Road Captain USA

We went to the 10th Anniversay Gettysburg Bike Week… and we did see some funny things! The above items were in a leather shop on Steinweher Ave. I would venture to guess it was Wilderness Lodge Leather & Hat. The below picture was taken in the event parking lot at Granite Hill Campground.  

We saw a pretty wild biker cowboy enter a mini bike in the burnout competition. He spanked his little black machine and wet down the tires with bottled water to make it perform better. He didn’t win!?

We saw funny underpants again. Last year I did not show the funny underpants because I thought they were a little on the adult humor side but I will share these with you this year.

These crazy ladies decided to stir things up. Those innocent bikers were making sure to follow the signs plastered all over town that read “Throttle Down In Town”. So these two pulled up a chair from a sidealk cafe and positioned themselves curbside to signal the bikers coming by to rev their throttles up! They were a hoot!

Funny or ingenious? I’m thinking this is more genious than funny but I’ll hit you with it anyway. This is how you travel to a burnout contest if you’re serious!

Tags: Cool Video & Pics by Jay Green
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Tags: Cool Video & Pics by Jay Green
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If you have been following this story you know that a small band of First State Chapter members traveled west from Newark, DE to Hagerstown, MD skirting the Mason-Dixon line using only backroads through rolling farm country. We arrived in Hagerstown in time to have a fun dinner at Barefoot Bernies and a few drinks at the Cancun Cantina West before returning to our rooms at the Clarion. On Sunday we woke up eager to get back on the road and continue with the Smell The Flowers II trip. We grabbed breakfast at the hotel which was a big disappointment. Ithought the Clarion would have a nice spread but I have had much better at Best Westerns, Days Inn and Super 8. After checking out Diana lead us on a 8 mile backway from Hagerstown to Williamsport. Still no highways for us!

We pulled into the back lot of Williamsport Harley-Davidson, parked and registered for the Williamsport HOG Chapter River Rat Poker Run. I think we were the only HOG Chapter to participate. That is a shame because the roads out here are great! A rider from Williamsport HOG Chapter lead us through their poker run route running through historic areas along the Potomac River such as Antietam and Harpers Ferry. They switched the direction of the route from last year making it much safer. Last year every card stop was a left turn across the oncoming lane. Right turns are better! We enjoyed the ride, the scenery and were happy to take home awards for both furthest distance traveled and organization with most particpants! Diana won a t-shirt and Erin tied for 3rd best hand in the poker run! We were the first bikes out and it seemed like we waited forever for the last bikes out to come in so we could claim our prizes, but it was worth it! For the record I would like to mention First State Chapter won Most Particpants last year and Furthest Distance the year before. We rock!

Click here to see all the pictures from this trip.

After claiming our prizes it was time to saddle up and head home. For the trip home we would hit I70 and do some highway riding.  We got off in Sykesville and Diana took us to lunch at E.W. Beck’s not far from the exit we got off at. Beck’s is a great tavern! Diana took me there on  a date once before we were hitched.

The rest of the way home was backroads and we finally arrived at our final gas stop. It was such a great weekend and we all enjoyed riding together that as is sometimes the case we felt a saddend to say goodbye. It was another 50 miles to Newark, DE and as we got closer home different members of our party peeled off and honked and waved as they separated from the group. Everyone arrived home safely and another successful trip is now in the history books of First State Chapter. Diana did a kick ass job of planning the trip and leading the ride. My wife is awesome!

