This story begins here, but it didn’t start here.


The quiet and chilly September air in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is suddenly and rudely broken by the thunderous crack of a Triumph America stirring to life. A little twist of the throttle and the engine growls, like a big cat announcing its presence to the world.



We head out, slowly making our way toward the on ramp for the Mackinaw Bridge. The towering spires and supports make the distance of five miles seem shorter than it really is. Half the bridge is under construction and we are forced to endure the unstable feeling generated by the waffled steel deck. I told my buddy as the bikes were warming up, “Don’t let the sensation un-nerve you, just ride through it”, and that we did.

As we hit the four lane I-75 highway south bound on our trek toward New York, it was clear that this very rural and isolated setting had no hard and fast rules related to the posted 70 MPH speed limit. Clearly, to the sojourners of this stretch of highway, it was more like a “guideline” than a hard set of rules!

The highway was well surfaced and had clear and clean views on both sides of the roadway that permitted stretching the bikes ability to “breath” a little. Given we were behind on our schedule, we decided to take the option and ride in close company with another traveler and we ended up doing a sustained 90+ MPH for ten miles until our lead car left our course. The sun was warm, the air was cool, and the sensation of speed in the early morning was a real treat before morning coffee!



The leaves were beginning their annual change from green to a variety of shades of reds and gold’s, but still mostly green in this area. It made for a wonderful panorama as we winded our way southward toward our first stop for gas and coffee 80 miles later. Man, what a great weekend for a rally! Only downside? The trip was going to be 1035 miles one way and we had a limited time restraint that mandated no lollygagging and we were already behind schedule due to a late start. But that so they say, is water under the bridge!

Michigan rolls by with sunshine and warm temperatures the further south we get. We make the turn to the east and head for the Canadian border. Again, we find that the Canadians, like their Michigonian counterparts look at the 100 KPH Speed limit as something of a tourist attraction rather than an absolute, and 85 MPH is the norm rather than the exception. We fall willingly into line and make up for lost time.

As the sun crest the horizon behind us, the coolness of the night to come, rapidly swallows up the warmth of the day with no mercy toward us. Nearing 9:00 PM we cross the boarder into Buffalo New York and decide we should break to eat and maybe forgo trying to find the rally site another 80+ miles down the pike yet.

We contact Biker and let him know where we are and see if he can’t get us pointed in the right direction but to no avail. We grab some local “yutes” who are more than happy to point us toward a shelter for the night. With directions in hand we make our way to what we had hoped would be an early night. We were wrong.

I don’t know what it was about Buffalo, maybe it was the absence of the sun for base orientation, but nothing made sense in this fine town and the way the roads twisted about only served to further disorient us. Fact was…we were lost! How? Who knows, but what started out as a simple task, dumped us right in the heart of…well lets just say, it was an area that did not seem a place for one to be lost in? Now I must admit, when one is lost, no place seems to be the appropriate place to be in that particular state of being… Lost that is.

As we are making our way through the “lost” part of this fair city, I noticed a car behind us, one with a light bar…one that I had dreaded on seeing all day. But now? Oh joy of joys it is my friends the Po-lice! I began to wave my hands wildly in the air in the universal sign of “Yea, I am nuts you better check me out” gesture. Well guess what? It worked! Not only did the fine officers offer to give us directions, when I told them of my vocation back in the real world? They had pity upon our poor lost selves and gave us a motor escort to what we hoped would be our dwelling for the night! We said our fare-thee-wells and off they went to protect and to serve! And me toward the door of the hotel!

Happy to be at a place where we could warm ourselves and get some supper in us. It is now 10:00 PM and we are past hungry...lost does that to you. I walked into the establishment whose rates were to reflect that the walls were obviously papered with gold leaf. Would seem that since the Buffalo Bills were in town, obscene rates for the evening were only fair for the day and “Normal”! I asked the lady at the desk? Do I look like a guy who spends that much on a hotel room? Amazing what 12 hours on a motorcycle in the sun and the wind can do for ones appearance!

“Don’t I get a “Just because I am pretty discount?”, She replied emphatically; “No”. “Well”, I responded “How about a “just because I am ugly discount?”. Seems this lass is of higher class than I, as my attempts at humor were lost to my own sense of knowing a funny line. “I don’t make the prices!”, she quipped.

Just then my phone rang and it was none other than the KingOfFleece! He had called because Biker had called and let him know we were in his hometown and Jim called to see if he could help. Not only did he help, but he finished up family business and came and got us plugged into a decent home for the night at a price that was within reason. We all then jumped in his truck and sat at a local Chili’s for chips and conversation. The end to a long day, but what a happy note to end it on!

Morning after a long day still comes way too early for any sense of really “catching up”. We cleaned up, re-arranged things and made ready for our rendezvous with the lads n lasses who hail from this fair part of the world. The KingOfFleece comes and meets us at the hotel and takes us for a short putt to kill some time until the scheduled arrival of our mates from the East. We head over to “Triumph Of Buffalo” and shortly there after the crew arrives. What a trip to see all these bikes roll in. Sorry, I just can’t get enough of the sound of multiple PT’s thundering in unison!

For me this is the first time I get to meet all but one of the folks here. Wojo and I had the pleasure of meeting last summer as we spent a couple of days riding around Lake Superior, with Mert, Airguy and Loco. What a real treat to see a familiar face and friend again! Other faces I recognize straight away from photo’s on the site. No one ever really looks as you picture them, which may or may not be a good thing! For me, I get to talk with folks on the phone so I automatically have opportunity to form pictures in my mind of what they “look like” based upon their voice or writing style. Now take Leonics for example. In my mind I see a clean cut, tie wearing, thee piece suit kind of guy. In real life? Well, Dave sports a ponytail and looks a bit like a…well a biker! Go figure?!?



We spend the morning getting to know folks and eating and drinking goodies provided for us and just having a good time. Some take advantage of the offer to test ride bikes and scooters. Just a laid back easy going time.

We mount up and make our way back to Danville to the camp ground and the nights activates, which I am told were a bit more reserved than the night before! But I am getting ahead of myself.

This part of New York is very hilly and would seem to me to be at the base of a mountain range from it’s appearance. Not having a detailed geographical understanding of the region, it is simply, my guess. Gorgeous none the less and a wonderful place for a putt on the shortest riding day of my trip!

Done in, from three active days of riding, we decide we are going to crash early so we can get an early out on the road as this time we have a deadline to make on the return that will be un-yielding.

I head out to the campground and visit some more with the guys and check out their bikes and gadgets. Chatting with all them, man what a hoot. As has been my observation across this country and as good fortune would have it, Europe as well, I see more of what I have seen in each of my travels to BA.com Rallies. It’s the people. Cool bikes, cool people. I can’t say enough of what a joy it is to me to meet the folks from this site. I spent relatively very few hours visiting compared to the time it took to get here, but it was so well worth the effort.

I learn a great deal about great people and enjoy some great rides and adventures with the same. Now, they are no longer “cyber personas” but there are now faces and depth of personalities that are often missed in the on-line world we enjoy so much. Too often those who come off not so well in the world of cyberspace, but in the face-to-face real world? They are something all together different.



The remainder of the trip for me was every bit as great as the trip down. The colors turned even more brilliant and the only down side, was it was cooler and I was hurting a great deal more because we were more diligent pressing on, only stopping to fuel every 120 miles or so. Still all in all? A great and wonderful ride that was capped with a phone call when I was 15 miles from home. I got the call that I was now the Grandpa to a little boy named Gabriel! So that is the end to one tale, and the beginning of another.

Ride Safe!

eddy


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