tenth annual east coast hawk rally

Go! See! Do!

June 1-4, 2006

That’s right, I trailered up there! I was loaded with a quiver of bikes, mountain, road and moto. I used the first one on Wednesday, exploring some new-to-me singletrack here in GA, before heading to lister Pete Tamblyn’s hideout in the hills. He demonstrated his mechanic skills on my rear cowl tabs before sending me on my merry way Thursday morning.

I arrived in the early afternoon and for some reason (a hint?), was assigned to a handicap room. I had just enough time to shower before my buddy Jay showed up. One day I’ll figure out how many miles I’ve covered and how many states I’ve bagged with Jay [edit: 28 states & 5 provinces]. But suffice it to say that he shows up on my motorcycling highlight reel a lot more than anyone else. We shot the breeze, caught up and reminisced for a while! It was midafternoon and it was hot, which is not enticing weather for starting a ride for either of us. Instead, we relaxed and got rested for the next days events. Later in the evening, once the temps fell, I took the Schwinn up to the Parkway for a short ride to see what it was like at pedaling speed. If anyone here is a cyclist, you should try it sometime; the scenery, combined with slow and sparse traffic was fantastic. Those hills are a lot bigger on a pushie. We saw plenty of other cyclists up there during the weekend.

I canceled my private caving tour so that I could ride with Jay on Friday. We woke at 3:30 , in a vain attempt to catch sunrise photos from the BRP. Mother Nature did not cooperate, the sunrise was unspectacular. But we rode slowly thru the still darkness to Roanoke Mtn, enjoying the serenity of the hour. We saw deer, but there were no spikes in heart rate. After a few hours, we headed back to the hotel to catch up on our sleep.

After a couple of hours, we rolled out again to enjoy some back road twisties. Fortunately, we missed a turn and had to abbreviate the ride. Otherwise, we might not have stopped at the Fountain Grill in Buchanan. This place is a relic from another time; one side is an old-fashioned diner, the other side is a pharmacy. There is a gift card shop in the back and, apparently, a laundry service. The food was as good as the service and I enjoyed the side trip into small town Americana . If you’re in the area, you’ll find this place across the street from the one-screen Cineplex.

From there, we chanced an indirect route to Natural Bridge , pushing our luck to make it in toe for the 2pm ride. We arrived at 2:10 to see nothing but Harleys. We rode around the complex once, asked for help, then stopped to decide whether we should wait or roll. That’s when the Superhawk and F4i whizzed by. Excellent, we hadn’t missed the train!

After introductions and a water break, we all headed out for more riding. Shawn had never been on the BRP before, so we had to fix that. Conveniently, the section just south of the Bridge is pretty curvy (how’d you like it?).

We somehow found the road that Jay and I missed earlier, but we were still lost. Just as well, as Jay and I were both spent. Neither of us had ridden much this year, so the long day on the Hawk was taxing. We headed back to our hotel in Troutville while Brent, Shawn and Mollie headed to the Bridge.

I met a lot of new faces at dinner and it seemed that we were all buddies immediately. Denis Hackey was there, wearing battleworn leathers older than his Hawk. Along with new blood Chris Merrill, in the middle of a trip to make Dan and Warren proud. And I was quite surprised to see that m’boy Ross had showed up.

Slick was famished, so he, Ross, Jay and I headed down to the weird but cool eatery by the coi pond to get started. Denis joined us shortly and we traded stories, laughed and generally enjoyed each others company. I introduced myself to those the late arrivals, my cycling coach Maxi and Rich, who’s visit was too short. Hopefully next time they’ll be able to stay the whole weekend. Bear, who I later learned served on the same submarine as I. Freakish!! Didja recognize my Hawk’s NESBA number? We all hung out at the restaurant until the Old Man kicked us out.

The next morning, we lost some and gained some. Brent headed back to his life while Chris continued his adventure. Maxi and Rich headed out to Organ Cave. LaF showed up on his FZ1 to try fill some of that void. I was pleased to see a certain blue, Kent Wells production parked in the flock and searched out its owner Pace. I was again pleasantly surprised when i saw JK having breakfast with the crowd. We all congregated, said hellos and goodbyes, before the group ride commenced.

Shawn headed out at the *perfect* pace. At least it was for me; fast and fun, entertaining and challenging. There were river valleys, farm country, mountain passes… everything you want in good roads. I was #3, behind Kokola and the Camel. It was quite entertaining watching him hustle that big heifer thru the twisties.

One cannot ask for more perfect weather; blue skies with fluffy white clouds and a slight chill in the air. It would have been even better had I dressed for it! At the rest stop, up on the Highlands road, Mollie noticed that everyone got off of their bikes cold but smiling.

The lunch stop was another good choice. Topped off, I pulled out of the parking lot in #2 position, behind Romano. I could see the VTR’s rear wheel wobbling. I sped up to come alongside and warn him, but it wasn’t necessary, they could feel the wheel moving. We pulled over immediately, leaving the VTR behind.

Given the new situation, the route we followed back to the Bridge was shortened, but I certainly didn’t care. Again, I was feeling the miles and worked my way to the back of the pack so the only person I would hold up was the sweeper, Pace. I putted along, enjoying the scenery more than I had that morning.

We all split up around Lexington . JK, Ross and Pace headed north for more twisties. LaF sped away to drop off Mollie then get back to his hotel in Lex. Jay and I headed back to our digs in Troutville. Everyone else cruised back to HQ.

After a little recovery, Jay and I motored up the Parkway in his MR2 and found everyone on the balcony having dinner. Again, there was more bonding with the good people that are Hawklisters. Shawn has done a great job in his tenure as rallymeister. Thanks for keeping it simple. Some rallies haven gotten larger and larger, but there is something to be said for a small group. We could all hang together and get to know each person to some degree and that is very cool. It’s all about the camaraderie and it was tangible at the Bridge. The evening was curtailed way too soon by the screech and bang of a sobering auto accident.

Well, in 2006, I think I’ve ridden more bicycle miles than moto miles. When I woke up, the last thing I wanted to do was hop on the Hawk. But after breakfast, I was sitting in a rocking chair on the porch looking at another beautiful blue sky, feeling that crisp spring air and felt inspired. I asked Jay if he felt like riding. By then, he’d had enough coffee to find his mojo and I think neither of us wanted the accident scene to be our last memory of the rally. So we suited up for a short scoot on the Parkway. I guess school is still in session in VA, because the cagers were still declining the clutter this road, even on a Sunday. We meandered south for a while soaking in the tranquility of the ride. I had never before felt the need to ride the entire length of the BRP, but now I could see the allure. Eventually, we turned around, stopped for a quick photo op and headed back.

ECHR X was over, but it qualifies as one of my favorites. Thanks to all that came, hope to see you all, along with rallygoers past, at another event down the road. Special thanks again to Shawn for pulling it together one more time.

PS – we’re the greatest!