From: "Weinstein, John, Dr, NSS" 
Subject: around the world tour
Date: Mon, 20 May 96 14:00:00 PDT

well, boys and girls, the atw is done and in the record books. the wx was great and the internat'l "cities" were as culturally invigorating as they were cosmopolitan. it was not only the best cams ride to date (i ended with 701 mi. on the odometer), i had more fun than i thought possible on a m/c.

 ----------
no brag, just fact.
 ----------
 

Old Meat: Steve Beck (V-Max) John Nelson (Nighthawk 750) Barry Monaco (Interstate 1200) Richard Fraer (Interceptor 750) Jean Scott (Triumph Trophy 900) Joel Duffy (Yamaha XS 1100) John Weinstein (Honda Sabre 1100) New Meat: Lou Pilato (Suzuki Tempter 650) Dave Nunn (Suzuki GSX 1100) Dave Wakefield (Kawi Ninja 500) Fritz Ames (Honda CB 1000) Gary and Robin Madison (MotoGuzzi; breakfast only)

Friday (1115 to 1915): Amphora Restaurant, Vienna (123s to 50w) thru Middleburg (rest) to Paris Paris to Strasburg (via 17s, I-66/rt 55w) Strasburg to Edinburg (via 11s) Edinburg to Harrisonburg (via 675w to 42s) [ 170 mi; overnight at Days Inn] Saturday (0850 to 2000): Harrisonburg to Reddish Knob Mt. (via 42s to 257 to 924) Reddish Knob Mt to Moscow (via 924 to 257 to 731 to 607s) Moscow to Verona (via 607n to 613s to left turn at staunton sign to 11n to Verona) Verona to Vesuvius (11s to 56e) Vesuvius to Natural Bridge (via 11s) Natural Bridge to Glasgow (via 130e) Glasgow to Amherst (via 130e to 29n) Amherst to Elon to Cumberland (via 60e) Cumberland to Ashland (via 60e to 522n to 632e to 250e to I-64e to I-295 to I-95N) [ 280 mi; overnight at Best Western] Sunday (0935 to 1800): Ashland to Hanover (via Aiden Station Rd to 301n) Hanover to Sparta (301n to 721e) Sparta thru Tappahannock to Warsaw (via 630e to 624e [and a bunch of roads whose #s I forget and which weren't on the map but kept heading east] to 17s to 360e) Warsaw to Collao (via 360e) Collao to Hague (via 202w) Hague to Port Royal (via 202w to 3w to 301s) [This is where the Md riders split off for home.] Port Royal to Fredicksburg (via 3w) Fredicksburg to Dumfries to Alexandria (via 1n) [ 250 mi; end of tour]

---

Pre-Ride Bugaboos

Wouldn't you know that after all 25 minutes of planning this epic trek through the lesser known burgs of Virginia, events conspired to question my sanity to think for a moment that we CAMS could bring off such an event. First of all, Sash, one of the original plank-holders of this non-club,gets injured and, just becoause he has a separated shoulder, a few cracked bones, a drug prescription that could sedate godzilla, and a trashed bike, wimps out on us. Then, my wheel bearings go out on me. This occured with perfect timing so that I could be worrying whether the Sabre was going to be a no-go as late as 2000 Thursday. Finally, not only does it drizzle on the departure morning, it RAINS like a heffer urinating on a flat rock. Andjust to remind us that it was raining, occasional flashes of lightning and claps of thunder resounded with distressing regularity.

The Deluge

Well anyway, we could hardly have cancelled the ride since Jean Scott had ridden all the way from North Carolina expressly to ride the ATW Tour (really!) and she refused to spend any more time sleeping on my apartment floor listening to me snore. We arrived at the Amphora Restaurant one second before the rains came. [BTW, where else better to begin an around the world tour than a Greek restaurant?] A couple at a time, the ridersarrived, with Dave W., Lou, and Fritz looking like drowned rats. All inall, 10 manly men (including Jean) were ready to rock and roll. I should also add that Gary Madison and wife Robin showed up on a smashingly goodlooking Moto Guzzi California but pooped out due to the wx. This was too bad since the rain stopped within 30 minutes of leaving the Amphora.

