Richard's report about our trip on "Diner" forum
http://forums.delphiforums.com/BuzzEglide1/start Last Thursday, May 25, Elena and I left our respective places of employment, mounted up and headed west on the pike at about 3:30. Our long anticipated ride to Rolling Thunder in Washington, DC was finally under way. The weather forecast was good (for a change) and we were ready for the adventure.
We met up with Dave Mott at the Charleton service area and followed the interstates out to Milford, PA for a night at Myers Motel where we had reservations. WE got there in time for a pleasant dinner at the local Perkins before checking in. I brought my little camp stove and we were able to brew up some tea and coffee to drink under the trees. Very quiet place.
Friday found us up early, a quick continental breakfast, and we were on our way. Just south of Scranton, on I-81, we ran into a shower, and ducked under a gas station cover just in time. A half hour later found us at Jerry's Diner (add one more to the list) where we filled up and got back on the road. A few more sprinkles found us along the way, but we arrived in DC at about 4PM, dry and happy. We hooked up at the candle light vigil at the Vietnam Memorial Wall with my nephew who is stationed in DC with the USMC. It was great having the opportunity to spend some time with one of our defenders, and a great kid besides.
Saturday was spent with Jim visiting some of the sights of DC, including his Marine barracks. More riding around and checking out the half-million bikes that had converged for Rolling Thunder XIX. This annual event is a demonstration to prod our government to account for POW/MIA from all wars, and is a very emotional time for all involved.
The weather had dried up and the temps were steadily climbing into the upper 80's. So much for ATGATT. T-shirts were soaked in ten minutes. Elena and I decided to hit the road early Sunday morning, missing the parade that is the main highlight of Rolling Thunder.
By 8AM. Sunday, we were back on the road, heading out on Washington Memorial Parkway to I-495 and I-270, our usual route in and out. This time though, there was a different plan. We followed I-70 west until we crossed the PA line, getting off at US-522 in Warfordsburg. 522 is a beautiful road, and like the rest of this trip, virtually deserted. We were amazed at having the road to ourselves for the entire trip back, except for one stretch that I will get to later. For now we were cruising through some scenic farm country, the Susquehanna Valley, on a twisted and well maintained two-lane winner of a road. After about a hundred miles of having way too much fun, we saw a medium sized black bear galloping across a field to our right. We slowed to get a good view of him crossing the road, another field and into the woods. Magic moment, but too fast for a photo. Sorry.
Another few miles and it was time for another diner-type of place in Beaver Springs. Enjoying a fine lunch and checking our maps, we decided on a side trip up Rt. 235. Narrow, tight, twisted little old road. Splendid! This took us to 45, and on up to US-15, which isfour-lane divided highway for much of its length. The scenery is outstanding, as it follows the ridge overlooking the valley below. A golden eagle flew right over us on this stretch of road. Again, no traffic visible. It was getting almost spooky not seeing any cars for such long distances, but we weren't complaining.
Our destination was US-6, a legendary scenic two-lane running along the northern edge of PA. We got there at Mansfield, after a stop at Trout Run for gas and cold drinks. It was a hot day, and staying hydrated was a priority, but no problem with the VT700 requiring fuel every hundred miles or so anyway. Rt.6 turned out to be just as good as we had hoped. It wound around through some great country, and took us to Towanda, our stop for the night. Everything in Towanda closes at 8, so we were lucky to get in for dinner. A couple in the next booth told us about US-6 being closed to the east, and that we would be forced onto a detour for a few miles.
Monday morning, and another great day to be alive. Coffee at the motel and on the road, gassed and ready. Two miles east of town and we came to the detour, PA187. I swear, I thought we had died and gone to biker heaven. Never been on this road, and still scratched pegs a couple of times without getting crazy. Just perfect. I'm grinning right now as I write this. 187 was the very best of the almost 1400 miles we got in this weekend, and that's saying something considering the roads we were on.
BAck on Rt. 6 too soon, but again, that's not bad either. We had a nice ride into the suburbs of Scranton, confronting our first traffic of the ride, but not too bad considering. Past I-81, and we are again on 6, only now it is a divided highway. We rode the entire length of it side by side. Not one other vehicle in 20 miles before the highway ends on more two-lane right under the shadow of a half dozen of the biggest wind generators I've ever seen, looking so mysteriously majestic, slowly turning in the light breeze. Magical.
A few miles later we are into Honesdale, just in time for their Memorial Day parade. Cool small-town stuff, and another lunch at the Town Diner. Traffic here was tied up pretty bad, and we crept out of town, breaking free in time for a nice little run down to I-84 at Milford.
The decision was made here to continue on our adventure by taking the Taconic Parkway north to 23, a road familiar to all who have been to the Martindale Chief. About ten miles up the parkway, Phantom decides to drop two cylinders, numbers 1 and 4 providing the only motive force. My 1200 has just become a 600, and not a very good one at that. Memorial Day and two hundred miles from home. An hours worth of tinkering avail us nothing, but now we are committed to this route. Kind of a good thing, since I have determined to press on, and highway speeds and traffic would be dangerous to my inability to maintain the pace.
Using gearing, gathering momentum on the downhills to keep up a reasonable pace un the uphill sides, and we were able to move along well enough on 23, 8, 20, 112, and 2, always a great route. Dinner at Greenville, and we were off in the dark. We were now well behind my anticipated schedule, but I had the trick of keeping pace with the crippled bike by now. WE made it to 128 and were dong fine until we got to the I-93 merge, where a nitwit was determined to get on 128 ahead of me, and nearly forced me off the road. Evading that confrontation, I roar up on three stopped cars in the breakdown and right lanes! Just stopped there, right in front of me, with Mr. Nitwit right beside me! Brake, swerve, go and I am around the mess. A glance at the morrors confirms that Elena has seen it all going down and has moved well over to the left side. Welcome home to MA. We made it safely home by about 11PM, 815 total miles from DC, tired but very happy with the ride.
Phantom is at the doc's right now. Hopefully it will be back home with me by this weekend. I hope.
It was a great ride, and if you like photos, check out this link.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/esmolnikova/album?.dir=/f421scd 
, только Леночка, для нас это будет 3000 милев все вместе, так что к сожалению шансов маловато.... 
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