Bill's Old Bike Barn Museum

We were off again today for another interesting ride. Temperatures were a little on the hot and humid side but its much better than cold and rain. There were 19 of us - Motor Maids and friends of Motor Maids. We met at Rt 61 & I-81 and headed out on some scenic back roads.

One of the towns we passed through was Centralia. Centralia is a ghost town in Columbia County, PA. Its population has dwindled from over 1,000 residents in 1981 to 12 in 2005, and 9 in 2007 as a result of a mine fire burning beneath the borough since 1962. It is not known for certain how the fire was ignited. One theory is that in 1962, Borough Council hired 5 members of the volunteer fire company to cleanup the town landfill located in an abandoned strip mine pit next to the cemetery. This had been done prior to Memorial Day in previous years when the landfill was in a different location. As they had done in the past, the firefighters set the dump on fire and let it burn for a time. Unlike in previous years, the fire was not extinguished. The fire remained burning underground and spread through a hole in a rock pit to the abandoned coal mines. Attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful and it continued to burn throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Adverse health effects were reported by several people due to the byproducts of the fire, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide and lack of healthy oxygen levels. Only one home remains in Centralia although most of the buildings have been demolished by humans or nature. At a casual glance, the area now appears to be a field with many paved streets running through it.

We stopped for lunch at Quaker, Steak & Lube. It always seems the Motor Maids "ride to eat"! But, that's okay because it gives us time to relax and socialize.

Then on to Bill's Bike Barn Museum in Bloomsburg. What a neat place of vintage motorcycles, extraordinary military vehicles, antique carousel horses and many, many more historic items. "The Streets of Yesteryear" includes a World's Fair memorabilia collection, as well as a bar from the 1939 World's Fair held in New York.

St. Mary Cyclefest

Nancy, Bill (Nancy's friend) and I took part in the St. Mary Cyclefest, sponsored by Brian's HD, on Sunday, July 19th. The even benefited advanced cancer care at St. Mary Medical Center. Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a breakthrough in the treatment of otherwise inoperable tumors and the Medical Center's area of greatest need this year. This was the 3rd year for the event and each year gets bigger - 400 motorcyclists took part in the 65 mile ride through Bucks County. The ride started at Brian's HD and ended at Core Creek Park in Langhorne. We enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch of pulled pork, pulled chicken, spare ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, watermelon, potato chips, soda AND desserts (the chocolate did not hold up very well), as well as live entertainment, a silent auction, Chinese auction, vendors and a live raffle drawing for a 2009 Harley Davidson motorcycle or $7, 000 in cash - I would take the $$. There was also a photographer who took your picture at the end of the ride ... all included!

We did have a few women - and men - ask about the Motor Maids and gave out the information. Hopefully, we can pull some more ladies from the Bucks County area. Maddie & Marcie work at St. Mary's and are looking for ladies to ride! We told them the Motor Maids are just what they are looking for!

It was a beautiful day for a great ride that benefited an even greater cause.

Heading Home

It's nice to get away - even nicer to come home!

We were all packed and ready to go by 5:00 a.m. - Connie, Deb, Helen, Lisa, Maryellen, Nancy and myself. The "Motor Maid Security" guy told us to watch out for moose - they are on the move in the mornings! It was a very chilly start - 54 degs - but turned out to be a nice warm day - not too hot. We rode for 100 miles and then stopped for breakfast, especially coffee/tea to warm up. We all rode together until Rte. I-495 when Connie, Helen & Maryellen turned off for I-290 and Deb, Lisa, Nancy & myself continued on to I-90. We stopped every 100 miles for gas and to stretch our legs. Our last stop for lunch and gas was at the beginning of the Garden State Parkway. When we were ready to leave, we said our good-byes because we would be dropping off after that. Deb & Lisa took the exit for I-78 and Nancy & I continued to the PA Turnpike. Nancy got off at Phila and I continued on to Norristown. We all arrived home between 5:15 - 5:45 p.m. For me, it was 475 miles in 12 1/2 hrs. That's the first time in many years I rode that many miles in one day! I was a little sore but not too tired - until about 8:00 when I could just about keep my eyes open. I will definitely be getting a new bike seat before I go to Coty!!!!

