2012 Ride Announcement

Old Dominion June 2, 2012 – June 8, 2012   Well, I’ve been pondering the ride for 2012 for some time now, considering what the group has offered over the summer and a couple of my suggestions as well.  The challenge is finding a place that we can get to within a day or two’s ride from Chicago; has base camp lodging options that can accommodate us and; most importantly has enough great black top and sights to still leave us wanting more after we return home. I narrowed it down to a couple areas.  First, Texas Hill Country (Austin/San Antonio area), which was my suggestion.  Although it meets all the criteria I’ve ruled it out because the ride to get there is around 1,200 miles.  While doable, I’m leaning towards more of relaxed ride to get to our base camp.  Here is a link to the map I was playing with for this option - http://g.co/maps/5xug7. So I’ve decided on a suggestion that John Moore made, perhaps as long ago as our Badlands ride in 2010: Virginia Is For Motorcycle Lovers, Too!   This state has become one of the best motorcycle road states in America - rich in beauty, history, and amenities!  Motorcycle rider’s menu of scenery will include the Appalachian Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley, and 112 miles of Atlantic coastline. The historical attractions include the country’s first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, and some of the most important battlefields from both the Revolutionary and Civil wars (ex. Fredericksburg, Yorktown).  Not to mention Washington DC! I’m looking at base camp options in or around the Shenandoah Valley.  Harrisonburg, for example, is fairly central to the day trips that I’ve mapped out.  The Shenandoah Valley area also has a lot of lodging options.  And I’m looking to keep the rate less than $100 a night.  As for the itinerary, my initial thoughts are to get back a week long ride.  Departing Chicago on Saturday June 2nd and staying overnight in the Columbus, Ohio area (~322 Miles) then on to our base camp (~340 miles).  We’d then have 3 full days of riding Old Dominion (Monday – Wednesday), before we depart for Chicago on Thursday, June 7th. Here’s What I Need From You   I know it’s early yet, but the one item I sweat the most when finalizing our plan for the ride is the base camp lodging.  As the veterans know and if you’ve seen the “Best of Pics” on the site, we’ve been very fortunate to have truly great accommodations for our previous rides.  To continue that in 2012 we’ll need to lock down a base camp sooner rather than later. To help me gauge the size of the group for 2012 please drop me a note as soon as possible to let me know one of the following:   1.       Sign me up! 2.       I’m seriously interested! 3.       Sounds good, but it’s too early to tell for sure if I can make it 4.       Sorry, I can’t make it this year As always, I'm open to any and all suggestions (dates, location, duration, etc.). Ultimately, I just want a ride that everyone will enjoy.