October 28, 2011

Hyner View Road, Pennsylvania

Hyner View Road uses several switchbacks to take you to a scenic vista which overlooks the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and is a favorite spot for hang gliding. At 1,940' altitude above sea level it is perhaps the most spectacular viewpoint in all of Pennsylvania.

Located northwest of Lock Haven and I-80, X178, it is not far from PA 120 and is worth the short side trip involved.

October 24, 2011

Group Riding

This past weekend, there were 3 motorcycle accidents in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In one case "police said a motorcyclist going more than 100 miles an hour crashed into another motorcyclist on westbound Interstate 40." The riders were part of an organized group ride and the motorcyclist going over 100 miles an hour blew out a tire trying to catch up to the other riders.

This brings up one of my pet peeves. Group rides in which the leader has no clue what is going on behind him and the consequences of his actions.

Recently, I was on an organized ride involving 50-60 bikes. The leader was cruising at 65mph in a 55mph speed zone. Those in the rear, including myself, frequently had to speed up to 75mph to catch up to the group. At one point the bike in front of me almost ran into the rear of the bike to his front such as the accident noted. Needless to say, during the ride I was constantly looking for escape lanes if I needed them.

This group leader on this ride did not observe several rules.

1) The leader should not exceed the posted speed limit or even stay 5mph below the limit. Safety is the number one priority of the leader, PERIOD!

2) The leader should watch the formation in his rear view mirror and adjust his speed to keep the formation tight.

3) After turning a corner and going through curves, as well as other situations, the leader should accelerate SLOWLY to keep the group formation tight. I was on a 9/11 ride into New York City in which the group leader quickly accelerated after going through a toll booth. Needless to say the group got split up and the bikes ahead were out of sight. Fortunately, I had been on the ride in previous years and knew the route into NYC, so we were able to eventually rejoin the rest of the group. Otherwise we would have lost our way and a good portion of the group would have ended up falling out of the ride.

These rules outline, in my opinion, two of the most important responsibilities of a group leader: safety and keeping the group formation tight.

October 16, 2011

Springdale-Hunters Road, Washington

As its name implies, Springdale-Hunters Road runs between Springdale and Hunters in Eastern Washington. The road takes you through a remote area and features sweeping turns. Just northwest of Spokane, Hunters is close to the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area which provides visitors the opportunity to enjoy camping, hunting, boating, and other outdoor activities.

October 01, 2011

State Route 23 - Nebraska

NE 23 is located in South-Central Nebraska. Contibuted by Daren Fleischman, he relates that it is "Up and down sweeping turns through the lower sandhills." He also recommends the Curtis Cattle Company restaurant in Curtis for it's chicken fried steak. I suspect you need to be a local to know what chicken fried steak is, but it sounds delicious.

Redwood Road - California

Located in the Oakland area, Redwood Road goes through Redwood and Chabot Regional Parks. A rider from Castro Valley says that it "Starts off kinda easy but then gets heavy with lots of turns.". He also recommends that you turn off Redwood Road and take Pinehurst Road towards Valle Vista for more twisty curves.