BudDaytonRat

Sometimes you plan a riding route which looks great on paper or GPS for those who are in the 21st century, then you ride the route and it SUCKS. I planned a route to Parkersburg, WV to get the letter P for the Triumph Go Your Own Way Game on Britrider and I am happy to say I got this route right. I wanted to get on the road at 6:00am I missed my goal by 20 minutes. The thing about getting an early start on a Sunday morning is you have most of the road to you and your bike. Not a lot of cagers out at that hour. The route is as follows. Route 35 to Washington Court House to route 22 and needless to say this was slab city. Routes 22 to Circleville to route 56, things are starting to get better. There are some nice sweepers on route 22. Route 56 to Laurelville it is now time for breakfast at the Old Town Diner. The only problem with stopping at the Old Town Diner this time of day is that it is too early for their fried chicken dinner. After a ham and eggs breakfast I pick up route 180 to 33. 180 is a fun road and it has fresh asphalt “virgin pavement.” Route 33 is boring but I’m not on it long. I turn on to route 550 and start having fun again. Route 550’s pavement is a little rough but it’s no big deal for the Sprint’s suspension. I take 550 to Chesterville to route 555. The Triple Nickel is a great road with a lot of turns, warning a lot of the turns aren’t marked. I guess the state of Ohio ran out of road sign money or the crew putting up the turn signs just got tired of putting signs up. Route 555 to route 50 to Parkersburg where I try and find a sign that has Parkersburg, WV on it. I’m in downtown Parkersburg and the only sign I find that has Parkersburg on it is an old auto dealership. I head out of Parkersburg and pick up Ohio route 124 which runs along the Ohio River a nice scenic ride. I stop at a convenient grocery for a PPS ( pee, pop & snack). Four riders pull in for a break one is on a 2001 Sprint and he has a mesh riding jacket like mine. I tell him nice jacket and we start talking bikes and roads in the area. He is retired like me and has four bikes. I tell him about some of the roads I have been riding and the way I am going back to Dayton. He shows me a different route and I tell him I will ride it. I take route 124 to route 144 to Stewart where I take route 329 to route 550 to route 690 back to route 50. This is the change suggested as I was going to ride 329 back to 50. This cut out about six miles of slab time on route 50. Route 329 and Route 690 are good roads. I take route 50 through Athens and pick up route 56 back to Laurelville. I take a long look at the Old Town Diner and think chicken but I’m making good time and I want to get home in time to see some of the World Cup finals. Needless to say it was a great way to spend a Sunday.

2010 Dragon Raid Sept 13th -19th, 2010. The dates are posted on the calendar and this is what this event is about. About the Event Get ready for a week of great rides, entertainment and great food. You DO NOT have to be here all week. However we will be there all week and would love to have your company. The main event nights are Friday and Saturday, so please be there for these nights. The Raid will take place at The Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge. Their website is www.IronHorsenc.com Make your reservations with them. When you check in at Iron Horse you will receive your Shirt, Swag Bag, Maps, Door Prize Ticket, and Saturday Night Dinner Coupon. This years Raid will be bigger and better than before. Monday-Friday - Ride the best roads this side of the Mississippi. Check-in will be at the office of Iron Horse. If you have not registered for this event, please click here for registration information. Thursday - Will have lead rides or "Go Your Own Way". Thursday night will be the annual Night Dragon Run. This is a chance to go to "The Overlook", shut the bikes off and see more stars than most city slickers see. Ride on your own during the day or get together for a group ride. Friday- Will continue to have lead rides or "Go Your Own Way". Friday night will start the party. The Group Photo will be at 7pm. KillBoy will be there to take photo's this year. The Kentucky RATS will supply the music and more "refreshments" again this year. Their "refreshments" are quite legendary. Saturday - Morning will be more lead rides. On all the rides we will various rides tailored to style/type of riding each group would like. For instance, those that want an adventurous off the beaten path ride... See that black bear at the top right of this page? Tom Witt took that picture on Parson's Branch. He has graciously offered to lead a group on this route. There are roads for every type of riding in this area. Saturday night will be the Prime Rib dinner, Door Prizes, and Awards. More help will come from The Kentucky RATS tonight too!! This is the night that we give away a set pipes donated by Stainless Ride (formerly EPCO). ***Don't forget to wear your Kilt!!*** Sunday - Morning is the "Kilt Run". Let's see who is man enough to "Tame the Dragon" wearing your kilt!! Iron Horse caters to motorcyclists. There is a Pavilion that is open 24/7 for us to eat, rest, watch movies, play pool, shoot darts, check email, and of course socialize. There is also a fire ring by the creek for us to sit around the fire and tell riding stories. [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Contact: [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email, [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rick Sine: 937-360-1730 ricksine@gmail.com [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chuck Bernitt: 937-760-3098 clbernitt@mac.com [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Brian Himes: 513-571-3346 dbhimes@gmail.com I posted some photos I took from last year's raid. We had a great time during this event. Bud