The Long Island BMW Riders Club held its first ever “Fall Foliage Tour” in September of 2017 and they chose to tour the beautiful area of Northern Pennsylvania. This was my first long trip with the club and I was both excited and tentative on how the trip would be. I am one of those people who tend to overthink everything and worry about things way too much, usually (and happily) finding out that all my worries were for naught.

As I prepared for the trip, my thoughts went; Would it rain? Was I prepared for the rain? Would the club go at my speed? What should I pack? Did I pack too much? Did I pack too little? And so it went…

The first day started early, I was up at 5:30am even though I had everything prepared, checked and double-checked days before. I got to the meeting place (a Dunkin Donuts) early to find most of the others there already enjoying their cups of coffee and donuts. We had coffee, sat and talked a bit and then we decided to mount up and go. The route was pre-defined (which I love) and was laid out very well. We had shared the GPS routes ahead of time and had a plan of action in place. This is my kind of trip and we haven’t even left yet!

We left good ole’ New York via the Cross-Bronx and stopped at the first rest area in New Jersey. The club likes to make stops on regular intervals and it makes a ton of sense; we can check routes, stretch our legs and have a few laughs. After that first stop, we quickly got into PA via Route 78 and stopped at the first rest area. By this time some of us were in need of gas so we got that done there as well. We mounted up and proceeded to go to Hamburg PA, having brunch/lunch, visiting the cigar store and then going to Hermes (the motorcycle dealer) before heading to our final destination for the day of Williamsport, PA. The salesperson from Hermes gave us a great route to Williamsport that was mostly backroads with very little highway. The route was beyond belief. The roads were just great and the scenery was fabulous. We went through a few small towns and they were beautiful. It was definitely a great change to the itinerary.

We got to the hotel about 5pm and there was a livestock sale in town. It was really interesting to share the hotel with the Mennonites and I had a very good conversation with some of them. All in all, we had a GREAT day! The ride was fantastic, and the camaraderie was even better! The roads were super good and I was looking forward to the second day out and about! Needless to say I slept wonderful that night but I did realize that I needed pannier liners as taking the panniers off the bike and carrying them into the room was a bit of a pain. Lesson learned.

The second day started about 6:30am and we were going to the Pennsylvania grand canyon and then through the Susquehannock State Forest. All I can say is WOW what a day! Again, everything was planned out ahead of time and we knew exactly what we wanted to do. The group stops every so often so riders who have stopped for fuel, to take pictures or for other reasons can re-join the group. The group stayed together and we had a ball! Along the way we needed fuel and we found a country store (with a gas pump) in the middle of no-where and it was a true time machine! Everything about it brought you back to the 40’s and the 50’s; the refrigerator outside was the old round top type and had nightcrawlers inside for sale. The store itself made homemade ice-cream, homemade sandwiches and a litany of other tasty items. It transported me back to my youth growing up partly in PA and spending time with my grandmother. That was an unexpected treat for the day. They had ethanol free gas which we happily fueled up with. We motored on after the gas stop, went through several other towns and arrived in our destination of Kane, PA.

After arriving in Kane, a co-rider and myself went to the local winery we passed on the way into town and got a couple bottles of wine. The winery was having their yearly “celebration” and it was packed with revelers having a great time. To say the least, it was a fun stop. After the group ate dinner together we sat at the hotel and some of the group smoked the cigars they got the day before and others drank the wine we purchased. A great night was had by all and we were in bed quite early. I asked our fearless leader (the president of the LIBMWRC) what time we were starting the next day, to be truthful I was very worried about what I thought was a long ride home. He said that we should not start too early, its going to be cold and foggy and that makes for slick conditions.

The third and final day started very cold and very foggy with some black ice. It looks like our club president knows what he is talking about. We delayed our start by about 2 hours until the conditions were more favorable. When we left it was still VERY cold, but the roads were drivable and safe so we pointed our front fenders towards home. My fears of the day being long were put to rest when the group stopped every 1 1/2 hours for fuel, coffee, bathroom and break. We stopped for a second breakfast at the second rest stop and I was energized as we were already half way home!

About this time I decided to get a bit of an earlier start because I had to be home for family reasons by 5pm. I was not sure how bad the cross-bronx would be and I figured getting there earlier was better. So, I soldiered on by myself and stopped once more between where I left the group and home, following the advice and training I learned the previous days. The ride home was very peaceful and I enjoyed every bit of it. My fears of a long ride home were very much unfounded. Stopping from time to time and keeping yourself hydrated makes a world of difference to your endurance and what you can achieve.

I was home by 3pm and that included a leisurely drive near my house.

Its a bit embarrassing to say, but I had a smile on my face for a few days following the trip. I enjoyed every bit of it and loved riding with the group. The friendships made are lifelong and I am extremely happy to have found this great group of people that share a common passion.

I am looking forward to the next ride!!!

Let’s go!