Can't wait!
Spring 2014 - Romney, West Virginia - May 2-4
- Thread starter Dirt_Dad
- Start date
Damascus Maryland is a bit less than an hour north of DC and we had about 2" of snow last night. Romney is about 1.5 hrs west and probably got hammered.
:
BUT BUT BUT
We woke this morning to find it only remaining in shady areas and temps going into 50s today. That shoulda been the end of winter.
The ride ought to be great.
::003::
:
BUT BUT BUT
We woke this morning to find it only remaining in shady areas and temps going into 50s today. That shoulda been the end of winter.
The ride ought to be great.
::003::
Dirt_Dad
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The question of tents came up on another board.
Tents have always remained setup Friday evening through Sunday morning. Never an issue.
Considering the number of people we have coming I'm going to suggest tents not be thrown up just anywhere like we have always done in the past. Most people like parking their bike next to their tent. It's a personal preference thing. I think we should consider trying to setup more or less in some kind of lines. That way bikes can easily get in and out without someone's tent getting run over, or someone getting trapped inside an impossible maze. I'm not a tent Nazi, I have no interest in telling anyone where to put their tent, but something to consider when you setup.
By the way, for those coming for the first time the tents are more or less in the yellow circle.
Tents have always remained setup Friday evening through Sunday morning. Never an issue.
Considering the number of people we have coming I'm going to suggest tents not be thrown up just anywhere like we have always done in the past. Most people like parking their bike next to their tent. It's a personal preference thing. I think we should consider trying to setup more or less in some kind of lines. That way bikes can easily get in and out without someone's tent getting run over, or someone getting trapped inside an impossible maze. I'm not a tent Nazi, I have no interest in telling anyone where to put their tent, but something to consider when you setup.
By the way, for those coming for the first time the tents are more or less in the yellow circle.
Dirt_Dad
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DCstrom's shirt arrived last weekend. It's even better looking in person.
Trevor was kind enough to send the shirt complete with the dirt from a real adventure rider in the process of riding around the world. Personally I thought that might make the shirt more valuable to some, but my wife overruled my thinking and threw it in the wash.
The shirt had the last laugh. Even though it smells fresh now, the adventure rider dirt held firm. You can see it on the sleeves.
It is size G. Trevor said it's large.
It's a cool shirt. I get to enjoy it hanging here for just a couple of weeks before it goes to its new home. I'm going to be contributing to the charity, but will not hold any tickets for myself to avoid any appearance of questionable shenanigans. I am willing to hold tickets for anyone that wants to contribute but will not be able to make it to the event. I owe True Grip an answer on how that will work. I'll be at Romney this weekend and will nail down the final details on the charity aspect.
Less than three weeks to go. Really looking forward to it.
Trevor was kind enough to send the shirt complete with the dirt from a real adventure rider in the process of riding around the world. Personally I thought that might make the shirt more valuable to some, but my wife overruled my thinking and threw it in the wash.
The shirt had the last laugh. Even though it smells fresh now, the adventure rider dirt held firm. You can see it on the sleeves.
It is size G. Trevor said it's large.
It's a cool shirt. I get to enjoy it hanging here for just a couple of weeks before it goes to its new home. I'm going to be contributing to the charity, but will not hold any tickets for myself to avoid any appearance of questionable shenanigans. I am willing to hold tickets for anyone that wants to contribute but will not be able to make it to the event. I owe True Grip an answer on how that will work. I'll be at Romney this weekend and will nail down the final details on the charity aspect.
Less than three weeks to go. Really looking forward to it.
I think part of the process of producing the shirt involves throwing it in the mud and riding a Super Tenere over it a few times. So the dirty look is on purpose!
Brazil has an amazing bike scene, everywhere I go guys stop me and give me their club sticker - or sometimes slap one on the bike when I'm not looking.
The shirt is from an off-road training center, Big Trail. Looks great, would love to do a course there but timing is not right and anyway my Portuguese sucks so bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHNzXHeGCXU
Brazil has an amazing bike scene, everywhere I go guys stop me and give me their club sticker - or sometimes slap one on the bike when I'm not looking.
The shirt is from an off-road training center, Big Trail. Looks great, would love to do a course there but timing is not right and anyway my Portuguese sucks so bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHNzXHeGCXU
Dirt_Dad
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Made my last trip to Romney before the event. Got the headlight harness on the wife's bike taken care of, picked up some new gear, and have a fair amount of news.
Charity: The proceeds from the charity raffle will go to the West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. Tickets will be $10. You do not need to be present to win. In fact I'm going to start a thread to invite the entire Adventure community to participate. The money will be donated in the name of The Adventure Motorcycle Riders and Romney Cycles.
