garry
04-21-2008, 09:33 PM
A couple years ago I thought it’d be cool for some mid-Atlantic Region 6 people to get together and put faces with screen names, so I proposed having a “Meet and Eat” at Dennys Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, PA. Dennys is home of the Worlds Largest Hamburger, so it seemed to be just weird enough to be a catchy destination. Plus there are some nice (not particularly technical) roads in north-central PA with great scenery and little traffic. I expected a couple dozen people might show. I also mentioned it on a few Pittsburgh area moto forums figuring the more the merrier. About 80 people turned up on a very nice day!
Last year, people started asking about the Burger Run shortly after the New Year. It seems the event had a life of its own now. The weather cooperated and we had over 100 people show up last year. Great turnout.
The buzz started early again this year and interest was high on STN as well as the local moto forums. I picked a date, made the reservation and hoped for the best. Denny, the owner of Denny’s (duh!) even offered to kick in some door prizes in appreciate of all the riders showing up again. The weather forecast was looking very good a week out, but then started deteriorating day by day to the point where Sunday was guaranteed to be wet.
Despite living less than 100 miles from Clearfield, I decided to make a weekend of it. The point is to meet people and it seemed I could do a lot more of that if I stayed at the Days Inn with the rest of the STN long-distance burger runners.
Rick954 (a guy I know from our local moto forums) and I spent Saturday taking the really, really long way from the Pittsburgh suburbs to Clearfield. My goal was to make a grand tour of all the good stuff I the area north of I-80. Since the weather forecast was looking grim for Sunday, I even extended it a bit to make sure we hit it all on Saturday in case Sunday was a washout. Here’s the northern section of the route we took:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/Maps/Dennys2008_Sat.jpg
I met Rick at 8am at a Sheetz in Ford City on route 66. A fine launch pad for points north. 66 is a nice flowing 2 lane road thru the country, but has a short four-lane section just north of Ford City where it intersects route 422 in a maze of on/off ramps and concrete.
We were less than two miles from the Sheetz and were approaching our exit ramp when I did a mirror check to make sure Rick was behind me. A non-descript sedan had somehow gotten between us. Then the sedan’s grill lit up like a Xmas tree and my heart sank. I had passed a line of cars in the right lane and I guess this unmarked state trooper was in that bunch. A short roadside chat later I was on my way with a warning and a lot of “Yes, Sir”, “No Sir”, “Thank You Sir” and a promise to take it easy. Whew!
We motored north on 66 to near Clarion/I-80, then took 208 and 36 to jct 62 in Tionesta. 62 is a pretty mellow road, but it runs right along the Allegheny River so it is a scenic cruise. Our first destination was the Kinzua Dam. Rather than take 62 all the way to Warren, we took Hearts Content/Pleasant Rd which took us past the Tidioute Overlook. It was an excuse to stop for a few minutes, use the bathroom and take a few photos.
Here’s my KTM 950 Supermoto “R” in sport-touring mode. That’s a 46L Shad topcase (with a KTM badge), a Wolfman Enduro tankbag (small), an Alaska Leather buttpad stolen from my sportbike and a Laminar Lip windscreen. The hooligan bike can tour! Haven’t found a solution for the tiny gas tank yet…
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_001.jpg
I also used this ride to see whether my Leo Vince slip-ons were too loud with the inserts out. They sound great out and don’t seem too loud on the road, but they’re a bit over the top around buildings or early in the morning. I think the inserts are going back in.
Here’s a shot of Rick with his very nice 2003 Honda 954. This was only our second ride together. His very nice ZX-14 met an untimely demise the first ride. We were hoping for a much less eventful ride this time…
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_003.jpg
And a couple pics of the Tidioute overlook:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_005.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_006.jpg
We gassed up in Warren. My KTM is good for just over 100 miles before the low fuel light and not a lot of miles after that. I had all my gas stops planned out in advance. We jumped on 59 in Warren and enjoyed some nice sweepers with zero traffic up to Kinzua Dam. Here are a couple dam pics:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_013.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_017.jpg
There was a school of huge carp hanging out along the shore at the base of the dam. Judging by the cracker remnants at our feet, they are used to being fed from above. So we each obliged and tossed some broken cracker bits to the waiting mouths below. Turns out that bottom feeders aren’t real adept at eating crackers off the surface.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_020.jpg
We made a right onto the Longhouse Scenic Byway which follows the lake and ends at 321 near Kane. There are a couple overlooks known as Jakes Rocks off the Byway, so we headed up to take a look:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_028.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_023.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_026.jpg
I should have taken more photos from the Longhouse Scenic Byway, but here’s one example of what it does for 10 miles or so. You don’t get the constant view once the leaves are on the trees, so riding in the early spring has its own special rewards.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_029.jpg
We followed 321 into Kane, then took 6 east to Mt Jewett and our next stop: the Kinzua Bridge. It was one of the tallest railroad bridges of its day that was destroyed by a tornado in 2003. I remember seeing it shortly after the collapse while on my first Triumph RAT Raid in St Marys. I figured it would be cool to see it again and to also stop at the Kinzua Bridge State Park in Mt Jewett.