From Clarion in Hagerstown to Williamsport H-D – 8 miles

Right onto Rt 40 .2 miles

Right on Eastern Blvd .5 miles

Right on memorial Blvd 1.2 miles

Roundabout 4th exit Virginia Ave 4.3 miles

Left Governor LaneBlvd 1.3 miles

Right into back entrance Williamsport H-D

From Williamsport H-D to E.W. Beck’s – 63 miles

From back lot take a right on Governor Lane Blvd .7 miles

Left on lappens rd Rt 68 2 miles

Left on Downsville Pike Rt 632 1.4 miles

Right on Rench Rd 2 miles

Left on Sharpsburg Pike Rt 65 .5 miles

Gas Stop If Needed

Sharpsburg Pike Toward I70 .2 miles

Left Ramp to I70 East 50 miles

Exit 80 Rt 32 towards Sykesville

Left at bottom of ramp on Sykesville Rd Rt 32 4.7 miles

Left on Sandosky Rd .4 miles

Right into the back parking lot of E.W. Beck’s

From Sykesville to Belair

From back lot left on Sandosky Rd

Gas Stop If Needed

Left on Sykesville Rd Rt 32

Right on gamber Rd Rt 91

Right on Baltimore Blvd Rt 140

Left on Butler Rd/Worthington Ave Rt 128

Left on Tufton Rd/Shawan Rd

Right on York Rd Rt 45

Left Ashland Rd Rt 145

Left on Green Rd

Left on Baldwin Mill Rd Rt 165

Right on East West Highway Rt 23

Right on Hoagie Dr

Left in back of Wawa parking lot

This is the “Goodbye” Stop

Belair, MD to Newark, DE – 50 miles

Get on Rt 1 East and merge with Rt 273 East

The End

Tags: Trips & Places To Go by Jay Green
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The further one travels west through Maryland the futher one gets from the urban sprawl of the Atlantic coastal region. Passing through Cecil, Harford and Carroll counties you will find yourself in semi rural farmland. We’re not talk’n mid west rural here but rural none the less. Frederick has quite a bit of development going on but past that things get pretty country. Frederick has the Cotoctin Mountain so this is also the point where our region becomes “not flat”. Entering Washington county the only development is Hagerstown and that is like a blip on the map along I70. Rt 40 cuts through Hagerstown and is National Pike/Dual Highway. Located on National Pike in Hagerstown is a great little campus that includes: Clarion Motel, Hager Hall Conference and Event Center, Barefoot Bernies and Cancun Cantina West. The Cancun Cantina holds motorcycle and hot rod shows frequently. Cancun Cantina East and West are both happening night spots! They combine night club atmosphere with country line dancing entertainment and biker friendly themes. Both locations are a lot of fun. I especially appreciate the West because it is connected to Barefoot Bernies Restaurant and the Clarion Motel making it an ideal motorcycle layover spot for trips heading west.

In my last post we were taking a butt break at the Citgo in Woodsboro, MD getting ready for the final leg of the day which would be a 27 mile jaunt over to the Clarion in Hagerstown. The Citgo is really a High’s Dairy Store and Citgo Gas Station on North 2nd Street with North 2nd Street continuing through the parking lot (according to Google Maps). So we hopped back on our motorcycles and exited the back of the gas station via North 2nd Street (even though we thought we were just in a parking lot) taking a right onto Woodsboro Pike and a quick left onto Woodsboro Creagerstown Rd Rt 550. You’ll ride for awhile through rural hilly country and eventually come to a small town called Thurmont. Cross Rt 15 and Rt 550 becomes Rt 77. Rt 77 is AWESOME!!! It takes you directly through Cotoctin Mountain National Park. Resist the urge to turn around and go back through the park if you can. Now entering Washington County. Take a left on Jefferson Blvd Rt 64. Follow Jefferson for 7 miles and take another left onto Eastern Blvd and take that for a short mile to Rt 40 National Pike. Make a right onto Rt 40. Jump over immediately to the left turn lane, pull a u-turn and bang a quick right into the motel entrance. Park the bikes, unpack the saddlebags and check in!

After an awesome day of riding this is the perfect ending. The Clarion is a nice motel so check in, grab a hot shower and change into comfortable clothes. We met up with our friends at Barefoot Bernies for dinner. The tropically decorated restaurant is a fun place with pirate manicans and bamboo furniture. We ate, drank and talked about the ride for hours. We joked and had a blast. When the conversation died down we went next door to the Cancun Cantina for more drinks. Eventually a live country rock band took the stage and line dancing happened! We had an awesome time and got to bed early enough to get a good night sleep!