Total miles for the whole trip - 1,187 ... not to shabby for an "old broad"!

Closing Day

Finally, the sun came out!

The business meeting was held from 9:00 - 12:00. The meeting went rather smooth with all the issues, except for one, being voted on with little discussion. As usual, the biggest issue was whether a helmet should be mandatory for the parade. A lot of women are for individual choice, but it came down to an insurance issue. The majority voted for helmets in the parade.

Two districts had put in a bid to host the 2011 convention - Grand Rapids, MI and Shreveport, LA. A vote was taken and we go to Grand Rapids, MI in 2011. Shreveport lost because of the heat! At the 2010 convention, our district is planning on submitting a bid to host the 2012 convention in the Finger Lakes Region of NY. We think our competition will be Florida.

After the meeting, Kerry led a ride to Portland Head Light which is located in Cape Elizabeth's Fort Williams Park outside of Portland. The lighthouse was commissioned by George Washington and is said to be the most photographed place in Maine. Originally, we planned to be back by 4pm but we were late getting started, some wanted to eat and then needed to get gas, thus, the late start. On the ride to the lighthouse, we encountered some construction delays and on the way back, a detour. So, we didn't get back until 5:15.

Happy hour was 5:00-6:00 and the banquet started at 6:00pm. Boy, did I do a quick change into my uniform. The banquet was nice and the food was pretty good. After all the formalities, the "banner" was handed over to the Wyoming ladies - 2010 Convention in Coty, Wyoming!

After the banquet, it was time to pack up and load the bike. We were leaving for home at 5:00 a.m.

Motor Maids on Parade

"A parade of Motor Maid bikers winds its way down Lisbon St. in Lewiston. More than 270 women, from as far away as California and Canada, were in town for the 69th annual convention. The all-female motorcycle group is known for its uniform of blue shirt, white vest and gloves. It was the largest convention in the group's history."

This picture and caption appeared in the Sun Journal today.

Convention Day 2

Another day of rain ... no leisure riding today!

The Dot Robinson Road Ride started at 8:00 a.m. - rain or shine. This ride is a timed run and takes entirely too much thinking while riding. I did ride the run, once, at the 2006 convention in Kingston, Ontario - my first convention - and it did not end well. Again, it was raining and my first instinct was not to do the ride but I did it anyway. Unfortunately, I had a slight mishap and the bike and I went sliding down a back road in Kingston. As the bike and I went down, all I kept saying was "... not now, not here!" Thank goodness for the wet road because the damage/injury were minimal. The windshield was scraped and the mirror broke; my left leg was badly bruised ... what beautiful colors! A local dealer picked up the bike and trailered it back to the shop where they were able to replace the mirrors. I was one lucky lady ... and my Guardian Angels were with me!

Next on the day's event was a 12:30 BBQ at L-A Harley. No one wanted to ride bikes over in the rain so we called a cab - of course, we weren't the only ones with that idea. The Motor Maids kept the cab company busy that day.

It finally stopped raining and at 5:45 the group photo was taken outside in the parking lot. After the picture was taken, it was time to line up for the parade which was scheduled for 6:30. Of course, by the time the parade started, the rain started. Since we are fair weather riders, we decided not to ride the parade - plus it was getting cold.

We were all in the mood for lobster, so we walked over to Chick-a-Dees restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was recommended by the cab driver - what better reference than a local! Nancy and John were the only ones to tackle a whole lobster. Sorry, I can't eat something that is looking at me! It was worth the walk, the lobster was delicious. By the time we were finished, the restaurant had a long waiting line - all Motor Maids.

Welcome

Now the rains come! Today was a slower day - no riding with rain & cold.

