Weekend of the 15th - Ohio looking pretty decent

[MacDoc]

https://weather.com/weather/5day/l/USOH0212:1:US

It's behind the big front that is rolling through now ...have to be back Tuesday for a tire change on the Strom ....might be okay.

This looks fine from plutoz

Might just blitz to Zanesville on Sat ...660 km - leave early.

Reasonable place to base out of

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/12999007

Damn ...error on AirBnB ..not available

Ah well $50 US a night, a bit remote which is fine and and near good riding....I'll live.

https://www.hotelcoupons.com/hotels/ohio/cambridge/deer-creek-motel-cambridge/e173968a/

 

[MacDoc]

okay ride to the border - bit chilled - can see clear skies ahead but going to layer up for along the lake

Making good progress..lost a layer but it's still damp....

so found out that MacDs uses no milk in their coffee….just creamer …..last time I go there for coffee

****heads….- early still so time to get off the slab I think.

Not too bad as slab rides go Mid 20s - sunshine..microwave, fridge and wifi....cheap thrills .
Decent king bed and tons of pillows ....good a/c just making enough noise to keep traffic noise down.
Bike right out front the window and a basic breakfast all for the princely sum of $49 US

Triple Nickel in the morning then see what else to hit.

Geez might even be able to watch the tennis on the big screen

 

[MacDoc]

Got in okay ...wandered over to Cracker Barrel for a feed - came back for a snooze.
Tap on the door ....wah ....bike is over on its side,..

Afternoon warmer than I thought, asphalt = nice hole where kickstand was.

Couple new scratches on the luggage

and now parked on the concrete.

Good sleep on ginormous king bed with plenty of pillows.

Coffee was not too bad at the front desk and I had some crackers and cheese with me.

Tennis coming up and I'm not conflicted as foggy as hell outside.

Doing 126 today and then see where the wind blows me.

down through the park

Might do the scenic route on 7 along the Ohio River ...would be silly busy today.

118 Ohio routes
http://www.bestbikingroads.com/motorcycle-roads/motorbike-rides-in-united-states-/ohio-_-4690.html

Both West Virginia
http://www.bestbikingroads.com/moto...est-virginia-/us-50--parkersburg-_cd6839.html

and Ohio Riding Roads are accessible day tripping

Always something to photograph

 

[muay_thai_dan]

Sweet looking route! Nice pics

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using GTAMotorcycle.com mobile app

 

[jc100]

Decent prices for accommodation considering the exchange rate. Get yourself an Ebay sidestand plate that bolts on. I've put them on all my bikes the last few years and no tip overs from asphalt melting since and you don't have to remember to slide a coke can or whatever underneath.

 

[MacDoc]

Yeah - the Vstrom has that and it sits too upright so never an issue.

I bought the CBF in the fall of 2015 and put 15k km on it - was cool weather so no issue.

No riding it in 2016 - was in Aus for 6 months - never even occurred to me tho it it leans pretty far. Lesson learned.

Tennis over - Federer is magical - off to ride.

 

[Jayell]

Unfortunate tip over.

You can fab your own side stand foot:

via Tapatalk

 

[MacDoc]

I have a buddy with a welder will work something ...speaking of which ....just checked the bike as its hot but fine where it is....never think about it here but do in Aus with the KLR...and always hot but more I'm on dirt a lot.

Lovely ride backroads to OH 26 ...was a bit dubious first 20 miles on the north end about road conditions another rider reported - was navigable but not a lot of fun ....

got much better the second part of the ride - then stopped to find a restaurant and got directed along 260 which was really nice.

Now parked along the Ohio river next to a ferry

and getting lunch complete with Hank's Gourmet Root Beer from Philadephia Recipe
A VERY fine burger too.

I think the camera likes the Root Beer best ...

.....

Back at base after a good riding day tho it started a bit late..
zoom zoom helped

...getting hot out...just nudging 83 but fine on the bike. Sunny, some clouds -zilch wind.

My kid would get in SOOO much trouble down here
think PA 144 but just about everywhere - some just begging for more speed than I’m willing to push - almost no gravel - pretty close to zero cars.
You could loop roads in this area from various directions and have a hoot.

