Central PA & OH, Day 2

A Long Ride Ahead

With a late start and nearly 400 miles of riding ahead, I spent less time with nature and more time making new friends. 🌤️🏍️

Lunch with a New Friend

Around 4pm, I met a new friend and BMW Riders Association marketing committee member for "lunch." A real estate magnate in the Mount Vernon, OH area, her connection with a younger audience and understanding of social media advertising earned her a rightful position on the committee. 🥪📱

Mount Vernon has a simple, pleasant hometown feel. With a big traffic circle in the middle of town peppered with restaurants and shops on the perimeter, Mount Vernon seems like a gentrified revision of America's days long gone. I would visit again. 🏙️🏡

Evening with BMW RA President

My final destination for the day was Clarksville, OH, where I accepted an invitation to spend the night at the BMW RA President's house. There, I had dinner with four fellow RA board members and their spouses. In addition to enjoying some good home cooking, we seized every minute of our first in-person meeting as a group to discuss how we can improve membership and involvement in the RA community. 🍽️👥

Mechanical Issues Begin

While riding from Mount Vernon to Clarksville, my trusty steed began sputtering mid-flight. Talk about an unsettling feeling while cruising on an interstate highway! ⚠️🛠️

I pulled over, turned the bike off, inspected it, and noted that it ran smoothest in the 4,000-5,000 rpm range. So for the next 60 miles, I kept the bike in this range. With a consistent pace of 65 mph in fourth gear, the bike regained itself and had no more problems the rest of the way. 🌄🏁

Slabbing it on interstate highways traveling past Columbus, OH.

Nuclear power plants make interesting backdrops.

Mount Vernon, OH pleasantly surprised me with its hometown feel and quaint downtown.  It's a great place to meet friends - old and new.

Central PA supplies motorcyclists with open roads, low volumes of traffic, and vast farmlands.