Where The Locals Ride

15/06/2024

Saving the Adventure Update!
Augmented the DDay Memorial with a tour by one of the super knowledgeable docents!
Lunch at local hole-in-the-wall grill...
Then a 2 1/2 romp up in the mountains and valleys and alongside creeks and rivers.
Finished up at The Peaks Of Otter on the Blue Ridge Parkway! An idyllic landing spot.

14/06/2024

Saving An Adventure!
When plans for an epic 6-7 day ride... from DC to the Outer Banks of NC to the mountains of western NC, up the Blue Ridge Parkway to the DDay Memorial and back to DC get called up short... Bail or Adjust?
Adjust!
Plug in some Interstate, drop the OBX, adjust for closures on the BRP, and get creative!

First day took Intestate to get to Roanoke VA then wicked back roads to get to Blowing Rock NC. Stayed at the Mountaineer Inn, a perpetual favorite old school motel with a fire pit!

Day 2, sweet back roads and a mix of Interstate bits to bypass lengthy stretches of the BRP under construction. Found our way to Mt Airy NC, which is the bone of the old TV show, Mayberry RFD!
Then a couple hours on the BRP to get to Bedford, where tomorrow we will visit the DDay Memorial.

Day 3, will spend a few hours at the DDay Memorial (pictures from my last visit) ride some awesome roads, find an ice cream stop (Pink Cadillac!), more riding along the Blue Ridge Mountains before settling into The Peaks of Otter for the evening.

Day 4, Blue Ridge Parkway north then through the hills and valleys back to DC.

7 Days down to 4 Days, an awesome trip! Here's to flexibility, creativity, and local knowledge!

02/05/2024

One of these is not like the others;-) Had a great time chatting with these guys, who are headed for Maggie Valley!

02/05/2024

Springtime on the Blue Ridge Parkway has begun! Scouting some new roads, updating some restaurant stops... meeting new moto friends. It's a tough job but... somebody had to do it!

24/03/2024

Day 9 of the Late Winter Autotrain Moto Adventure!
Overnight train ride on Amtrak's Autotrain was the trick... missing I95 and 900 miles of rain.
The rain let up just as we arrived on Lorton VA and began our individual last legs to the iron horse barns!
High points?
Kennedy Space Center!
Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum and the retired Naval Aviator Tour Guides!
Hole In The Wall restaurant in Apalachicola (thanks Cliff!)
Riding the Pensacola Park Shoreline!
Riding the Old Spanish Trail through rural Florida!
Amtrak Autotrain vs I95!

Cueing our next ADVENTURE!
Stay tuned !

23/03/2024

Day 8 of the Late Winter Autotrain Moto Adventure!
To say today's ride was short would be an understatement.
12 miles maybe?
However we finished the 8 days riding in Florida without feeling a single rain drop. Loaded the bikes and boarded the train this afternoon. But not before hanging out on the river front and having Gator Bites and Concj Fritters!
Sunset was elusive as we travel north into what promises to be a wicked payback for a week of warm dry riding... but we have gear!

22/03/2024

Day 7 of the Late Winter Autotrain Moto Adventure!
Long riding day today from Apalachicola to Sanford. Along the Gulf Coast as much as we could and all make Sanford before dark.

Totally lucked into finding a great lunch spot in Perry, Florida. While everyone was scurrying around I noticed a nice woman clearing the tables... and sure enough it was the owner! Meet Debbie!!!! Great lunch spot with cool outdoor seating and comfortable welcoming indoor seating. Food was just right as well. A worthy addition to the eatery list ;-)
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100044696210170

Last part of the day was a bit of slog in heavy Florida traffic, but since we are used to riding in the DC area... just another evening commute.

We were scheduled to stop in Haqethorne near Gainesville to overnight with some very good friends. But with a forecast for really nasty on Friday morning we decided to push on to Sanford.

Awaiting there, across from the hotel was Culvers!! And dinner ensued! Requisite picture below!

And finally a nice Sunset!!!!
Tomorrow, the train!

21/03/2024

Day 6 of the Auto train moto adventure to Florida!

Brisk ride all along the Gulf coast today. From Pensacola to Apalachicola. Slow going but really got a sense for the different segments. It's not all Panama City and Destin!
Plenty of long beach stretches.