Note: the breakfast at the Clarion was a big disappointment

Woodsboro, MD to Hagerstown, MD 27 Miles

Woodsboro Creagerstown Rd Rt 550 to Rt 77 heading west

Left on Rt 64 Jefferson Blvd – 7 miles

Left on Eastern Blvd – 1 mile

Right on National Pike Rt 40 Dual Hwy

Immediate U-Turn

Right into Clarion entrance

Tags: Trips & Places To Go by Jay Green
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There are some awesome roads between Shrewsberry, PA and Hagerstown, MD that dip and weave along the Mason-Dixon Line. The country roads carry you through rolling hills with short steep inclines and twisty s-turns that weave their way through wheat and corn farms. The corn stalks were about 5′ high this June as we rolled on the throttle through the Maryland country side on our way to Hagerstown.

After our lunch break at Nikola’s Cafe in Shrewsberry it was looking a little cloudy but we didn’t care. The roads were calling us with their seductive come hither curves. Ok that sounded goofy, but I’m trying to make my writing a little less blah blah blah! 

Exiting the parking lot onto Old Farm we crossed the intersection and the road becomes Constitution Ave. Between here and our gas stop in Woodsboro, Maryland there are a plethora of country roads that need to be explored by you and your trusty motorcycle. Here are the directions to our next gas stop at the Citgo in Woodsboro which is not far from where my my parents live. This is a 53 mile leg and the Citgo, although not a Wawa or a Royal Farms, was a welcome break since it was the first post lunch stop. Thank God they have a bathroom!

Quiz: which bike is not a Harley and what is it?

Part 3 – 53 Miles

From Nikola’s Cafe cross the intersection onto Constitution

Follow signs that direct you to Rt 851 if there are such signs

Right on East Main Street in New Freedom

Left on Steltz Rd Rt 851

Continue to follow Rt 851 as it makes several turns

Left on Lineboro Rd PA Rt 516/MD Rt 86

Left on Hallie Ave and follow to traffic light (this left is for group rides to make the next right turn easier)

At traffic light take a right on Hanover Pike Rt 30

Left on Bachmans Valley Rd

Right on Rt 97 Littlestown Pike

You can follow Rt 97 all the way into Pennsylvania and take a left on Rt 194 but this is the way we did it…

At the very crest of a long steep hill on Rt 97 in Maryland there is a left turn onto Stone Road but it is too dangerous and difficult, even in a car, to cross left at the top of a hill in a blind turn with limited sight just as the hill dives back down the other side. It’s a busy road with plenty of oncoming cars. So as you come down the other side of this long hill on Rt 97 in Maryland before the Pennsylvania line look for Sprouts Daycare on the left side of the road. Pull a u-turn in their parking lot. Go back up the hill on Rt 97 Littlestown Pike and at the crest of the hill there will be a turn lane for Stone Road where you can safely make a right turn. Follow that to Rt 194 and make a left on Francis Scott Key Hwy and look for the Citgo on the right side.

Tags: Trips & Places To Go by Jay Green
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Last June Diana led her first overnight trip which was a huge success and played a big part in her receiving her Road Captain patch with First State HOG Chapter. This year Diana perfected the ride route and made the trip shorter but ten times sweeter. We had less riders this year which makes riding these back country roads more enjoyable. Everyone was impressed to find out we can travel from Newark, DE to Hagerstown, MD without traversing any roads with more than two lanes in either direction.

The obvious way to get out west would be to take I95 South to the Baltimore Beltway I695 and then shoot off onto I70 across Maryland at 70 miles per hour. It would be 120 miles of highway including the dreaded I95 and dodgy Baltimore beltway. Travel time would be over two hours. Many of our friends travel down Rt301 and cut under Baltimore and then scoot back up to western Maryland. Diana’s route took us across 150 miles of country backroads leaving about 9:30am and arriving in Hagerstown at about 4:00pm. We would stop for an hour lunch in Shewsbury, Pennsylvania and take two gas/rest stops. There would be no rush and we would arrive at the Clarion Motel in Hagerstown, Maryland in time to take a nice shower and change into comfortable clothes before dinner.

I’ll take you through the leg of the ride that goes from Newark, DE through Cecil and Harford counties in Maryland to the lunch stop in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania because this alone is a nice ride.

