We still ride when it’s cold: Ride report from the Director

I know many of you are waiting for the weather to warm up a bit more before you pull the Harley out of the garage and come out for a chapter ride and that’s ok. We are all different; enjoy riding different kinds of rides, and in different types of weather.

With that said, I wanted to share a little about the three chapter rides we have completed since the beginning of the year. New Year’s Day twenty-eight members came out and enjoyed a warmer than usual but still chilly Polar Bear Ride. The ride took us through some of the nicest country roads in Stafford County and brought the group to the Stafford Diner where we enjoyed a good lunch.

On 2 March, nineteen of us participated in the Virginia Chapter Challenge. Another beautiful but chilly day had the group riding to Charlottesville to represent East Coast in the challenge. The ride took us through the back roads of Prince William, Fauquier, and Stafford Counties before getting on US-29 south to Charlottesville. The challenge location boasted a variety of restaurants that offered something for everyone’s palate. The ride back to northern Virginia was warmer than the trip down and as everyone peeled off US-28 to their homes I felt satisfied that we had a good showing as well as good practice for our Road Captains.

Our first destination ride took place on a very cold 29 March. Twelve of us headed to southern Maryland for a ride through Amish country and a visit to the Amish Market on MD-5. After an hour of shopping, we headed to Benedict, MD for lunch at the Rivers Edge Restaurant. It’s a small restaurant that sits on the Patuxent River. They have excellent food and the view is outstanding. After lunch we rode through more of scenic southern Maryland on our ride to Fredericksburg, Virginia where we ended the ride at Carl’s Ice Cream. Even with the cool temperatures, Carl’s was a tasty treat after an 8-hour outing.

In addition to these scheduled rides, I have led two pick-up rides; one to Washington’s Birthplace in Colonial Beach and the second to Occoquan. While the weather for these rides was less than optimal (darn cold) and attendance small, they nevertheless were enjoyable. It’s never a bad time to ride with friends.

We have had a good start to the year and I’m looking forward to many more fun rides in 2008. Our Head Road Captain has some fun rides planned and I’ve tossed in a couple more for good measure. Let’s ride and have fun!

Jim Sass