and we dropped off the two Beemers at the ferry to VT and looked around Lake Champlain, leaving us with five.  

Possible conversation:
Greg: "So that's a 1400, huh?"
Jeff: "Yup."
Greg: "So you could totally dust us, right?"
Jeff: "Yup."



We headed out on 74 going West to 9 North before heading East on Caza Turn Rd., which became North Huston-Moriah Rd./Ensign Pond Rd., a curvy road that had two of my pucker moments of the trip.  

Within a span of 2 minutes I had a " The edge of the road is coming up awful fast!" on a left hand turn and went halfway into the oncoming (but thankfully empty) lane on a right hand turn.  Gotta keep your head in the game, Marc!

At the end of the road we picked up Witherbee Rd., heading North where we picked up Tracy Rd. for more twisty fun.  

Even on this "reasonably-paced" ride, I'm not as hardcore as some of the other riders, but I caught up with them and we headed on 9 North to 73 North and turned of onto Hulls Falls Rd.

One of our stops (some place...  darn geotagging) was at a Revolutionary War reenactment = awesome!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War

Those folks were very into their characters, and it was really interesting...

Militia soldiers:





Not sure if the participants really stayed in these tents, but there were enough on both sides of the park for both the Militia and the British opposition:



Hey, I found Garry's Kielbasa! (reference):





Ribs!!!  Nom, nom, nom!:





Plenty of participants, from the "seasoned":



To the "whippersnappers":



A little square dancing to break up the day:



But it wasn't all fun and games, even if you are are a participant, you still have to do your homework:



I didn't know they had digital cameras in the 1700s!:



I wouldn't mess with this guy:



The British!:



The British apparently let women fight in the army (I really like this photo for some reason):

[Marcster]

Day 2 Continued:

Greg, you were wondering how far you lean...  This was you in a parking lot (of all places), probably going all of 15 mph:



On the road again:



Charlie must emit a "I know this area like the back of my hand" pheromone because some bikers with European accents (though they said they were from NH) saw us stopped at a gas station and pulled in to ask for directions.  Of course, Charlie was more than happy to oblige!



On the road again...



A quick stop at the Olympic Training facility:





The view from the parking lot:



Charlie gave us some suggestions on what else we could do in the area and he rode back to the hotel (he's done everything many times over).  

Jeff, Greg and I road over to the Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jump facility and after some debate of whether to do that or try and find Whiteface, we decided to pay the $10 fee (each) to enter the facility and also ride the glass elevator to the top...

Olympic athletes train be skiing down water-moistened jumps into a 17' deep pool of water:





(I have a video I'll throw up on Youtube later).

Riding up the gondola (Jeff is in the carriage behind me):



"I'll take a pic of you taking a pic of me":



Hey, are the bikes OK? (1x optical zoom magnification):



Yup, they're fine! (15x optical zoom magnification):



The views from the top of the ski jump (after taking the glass elevator up):







Yeah, uhm, it's a long way down in a very short period of time:



The launching platform is adjustable, and rolls up like a roll-top desk.  I would guess it gives new trainees a chance to start from a lower height till they get used to it, I don't know.  It's much higher than the the water-ski jump I posted above.

Jeff in silhouetted by the afternoon sun:



Hamming it up with a statue at the bottom of the ski jump:



Someone please ask Jeff to post the one of him with the statue...  It's bound to be one of ST.N lore!

My Yamaha in good company:



The staging for an imaginary race:


(Who would win? Maybe the Ducati, since it was given a third of a bike handicap.)

This was probably 60% of the bikes that were there...  Was there an official count?



Colleen and Dan's Kawasakis hanging out with my Yamaha...



Charlie led our gang of nine walking towards town to choose from a few restaurants for dinner...  The infamous trolley stopped to pick us up about halfway to town. From what I heard from others, the trolley does not run like clockwork.

The Station Street looked good so we headed in.  We were told that their dining room had been reserved for a private party but that we were welcome to eat at their elevated outdoor deck.  It was a nice night, so an open air meal was more than welcome (we also ate outdoors at that brew pub on Friday night).

Station Street is known for their BBQ according to the waiter of our waiter & waitress team.  Lon and I split a "BBQ sampler" which would feed two according to the menu (as did Colleen and Dan).  It was 4 ribs, a chicken drum and thigh, pulled pork, a pulled pork "slider", coleslaw, and jalapeno cornbread.  It came with a choice of Jack Daniels BBQ sauce or Appalachian Maple BBQ sauce.  Both Lon and I agreed that we had made JD BBQ sauce at home so the Appalachian Maple sauce was the way to go...  Boy, was it ever!!!  