We met at he new Royal Farms in Newark, DE five minutes from our house. This has quickly become our most popular ride meet up point. I have become a huge fan of Royal Farms in the past two years. I like Wawa a lot but Royal Farms has inside seating and great fried chicken! The indoor seating is welcome in the hot summer and the cold winter when you need to either cool off or warm up while eating a cheap but tasty lunch on the road. They have gas, convenience store, food, small decent bathrooms and good size parking lots. Here’s Bill grabbing a little breakfast of champions before we leave the Royal Farms.

The first leg of Diana’s route gets us from the Royal Farms in Newark, DE to the Wawa in Conowingo, Maryland. We use local back roads to get onto Rt 273 West Telegraph Rd and merge with Rt 1 Conowingo Rd. You will be traveling through Cecil County into Harford County, Maryland. When you cross the Susquehanna River at the Conowingo Dam you are in Harford County.

From the Wawa we pull out onto Rt 136 and the scenery and country riding really start to kick in. Take a left on Rt 23 Norrisville Rd. The next turn is a right onto Rt 439 Old York Rd but for safety we pass it and pull into the Shell gas station on the left. The Shell does have a unisex bathroom on the outer right side of the building and we use this gas station as a rest stop on many of Diana’s rides. On this ride we just used the parking lot as a planned turn around to head back up Rt 23 so we could make a left onto Rt 439 Old York Rd. This sounds ass backwards but I will try to explain…

Rt 23 Norrisville Road is a country road with one lane in each direction and the locals get moving pretty quickly on a road like this. Rt 439 Old York Road is a sharp jackknife turn just after a steep decline in the road. If a group of motorcycles were to suddenly slow down after this dip in the road to navigate a sharp jackknife turn they would be sitting ducks! A speeding red neck in a camo painted pick up could come flying over the crest of the hill and take out several ducks before you can count how many guns are in his rack. So yes, in this case two left turns across the oncoming lane makes more sense than a right turn… however on the day of our ride we had to add an addendum to this policy.

Miles before the turn we got stuck behind a huge self-propelled combine. It moved so slowly you would think it was powered by little gerbils on a wheel inside the motor. Traffic was backing up behind us. The road was too hilly and curvy for a group of motorcycles to safely pass. If you are patient the combines usually pull off the road into a nearby farm just when you think you can’t take it anymore. It felt like this one was going to lead us forever! When we came up on our right hand turn crawling at 10 miles an hour we took the right hander without any danger of getting run over by the creeping cars behind us.

Rt 439 Old York Rd will cross over I83 and end at Rt 45 York Rd. Take a right and go up York Rd heading north into Pennsylvania. York Rd will become Susquehana Trail Rt 3001 in PA. When you come into Shrewsbury you will come to a four way intersection with a traffic light. Take a right on Old Farm Lane and go into the shopping center. Have lunch at Nikola’s Cafe. Call ahead of time and reserve the outside table for your friends and enjoy. The number is 717-235-2200

Riddle: What has 2 bills, 2 colors, 2 wienners, 2 greens & 2 parisons?

This is a favorite lunch ride that Diana likes to do so this part of the route can stand on it’s own and the shrimp salad sandwich is worth the ride. The roads get even tastier from here to Hagerstown!

Part 1 – 36 Miles – Roll at 9:30am

Royal Farms Rt 72 and Old Baltimore Pike Newark, DE

Right on Old Baltimore Pike

Right on Otts Chapel rd

Left on Elkton Rd

Right on Rt 277 Fletchwood Rd/Elk Mills rd

Right Rt 213

Left Rt 273 Telegraph Rd

Left Rt 1 Conowingo rd

Right into the Wawa at Rt 136 in Conowingo

Part 2 – 31 Miles

From Wawa exit left onto Rt 136 Whiteford Rd

Left on Rt 23 Norrisville Rd

Do a turnaround at the Shell on the left side and take a right back onto Rt 23

Left on Rt 439 Old York Rd

Right Rt 45 York Rd

Becomes Rt 3001 Susquehanna Trail in Pennsylvania

Make a right at the intersection with Constition on the left and Old Farm on the right

Pull into the shopping center behind the 1st Marina Bank in Shrewsbury, PA exactly at noon for lunch.

Tags: Trips & Places To Go by Jay Green
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