Apalachicola is a really low key old Gulf coast town. Far from the madding crowd. We will be back!

Ending up at The Hole In The Wall Raw Bar and Seafood restaurant was a totally awesome find! One of the two best restaurants on this trip.
Cliff is running one heck of awesome place. If you ANYWHERE near there in your travels and like great seafood Oysters in particular...Go!!!!

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nGzSMSs4we94oDGDA

20/03/2024

Day 5 of the Late Winter Florida Moto Adventure! Even cooler with temps in the low 40's this morning! Seriously Florida!?!?

But today was a layover day with a visit to the Pensacola Naval Air Station's Naval Aviation Museum. An awesome museum that starts back with the Wright Brothers time frame and goes all the way up to Desert Storm.

Unlike some museums (cough, Smithsonian, cough cough) the planes are right there in your face. You can reach out and touch them. Some still smell like they just came off the flight line. And to top it off, the docents leading the tours are retired Naval aviators. Some hellacious stories and commentaries.
And it's...free.

Personally it was a trip back though my first 20 years living in the Navy Family bubble. Yes I thought everyone had a parent that flew planes, had the Blue Angels pilots over for dinner, had a parent that was deployed for six months to some dicey part of the the world, knew test pilots... Some flew AntiSubmarine Warfare. Some flew jets. The family budget depended on flight pay. Flying and landing on carriers was part of their job. So this was personal.

Just happened to see Sec Def Austin in an adjacent glass conference room in a seemingly normal business meeting. He clearly was in his element... not the public eye.

Finished the day at the storied McGuires Irish Restaurant. Hint: get there by 430pm or deal with a long wait. Food was exellent, worthy of their reputation.
We stapled money on the ceiling... it's a thing ;-)
https://www.mcguiresirishpub.com/

19/03/2024

Day 4 of the Late Winter Florida Moto Adventure! Much cooler with temps in the low to mid 60's...Far from the 80 degree days we'd seen so far!

Tallahassee to Pensacola today.
Still sticking to RT90 which is the Old Spanish Highway.
Quick run by the state Capitol in Tallahassee to get a picture of the dome (a friend requested it)... shot using my 360 degree camera and then cropped out the shot. Interestingly the done is on the old capitol building, now a museum , and the capitol is the sterile 1977's vintage building behind it!
The day's ride was a study in the reality of the haves and havenots. Notable and and stark.
An amazing lunch in small town Defuniak Springs FL. NOLA for lunch! Tremendously wonderful! https://maps.app.goo.gl/JBKLTgWcoMnhPSGLA

17/03/2024

Day 3 of Late Winter Florida Moto Adventure! Another sunny day in the 80s. From St Augustine headed to RT90 which is the Old Spanish Highway and runs all the way to San Diego. Today's destination was Tallahassee and the Automobile Museum which also had...Motorcycles!

Roads in Florida are mostly straight and flat except for on and off ramps. We did find canopies of moss laden trees which were delightful.

The Automobile Museum was way more than we expected. Two Ford 500GTs, a Duesenberg, amazing Bugatti restoration, Batmobiles (yes), Triumphs, BSAs, Indians, Whizzers and more. And then an insane set of collections to make your head spin. The train connection is not open to the public...

Dinner at the Rock and Roll sushi restaurant (very good).
AND... the rain started just as we got back to the hotel!
Tomorrow...Pensacola and significantly cooler temps!

17/03/2024

Day 2 of Late Winter Florida Adventure! Another sunny day in the 80s. Followed the Atlantic shoreline up to St Augustine to visit this cool old city.

Passed through Daytona Beach, yes Spring Break was in evidence. But lot of relatively calm and low occupancy towns along the way. And view of the Atlantic Beaches!

Lunch at DJ's Clam Shack was downright stellar! A Big Big win. They have only been there 4 months but if you visit St Augustine...Go!

We had to pay a return visit to the Manly Toys and Hobbies store... just because. (No there was not a Womanly Toys and Hobbies store!) Turns out the lady at the counter wants to ride... wait for it...motorcycles! That was a great discussion. Let's see if she surfaces here ;-)

And as we were packing up another motorcycle lady came up and we started talking of course. Ahem... she talked her husband into getting both a motorcycle AND a boat! He's one lucky guy! Photo op attached. Thanks Brenda!

And.. sunset!

