season opener RTE

April 16-17, 2016

Maybe not so much a “season opener”, considering the bike never really got put away over the winter months. And the previous rides have included food. But this ride might be the first intentional RTE of 2016.
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“Why am I going north? The farther north I go, the cooler it gets, the browner the ground gets, and the straighter the roads get. So I ask myself again- why am I going north?
Oh, that’s right- for good company and a good burger. And for the miles.”
^^^ Things I discuss with myself in the morning, while riding far up into Michigan in April.



It all started when I asked my friend ‘what are you doing this weekend?’ and they reply ‘meet ya for a burger at (such and such).’ And then he continues to say ‘oh, never mind. It’s probably too far for you.’ He must know that I hear a challenge anytime someone says “you probably can’t do that.”
So off I go to Michigan. 300 miles to get straight to the restaurant. Of course, I take a slightly more scenic route. But you can’t venture too far off the state routes, or you risk hitting gravel. And snow.



But you can wander between some nice rows of pine trees and across some waterways. Which luckily provide beautiful scenic overlooks.





Finally made it to the eatery, Lost Creek Sky Ranch, near Luzerne. And waited, patiently, for the cohort to show up. Extrememarine had chosen this day and area to explore some of the OHV trails on his dual sport.



Burger and house chips were delicious, and camaraderie was great. We went our separate ways after eating- I took the blacktop, Wayne took the gravel and sand.


Food, friendship, and lack of routes planned out, persuaded me to call it a night after 12 hours and 575 miles at casa de Reeves.
The next day, I finished my journey in the afternoon, by riding some of the shoreline of Lake Erie in Ohio, and then meeting up with my parents for dinner and an evening countryside ride.



All in all, it was a great weekend. Beautiful weather hovering between 45* and 76*. 850 miles circled around decent scenery, delicious food, great friends, and a loving family. All while on 2 wheels.

Nice report!

It seems like everyone was out this weekend here in Central Ohio, mostly the Harley crowd. I'm already sick of waving. I think I'll give it up this year.

On the other hand, I saw only a few riders out today (Tuesday). I took a loop up to Johnson Woods near Orrville, then on to Medina for lunch at the Alexandris ( had a yummy double mushroom burger on sourdough bread). Stopped at Rick Roush Motorsports to check out the Olympia Motoquest jacket. Then made my way down to Shelby, then back home.

Temps in the 60's, nice day!

Well done - can't believe you will venture out with snow on the side of the road. It's just so un-natural to me.

I need to pick your brain at SEOR for some good roads in Michigan. The UP is on my bucket list. I thought about detouring there on my way to SEOR, but decided to wait until another time.

Great ride report Julie. Just curious, do you enjoy the open road and highways more than the back twisty roads? I know you put on lots of miles. Trying to get a feel for your riding style. Hope to see you soon.

hppants said:

Well done - can't believe you will venture out with snow on the side of the road. It's just so un-natural to me.
I need to pick your brain at SEOR for some good roads in Michigan. The UP is on my bucket list. I thought about detouring there on my way to SEOR, but decided to wait until another time.

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As long as the snow isn't ON the road, it's fine. Just something we have to tolerate to be able to have decent summer weather.
I've done quite a bit of exploring in Michigan in the last few years. There really is some nice scenery in a good variety. Road quality could be better. You won't find any "tails" or "dragons" or "snakes" in MI, but you can find plenty of lighthouses, sand dunes, and trees. The UP has not exactly been explored by me, yet. Except for the quick ride through while running a saddlesore around Lake Michigan.

That would be quite the detour, but I would recommend a separate trip to the area. Lots to see and do and explore.

Hunt me down at the ramble, I'll be pulling in there Friday evening.

FJRPittsburgh said:

Great ride report Julie. Just curious, do you enjoy the open road and highways more than the back twisty roads? I know you put on lots of miles. Trying to get a feel for your riding style. Hope to see you soon.