Some of the dinners came with sweet potato fries.  Lon and I both thought that sounded good so we asked if we could get some as an appetizer (it was not on the menu, but it was listed on the bill at $2 for what was a generous portion of deep-fried deliciousness). We asked for some of the maple BBQ sauce to dip the fries in to whet our appetites.  The waiter returned with a crock like you'd serve a bowl of chili in filled with the stuff.  I think they put crack cocaine in that sauce!  It was the best BBQ sauce I've ever had, and I appreciate good BBQ (I also enjoy doing it myself, I have a gas grill and a charcoal smoker).

Colleen and Dan got an order of Poutine and shared it with everyone.  It's cheese curds, fries and beef gravy.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine  Excellent stuff - I had never had cheese curds!  They really do "squeak" when you bite them.

Looks like this:


Three pitchers of beer (Sam Adams and two other great dark beers who's names I forget).  The advantage of walking = I'll can enjoy more than one beer over dinner.

From our vantage point on the deck, we saw three ST.Ners and whistled for them telling them they were welcome to join our party.  Somehow, six more ST.Ners joined us, so we were 18 in all...  Pics are part-way down DMCole's (Dale's) post: http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,44382.msg1016370.html#msg1016370

So, Garry, the group dinner that wasn't going to happen, actually did happen!

Oh, and either the waitress misunderstood, or Lon and I looked extra hungry, because she brought us out a sampler each!  Fortunately, some of the newcomers also ordered the sampler so the waitress just pawned the extra meal off on them.  The best BBQ I've had in years (except I'm still partial to my own country ribs, layered in cinnamon, brown sugar, mustard and hot sauce).  I was joking that I was looking for more stuff to dip in the BBQ sauce -- between the two of us, we emptied that bowl of sauce.

After a quick stop at The Corner Store (it was literally named The Corner Store, and it was on the corner).  Then we walked back to the hotel for more camaraderie.



I was out till 12:15, when I saw the infamous TP bandits who swore me to secrecy.

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Next up, Day 3 and the "things I did right and things I did wrong for my first rally".

[miles]

What an excellent Meet report!

[Orson]

What an excellent Meet report!

whut he said  

although many of us don't know who Jim, Dan & Bob are without their screen names  

[Rincewind]

So who's who in the dinner picture?  

From the left: Marcster, me, Mustang/John, MustangRider/Greg

[Marcster]

Marc was a little shy of higher speeds on the turnpike

High speeds on the turnpike?  It was the first time I'd been above 45 mph on wet pavement!

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Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone!

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I forgot to reference the "TP Bandits" handiwork for those of you who did not attend the meet.  Go here:
http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,44359.0.html

[atypical1]

Great ride report  

james

[Marcster]

Day 3 -- 9/13/09

Getting back to the room at 12:15 am, I realized I had to pack yet!  Stuff just got jammed in the cases 'cause I needed shut-eye more than anything...  Good thing those Expander bags expand because I sure wasn't folding things nicely.

Greg was hanging out watching TV, probably what I should have been doing in preparation for the long ride home, but the socialization was too much fun.

I work from home.  There are complete weeks that go by where the only real people I see is my wife and possibly the mail lady.



Greg and I talked till 1:30 am...

--------------------------------

At 7 am, Greg and I checked out of the hotel and we both agreed we should get together and ride sometime.  Ephreta isn't that far away!

Leaving the 'dacks:







I could tell I was holding up Rincewind (Alex), Mustang (John) & Greg (MustangRider) at least a little bit on the ride up.  Jeets (Jeff) and I had talked quite a bit while riding around with Charlie on Saturday, plus I knew we were matched for pace so Saturday night I asked if he was looking for a partner for the ride home (Jeff probably lives about 40 minutes from me).  Sounded like a plan...

Skee (Frank) joined us, leading us down Route 73 (a beautiful road).  The oil light lit up on the Yamaha as when I started it up, but I knew that it came on when I ran the choke and always figured that it was a reminder that you had the choke open.  Only this time it didn't go off after a minute of regular riding...  

Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do about it and I knew that we were going to stop at the first gas station to fill up and that they were bound to have oil for sale.  I was indeed low, and a quick top-off and stowed the oil in the tailbag (in case it came on again later - it did not).  

