Not So Great Trip With Some Great Moments

by "Froggi Donna"

<--PART ONE-- The start

6/26/04 THUNDER IN THE VALLEY
Today we get to enjoy a leisurely ride to Johnstown, PA and then spend the day at Thunder in the Valley where we hope to meet up with several riding friends. We couldn't get an early start since we were waiting for Mike's Fedex package to show with his feeding syringe and medication. It was 11am when we finally headed out. There were a half dozen or so bikes ahead of us so I just kept following them.

We got on the highway and cruised along, sometimes passing other bikes, sometimes being passed. The weather was perfect, cool enough for a light jacket but dry and sunny. I could have ridden all day!

It did seem like we had been traveling for quite a while considering we were supposed to be thirty miles away, but what the heck, it was a nice day....suddenly Mike pulled up beside and motioned to the next exit. Seems he realized that we had passed our exit, the guys we were following were headed somewhere else. So we turned around and headed back west.

We found the correct exit and found the traffic that we anticipated....lots of cars and even more bikes.  We parked to get gas, air up our tires and retake our bearings. Bad timing....the street in front of us was shut down for the parade of thousands of bikes coming into town - we had been told this was at 11 am, it was now 1 pm. [see more photos of Thunder in the Valley]

Eventually we got to head into downtown and do the main drag crawl. It was fun to see the crowds, not fun to try to get around between all the bikes and all the pedestrians - this was our only complaint, they could have used more traffic control.

Eventually we noticed a parking garage and zipped in there - $5 for the day, in and out as many times as we wanted or needed. Worked out great because it gave Mike a shady, private spot to eat. From there we headed out, making and answering cell phone calls to try to meet up with folks. Most of the time we were at opposite ends of the event, both promising to try to meet back at some point. Most of the time it didn't happen.

I did run into an unexpected friend from Maryland - Deb (Putt-Putt). She and her hubby were in Subway where I enjoyed lunch.

From there we headed out to enjoy the sights and sounds and the gorgeous weather. The event was well laid out with ample offerings of vendors, music and fun. We found our way to the One Less Tear tent where Mike got to meet the founder, Chuck Navasky. Chuck is a two-time cancer survivor and the meeting was intensely emotional for both of them.

Eventually we did meet up with a couple of guys (Bill & Dwight - awesome guys!) from Hawg Ryder's All Harley Tech Forum. I had met one of them the summer before at a stop on the Pony Express, but not the other. After ohhing & ahhing over bikes, we wandered around, shot photos, checked out the scenery (and I don't mean the trees) and just generally had a great time.

The afternoon was quickly gone as were our friends. Soon it would be time for the evening concert. We had been privileged to be comp'ed tickets to see the One Less Tear Band, Blue Oyster Cult and Paul Rodgers of Bad Company. In fact, there was a good chance we would be able to do a "meet & greet" afterwards.

Unfortunately before Paul Rodgers came on, we had to leave. Mike was very cold and shivering and feeling really bad. It was almost 10:30 pm and we headed to the parking garage. Now the really bad news - my bike wouldn't start. We thought it was either the solenoid or the starter, not that it mattered since it was late on a Saturday night and our hotel was thirty miles away.

We called our emergency road service, RV RoadHelp and explained our situation. The operator was terrific but unsure how quickly they could help due to the late hour and wanting to take the bike back to the hotel (we were around the corner from the Somerset HD dealer). Well, she called right back and said the driver would be there within 15 minutes. He was.....and he took me and the bike back to the hotel while Mike followed.

--PART THREE--> Continuing on...

<< Back to Index