Here’s a long distance view of the bridge from the aptly named “Bridge View Cemetery”. This was the spot I stopped at on the RAT Raid ride. The bridge is way out there in the background. Big chunk o’ bridge missing…
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_032.jpg
Noticed this very cool gravestone when I was walking back to the bikes:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_036.jpg
Our next stop was the state park which is right at the bridge. I saw this interesting bit of lawn art on the road to the state park and had to take a photo:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_038.jpg
And now for some up-close and personal shots of the bridge itself. Note all the tornado damage to the trees.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_045.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_046.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_049.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_051.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_055.jpg
It was close to Noon, so we boogied east via 59 and 6 (and a detour) to gas up and have lunch in Coudersport. The Subway was packed, but we just waited our turn, glad to be off the bikes for a bit. We had put in close to 250 miles so far. When we left the Subway I took a pic of the time/temp clock on a bank. 80 degrees in northern PA in April. Woot!
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_059.jpg
We were in tourist mode in the morning. The afternoon was all about riding. Rather than slog along the scenic (but boring) route 6 to Galeton, we took 44 south to get to the northern bit of 144. 44 was rather dirty in spots. Seems they dumped a ton of gravel/cinders on the road over the winter. There were several nice views along 44. Here are a couple:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_060.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_061.jpg
We had a great run down 144 to jct 120 in Renovo. Since Rick had never been up this way, we had to make the short detour to Hyner View State Park. I’ve been up there many times and still enjoy the ride up and the view on a good day. Saturday was a bit hazy, but still very nice. The obligatory photos from the Hyner View overlook:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_062.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_063.jpg
We continued on 144 south to Snowshoe where I need to fill up (15 miles into reserve). Part of the charm of riding up here is the remoteness. That means you need to KNOW what your tank range is, where the gas stations are and how far it is between towns. We had been warned that 144 was a dirty mess, but it seemed pretty typical to me. You always have to be on a watch for gravel in the corners.
Now on to the extended portion of the route. Since the forecast for Sunday was grim, we hit the good stuff just north of Clearfield. We took 879 and Quehanna Highway to Wyckoff Run Rd. Wyckoff was as good as always. Certainly one of the better stretches of road I’ve been on in PA. That took us to 120 in Sinnemahoning. A short hop on 120 to Driftwood and we caught the scenic sweepers of 555. I really like that road.
I decided (perhaps not wisely) to take the Quehanna Hwy back to Karthous and then 879 down to Clearfield. We had put in a long day already and I didn’t realize just how many miles that added versus my original plan of just taking 255, 153 and 322 into Clearfield.
We arrived at the Days Inn just before 7pm with 456 miles on the GPS. There were lots of bikes in the parking lot and people milling about. We heard about R Doug’s tire adventure (he wasn’t back yet). Eventually Rick and I walked over to the Dutch Pantry for dinner. When we returned, he crashed in the room and I wandered around the parking lot BS’ing before heading to the bar to mingle for a few hours. Somehow it became almost midnight and was time to trundle off to bed. Good times…
I got up early Sunday morning and took pics of the bikes in the parking lot. I counted 40 bikes. Here are a few (not all of them):
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_073.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_077.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_078.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_079.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_081.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_082.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_083.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_084.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_085.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_086.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_087.jpg
I was leading a 2 hour ride Sunday morning that wandered south of Clearfield on a bunch of roads ending in “53”. It started to rain just as we were leaving and pretty much rained the whole ride. After a brief directional snafu on my part, we took 53 north (nice sweepers, eventually) to 144 south all the way down the mountain to Alt 220 (formerly 220). Rick bailed on the ride where 144 meets 80, just before the several mile twisty downhill. We took Alt 220 south for four miles to jct 504 in Unionville.