We were back on our way.

Frank is up there somewhere:



Frank led us to 87 where he departed with a friendly wave (he was heading off for more twisty fun).  Jeff took the lead and we made some really great time on "the slab" -- virtually no traffic in either direction.  I guess everyone was at church or sleeping in...  For a relatively straight interstate, it did it's best to be scenic...  Nickelback, Linkin Park and Metallica urged me onward.

We stopped for gas in Westmere, NY which had a bizarre series of probably four or six roundabouts to handle traffic getting on and off the highway and to get onto side streets.

Back on 87 South for more slabbin'.  Exited in Saugerties, NY for lunch at McD's and a gas fill-up at the adjoining Stewards.  Jeff saw signs for Woodstock & the Catskills, reprogrammed his GPS and we headed West on 212 through some nice small towns and headed South on Zena Rd. which took us through the Catskills State Park.



We picked up 209 South for some more slabbin' to make up some time.  There must have been a car show somewhere because we kept passing all sorts of classic cars and trucks, some showroom, some all tricked out.  

Jeff and I passed a NY trooper all tucked in a grove of trees -- thought we were done for sure, and we both slowed, waiting for flashing lights!

Either the trooper was looking for faster vehicles or it would have been too difficult to pull over two bikes.  We considered ourselves lucky.  209 took us all the way down to 84 in Matamoris, PA.  We took 84 over to 390 and ran through the Promised Land State Park.  

At a McD's for a beverage/potty stop:



Took 611 to 80 to 33...  I was starting to get familiar with the area!  This meant two things: (1) I was almost home and (2) the ride was coming to an end!

Bikes were all over 33, we got plenty of biker wave time in...  I know it annoys some of you, but I never get tired of that!

At a gas stop in Wind Gap, PA, we knew that we'd be parting company in the next half hour or so, we said our verbal goodbyes and talked about getting together in the future (Jeff: "I've got some roads to show you!" -- Cool Jeff,  I'll hold you to that!)

Down 33 to 78 where Jeff got off the highway for Route 29.  A final wave and I was on my own...

78 rejoined with 22 and I got off at New Smithville, PA for a stretch:



I then took one of the "curvy" roads that I've always thought would be nice on a bike, but had only been on in my Oldsmobile (Mill Creek Rd./Long Ln. Rd. between New Smithville and Kutztown).

Well, it was still scenic, and there is one bend that's especially purrrdy, but just a country road.  My definition of "curvy" has been redefined.

Picked up 222 South which led me home for a much needed shower...  Wife: "Don't kiss me, you're all sweaty and gross!"

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Up next...  Reflections...

[shesmyjewel]

Looks like you all had a great time, despite the wet weather.....
a bunch of you came right through my area.....

[miles]

I am beginning to believe that this won't be Marc's last ride report.  We'll see more of these from him in the future, I have no doubt.  He's hooked.

[MustangRider]

Wow Marc...maybe the best ride report I've ever read!   Of course that compliment has nothing to do with seeing my VFR in so many pics.  

I guess going forward, you'll know to leave a little space in one of those bags for a quart of oil.  Hopefully that doesn't prove to be too problematic for your Yamaha.

I enjoyed riding with you and hope we can do it again soon!

[Marcster]

Thanks for the comments/compliments, all! Never wrote one of these before...  Sort of like writing a short story.

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As promised, "things I did right for my first rally":

• Split a room!  Not only does it save money, but it gives you someone to talk to when you are hanging out in the room...

• Added my bike to the EZ Pass account at the same time as adding my Oldsmobile.  I ordered a second EZ Pass for my wife to use in the Olds for those times she takes it to work, thinking I could also use in on the bike for this trip.  Someone at the Turnpike Commission put two and two together and sent me a motorcycle EZ Pass (which is slightly smaller and waterproof).  It was nice not having to fumble with the ticket at the entrance of the turnpike and then with ticket/money at the exit.  Compile that with wet gloves and it's well worth the $3/yearly privilege paid for an EZ Pass transponder.

• Packed my clothing and whatnot in Ziplock Big Bags. http://www.ziploc.com/?p=b8  The XL size is large enough for the majority of saddlebags or tailbags.  Had I trusted the Fieldsheer covers not to leak, I would have been looking for a laundromat dryer.

• Bringing my Sansa Clip MP3 player.  I had originally planned on listening to music through headphones, but with the rain I couldn't do that.  Then it was nice to not be tied to the bike (I had the Clip in a inner pocket of the jacket.

