DougGrosjean
New member
Square Route Rally was Great!
Rode down Friday on Interstates. Got lost in spite of having GPS co-ords, I'm told that being next to Camp David like it is the GPS data is made a bit fuzzy. At the time, I was thinking what an amazing device a GPS is - it can get you even more lost than poor map-reading skills can. Realized I was on the right road, and found my way the old-fashioned way, by reading addresses on mailboxes.
Arrived in time for Melissa Pierson's talk and book signing about "The Perfect Vehicle." Bought a copy, had it signed. Nice lady. She wants to do a sequel to her book, but take her 10 y/o son along. I told her I just finished writing that book, then showed her the cover and galley of mine, and we talked a bit.
Slept in bunkhouse instead of tent, so I was always dry and warm. Sure did pour all night. And snoring! Earplugs: they're not just for riding anymore. I read several chapters of her book, by flashlight in my sleeping bag. Love the concepts and events, but the prose is a bit more flowery than I'd write. Different strokes, and I still like the book in spite of the flowery stuff.
Saturday was pretty blah - rainy and gloomy. I hung out, knew enough people that there was always somebody to talk wth / to.
Gave my talk in the camp mess hall, standing room only. Maybe 150 people, maybe more, maybe less. About 2 dozen already read my stuff. Mike Enloe, who intro'd me, bought a GS (and plans to ride to Alaska) as a result of my Alaska trip report, and has been a fan ever since. Before I began to talk, I took a photo of the whole group with my swing-lens Widelux camera, explaining that when I get home I'll be asked by my son Jean-Luc what it's like to stand in front of a group and talk. Turned out to be a fantastic ice-breaker.... a bunch of people asked at once "What is *that*?", and suddenly we were all just a bunch of tech geeks talking over a 50 y/o camera.
Then a short talk on how my book came to be, then read 3 short chapters. First Ride, I used to have a Motorcycle, and Tom Pyter (a fellow M who died on his BMW when he hit ice - it's what made me open about being in). When I'd get nervous, I'd look at familiar faces (Don E. and Gerry B. come to mind) in the audience, remember that I was telling *them* a story, and get back on track. By the end of it, everybody was at rapt attention. One or two were crying. Clapping went on for a long time. I shook lots of hands and saw a lot of faces; all is a blur. Bob Higdon, whom I've met before, looked me up and told me he thinks my book is going to do very well for me. Several others did too. Ego-inflating and humbling all at once, I really don't have words to describe the emotions that ran through me that night... maybe pride, honor, humility, feeling at one with all other Moms and Dads and kids... Also amazement that my stuff does that to people.
There was a drawing for door prizes. John Ryan, who rode in on his Yamaha FJR-1300 on worn out tires, won a new set of tires. Somebody else who needed a jacket won a jacket. Karma was in fine fettle Saturday night. I visited with Elsie Smith and Higdon an John Ryan and Ross Copas for a bit, then hung out around a campfire. An older fellow, with kids my age, sat
next to me at the fire as we both drank our (small) social doses of alcohol, and talked to me quietly for about an hour about his own childhood, and fatherhood, and trying to raise them right. I realize that my writing style and content isn't for everybody, but the people that it does touch, it touches them *deeply*. I really enjoyed sitting there with the old guy - we're all the same, us Dads, but we never attend support groups or talk together about how to raise kids like the Moms do. Maybe in the future, some will.
Sunday morning, everybody in the place knew me. Elsie Smith escorted me into town and to breakfast (I was really really low on fuel), and we talked and laughed a long time over bacon and eggs and OJ. I talked about how cool it is that the writing allows me to hang out with so many interesting people, even if my own riding skills are just fair to middling, and I don't own 20 bikes and haven't done any LD rallies. Talked about how my favorite IBA-types to hang out with seem so alive and energetic and enthused and capable of anything, just like my kayak buddies. Talked about similarities between those two hobbies: scenery, balance, adrenaline, friends, bonding with strangers.
And learned while Elsie was away from the table that I'd been a jerk. Unable to call home on the cellphone from near Camp David when I arrived, I assumed Sharon wouldn't worry about me. I was wrong. Late Saturday she'd called Brian Curry, he'd phoned and awakened a local who didn't overnight at the rally, and found I was safe at the rally site. All this was unknown to me, and I felt pretty bad about it when I called home during breakfast and found out.
Then on the Interstate, rode to Front Royal area, took VA-55 west, then WV-55 west, to Elkins WV. Mostly sunny and cool. Incredible photo opps all along the way, but the riding was sooo good I blew off every one.
Late lunch in Elkins, followed Cheat River north to Albright WV. Saw lots of kayakers surfing river waves on the Cheat River narrows above Albright. Wanted to take a 4WD trail down into the Big Sandy Creek kayak put-in and hike the old former lumber RR grade down the several waterfalls, but missed the (obscure) turn-off. Didn't have the time anyway, it was about 7p by then, so I got on the Interstates and rode to Morgantown WV, Pittsburgh PA, then across Ohio on the OH T-pike to Clyde OH, arriving around midnight after racking up about 600 miles in 13 hours, a big chunk of that on 2-lane in WV.
It was one great trip.
Hey Mike Enloe, let your club members know for me that *everybody* there treated me like an honored guest. I was warm, dry, never alone, never hungry, never thirsty. Before the talk, when I couldn't open a bottle of wine due to not having a corkscrew, it was handled *quick*. Thanks! Here's hoping we get to do this again sometime.