504 is a fun road, especially from the Alt 220 end. You get a nice twisty climb up the mountain, then a long run along the ridge with nice views (past Black Moshannon State Park) and eventually descend into Phillipsburg. Highly recommended, but mind your speed past the State Park in tourist season. Unfortunately for us, the rain was now compounded by some fairly heavy fog.
We suffered thru 53 as it goes from little town to little town with route 453 being our goal. 453 is a nicely twisty road that takes you to Curwensville/jct 879, a few miles south of Clearfield. We had a nice time on 453. Rather than deal with the civilization along 879, I took SR-2023 thru Glen Hazel which connects to 153 near Clearfield. A short hop on 879 to Dennys and we were there by 11:30. Perfect timing!
We were not the first to arrive though. Alan and his friends from Ohio were already inside. And my old friend JB had ridden in from Erie. JB used to live in Pittsburgh and was hoping a bunch of old friends from BikerPlanet.net would show. All the BPN regulars wussed out because of the rain. JB now has a big stick to beat them with anytime they start to give him crap about riding
The crew from Squidbusters.com rolled in shortly thereafter. Greg, one of my dual-sport riding buddies was not the only person to discover the dye in their gloves was not waterproof:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_090.jpg
I had emailed Denny on Friday that turnout was likely to hurt badly by the weather, but it turns out he was out of town. I still don’t know if he got it or not. There certainly was a full crew of waitresses available and we had a ton of seating reserved. I told them we would only need the back room. I felt bad that the turnout was so low after the last couple years, but I don’t control the weather. Here are a few shots of the hardcores that rode in the wet for their burgers! BTW, I went with wings this time. They’re good too. No one did any of the big burgers this year.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_091.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_092.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_093.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_101.jpg
And finally a few pics of the bikes in the parking lot getting a bath:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_095.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_097.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_098.jpg
I took the usual/direct route home with the Squidbusters crew. We had a nice dry ride down 879, 219 and 286 with a fun little detour onto 729. It’s quite the twisty bit of road between 969 and 219. Check it out.
So thanks to all that showed up this year. I was very impressed with turnout of the STN overnighters. Next up: the STN National in June followed by ESTN in September!
Last year, people started asking about the Burger Run shortly after the New Year. It seems the event had a life of its own now. The weather cooperated and we had over 100 people show up last year. Great turnout.
The buzz started early again this year and interest was high on STN as well as the local moto forums. I picked a date, made the reservation and hoped for the best. Denny, the owner of Denny’s (duh!) even offered to kick in some door prizes in appreciate of all the riders showing up again. The weather forecast was looking very good a week out, but then started deteriorating day by day to the point where Sunday was guaranteed to be wet.
Despite living less than 100 miles from Clearfield, I decided to make a weekend of it. The point is to meet people and it seemed I could do a lot more of that if I stayed at the Days Inn with the rest of the STN long-distance burger runners.
Rick954 (a guy I know from our local moto forums) and I spent Saturday taking the really, really long way from the Pittsburgh suburbs to Clearfield. My goal was to make a grand tour of all the good stuff I the area north of I-80. Since the weather forecast was looking grim for Sunday, I even extended it a bit to make sure we hit it all on Saturday in case Sunday was a washout. Here’s the northern section of the route we took:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/Maps/Dennys2008_Sat.jpg
I met Rick at 8am at a Sheetz in Ford City on route 66. A fine launch pad for points north. 66 is a nice flowing 2 lane road thru the country, but has a short four-lane section just north of Ford City where it intersects route 422 in a maze of on/off ramps and concrete.
We were less than two miles from the Sheetz and were approaching our exit ramp when I did a mirror check to make sure Rick was behind me. A non-descript sedan had somehow gotten between us. Then the sedan’s grill lit up like a Xmas tree and my heart sank. I had passed a line of cars in the right lane and I guess this unmarked state trooper was in that bunch. A short roadside chat later I was on my way with a warning and a lot of “Yes, Sir”, “No Sir”, “Thank You Sir” and a promise to take it easy. Whew!