Instead of leaving at 1030 as planned (we never leave at times 'asplanned'), we sat there drinking coffee (we were to pay the price later on with numerous stops to pump bilges) and whining about the rain. It wasn't until Dave Nunn, retired Marine EOD specialist, reminded us that getting wet was part to motorcycling (hell, I thought it was a part of sex) and that we should get under way. None of us manly men felt we could tell him that he was crazy (even if he is) so we donned our rainsuits and got ready to leave. But not before I asked a table of 20 women who were breakfasting at an adjacent table if they'd like to join us. They didn't. Pity.

Milling About Smartly

We left in a pouring rain at 1130 and made it to Middleburg where we took our first stop. (Of course, those who have ridden with the CAMS before know that we never get through Middleburg without stopping.) There, we milled about smartly in a parking lot and took lots of photographs of ourselves.

"The scourge of the highways"

This, btw, turned out to be the scourge of the trip: everyone brought a camera and some [John Nelson] brought two! Every stop turned into a photo shoot with CAMS scurrying to and fro like so many headless chickens to get their own photographs. I am so glad I bought stock in Kodak before the trip. Anyway, it was then on to Paris for some cafe latte on the rive gauche in a scenic little bistro. Oh wait, that was the other Paris! In Paris,Va, we parked our bikes on the road and scurried (somehow, this verb seems appropriate) across rt 50 to take a group photo by the road sign. Paris itself is a group of 4 houses and a church.

"Milling about smartly outside Paris"	"Not *another* photograph?!"

 

One Step Backwards/Two Steps Forward

Steve Beck, another of the original CAMS, took the point and we headed west to Strasburg by heading east.

"Steve takes the lead"

After a slight midcourse correction(Steve was foolish enough to follow the written directions), we arrived in Strasburg...

"CAMS decend on Strasburg"

...where we had a great lunch at the Hi Neighbor restaurant. While they didn't have any balaclava, they did have great meatloaf and mashed potatoes and at a rediculously low price.

"I am a well-fed, happy CAMS!"

Then it was on to Edinburg for a group shot at the scenic post office.


"Scenic Edinburg"

From there, Fritz Ames led us on a scenic tour over rt 42. Of course, we had to do a bit of quartering up and down highway 11 before we found the cutover road (675). We saw some nice piedmont farms, a State Trooper (without radar, fortunately) who was going in the other direction, and a host of little towns. People along the way were very friendly, alternatingly waving and snickering as we rode by. We rode south as fast as we could in an effort to get beyond the range of Dave Nunn's work beeper. Fortunately, we succeeded.

What Reservations?

We hit Harrisonburg at about 1900 where we were joined by Barry Monaco. As one would expect after a long day of riding, the hotel had no record of our reservations but did manage to find us 3 rooms. Being cheap, we squeezed 2-4 in a room. Jean, Joel, John Nelson and myself (the J-Team) shared a room and I managed to aid their sleep by the gentle sounds of my rythmic breathing.

[ Oh THAT's what that noise was? I thought that was the Harley club in the next county. - ed. ]

But not before John Nelson went out to buy swimming trunks he never used [ but he rode to Wal-Mart to get them and scored a great steak and cheeze at a local fast food joint! - ed. ], we went to a roadhouse for dinner (all good red beef and fat, none of that girl food for us!), Fritz downed two 'Toxic Punches" and then asked Sabrina in vain to bear his love child.

Black Gold Ooozing from the Nighthawk or, The Oil Seal Incident

By the time we assembled at the bikes on Saturday morning, the pea-soup fog had already burned off and it was already shaping up to be a scorcher. Also, John Nelson's Nighthawk was spewing fork oil and was in no shape to continue.

MY BABY!

So after the typical group grope, John decided to stay behind and have a local Honda dealership (Shenk's) fix his forks. The plan was that he'd meet us later in the day. We took off for Reddish Knob (a.k.a. Steve's [Beck]) Mountain. It was still coolish (less than 75 degs) and we rode through some scenic Mennonite farm country. The twisty ride up themountain's narrow and at times, gravel-covered, road was challenging but the trip was well worth it: from the top, there were breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenendoah Valley.

