OCC Ride Report

I got down to the meet up spot about 10 minutes late for the 7 AM AOB and ate breakfast before leaving solo at 7:30 AM on Saturday. Nice weather, light traffic, I made the 3 hour trip (according to Mapquest.com) in 2.5 hours, arriving at 10 AM.

The ride was scheduled for Kickstands Up at 11:00 AM, but they must have been operating on my schedule and we left about 10 minutes late. By my rough count there were about 60 to 70 bikes in the ride lead by Senior on one of his creations and Christian Welter on another.

The ride was terrific, taking back roads up and down local mountains and through state parks. It lasted about two hours, we didn't stop at any lights or stop signs, it was not escorted and average speed was about 45 mph. It consisted mostly of sweepers and straightaways, with a few hairpins going up and down the mountains.The scenery was beautiful forest, farms and small towns.

Here are the ride directions from the OCC parking lot:

1. Make a left onto Rt.17K toward Montgomery
2. Go through the Village of Montgomery, after the bridge take the second right onto Albany Post Road
3. Take Albany Post Road to Rt. 44/55 (flashing light)
4. Turn left on Rt.44/55 toward Kerhonkson, go over Minnewaska Mountain
5. Turn left on Rt. 209 toward Wurtsboro
6. Turn left on Sullivan Street (Danny's Bar), go over Bloomingburg Mountain
7. In Bloomingburg make a left onto Rt. 17K
8. Return to OCC in Newburgh

The riders were pretty good. Everyone kept up and there were no mishaps. The only exception was one woman rider who kept adjusting her I-Pod leading to a slingshot pattern of slowing down and speeding to catch up. Fortunately we got ahead of her. A few riders weren't properly prepared and pulled off the refuel along the way.

Back at the shop there were snacks and water waiting for us, but we bypassed it to check out the new cafe. The food was very good, not too expensive and the service was great. There was an excellent five piece cover band playing the Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, CCR, the Black Crows and other classic rock favorites. One of the members was so into it that he sometimes looked like he was having an epileptic fit and other times a heart attack. It was amusing to watch. They also have four bowling lanes, two pool tables and two foosball tables for entertainment.

We decided to forgo the visit to Motorcyclepedia for another day and take the back roads home to my brother-in-laws house in Castleton, a suburb of Albany. All in all it was a great time, but I forgot the camera, so I have no photos to share from this trip which was more about the riding than the destination.