We motored north on 66 to near Clarion/I-80, then took 208 and 36 to jct 62 in Tionesta. 62 is a pretty mellow road, but it runs right along the Allegheny River so it is a scenic cruise. Our first destination was the Kinzua Dam. Rather than take 62 all the way to Warren, we took Hearts Content/Pleasant Rd which took us past the Tidioute Overlook. It was an excuse to stop for a few minutes, use the bathroom and take a few photos.
Here’s my KTM 950 Supermoto “R” in sport-touring mode. That’s a 46L Shad topcase (with a KTM badge), a Wolfman Enduro tankbag (small), an Alaska Leather buttpad stolen from my sportbike and a Laminar Lip windscreen. The hooligan bike can tour! Haven’t found a solution for the tiny gas tank yet…
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_001.jpg
I also used this ride to see whether my Leo Vince slip-ons were too loud with the inserts out. They sound great out and don’t seem too loud on the road, but they’re a bit over the top around buildings or early in the morning. I think the inserts are going back in.
Here’s a shot of Rick with his very nice 2003 Honda 954. This was only our second ride together. His very nice ZX-14 met an untimely demise the first ride. We were hoping for a much less eventful ride this time…
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_003.jpg
And a couple pics of the Tidioute overlook:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_005.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_006.jpg
We gassed up in Warren. My KTM is good for just over 100 miles before the low fuel light and not a lot of miles after that. I had all my gas stops planned out in advance. We jumped on 59 in Warren and enjoyed some nice sweepers with zero traffic up to Kinzua Dam. Here are a couple dam pics:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_013.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_017.jpg
There was a school of huge carp hanging out along the shore at the base of the dam. Judging by the cracker remnants at our feet, they are used to being fed from above. So we each obliged and tossed some broken cracker bits to the waiting mouths below. Turns out that bottom feeders aren’t real adept at eating crackers off the surface.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_020.jpg
We made a right onto the Longhouse Scenic Byway which follows the lake and ends at 321 near Kane. There are a couple overlooks known as Jakes Rocks off the Byway, so we headed up to take a look:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_028.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_023.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_026.jpg
I should have taken more photos from the Longhouse Scenic Byway, but here’s one example of what it does for 10 miles or so. You don’t get the constant view once the leaves are on the trees, so riding in the early spring has its own special rewards.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_029.jpg
We followed 321 into Kane, then took 6 east to Mt Jewett and our next stop: the Kinzua Bridge. It was one of the tallest railroad bridges of its day that was destroyed by a tornado in 2003. I remember seeing it shortly after the collapse while on my first Triumph RAT Raid in St Marys. I figured it would be cool to see it again and to also stop at the Kinzua Bridge State Park in Mt Jewett.
Here’s a long distance view of the bridge from the aptly named “Bridge View Cemetery”. This was the spot I stopped at on the RAT Raid ride. The bridge is way out there in the background. Big chunk o’ bridge missing…
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_032.jpg
Noticed this very cool gravestone when I was walking back to the bikes:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_036.jpg
Our next stop was the state park which is right at the bridge. I saw this interesting bit of lawn art on the road to the state park and had to take a photo:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_038.jpg
And now for some up-close and personal shots of the bridge itself. Note all the tornado damage to the trees.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_045.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_046.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_049.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_051.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_055.jpg
It was close to Noon, so we boogied east via 59 and 6 (and a detour) to gas up and have lunch in Coudersport. The Subway was packed, but we just waited our turn, glad to be off the bikes for a bit. We had put in close to 250 miles so far. When we left the Subway I took a pic of the time/temp clock on a bank. 80 degrees in northern PA in April. Woot!
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_059.jpg
We were in tourist mode in the morning. The afternoon was all about riding. Rather than slog along the scenic (but boring) route 6 to Galeton, we took 44 south to get to the northern bit of 144. 44 was rather dirty in spots. Seems they dumped a ton of gravel/cinders on the road over the winter. There were several nice views along 44. Here are a couple:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_060.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_061.jpg
We had a great run down 144 to jct 120 in Renovo. Since Rick had never been up this way, we had to make the short detour to Hyner View State Park. I’ve been up there many times and still enjoy the ride up and the view on a good day. Saturday was a bit hazy, but still very nice. The obligatory photos from the Hyner View overlook:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_062.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_063.jpg
We continued on 144 south to Snowshoe where I need to fill up (15 miles into reserve). Part of the charm of riding up here is the remoteness. That means you need to KNOW what your tank range is, where the gas stations are and how far it is between towns. We had been warned that 144 was a dirty mess, but it seemed pretty typical to me. You always have to be on a watch for gravel in the corners.