• Taking Alieve at regular intervals, even before breakfast on the first day.  Though I have no proof, I have to think that kept me from getting too sore.

• Though I used them all the through the Winter, my silk glove liners were worth their weight in gold over the weekend.  Well worth the $9 I spent, though they do catch on every piece of velcro that gets within 3" until they are covered with my gauntlets.  In the 8 months that I've had them, they look less and less like the package (pills galore), but they're indispensable unless you have heated gloves/grips (I don't).

• Had a few extra shirts, underwear and socks.

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And "things I did wrong for my first rally":

• Trusted "rainproof" gear to be rainproof.  I REALLY should have put on the jacket, gloves and pants and rode in the rain on purpose!   Or just hosed myself off or stood in the shower, or something.

• Trusted my Fieldsheer's saddlebag rain cover retention system (an elastic cord with a pull-cinch).  Silly rabbit, if you can pull it off easily without much effort, so can the wind at speed...

• Not had waterproof boots or appropriate covers.

• Not checked every single vent on my jacket prior to rolling out Friday morning.  My feet and hands would have become soaked either way, but maybe I could have avoiding the soaked shirt and underwear.  However, in a driving rain, I should have trusted nothing less than real rain gear.

• Not had the quilted liners in my gear to begin Friday's ride.  Even if they are forecasting a high of 65 degrees in Lake Placid, if it's raining at 6 am, it's going to be cold and miserable!

• Not told my Credit Union that I was going to NY for the weekend.  I had been using my Debit Card for gas, but on the 13th, it was declined in Saugerties, NY from all of those $3-$10 fill ups (they thought my card was stolen).  Sure enough on Monday I got a call from a Credit Union Rep: "Were you in NY over the weekend?"

• I should have brought a quart of oil. Not that I had any reason to think I'd be low, but I did think about it when packing...  Hell, I had an extra headlight bulb, zip ties, duct tape, electrical tape, a few multipurpose tools, and a pair of spare m/c pegs (since I dropped the bike once and snapped the right peg -- made for an awful 75 mile trip home from Carlisle with just a 1/2 mounting tab to rest my right size 12 on, to say nothing of stops on hills)...  How much more space would a quart of oil taken up?

• Bought more camera batteries ahead of time...  I didn't come close to the cameras memory card capacities, but I did go through 3 batteries on Saturday (granted one wasn't completely charged).  Fortunately I did have a pair of chargers.

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Next up reflections...

[Marcster]

First off: 

A big thanks to Garry for putting the rally together!  And another to Charlie for showing us around on Saturday!  And to Alex & Jeff for guiding me safely to and from...

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The Econolodge had a continental breakfast consisting of coffee, decaf, hot tea, OJ, English muffins w/ butter & jelly, and donuts individually wrapped in cellophane. 
Let's just say that donuts individually wrapped in cellophane are every bit as enjoyable as you think they might be...  At least the English muffins were good.

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Of course, HiViz is no guarantee that you'll be seen.  Though I like the obnoxious color/nature of my jackets (I have a Fieldsheer mesh jacket in the same color), I still had to use my horn twice on the ride home when cars to my right thought that after Jeff past them that the coast was clear.  "Hello, I'm HERE, can't you see me?"  Beep, BEEEEEP, BEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!

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I really need to spend some time in a parking lot...  

I've only had the Yamaha since August 1st and haven't had the time, but I really had to concentrate on not letting the clutch out too fast and stalling the bike.  And when you do it once, you are bound to do it 2, 3, 4 more times before gettin' goin' (especially if other people are waiting for you).  

And low speed maneuvers, like going from the gas pumps to park with the rest of gang (feathering the clutch).

All in good time I guess...

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I really enjoyed being able to capture photos as I was riding, but this "unfocused" photo business is a real PITA.  I think I'm going to pick up a Sticky Pod and mount the camera on the outside of my windscreen instead of bouncing on the RAM mount.  The Sticky Pod's suction cups are supposed to absorb some of the vertical motion.

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If you've read this far, you know I had a blast.  Can't wait for the next one!

If you've never attended an ST.N rally, just freakin' do it! You won't regret it!  Even if you don't know any of us before arriving.  Guaranteed that you'll make some friends...

[JReazor]

My definition of "curvy" has been redefined.

Just wait until you get to West (by God) Virginia. It's a whole different world down there.  

Great report Marc. I look forward to many more.