Doug Grosjean's Ride Report
Attended the Hoosier Beemer Rally, this past weekend, at Muscatatuk County Park near
Vernon IN, in southeast / south central part of Indiana.
700 miles in 36 hours. Left home at 9:30a Saturday, arrived home at
9:30p Sunday.
Headed SB on I-75 towards Cincinatti, figuring on hitting Cinci and
then zipping west on US-50, or west along the Ohio River.
Along the way on I-75, I browsed the edge of the stone quarries at
Bluffton OH. During last month's floods, a large waterfall formed
(here in table-flat NW Ohio) with deep water flowing across I-75 and
into the quarry. You can see several sites at the quarry where that
happened, the earth scoured away, and then concrete barriers and such
installed after.
Arriving in Cinci, I was undecided about routing. I've always jetted
through Cinci on the Interstate, but lately (since the Route 66 trip
this past summer) have had a set of Route 66 glasses on during my
travels, and have gotten more curious about surface streets. Finally
got off at the last Ohio exit, figured I could find 1st St. or Front
St. or River Road and take it west out of town.
Turns out the pretty part of Cinci, the stadiums and high-dollar
riverfront and tall glass buildngs, is all east of I-75. The
industrial wastelands, metal recyclers and abandoned factories and
bulk loading facilities, are all west of I-75. So in the process of
finding a way west out of town, I got downtown traffic and scenery,
and then after finding my way (via US-50), I also got a much older
part of the town.
Continued west on US-50 out of Cinci, which for quite a few miles
stays along the Ohio River. Saw bulk-carriers on the river, ie,
series of barges lashed together hauling coal or gravel, pushed by one
bike tugboat. Also saw an operating carferry, crossing back and forth
between OH and KY. Neat boat - basically a tugboat fastened to the
middle of a flat-top barge, along the side, on a pin through the bow
of the tug. Going north to Ohio, the tug was alongside the ferry, bow pointed north. At the Ohio side, the barge docked, and the tug spun around 180 degrees on that pin through its
bow, and ended up pointed south alongside the ferry, and then pushed
the ferry across the Ohio. Neat to watch.
Continued on US-50 westbound. 50 leaves the Ohio River, and heads
directly west over rolling hills into Indiana. Again the parallels
with Route 66 pop up - abandoned motels, some abandoned gas stations,
a mix of farm and forest, passing through the center of small and
medium-sized towns, brown and yellow crops in the fields, a few pixels
of fall color in the trees, and the feel of travel of 40-50 years ago.
Two smell-good memories: the Seagrams factory near Lawrenceburg IN
cooking whatever it is they cook, and the mom-pop convenience store in
the same area making fresh donuts when I got fuel.
A Subway sandwich in Versailes IN, where a cute petite pixie-like
sandwich artist rolled her eyes when a customer in the drive-through
asked if she was dating. When I supposed that it was 20% flattering
and 80% annoying, she corrected me, saying it was nothing. Two kids
and two jobs leaves no time for dating. I told her it could be worse
- at least it was a guy asking. She replied seriously that a woman
hitting on her was *last* Saturday. Honestly, I could see why
somebody would ask....
Arrived in Muscatatuk County Park at the Hoosier Beemer Rally about
3:00 PM or so, after about 260 miles, lotsa scenery, and a nice
sandwich.
Signed in, dropped a copy of Wheels off at Regstration as a door
prize, and set up camp.
Nice area. Rolling hills, intimate hollows coming in. Then the 100
or so bikes and riders (and even cars) set up in a meadow around a
picnic house and restroom. Hung out, talked with people, ran into at
least a couple people I knew, just relaxed.
At 5:00 PM it was door prizes, at 6:00 PM a catered supper of picnic
food (fried chicken, BBQ pork, baked beans, soda), and at 7:00 PM my
talk about my book. Door prizes and supper went off without a hitch,
but when 7:00 PM rolled around there was almost nobody in the picnic
shelter for my talk. A small group of people clustered around my
table, so I spoke pretty much one-on-one with the handful there. Sold
a few copies, signed them, then stayed up late talking bikes, electric
vests (had an old sample of electric fabric for Tom Wade to examine),
photography, books, and children; over some Brown County Indiana
blueberry wine that Sharon sent along, till about midnight.
