Guy
Boutin's Motorcycle Touring and Travel Pages
Adventures in Sport
Touring with the Honda ST 1100, 1300 and the BMW 1200RT
Exploring North America...One Road
at a Time
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Guy
Boutin's Motorcycle Touring and Travel Pages
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Spring Ride 2009 A long ride through Mid Atlantic America
Welcome to the first tour of the 2009 season, a ten day, 3200 mile jaunt through the Mid Atlantic states and West Virginia. This tour was a mixed bag of great back road riding and rainy days. The ride covered 3200 miles, over 10 days, but only 6 were actual riding days, the remaining days I was off the bike with family. Philadelphia by way of I-81 is only 900 miles from Prattville, but everyone knows I seldom take a direct route, thus the 3000 miles.
Debbie flew into Lorton, and I enjoyed doing family things, which over the last few years have grown more important to me, as I try to share my life with as many as possible. This tour proved to be the wettest ride I've ever been on. Several slow moving low pressure systems drifted across the Mid Atlantic, enveloping the region in a low ceiling that dropped rain and drizzle for 8 consecutive days, I thought I was back in the UK or the Oregon Coast. It was very frustrating. Inclement weather takes a lot fun out of a long tour, but still better then working. On the tricky mountain roads of West Virginia
I battled a steady rain, Like all my tours you'll read about the roads and people, that make up a long ride. I had planned on going to Canada, but I had to trim a few days at the front to pick up my nephew in New Orleans the weekend I was schedule to leave out. I figured it was no big deal, because I'm looking to be up that way again in a few months. Despite the weather I enjoyed my time on the road. The long hours of just me and the bike, alone in my own little world. Time to think, ponder, and dream. I even enjoyed the intense concentration it took to navigate a slippery and curvy West Virginia route 20 for 200 miles, on a rainy, cool day, when the slightest miscalculation of speed, or misread of road surface, would result in disaster. The ride for this tour was the RT, it proved to be a wise choice. It's superior wind protection and cocoon like cockpit was just the ticket in the driving rains. The 1200's light weight, high ground clearance, and overall flickability was nicely suited for the tight curves in West Virginia and Tennessee. It's great seat, riding position, and cruise control came in handy on the long stretches of I-81 and 75. It had been awhile since I had the RT out, and I had missed riding it, a truly great bike. Again I had tire trouble, and replaced the rear in Knoxville. It was just a minor setback. I also had the Zumo back and was glad after not having it for the Fall Ride last year, because the touch screen froze up. This ride once again confirmed Eastern riding is very different then out West. Lots of congestion, and cramped freeways, that you will soon be reading about. I hope you enjoy the story. Coming soon -Day 1. Short but fun ride to North Alabama
Day 1- Short ride to North Alabama Day 2- up the road to West Virginia Day 3-A tough, wet ride in the West Virginia Hills, and Amish country. Day 4- Riding to Washington DC Days 5-8- Doing the family thing in DC
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I've
ridden the Northeast so many times I've run out of ways to do it, so this ride
was mostly a repeat of past rides, but still fun. It had been a few
years since I'd been on West Virginia 20, so I went back to it this tour.
From there I cut across Pennsylvania to West Chester to visit my uncle, and then
south to DC for a few days to visit family. I closed the ride out
with a 2 day ride back home from Washington via the Smoky Mountains. A
ride I've done a number of times.
and did the same in the 18 wheel corridor known as Chattanooga. You'll
read about those scary moments in the following pages. On a couple of days
I had to fall back to all my experience and instincts to keep safe.