Now on to the extended portion of the route. Since the forecast for Sunday was grim, we hit the good stuff just north of Clearfield. We took 879 and Quehanna Highway to Wyckoff Run Rd. Wyckoff was as good as always. Certainly one of the better stretches of road I’ve been on in PA. That took us to 120 in Sinnemahoning. A short hop on 120 to Driftwood and we caught the scenic sweepers of 555. I really like that road.
I decided (perhaps not wisely) to take the Quehanna Hwy back to Karthous and then 879 down to Clearfield. We had put in a long day already and I didn’t realize just how many miles that added versus my original plan of just taking 255, 153 and 322 into Clearfield.
We arrived at the Days Inn just before 7pm with 456 miles on the GPS. There were lots of bikes in the parking lot and people milling about. We heard about R Doug’s tire adventure (he wasn’t back yet). Eventually Rick and I walked over to the Dutch Pantry for dinner. When we returned, he crashed in the room and I wandered around the parking lot BS’ing before heading to the bar to mingle for a few hours. Somehow it became almost midnight and was time to trundle off to bed. Good times…
I got up early Sunday morning and took pics of the bikes in the parking lot. I counted 40 bikes. Here are a few (not all of them):
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_073.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_077.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_078.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_079.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_081.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/garrysimmons/MotoPhoto2008/BurgerRun_042008/042008_082.jpg
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I was leading a 2 hour ride Sunday morning that wandered south of Clearfield on a bunch of roads ending in “53”. It started to rain just as we were leaving and pretty much rained the whole ride. After a brief directional snafu on my part, we took 53 north (nice sweepers, eventually) to 144 south all the way down the mountain to Alt 220 (formerly 220). Rick bailed on the ride where 144 meets 80, just before the several mile twisty downhill. We took Alt 220 south for four miles to jct 504 in Unionville.
504 is a fun road, especially from the Alt 220 end. You get a nice twisty climb up the mountain, then a long run along the ridge with nice views (past Black Moshannon State Park) and eventually descend into Phillipsburg. Highly recommended, but mind your speed past the State Park in tourist season. Unfortunately for us, the rain was now compounded by some fairly heavy fog.
We suffered thru 53 as it goes from little town to little town with route 453 being our goal. 453 is a nicely twisty road that takes you to Curwensville/jct 879, a few miles south of Clearfield. We had a nice time on 453. Rather than deal with the civilization along 879, I took SR-2023 thru Glen Hazel which connects to 153 near Clearfield. A short hop on 879 to Dennys and we were there by 11:30. Perfect timing!
We were not the first to arrive though. Alan and his friends from Ohio were already inside. And my old friend JB had ridden in from Erie. JB used to live in Pittsburgh and was hoping a bunch of old friends from BikerPlanet.net would show. All the BPN regulars wussed out because of the rain. JB now has a big stick to beat them with anytime they start to give him crap about riding
The crew from Squidbusters.com rolled in shortly thereafter. Greg, one of my dual-sport riding buddies was not the only person to discover the dye in their gloves was not waterproof:
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I had emailed Denny on Friday that turnout was likely to hurt badly by the weather, but it turns out he was out of town. I still don’t know if he got it or not. There certainly was a full crew of waitresses available and we had a ton of seating reserved. I told them we would only need the back room. I felt bad that the turnout was so low after the last couple years, but I don’t control the weather. Here are a few shots of the hardcores that rode in the wet for their burgers! BTW, I went with wings this time. They’re good too. No one did any of the big burgers this year.
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And finally a few pics of the bikes in the parking lot getting a bath:
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I took the usual/direct route home with the Squidbusters crew. We had a nice dry ride down 879, 219 and 286 with a fun little detour onto 729. It’s quite the twisty bit of road between 969 and 219. Check it out.
So thanks to all that showed up this year. I was very impressed with turnout of the STN overnighters. Next up: the STN National in June followed by ESTN in September!