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Open road and highways for sure!! Lol. Now, I also enjoy getting onto those 2 lane twisty roads too. But here in NW Ohio, there aren't many of those. But there are plenty of interstates that are smooth.

I can thoroughly enjoy riding 350 miles of twisties in SEOhio, following behind Wayne. But after all that, I need to finish the day with 150 miles of interstate.

So a little of both, with the scale leaning more to the highway....

FJRfarrier said:

FJRPittsburgh said:

OK,reat ride report Julie. Just curious, do you enjoy the open road and highways more than the back twisty roads? I know you put on lots of miles. Trying to get a feel for your riding style. Hope to see you soon.

Click to expand...

Open road and highways for sure!! Lol.Now, I also enjoy getting onto those 2 lane twisty roads too. But here in NW Ohio, there aren't many of those. But there are plenty of interstates that are smooth.

I can thoroughly enjoy riding 350 miles of twisties in SEOhio, following behind Wayne. But after all that, I need to finish the day with 150 miles of interstate.

So a little of both, with the scale leaning more to the highway....

Click to expand...

Ok, cool. I did a lot of highway riding on my last bike. I was in every state East of the Mississippi and a few West plus Quebec and Ontario. Most of my trips were weekend only so I had to slab it almost everywhere to get to my destinations in a short period of time.

I find myself riding more twisties recently as the slab rides have become a little boring. Also I always wore out the center of my rear tire first. Now I try to wear out the whole tire a little more evenly.

If you're ever heading over in the Pittsburgh area, give me a shout. My son would most likely want to ride along also. See you at one of the tech days or rallies soon. Be safe.

FJRfarrier said:

FJRPittsburgh said:

Great ride report Julie. Just curious, do you enjoy the open road and highways more than the back twisty roads? I know you put on lots of miles. Trying to get a feel for your riding style. Hope to see you soon.

Click to expand...

Open road and highways for sure!! Lol.

Now, I also enjoy getting onto those 2 lane twisty roads too. But here in NW Ohio, there aren't many of those. But there are plenty of interstates that are smooth.

I can thoroughly enjoy riding 350 miles of twisties in SEOhio, following behind Wayne. But after all that, I need to finish the day with 150 miles of interstate.

So a little of both, with the scale leaning more to the highway....

Click to expand...

Pretty much how I am too. A lot of folks don't understand it, but I don't mind droning along the highway for hours at a time. It lets you go a lot farther than you can on secondary roads or get home sooner. I always seem to be time constrained, so the faster, the better. Plus, it's low stress and gives me time to think, listen to music or just plain relax.

I certainly understand the highway riding style. One nice thing about interstate travel is there are no 3 and 4-way intersections to contend with, so most likely the riding is a little safer. My problem on the highway is trying to stop from getting ridiculous ideas and dumb songs going around and around in my head. I'm sure we all deal with it. I'd rather not ride with music being pumped into my eardrums for long periods of time. I just wear custom earplugs to lock my personal thoughts in my head.

When I rode to the last NERDS Rally in Vermont, I obviously had to slab it as it would have taken much too long to get there. Those long slab rides aren't so bad knowing you're going to get to your destination sooner. Interstate 79 from Pittsburgh to Charleston, WV isn't so bad as the road is fairly twisty. The long straight slabs do get a little boring. I find myself playing GPS mathematical mileage games to amuse myself.

Exactly, Phil! The highway is the therapy session!

I can think and decide on things. I've had some great ideas, and have come to many decisions while riding down the road at 75mph.

I can't do that kind of thinking when I am focused on the curves and twists (and anything else in those surroundings).

Now, that doesn't mean that I become unfocused while riding the highways. It's just a different kind of focus. Hard to explain. But understandable, right?

And the music- oh gosh. I gotta have it playing. I wear filtered ear plugs. Music in the background, and I can still hear the road and any sirens or other alerts in the outside world.

Games while riding? Definitely. The morning is filled with karaoke. The afternoon is a good time to play I-Spy. And the evening is usually time to reflect on the day, and the week, and the month, and the past years. Deep thoughts. Lol.