The convention officially started today with the welcome meeting from 9:00 - 11:30. Guest speakers were Lewiston Mayor, Larry Gilbert and Auburn Mayor, John Jenkins. Lewiston and Auburn are twin cities. Both men were very interesting speakers but Jenkins was definitely the entertainer. We found out later he is a motivational speaker!

Golden Life members were recognized at the meeting. Golden Life have been members for over 50 years - some over 60 years. The lady in the picture on the far left in the yellow top is the daughter of Dot Robinson, Motor Maid founder.

At 2:00, we had a district meeting. Diane went over some upcoming changes and discussions that will take place at the Business Meeting on Thursday. Some of the issues will be voted on at that time. Further discussion was held regarding our district putting in a bid to host the 2012 convention in NY. A vote was taken and 14 out of 19 voted in favor of putting in the bid at next years convention.

After the district meeting, I went to the Checkers Meeting to hear what it was all about. Checkers are used for the Dot Robinson Timed Road Ride tomorrow. After listening to what has to be done - down to seconds - I decided against it, especially since rain is forecasted.

At 7:00 p.m. there was a Motor Maids social at FastBreaks, a local biker bar. Due to the rain, shuttles ran every 15 minutes from the hotel to the bar. Helen and I went over but decided not to stay - it was packed! We went back to the hotel on the next shuttle and had dinner in the dining room. I went back to my room and relaxed.

Riding Lewiston

Convention registration starts at 5:00 so we have a free day to see a little of Maine. We met at 7:30 for breakfast. The hotel has a breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet - not too bad.

Another beautiful day for a ride. Lois led a ride up Rte 1 heading for a restaurant that a friend from home recommended as a must go to eat. We stopped in a little town of Damariscotta which was like going back in time. They had a Rexel Drug Store with a 1948 soda fountain. The town's "old boys" were sitting around eating and Nancy decided to join them! While we were talking to the lady in the gift shop, she told us about another restaurant to go to - Shaw's Wharf in Waldoboro.

So we headed out to Shaw's. The only downside to Shaw's was the parking lot - it was a hill and not very easy to park motorcycles. It was either a very hard lean or no lean but we managed with each others help. Shaw's was off the beatin' path, nothing great to look at, but great food - just like the places Billy took me to in Florida. No waitress service - self service. We ate out on the top deck and watched the fishermen load their boat with lobster traps and head out to "go fishin' ". While we were sitting there, Maryellen and I commented on the fact there were no sea gulls ... just saw one pigeon! After lunch we continued on Rte. 32 into Augusta and on into Lewiston. Of course, we had to stop at a grocery store to buy water, sodas, snacks, wine, etc., before we went back to the hotel.

We were back in time for registration but first Maryellen, Helen & I went to the bar for a nice cold beer - I had a lobster ale on tap which was pretty good. Later that evening I had dinner with Teresa and Kevin and Brenda (one of the 4 corners ladies) came to join us. I then went and joined Diane, Dave & Justine. That is the fun part of convention, socializing with old and new friends.

Arriving in Lewiston

We had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and were on the road to by 10:00 a.m. We only had 190 miles to Lewiston so we had a relaxing ride and enjoyed another beautiful day - couldn't ask for better weather. While waiting to go through a toll booth, Deb was talking to another motorcyclist who suggested we get off I-95, because of construction and deep grooves in the roadway, and take the coastal route. We picked up Rte. 1 in Kittery, ME, right in the middle of the outlets - thank goodness no one had any room on the bikes to go shopping! Anyone who knows me, knows shopping is not my favorite passtime! Traveling on Rte. 1, I saw a sign for Rte. 1A and decided to take that up the coastline. The road took us through York Beach on the 4th of July weekend - big mistake! It was beautiful, with a lighthouse out on the point, but it was bumper-to-bumper traffic with people trying to park and no place for us to go. The bikes were starting to overheat - I should say the "Harley's" were overheating. My Suzuki and Nancy's Yamaha did very good. When we went through the town, I made a wrong turn and we went back around the town a second time! We finally got back on Rte. 1.