Goliath waits for a doctor outside Shenk's

Lou's Obscene Gestures

Then, it was off to Moscow, which turned out to be a street sign near a general store that posted an advertisement for an "experienced beautician with a following". Morelong sweepers through scenic farmland brought us to Verrona and then (via 11s) to Vesuvius. The most memorable part of that portion of the ride was watching Lou Pilato making obscence gestures. One could only guess what he was doing repeatedly slapping his fist against his groin. He later told us (with a happy look on his face) that a wasp had flown ito his glove and started stinging him. A likely story....

Where the Hell is that Guy?

We continued south on 11 and stopped for lunch about 20 miles fromNatural Bridge, the main excursion for the day. By this time, it was HOT. We called to Shenk's Honda to find out whether John Nelson's bike was being repaired and, when told it was almost finished, told him that we'd wait for him to catch up with us at Natural Bridge. This was based on the belief that the spot was only 30-40 miles from Harrisonburg. Big mistake: it was closer to 80 miles. [Actually, the night before when I looked at a map[[and you all know how I love to look at maps]], it WAS only 30 miles away. Mysteriously, Natural Bridge drifted 50 miles further to the south while I was asleep. No wonder they call it one of the seven natural wonders of the world!] Well anyway, when we realized just how far it was, we tried to contact John to have him meet us further along our route. Of course our second call just missed him so we rode to Natural Bridge to wait. Being the sporting individuals we are, I started a pool where each entrant bet a dollar to pick John's arrival time. More on this later.

The Chase Scene

Now it was hottern hell and based on Fritz Ames' (the official CAMS staff attorney) advice, we trekked up a hill (in 93 degree wx) to get a free view of the Natural Bridge because we were all too cheap to pay the $8 entry fee. Since the legal beagle's last trip to the Natural Bridge, they had erected a fence to block free viewings. [nice one, Perry Mason] So it was back down the hill to sit under a tree and baste while we waited for John, not knowing when he 'd arrive but knowing that we still had 4 stops and 160 miles to cover in the 4 hours remaining 'til dusk to reach our hotel. By 1510, just as we were losing hope of seeing John again, Fritz and I went to move our bikes out of the sun. Just then, we saw John go screaming by, oblivious to the Natural Bridge visitor center and our cries and gestures. Fritz jumped on his bike to catch him and brought him back to the group...with one minute to spare to win the $7 in the John Nelson eta pool. You may be wondering why I didn't go after John myself. My bet was for1552!

[ Hey, I was there to RIDE, not watch a pile of rocks do nothing. - ed. ]

As we prepared to leave Natural Bridge, we met an English couple. The wife, who was drooling on Jean's Triumph, told us that as a girl in the early '50s, she had worked in the Triumph m/c factory. She gave me her address and invited me to spend a couple of nights with her and her husband when I take my m/c vacation in Britain next month.

So Many Miles, So Little Time

The road from Natural Bridge through Glasgow and on to rt 29 is rt 130. This may have been the single most beautiful road we travelled: lots of twisties, some good straight-aways for acceleration, and plenty of pretty sights.

"Beautiful Glasgow!"

We had a lot of miles to cover so we picked up the pace and reduced the number of stops. We blew through Amherst and Buckingham and took a short stop in Elon. Then we continued on rt 60e through gently rolling farmland for 90 minutes until we hit Cumberland. There we met two riders from Richmond who had been touring through NC and Tennessee for a week. We swapped some lies with them before pressing on for the last 65 miles to Ashland.

"So no kidding there I was..."	"We are having so much FUN!"
"A CAMS cools off"	No really, there I was..."
"Don't tell the others but we're lost and the ride is doomed."

 

The High Speed Charge on Richmond

By the time we hit I-64, we were all hot, hungry, and hired (alliteration). The pack hit I-64 and we cruised to the beltway (I-295) at 80-85 mph. Then, it was up 95 to exit 89 and the Best Western which, strangely enough, had moved to exit 86 since I had last looked at the trip sheet. So.....it was back on the bikes for another 5 miles to the hotel.

DQ

The Best Western DID have our reservations. Since the other CAMS looked and smelled horrible (I never perspire), we went directly to the rooms to shower. Unfortunately, the restaurant had closed by the time we were fit for public viewing so we went across the street for dinner at the Sbarro restaurant. That was closed too so it was on to the DQ next door for burgers on Friday date night. The place was a dump and the onlyest neat thing about it was watching the counterman slip on a puddle of spilled milk shake. Truly a 4* restaurant. But at least the burgers were greasy.