Doug Grosjean
NW OH / SE MI
Rode down Friday on Interstates. Got lost in spite of having GPS co-ords, I'm told that being next to Camp David like it is the GPS data is made a bit fuzzy. At the time, I was thinking what an amazing device a GPS is - it can get you even more lost than poor map-reading skills can. Realized I was on the right road, and found my way the old-fashioned way, by reading addresses on mailboxes.
Arrived in time for Melissa Pierson's talk and book signing about "The Perfect Vehicle." Bought a copy, had it signed. Nice lady. She wants to do a sequel to her book, but take her 10 y/o son along. I told her I just finished writing that book, then showed her the cover and galley of mine, and we talked a bit.
Slept in bunkhouse instead of tent, so I was always dry and warm. Sure did pour all night. And snoring! Earplugs: they're not just for riding anymore. I read several chapters of her book, by flashlight in my sleeping bag. Love the concepts and events, but the prose is a bit more flowery than I'd write. Different strokes, and I still like the book in spite of the flowery stuff.
Saturday was pretty blah - rainy and gloomy. I hung out, knew enough people that there was always somebody to talk wth / to.
Gave my talk in the camp mess hall, standing room only. Maybe 150 people, maybe more, maybe less. About 2 dozen already read my stuff. Mike Enloe, who intro'd me, bought a GS (and plans to ride to Alaska) as a result of my Alaska trip report, and has been a fan ever since. Before I began to talk, I took a photo of the whole group with my swing-lens Widelux camera, explaining that when I get home I'll be asked by my son Jean-Luc what it's like to stand in front of a group and talk. Turned out to be a fantastic ice-breaker.... a bunch of people asked at once "What is *that*?", and suddenly we were all just a bunch of tech geeks talking over a 50 y/o camera.
Then a short talk on how my book came to be, then read 3 short chapters. First Ride, I used to have a Motorcycle, and Tom Pyter (a fellow M who died on his BMW when he hit ice - it's what made me open about being in). When I'd get nervous, I'd look at familiar faces (Don E. and Gerry B. come to mind) in the audience, remember that I was telling *them* a story, and get back on track. By the end of it, everybody was at rapt attention. One or two were crying. Clapping went on for a long time. I shook lots of hands and saw a lot of faces; all is a blur. Bob Higdon, whom I've met before, looked me up and told me he thinks my book is going to do very well for me. Several others did too. Ego-inflating and humbling all at once, I really don't have words to describe the emotions that ran through me that night... maybe pride, honor, humility, feeling at one with all other Moms and Dads and kids... Also amazement that my stuff does that to people.
There was a drawing for door prizes. John Ryan, who rode in on his Yamaha FJR-1300 on worn out tires, won a new set of tires. Somebody else who needed a jacket won a jacket. Karma was in fine fettle Saturday night. I visited with Elsie Smith and Higdon an John Ryan and Ross Copas for a bit, then hung out around a campfire. An older fellow, with kids my age, sat
next to me at the fire as we both drank our (small) social doses of alcohol, and talked to me quietly for about an hour about his own childhood, and fatherhood, and trying to raise them right. I realize that my writing style and content isn't for everybody, but the people that it does touch, it touches them *deeply*. I really enjoyed sitting there with the old guy - we're all the same, us Dads, but we never attend support groups or talk together about how to raise kids like the Moms do. Maybe in the future, some will.
Sunday morning, everybody in the place knew me. Elsie Smith escorted me into town and to breakfast (I was really really low on fuel), and we talked and laughed a long time over bacon and eggs and OJ. I talked about how cool it is that the writing allows me to hang out with so many interesting people, even if my own riding skills are just fair to middling, and I don't own 20 bikes and haven't done any LD rallies. Talked about how my favorite IBA-types to hang out with seem so alive and energetic and enthused and capable of anything, just like my kayak buddies. Talked about similarities between those two hobbies: scenery, balance, adrenaline, friends, bonding with strangers.
And learned while Elsie was away from the table that I'd been a jerk. Unable to call home on the cellphone from near Camp David when I arrived, I assumed Sharon wouldn't worry about me. I was wrong. Late Saturday she'd called Brian Curry, he'd phoned and awakened a local who didn't overnight at the rally, and found I was safe at the rally site. All this was unknown to me, and I felt pretty bad about it when I called home during breakfast and found out.
Then on the Interstate, rode to Front Royal area, took VA-55 west, then WV-55 west, to Elkins WV. Mostly sunny and cool. Incredible photo opps all along the way, but the riding was sooo good I blew off every one.
Late lunch in Elkins, followed Cheat River north to Albright WV. Saw lots of kayakers surfing river waves on the Cheat River narrows above Albright. Wanted to take a 4WD trail down into the Big Sandy Creek kayak put-in and hike the old former lumber RR grade down the several waterfalls, but missed the (obscure) turn-off. Didn't have the time anyway, it was about 7p by then, so I got on the Interstates and rode to Morgantown WV, Pittsburgh PA, then across Ohio on the OH T-pike to Clyde OH, arriving around midnight after racking up about 600 miles in 13 hours, a big chunk of that on 2-lane in WV.
It was one great trip.
Hey Mike Enloe, let your club members know for me that *everybody* there treated me like an honored guest. I was warm, dry, never alone, never hungry, never thirsty. Before the talk, when I couldn't open a bottle of wine due to not having a corkscrew, it was handled *quick*. Thanks! Here's hoping we get to do this again sometime.
Doug Grosjean
NW OH / SE MI