It was getting time to take a break for lunch and shed some clothes since the temps were rising. We stopped for lunch at Mike's Clam House and, again, had seafood - I had a clam platter which was delicious.

Back on the road again and the last stop was the Ramada Inn, Lewiston, ME. We pulled into the hotel around 5:30 -- 488 miles from home. What a ride! After checking in and getting settled, It was great meeting up and greeting old friends from past conventions.

Dinner was definitely not seafood! Helen and I called Papa Johns for take out, had sandwiches delivered and sat around my room drinking Jamison's. Lois called and came over to join us. By the time they left, it was 11:00 and I was ready for bed.

Leaving for Convention

I left home at 6:00 a.m. First stop was to meet-up with Nancy at the Woodrow Wilson Service Area on the NJ Turnpike at 7:00 a.m. and then on to the next meet-up with Deb and Lisa at milepost 153 service area on the Garden State Parkway at 8:00 a.m. Everyone was on-time ... a great start! Deb's boyfriend, Den and his brother, were following in a pickup truck with a trailer because Den was picking up a sidecar in Sturbridge. We stopped at the last service area on the parkway for gas and some breakfast.

It was a beautiful day for riding - sunny and not too hot - and no traffic considering it was July 4th. The ride was uneventful for Nancy and I but I'm sure Deb, Lisa and Den will be getting a nasty letter from the Parkway authority when they get home! Nancy and I have EZ Pass but the others did not. We arranged that we would go through EZ Pass and pull over if there was a safe place or we would continue slowly and they would catch up. The best made plans do go astray ... For some reason, Deb, Lisa & Den all followed us through the EZ Pass Express - go figure!! Den was concerned as to what would happen. We told him they probably took a picture of their license plates and, if so, they would all get a letter to pay the toll and a fine. Unfortunately, the trailer was not Den's - hopefully, he gives his friend a "heads up"!

We had planned to spend the night in Sturbridge, MA. To our surprise, we had arrived at the hotel around 1:00 p.m. - much earlier then we planned. After checking-in and unloading the bikes, we headed to Piccadilly's for lunch ... the first of many seafood meals!

After a relaxing lunch, I left the ladies and went to St. Anne Shrine for 4:00 p.m. Mass. It was a beautiful shrine set on a hill. This made it a little difficult maneuvering the motorcycle around trying to park. Just as I found a safe place to park (after 3 tries), 3 tour buses arrived with lots and lots of senior citizens. Mass was held in an outdoor pavilion which gave the whole experience a very serene feeling. I did not realize how much there was to the shrine until after I got back to the hotel and was looking at the brochure. Now, I wished I had walked around the grounds more.

We had gotten advanced tickets for the Old Sturbridge Village fireworks. That evening we went to the village and walked around, ate junk food and watched the fireworks. Rather than go down to the meadows and watch the fireworks, we found a good viewing spot at the top of the hill. We watched them moving people from the hill below us but we thought we would still be able to watch from our "perch". A staff member did come and tell us the show would be blocked by some trees but we figured they would be shooting them high enough to go over the trees - wrong - they were going off behind the tree ... like they said they would! After about 15 minutes and being bitten by gnats, we decided to start walking back to the parking lot and see if we could see the fireworks from there. We were able to find a perfect spot between some trees with the moon in the middle and watch the fireworks. It was really neat. My camera has a shutter delay so the timing was off trying to get pictures of the fireworks - I always got the ending! We continued to the parking lot, along with quite a few other people, so we could get a jump on the traffic leaving the village. Just as we got to the end of the driveway, the finale went off and we had a front row seat ... spectacular!

What an enjoyable way to end a beautiful day and a great ride on the 4th of July. We got back to the hotel around 10:30 and called it a night!