If you're not coming, but want a chance to win dcstroms real adventure shirt (or want to give to a great bunch of kids) you can mail a check made out to: WV School For The Deaf and Blind
Mail to:
Romney Cycles
51 Industrial Park
Romney, WV 26757
Attn: Larry Presgraves - Charity
Drawing will be Saturday May 3rd. Be sure to include, your name, your forum name, what forum (we're doing 3 of them), and the address to mail the shirt if you win. Of course there is no limit to the number of tickets you may purchase. ;D
School web site: http://wvsdb2.state.k12.wv.us/pages/WestVirginiaSchools_Deaf_Blind
Camping location: Start in the area that I first showed in the yellow circle, but it is also fine to expand behind the dealership if needed. Heck if it's really needed we can expand to the other side. Please don't setup too close to the Horse Shoes pit, that might hurt.
Friday Night eats: In the last two events, we've just gone to town to find a restaurant. For those who prefer a more camping style of eating Romney will have one or two charcoal grills for you to cookout.
Speaking of food - consider packing some snacks on your ride Saturday. Depending on what ride you do, you may or may not be near a restaurant when you start to feel those hunger pains. This is WV, and sometimes there can be a distance between places to eat.
2014 VStrom DL1000: It has been confirmed it will be there and available for test rides all business day on Friday and Saturday.
Klim Riding Gear discount: I was out at Romney picking up my new Klim gear today and asked them if they'd be willing to do a special for the group. Not surprised, they agreed. So, if you're in the market for some Klim gear, they will do a pre-order at a 15% discount. They do not keep Klim stocked so you must pre-order. If interested call and ask for Jayson tell him you're coming to the Camp and Ride and give him your order. All orders must be placed by April 28th. The gear will be there for you to pickup at the event.
That's about it. 2 weeks and counting. Finally almost here.
Charity: The proceeds from the charity raffle will go to the West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. Tickets will be $10. You do not need to be present to win. In fact I'm going to start a thread to invite the entire Adventure community to participate. The money will be donated in the name of The Adventure Motorcycle Riders and Romney Cycles.
If you're not coming, but want a chance to win dcstroms real adventure shirt (or want to give to a great bunch of kids) you can mail a check made out to: WV School For The Deaf and Blind
Mail to:
Romney Cycles
51 Industrial Park
Romney, WV 26757
Attn: Larry Presgraves - Charity
Drawing will be Saturday May 3rd. Be sure to include, your name, your forum name, what forum (we're doing 3 of them), and the address to mail the shirt if you win. Of course there is no limit to the number of tickets you may purchase. ;D
School web site: http://wvsdb2.state.k12.wv.us/pages/WestVirginiaSchools_Deaf_Blind
Camping location: Start in the area that I first showed in the yellow circle, but it is also fine to expand behind the dealership if needed. Heck if it's really needed we can expand to the other side. Please don't setup too close to the Horse Shoes pit, that might hurt.
Friday Night eats: In the last two events, we've just gone to town to find a restaurant. For those who prefer a more camping style of eating Romney will have one or two charcoal grills for you to cookout.
Speaking of food - consider packing some snacks on your ride Saturday. Depending on what ride you do, you may or may not be near a restaurant when you start to feel those hunger pains. This is WV, and sometimes there can be a distance between places to eat.
2014 VStrom DL1000: It has been confirmed it will be there and available for test rides all business day on Friday and Saturday.
Klim Riding Gear discount: I was out at Romney picking up my new Klim gear today and asked them if they'd be willing to do a special for the group. Not surprised, they agreed. So, if you're in the market for some Klim gear, they will do a pre-order at a 15% discount. They do not keep Klim stocked so you must pre-order. If interested call and ask for Jayson tell him you're coming to the Camp and Ride and give him your order. All orders must be placed by April 28th. The gear will be there for you to pickup at the event.
That's about it. 2 weeks and counting. Finally almost here.
Dirt_Dad
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If you haven't decided what you are riding I'll offer up one last route for your consideration.
Dirt_Dad Planned Route for Saturday http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4521478
This shares a lot of roads with the Easy Dirt route. I rode it through Dolly Sods this past weekend and I really love this one. The dirt roads are easy, but not boring. Lots of elevation changes and many scenic locations. I can think of no place along this route where above average dirt skills are needed. In either direction this will be a fun route for those that want to do a lot of dirt roads.
As the title suggest, this is what I intend to do with my group. Unlike my description of the route, anyone riding with me does need above average dirt skills. My pace tends to be quite spirited once the road turns dirty. The ability to enjoy dirt corners at speed will be needed to have fun on this ride. The desire to ride at a casual pace and enjoy the scenery is not a good match for my planned ride.
