In the Fall of 2007, NotSo and I had a little adventure one that was been in the planning. We both wanted to ride Harley’s but our wives will never let us purchase them, besides they just cost too much. Especially if you’re ever planning on sending your kids to college. So NotSo came up with the next best thing - rent them. The Harley shop in Frederick, MD rents them by day or week and has a very nice selection of bikes.

NotSo rented a Softail Custom Cruiser which turned out to be much more comfortable on the long haul than the Dyna Street Bob that I had picked out.

Both bikes have 96 cubic inches of arm ripping torque producing engines. We’ve both had rice burners in the past and had to agree that there’s nothing like the sound of these v twins roaring to life. Head turning quotient on Harley’s is most definitely 100%.

We now had the bikes, we’d made it out of the Harley dealership without wrecking - hey it had been a while since either of us had been on a bike and these babies were on the larger side of anything that I’d ever ridden.  Now for a little cruise down some of nearby country roads before heading out on the highway.  A brief tour down 355 to 85 and then we made our way over to 340.  From there we crossed over at Harpers Ferry into VA and started making our way to Front Royal.  Our destination was Shenandoah National Park and a fun filled afternoon of slicing thru the winding turns on Skyline Drive.

Since we had been planning on this excursion for so long the really big concern as this weekend approached was the weather. Praise God, the weather couldn’t have been better.  The day warmed up to the low 70’s and was incredibly clear due to a cool front that had moved in overnight.  The views from the overlooks seemed to go on forever. Although it’s a bit difficult to see in this picture we guessed that the farthest range we were seeing was some 40+ miles over in WV.

The ride through the park was fantastic with all of it’s twists, turns and breathtaking vistas. There were more bikers going thru the park than you could shake a stick at. At times it seemed like every turn would bring another biker or two heading the other other direction. We were constantly pointing to the ground with our left hand, signaling to the other bikers to keep the rubber on the road. This simple act imbues one with a sense of camaraderie, especially when coming from other Harley riders. By the end of the day it was no wonder why there is such a mystique and reverence for this brand of motorcycle. Riding one, even if it’s only a rental, definitely gains you access into an exclusive club.

As the day wore on and we started to make our way back towards home we had no desire to get on a bustling highway. We took our time going down back roads, getting lost, having to even backtrack at times, but thoroughly enjoying the entire experience.  At least that was until it started getting dark and we both realized that all we had for eye protection was dark sunglasses. Oh the dilemma. The sun was sinking fast and there was no way we were going to make it back home before dark. It suddenly dawned on me that we simple needed to find a Lowes or Home Depot and get a pair of cheap safety glasses. Scouring around Leesburg, VA we found a Home Depot along with a nearby Ruby Tuesday.

After tanking up our bellies we made our way back to Rockville. Of course now the temperature was starting to drop and we were getting tired. After 11 hours and 300 plus, butt numbing miles, my only thoughts were of staying upright and crawling into a warm bed.  Well we both did make it home without incident and the last thing I remember was looking at the red lights from my bedside alarm clock, glowing 10:02.

We had to have the bikes back at the dealership in Frederick (about a 50 min. drive from home) at 11:00 AM. That didn’t leave us enough time to go to church, but it  left me enough time to put another 60 miles on the bike.

Cruising the back roads from home I made my way up to Dickerson, MD and a quick drive-by of Sugarloaf Mountain. I then continued to the Monacacy River and followed the Potomac for a short time before heading towards to Frederick. NotSo and I met up at the Harley dealership, along with a group from the Williamsport HOG Chapter who were heading out that morning for a tour of covered bridges.

Turning in our bikes, one of the staff made the comment that they had really been worried about us the day before. I know it had been a while since I’d ridden but I didn’t think it was THAT obvious.  Asking him why he explained that they had gotten a call in just before lunch that one of their bikes had gone down in the same area we had said we were headed. They thought it might have been one of us.  Thankfully that was not the case, but apparently someone renting one of their Road Kings had gone down and was in the hospital. The bike had been towed back to their shop covered in dirt and suffering a few thousand dollars worth of damages. This little note is not one to tell the wives…

All in all a most memorable experience and one that rekindled my love of motorcycles and which ead me to buying Big Red.