The 2015 Ramapo 500

[DesignFlaw06]

Alright, I finally got around to uploading my pictures.  Didn't take many.  I guess that was my only gripe about the ride was that there weren't many scenic spots to stop at.  Then again, there might have been if we followed the actual route.   Sorry bout that.


I eventually took over the lead position.  The CB communication between Nick and myself proves to be very conducive to keeping groups together, even large ones.  We tried to stick to the route as much as possible, but we were having difficulty getting the GPX files imported into CoPilot correctly.  Still working on what the best way to do that is.  And eventually that chick gets pissed off enough that she stops feeding directions.  An actual map would have been helpful from the start.  All we received for directions were the MapQuest style that had it down to the tenth of a mile for every turn.  Too much detail made it difficult, at least for me.  Seeing how my paper map was NY and we spent most of our time in PA, it didn't help me much.


But the road quality was good, the route we took was great, and the company was the best.  The roads weren't really challenging, which was a sigh of relief for the wife.  The FJR Ramble was a bit much for her (and me to be honest), and she was nervous about this ride being the same.  Thankfully it wasn't at all.


This waterfall was just off the route (Nick and I were still getting directions at this point).  I happened to notice a scenic spot sign, just wasn't sure what it was.  



The wife and I.



All of these houses were built around this waterfall.  This picture was taken from somebody's front yard across the street.



My favorite part about the waterfall was the 2 bikes that were following us.  You could tell they were following the route, same as we were.  But when I turned off and our group followed, they weren't sure what to do.  Should they follow or continue on?  Nick said they actually stopped at the turn to debate it before deciding to continue on.  Pitty.  I doubt few saw this little gem. We may have been the only ones.


Once we realized we were still a long ways away and it was getting late, we decided to slab it back to the tavern.  Warrick (mollusc) was having trouble with his bike bogging down at around 60 MPH, unless we were going downhill.  Painful highway experience for me, going under the speed limit, but I was happy to accommodate him.


Passed a sign that said the next 40 miles was an estimated 97 minutes.  FT.  So we bailed at the next exit to discuss Plan B.  It was decided that the cruiser crowd and Kitch would split at this point.  The rest of us had to go back the same way.  Nicholas and Warrick live that way and our trailer was back near the tavern.  Plus Nick and I had no intention of leaving Warrick to travel alone with a handicapped bike.  


That being said, the remaining roads were some of the best.   We went to turn on 92, when a bunch of muscle cars beat us to it.  This is going to be fun I thought.  But there was an SUV that turned in front of them, going 10-15 MPH UNDER the speed limit.  This guy had at least a dozen vehicles by him, and never once did he consider pulling off.  Not even in the designated parking areas that are convenient for such a thing.  We decided to stop at this riverbed to get a break from putzing along.





We stopped at an overlook of the famous Hawks Nest where Nicholas got his username from.  That was a quick stop as it wasn't far from the riverbed.  Got to 17 and merged into a traffic jam.  Nicholas lead us after the next exit to take the backroads to the tavern. (FYI, his definition of 10 miles and 20 minutes is way different than mine  ) Made it back to the tavern, only to miss the Ramapo people by about 10 minutes.  Didn't really bother me as the patch was not why I was there.  Riding with the group we had was the real treat.




And then tragedy struck..........3 times.


Kept checking on the bikes every fuel stop.  Mine almost always requires adjusting.  Probably have about an hour and a half to get to Nick's house.  Everything was fine when we left, and when we arrive, my saddlebag was lying on the floor of the trailer.     Hit a bump hard enough to knock it loose.  And whether it was the cause of or a result of, the saddlebag no longer latches securely to the bike.  Tried to remain calm.  It wasn't anything I did, just sometimes stuff happens.  Bag is scratched up also.  Hard to see, but it is rubbed down to the plastic.



Loaded my bike onto my trailer and hooked it up to the truck to finish the journey.  Got about 20 miles down the road and the bike tipped over.   I was no longer calm.  The slack on the strap had worked its way loose, wiggled through a crack in the floorboard at the wall of the trailer only big enough for said strap.  Then the wind caught it and blew it into the axle of the trailer, which took care of the rest.  Luckily the other strap held it up enough to prevent more damage.  And without the wife there, I would have been in a real fix.  Cut the strap, and fortunately had more to replace it with.  Made sure to do a better job tying up the slack this time.


Got back on the road and worked on settling down.  Nobody is hurt, insurance will take care of it.  Then my mom called.  After I told her how the day was going, she informed me that she was going to pile on to it.  They had been watching our 2 year old son Brady.  While out on the deck, he was walking down the stairs and got a little cocky about it.  He missed the second step, tried recover, and fell.  After the fall, he was suspended by his feet on the steps and the propane tank my dad was switching out on his grill.  Seriously?  Just a perfect storm.  And when they picked him up and wiped the gushing blood from his mouth, his front tooth was missing.





It was nobody's fault, just things happens.  But it is about a 5 year mistake.  Despite me telling my parents to not feel bad about it, my mom will be guilt ridden until the replacement grows in.


When it is all said and done, the trip home was just a blip of misfortune.  The weekend was still great.

[mollusc]

The first 4 pics aren't showing up for me.