Beer and Stogies

After dinner, we repaired to the parking lot of the hotel where 11 of us killed off a case of beer and a bunch of cigars I had brought along. We shot the breeze and polluted it until about midnight.


"Polluting the local Best Western with Beer, Stogies and BIKERS"

Then, it was off to bed to listen to Jean snore.


"Zzzzzzzzzzzzz..."

Getting Under Way

After a poorly served gut-busting breakfast (what else?) at the BW, we headed north on 301. It was already hot by 0935 when we left but the ride up 301 through Hanover was cool due to the shade cast by the trees lining the route. We turned east on rt 721 to head to Sparta, a "town" which consistes entirely of a singe building which contains a general store, some gas pumps, and a post office with a hand-painted sign.

"Beautiful downtown Sparta"

The coolest thing about Sparta is that the entering and leaving signs are on opposites sides of the same 4x4 stuck in the ground across the street from the post office!

"Spartan is right... there's nothing here!"

[BTW, we took lots of pictures of downtown Sparta and everything else that didn't move on the ATW Tour. These photos will eventually be posted in our website. The KoftS, John (a.k.a. Mr. Forks-Where is that Guy?) Nelson will let us know when they're posted.]

"Trusty steeds await us in Sparta"


"Thirsty CAMS beat the heat"

You Too can be a Dump Truck Hood Ornament

From there, we travelled a bunch of narrow and twisty country roads with no center line. With the exception of a pick up truck and a dumptruck, each of which rounded a bend at 60 mph in the middle of the road, the scenes were memorable: tiny settlements, old churches, farmers who waved to us, etc. We kept heading east on various 600-level roads (with numerous "cartagraphic verification" stops (ie, I didn't have the slightest idea where we were))

"Seattle is near Washington right?"

until we came out on rt 17 and headed south to Tappahannock where we turned on to 360 and headed east over the Rappahannock River. Tappahannock is a neat town.

The Warsaw Ghetto and A Lot of Other Stuff (I'm getting tired)

Our next stop was Warsaw and we rested in the Ghetto. I mean, the place was a dump. We watched a coupla guys painting over rust from the vantage point of an empty store whose sign read "Warsaw Drugs". Very quaint. Continuing east on 360, we hit Callao and then, after a miscue (the guy leading the group didn't know what he was doing), we turned on to rt202w and reached Hague where we posed for yet still another group shot at ......you guessed it....the post office.

"Yet ANOTHER stink'n Post Office"

By now, it was really hot, I mean, really really hot (as in hot enough for crotch pot cooking). So we turned on to rt 3e and headed at a high rate of speed (except for that god-%@#*! winabagel land-whale) to rt 301s and Boston's M/C Cafe.

Boston's Motorcycle Cafe!

If you've never been to Bostons, it's worth the trip. It's a Harley hangout but I've always found the people friendly, even when they see my rice-burner. The place has a ton of m/c memorabilia, the food is plentiful and tasty, the prices are low, and the waitress is cute. Anyway, we enjoyed the air conditioning and some chow before getting ready to leave and doing the obligatory photo shoot.

"The coolest Biker Bar in the world"

The Trip Home

At this point, the Md'ers headed north on 301 to go home. The Va'ers headed west on 3 into Fredricksburg where the plan was to head up rt 1 to Dumfries and Alexandria (remember, we were doing international cities, and Dumfries is in Scotland), the ATW Tour's endpoint. As luck would have it, there had been a wreck on I-95 (practicing for Monday rush hour, I suppose) and there was no heading north. What to do? RIDE! We headed west on 3 to Stevensburg, just east of Culpeper and then via rts 29 and 28 to Manassas where we took our final break. From there, I peeled off for Dumfries (someone had to go there) where I garage my bikes.

"A final goodbye at the gas station"

That was the last i saw of Steve Beck, Dave Nunn, Richard Fraer, John Nelson and Fritz Ames. I assume they lived happily ever after!

FINIS

ps- Did I mention that I had a Helluva good time? Once again, thanks to all who made the trek. The camaraderie, the riding skills, the flexibility, and, of course, the tour itself were all GREAT!