Sunday morning, a quick snack of a glazed roll, talk with some more
attendees, meet Zach Leahy and his wife, and then head out.
I figured since I was in the area, and had never been there before,
and had all day, I may as well explore a bit. My maternal grandfather
was from Jennings / Brown County area, and always spoke highly of it,
but I'd never gone that far south in IN. So west to I-65, then south
to a state route to Salem IN, and IN-135 NB. Very, very, very nice
road. Rolling hills, forests, small towns; a feel much like SE Ohio
or even parts of Appalachia. The road was easy riding in the southern
half, good visibility through curves, good pavement. It continued
like that for miles and miles and miles, NB towards Indy.
About halfway up IN-135 I came to Story, IN. Neat little town, a
place to rent horses, and a General Store turned into a yuppie
restaurant. Old gas pumps out front, antiques on display inside, lots
of shiny Harleys and BMW (motorcycles) in the parking lot. Nothing
wrong with any of that, since the breakfast was excellent.
At the little General Store / restaurant in Story IN, a
group of women of a wide range of ages, with several cameras, was
trying to figure out how to get all 4 women in a shot w/o asking
anybody for help. I offered to shoot them, just hand me the cameras
and let me pose the people, and they agreed.
As I'm talking with them, establishing rapport, putting them in just
the right position, one of them saw my Beemerville Univ. T-shirt and
asked where it was, and what I took while there....
LOL - explained that it was a T given to volunteers at the 2005 BMW
Nat'l Rally. Yes, motorcycle rally. They asked where I was from and
why I was in IN, and I explained about speaking on my book over at the
Hoosier rally. So then after they were done being photographed, they
took my pic. :):) Not a motorcycle pic, though. My other life.
Wandering around in a cowboy hat with an old camera in my hands.
Back on IN-135, and north of Story the road is much more interesting.
Short straight stretches, followed by tight curves. Farmers
harvesting their crops. Jogs in the road as if the surveyors made a
50' mistake, because 1/8 mile later the road jogs back to original
path.
Continued on IN-135 to Nashville IN, where I got fuel. While fueling
up, an Oilhead RT and a Yamaha FJR-13 pulled in. The BMW guy looked
at my bike, saw the cover of "Wheels" plastered on the RH saddlebag,
and then introduced himself (hiya Darryl)!as a lurker (have never
posted) on IBMWR who's been reading and enjoying my stuff for years.
Small world, and makes my day when that happens. Heck, I may put the
other Wheels bumper sticker on the LH bag... Bummer that Daryll and
the Yamaha guy had no time to talk, lotsa miles to make you know....
After gassing up, I figured on taking IN-135 all the way to Indy, but
then noticed another road on the Rand McNally that paralleled IN-135,
but not a state road, and a bit to the east. Found it, turned on the
handheld GPS so I had a compass, and took it. Salt Creek road, IIRC.
Neat. Very rural, not maintained to the standards of a state highway.
No lines or lane markers on it, so you have to figure out when you
can pass. Mostly chip-sealed and tar, rather than perfect asphalt.
Few signs warning of tight curves or bumps, so you have to figure that
out yourself too. Chickens crossing the road here and there,
scattering as I go by and beep, more farmers harvesting crops, lotsa
elevation changes and curves. At one point, the road takes a huge jog
to go around a cemetery... Certainly not a fast open road, more like
a perfect GS road, even if there were a lot of Harleys headed
southbound slowly on it... I took Salt Creek road to Gatesville (a
town not on my map, consisting of a concrete bridge and a sign), then
took a guess based on which road went north, and continued north on
another road. Eventually found myself, after 15-20 miles, on IN-252,
which I took east back to US-31 NB.
Took US-31 till about 10 miles outta Indy, then back on I-65 to Indy,
where I picked up I-70 EB. Took that to the west edge of Dayton OH,
then NB on I-75, then NE on OH-105 to Pemberville, Ohio.
Nice trip. Nice area. Nice to use some of that virgin rubber on the
edges of my GS' tires...
Doug Grosjean
Doug's son JeanLuc, the subject of the book
Doug Is Allowed to sit on an Indian
