One Man's Trash, Another Man's Treasure

On occasion we get very different views of a road. A recent example is CR 539 in New Jersey. One rider made the comment that 539 is "Totally boring. Road never turns. Scrub pines after scrub pines.".

Recently, however, Don Eilenberger submitted comments in which he said that 539 "...is a singular beauty in heavily urban NJ". Don goes on to describe the beauty of the Pine Barrens of NJ including the Pygmy Pine Forest, an area where the pine trees never grow more than 4 foot high.

Don also provides some interesting information on towns along CR 539 such as Allentown, Warren Grove, and Tuckerton.

Don is a BMW-MOA Ambassador and belongs to the New Jersey Shore BMW Riders and the New Sweden BMW Riders. We thank Don for his commentary and information.

Note: I have ridden CR 539 a few times as a good road to get from the Trenton area to the South Jersey shore. Frankly I didn't pay that much attention to the scenery. The next time I ride CR 539 I will spend some time checking out Don's observations and recommendations.

Motorcycle Touring in Pennsylvania

Brad Morgan of Carlisle, PA recently started a blog titled Motorcycle Touring in Pennsylvania. Brad provides "...a vital (and praiseworthy) public service by highlighting some Pennsylvania roads that are worthy of your time in the saddle – roads that provide a solid combination of scenery and a significant amount of fun factor!". He provides narratives, photos, and maps of roads in Central Pennsylvania which he calls Pennsylvania's "sweet spot".

A must read if you plan on riding or touring in Central Pennsylvania.

Cross Keys & Grange Road, Pennsylvania

In an efforts to avoid some traffic and lights, I quickly made a turn off of PA 61 and ended on Cross Keys Road. A good decision! It turned out to be a gem of a road, particularly since it is close to the city of Reading, PA. Short but sweet, it had some very tight turns, traffic was light for a metropolitan area on a Sunday afternoon, the tarmac was smooth, and the scenery was nice. The road name changes to Grange Road and it ends close to PA 183. It's amazing what you can find when you explore new roads.

Quote

"Riding a motorcycle on today’s highways, you have to ride in a very defensive manner. You have to be a good rider and you have to have both hands and both feet on the controls at all times."
— Evel Knievel

Motorcycle Friendly B&B, San Andreas, CA

If you are looking for lodging as you are traveling CA 49 or riding in the area, you might want to consider The Robin’s Nest, a biker-friendly B&B in San Andreas, CA. It has many ammenities to make any biker feel at home:

• Large off-road parking area to keep bikes secure and out of sight,
• Workshop with plenty of towels & tools for repair & maintenence,
• Available vehicle and/or trailer with plenty of tie-downs for breakdowns,
• 400 sq.ft. redwood deck for dining,
• Outdoor 120 inch surround sound theatre,
• Private and secluded 500 gallon hot-spa,
• Gourmet 4 course breakfast,
• and 9 well appointed guest rooms.

But, most of all, your hosts Bill and Karen, are also bikers, so they know how to make you welcome.