I intend to take 5 to 7 riders with me. If my ride sounds interesting please let me know at the fire Friday evening. I don't want to get ahead of myself and take any signups on the thread. This is my expected route, but I know plans can change and I don't want to disappoint anyone that signs up too early.
Dirt_Dad Planned Route for Saturday http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4521478
This shares a lot of roads with the Easy Dirt route. I rode it through Dolly Sods this past weekend and I really love this one. The dirt roads are easy, but not boring. Lots of elevation changes and many scenic locations. I can think of no place along this route where above average dirt skills are needed. In either direction this will be a fun route for those that want to do a lot of dirt roads.
As the title suggest, this is what I intend to do with my group. Unlike my description of the route, anyone riding with me does need above average dirt skills. My pace tends to be quite spirited once the road turns dirty. The ability to enjoy dirt corners at speed will be needed to have fun on this ride. The desire to ride at a casual pace and enjoy the scenery is not a good match for my planned ride.
I intend to take 5 to 7 riders with me. If my ride sounds interesting please let me know at the fire Friday evening. I don't want to get ahead of myself and take any signups on the thread. This is my expected route, but I know plans can change and I don't want to disappoint anyone that signs up too early.
Hey D D, I don't know if it's my computer but I'm unable to get the link to your ride to hook up let's see if anyone else gives us any feedback.
let's see if anyone else gives us any feedback.
Dirt_Dad
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Alan, thanks for letting me know. I fixed it.twodogs said:Hey D D, I don't know if it's my computer but I'm unable to get the link to your ride to hook up
Dirt_Dad
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Glad to hear the Bros will be back. As for trees, take a look at this photo of the camping area. Keep in mind that Poison Ivy is a common weed here. http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=10081.msg185843#msg185843Ishirock said:
What? No battle scooter?Ishirock said:
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Sorry to hear he won't make it. He rode in my morning group last year. i didn't know a scooter could go that fast. Also the first time I've ever seen someone smoking a cigarette while riding.mbabc said:
We're going to need a bigger bonfire!
???
???
Dirt_Dad
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We need a bigger everything. I was out to Romney last weekend going over final prep. More charging stations, more chairs, more this, more that...it's looking pretty big. I remember there was a lot of wood we didn't get to burning last year. Probably go through more this year.Checkswrecks said:
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We have people riding long distance to participate in this event. Below is some information for anyone coming to this area for the first time, or if you are coming from the land of straight roads and have never experienced the twists and turns that West Virginia has to offer.
If you are from this general area, or have spent time in the twisties, I suspect you already know everything written below. Nothing new here, move it along.
Some basic info about riding this area of West Virginia.
People
The people of West Virginia are very friendly and usually willing to help a stranger. If you are following a vehicle into a fun section of road it is not uncommon for that vehicle to pull to the side to let you pass. That probably happen 10- 20% of the time. Overall you're likely to have a positive experience with the residence of West Virginia.
Paved Roads
There is a lot of diversity in West Virginia roads. The major highways and primary roads are usually in very good condition. Get off the prmary roads and you'll see a lot of different conditions. Everything from very good smooth asphault, to chewed up asphault with lots of patch work. Bituminous (chip seal, tar and chip) is also a fairly common road surface on deeper secondary paved road. Bituminous still usually provides a relatively smooth ride with very good traction.
We had an awful winter in this area. There was a lot of freezing and thawing. It did significant damage to the paved and dirt roads. Many of the roads have been repaired, but don't be surprised if you occasionally find yourself dodging rough spots created by the harsh winter.
There are a lot of blind corners in WV. It is not uncommon for these roads to have a decreasing radius curve. It is also not rare to find gravel on the inside lane of a turn. I don't wan to overplay the gravel. You could ride all day and never see it. Just don't be surprised if you do. When there is gravel you usually have two clear wheel tracks in the lane with most gravel between the wheel tracks...usually.
As you decide your corner entry speed assume it could be a decreasing radius and will have a pickup truck coming the other direction that is cheating over the center line in your lane and there will be gravel to consider. Personally I find it best to enter all blind corners with the bike as far right as safely can be done to avoid the cheating car coming the other way.
Trees are a wonderful thing about twisty road riding in WV. Looking ahead of the blind hill or corner you can usually get a good feel for which way the road is cutting through the trees. It's fairly uncommon to find a blind hill with a surprise turn as you see in SE Ohio. It does happen, but it's an exception.
Dirt Roads
Usually pretty good condition for most commonly traveled dirt roads. Most are hard packed dirt with some level of gravel on top, but not always. The gravel is usually not very deep and does not take special riding skills. There can be some roads with deep gravel and it can be more challenging. These heavy gravel roads are pretty rare and I've honestly only seen it once on Squirrel Gap, which is on the original 2012 ride route. Unless you are there shortly after the gravel is put down, it's not likely to be an issue.
