We pointed the Triumph southwest for an autumn weekend in the heart of Pennsylvania’s agricultural country. In a relatively compact geographic area, Pennsylvania produces more than $38 billion in food products every year. (That’s as much as Bolivia’s entire GDP.) Of these, corn and cows are at the top.
These agricultural facts are important if you’re on a motorbike for a few reasons:
- Massive farm production means lots and lots (and lots) of well-maintained, two-lane roads.
- These roads are an absolute maze. You’ll be pulling over a lot if you don’t have bluetooth in your helmet.
- If you have allergies you’d best take something non-drowsy, because there’s a lot of pollen and hay in the air.
- The smelltrack of your ride will be earthy notes of cows and corn. It fits in well with the countryside views.
Silos even in town—just off Cheapside Street.
Heading out from Philadelphia, we took backroads to Conshochoken, where we picked up PA 23 West, and wound our way eventually to US Route 30. The first sighting of an Amish buggy was in Morgantown.
Our purpose in heading west was to check out the 26th Not Summit Point Scooter Rally in Gettysburg. A major happening in the scooter community, the three day event draws mods from D.C. to Canada and points in-between for a weekend of camping, riding, and parts-swapping.
It was a beautiful weekend, and the agricultural air was enhanced with the blue smoke of vintage two-stroke scooters zipping around the campground.
Although we had a bit of trepidation purposefully riding a Triumph directly into the heart of a scooter rally, in the end there was no violence. There was no repeat of Brighton, or Clacton, or even Hastings. There were a few questioning looks, but for the most part the mods were a welcoming bunch. Even a few claimed to have had a secret motorbike past! (Nevertheless, there was a bit of comfort in the sound of a Harley pulling in, just in case things went Finsbury Park.)
NSP was a great reason to explore some amazing backroads during one of the best parts of the riding season. It's always good to see anyone in the two-wheeled community, and it was a bonus that The Troubles of the past seem to have been laid to rest. Or, at least this one time, the mods found it in their hearts to allow a rocker into their midst to check out all the fun that can be had on a scooter. Viva Vespa!