Most with excellent pavement - elevation changes and a varierty of corners from fast sweepers to tight and techical
Glad I had the CBF - much lighter and far better brakes than the VSTROM.

Saw some deer - he was a beaut ....wide angle lens sucks ...will ride with the long lens tomorrow. Rare they stop long enough to get a shot at all.

...flock of largish turkeys. I'll get out earlier tomorrow with the longer lens and dawdle along

Might take the bags off tomorrow and push the envelope a bit on 555

hands won’t be as sore as they were this morning

 

[MacDoc]

Ugh ....too hot and humid. Did 555 today ....some sections very nice tho the gotcha's are annoying ....one terrified fawn a first took off parallel to the bike and did a prettyt decen job of matching speed then thought better of it and veered off into the field instead of across the road

Recouping at a Starbucks in Athens....culture shock value very high going from rural - we are out of premium gas - the only restaurant is closed on Mondays .......to shopping mall and flat white.

Was way too long to get here as a closed road turned an 8 minute ride to a 25 minute one...I did say it was hot.

Catch up on work and cool down completely then sort an interesting route back to base,

 

[jc100]

I bought this a while back https://www.amazon.com/Ergodyne-Chill-Its-6665-Evaporative-Cooling/dp/B002BDU3QA

Worn it once in nasty humid conditions so far and it was awesome. Way better than I thought it would be under those conditions.

 

[MacDoc]

Felt better after the break - looping to get past a closed road was seriously annoying when I was hot and hungry - being 8 miles away initially and taking a circuitous route to get there I was growling.

Refreshed and after a false start up a rather perilous flood relief route 78 turned into a lot of fun - superb pavement - it's an Ohio Byway and very much worth the ride - better than 555 in my view....begs for speed.

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/75/1934/Ohio/Ohio-State-Route-78.html#sthash.Cl0PMFMt.dpbs

I did the section that crosses 555

Link for rt 78. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_State_Route_78
State Route 78 (SR 78) is a state highway that runs for 105 miles (169 km) from Nelsonville to Clarington in the U.S. state of Ohio. Car and Driver has called it one of the most scenic highways nationwide.[2] The stretch of this highway that runs along the south side of Burr Oak State Park in Morgan County, Ohio, is well known for its extreme curves and views, and is sometimes locally referred to as the "Rim of the World." Much of this highway runs through old coal-producing areas

West of 77 to 555 is a great ride. McConnelsville has a great place to eat ( Wing Slingers ) and some of the best looking women in Ohio. This whole ride is a higher speed ride with alot of sweepers.

And some really smooth tighter curves that drop away without the gotchas of 555. Fun and relaxing and some challenge a speed - reliable road surface encourages pushing it.

Low traffic.

Another that swings off 78 is 83 and brand new very grippy smooth pavement that puts you on rails,

I'd love to do this end to end.

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/75/4...llersburg-via-SR-83.html#sthash.VvfCtBXQ.dpbs


THIS ...however is a bit over the top in cescription/title

. Tail of the Dragon

Stretching for 20 miles along State Route 78, the Tail of the Dragon offers a spectacular ride between the rural farm towns of Glouster and McConnelsville in southeastern Ohio. Riders can enjoy views of century-old farm homes, gentle, winding turns, and a variety of elevation changes. Both Burr Oak State Park and Wayne National Forest are located along this route, so be sure to keep your eyes open for native wildlife.

Saw a delightful pair of fawns in the afternoon...not much else.

 

[MacDoc]

Not quite sure how I racked up 3,000 km in 4 days .....must have really taken the long way home.

 

[MacDoc]

Just came across this on the Vstrom site...

this is very much the type of riding I did tho fewer shallow sweeps on 78 trying to figure exactly where it is - it is in Ohio

[video=youtube;C_lXMqHkPrw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_lXMqHkPrw&feature=youtu.be[/video]

SE Ohio you can hardly miss. Actually it's exactly the same area as I saw the sign for Lebanon Oh which is just south of where I stayed in Cambridge.

Ha ....ate the end they were on OH 260 part of the way ...small world