I've never seen a sandy road in WV. They may exist, but I've not seen one around here.
If it has been raining a lot there could be a slippery sheen of mud right on top of the road. Be cautious, it can be more slick than it looks.
Canadian riders not familiar with the area should be aware there are differences between here and home. I'm told that in general Canada does not pave a road until it has been engineered, with good drainiage and minimum necessary twistiness. Here you will find paved road are everywhere. Many are probably more primitive than you're accustom to seeing. Do not assume a paved road in WV is well engineered and predictable.
If you are unfamiliar with twisty roads there is a bit of an elevated risk . The biggest hazard is over confidence. Believe it or not, it takes a lot of practice to master these roads, and it cannot be done in just one weekend. If you ever scare yourself on these roads, you are riding too fast. Never enter a corner around here at the limits of your skills. You must have enough reserve skills remaining to deal with the surprise around that blind turn.
We have a 100% safe return record for this event and we want to keep that record intact.
Please come, enjoy, ride within your comfort levels, and return home safely at the end of the event.
If you are from this general area, or have spent time in the twisties, I suspect you already know everything written below. Nothing new here, move it along.
Some basic info about riding this area of West Virginia.
People
The people of West Virginia are very friendly and usually willing to help a stranger. If you are following a vehicle into a fun section of road it is not uncommon for that vehicle to pull to the side to let you pass. That probably happen 10- 20% of the time. Overall you're likely to have a positive experience with the residence of West Virginia.
Paved Roads
There is a lot of diversity in West Virginia roads. The major highways and primary roads are usually in very good condition. Get off the prmary roads and you'll see a lot of different conditions. Everything from very good smooth asphault, to chewed up asphault with lots of patch work. Bituminous (chip seal, tar and chip) is also a fairly common road surface on deeper secondary paved road. Bituminous still usually provides a relatively smooth ride with very good traction.
We had an awful winter in this area. There was a lot of freezing and thawing. It did significant damage to the paved and dirt roads. Many of the roads have been repaired, but don't be surprised if you occasionally find yourself dodging rough spots created by the harsh winter.
There are a lot of blind corners in WV. It is not uncommon for these roads to have a decreasing radius curve. It is also not rare to find gravel on the inside lane of a turn. I don't wan to overplay the gravel. You could ride all day and never see it. Just don't be surprised if you do. When there is gravel you usually have two clear wheel tracks in the lane with most gravel between the wheel tracks...usually.
As you decide your corner entry speed assume it could be a decreasing radius and will have a pickup truck coming the other direction that is cheating over the center line in your lane and there will be gravel to consider. Personally I find it best to enter all blind corners with the bike as far right as safely can be done to avoid the cheating car coming the other way.
Trees are a wonderful thing about twisty road riding in WV. Looking ahead of the blind hill or corner you can usually get a good feel for which way the road is cutting through the trees. It's fairly uncommon to find a blind hill with a surprise turn as you see in SE Ohio. It does happen, but it's an exception.
Dirt Roads
Usually pretty good condition for most commonly traveled dirt roads. Most are hard packed dirt with some level of gravel on top, but not always. The gravel is usually not very deep and does not take special riding skills. There can be some roads with deep gravel and it can be more challenging. These heavy gravel roads are pretty rare and I've honestly only seen it once on Squirrel Gap, which is on the original 2012 ride route. Unless you are there shortly after the gravel is put down, it's not likely to be an issue.
I've never seen a sandy road in WV. They may exist, but I've not seen one around here.
If it has been raining a lot there could be a slippery sheen of mud right on top of the road. Be cautious, it can be more slick than it looks.
Canadian riders not familiar with the area should be aware there are differences between here and home. I'm told that in general Canada does not pave a road until it has been engineered, with good drainiage and minimum necessary twistiness. Here you will find paved road are everywhere. Many are probably more primitive than you're accustom to seeing. Do not assume a paved road in WV is well engineered and predictable.
If you are unfamiliar with twisty roads there is a bit of an elevated risk . The biggest hazard is over confidence. Believe it or not, it takes a lot of practice to master these roads, and it cannot be done in just one weekend. If you ever scare yourself on these roads, you are riding too fast. Never enter a corner around here at the limits of your skills. You must have enough reserve skills remaining to deal with the surprise around that blind turn.
We have a 100% safe return record for this event and we want to keep that record intact.
Please come, enjoy, ride within your comfort levels, and return home safely at the end of the event.
Dirt_Dad
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The headcount hit 117 this evening.
Need more Teneres.
Need more Teneres.
triman11427
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Another Tenere is on the docket. I will bring my fast Blue one to the beautiful twisties of WV. I'm looking forward to putting the names and faces of members together. ::018::
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Weather looks to be cooperating.