17/03/2024

The Autotrain To Florida late winter Moto Adventure is off to a crazy start! Leaving 80 degree weather in DC to go to Florida?
Committed we were and here we are. Landing in Sanford Florida about 11am.
Spent the day at the Kennedy Space Center. An amazing piece of history.
Dinner at the Dixie Crossroads in Titusville.

23/02/2024

Helmet Science (not a judging piece)
This bit of Science is for those riding this winter, and using their chin curtains to keep warmer and keep things a bit quieter.
Fortnine does an excellent job on the science, and why you might reconsider. I'm one who rides in the cold, and this changes both my long and short rides.

Want to support the channel? Click through this Amazon link for anything: https://frt9.co/30l4bi Motorbike riders do dumb stuff. But recent cognition studies...

23/02/2024

Sun's hiding behind a thin veil this morning. But I have the antidote to a dreary soggy morning ;-)
Double Espresso + motorbike ride= things looking wonderful!

26/01/2024

When that warm streak hits... even a day ride just make things better!

30/10/2023

Our community..Riding to see old, and not so old moto friends. An annual moto adventure in the hills of SW VA, with unlimited oysters on Thursday nights! Having lunch with one of the best BRP riders I know, in Boone NC. Catching up with an 82 year young Floridian rider who does an annual Long Distance charity ride, solo. Making new moto friends at a coffee shop in the west coast of Florida. Spending time with one of my long riding cohorts in Asheville NC. Talking adventure and travel with young daughters of international friends outside of Atlanta, yes they speak Russian. What an incredible connector the moto community is! 2000 miles of mostly road, some sand and dirt. And Amtrak Autotrain now for the trip north (I95 won't miss me ;-)
Anyone interested in the SW VA adventure next October??? Already queing up!

18/10/2023

Where The Locals Ride will be down in SW Virginia this weekend! Staying at the Western Front Hotel in St. Paul VA. Super motorcycle friendly folks and town. We started working with them years ago, as the State of Virginia helped them launch their motorcycle tourism effort. Now RoadRunner Magazine is creating and updating the routes.
We have some new hybrid routes we'll be using, so more fun is on the way. (Borg's Butterfly!)
Of course, if you are in the area, come join us!

But....way back when, we got them started with routes and GPX files! The ones on their Archival page ;-) Nice of them to give us credits!

In the Heart of Appalachia, scenic mountains and valleys offer excitement and adventure whether you're hugging the curves on two wheels of four. Your unforgettable journey will take you through charming towns, atop breathtaking vistas, as you experience nature's majesty and one-of-a-kind attractions...

23/09/2023

Riding today along the WV and Ohio border, up and down, near the Ohio River, there were lots of local riders out! I sourced one of those "Local restaurant/bar" establishments that had some awesome online commentary and roughly Zero street appeal. Late lunch, great talking with the staff, brilliant food including some "dusted" wings. No they wouldn't tell me what the dust was....but they were stellar. Today was, Where The Locals Ride Plus Where The Locals Eat! Just check out the front door to the place... Shorty's Place.

09/09/2023

Local riding opportunities? When an old friend, now living in another country invites you to come ride for a week, that counts as a Where The Locals Ride adventure!
A week in Ireland on the new BSA650!
So it begins, from somewhere in SW Ireland..

26/08/2023

South Eastern Ohio, is a wonderful treasure trove of hilly, windy, curvey, rollicking Rollercoaster roads, that folks from all over the east coast consider "Local" enough. From the New England Riders to the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association to the Where The Locals Rider folks, it is a playground! Road Runner magazine has plenty of time riding this area.
Riding out of Marietta, Ohio staying at the Lafayette Hotel for a long weekend now. Watching the MTSA folks criss-cross cross the countryside.

A great lunch/dinner spot here, Spanglish! Right across from the Lafeyette Hotel. (Did I mention the hotel is haunted?) The chef spent two years in Mexico training and another two years in culinary school. Amazing birria tacos! It should be in your list!

A great breakfast and lunch spot, a real local spot, Marianne's Food Station in Caldwell OH. https://mariannes-station.edan.io/

My ride this afternoon, by example!

You can check the MTSA or NER web pages for everything from sport bike to ADV to Dual Sport rides. This area has it all. But example, MTSA, this weekend, https://flybyweek.com/