With the arrival of nearly every weekend throughout the Spring and Summer of 2018, there has also been a forecast for rain. And, for the past two summers, nearly every CSBA scheduled ride has included a forecast for rain. So, as the Labor Day weekend approached, we in the Eastern PA Chapter anxiously monitored all the weather forecasters and their predictions for rain, in order to attempt to retry the Shamokin Screamer ride (already postponed because of rain).
So, naturally, the morning would be wet, but we determined that it was at least worth meeting up for breakfast and assessing the conditions before giving up on the day. Those who traveled from the South were treated to a few soaking rain showers on their way to the Star Lite Diner, while those who live in the Allentown area endured a couple hours of soaking rain before the scheduled meet up. But, all the radar images showed that no significant rainfall had come through the area of the route, so we believed it was worth venturing out.
Eighteen riders showed up and, due to the combined issues of the weather and the lack of leaders familiar with the route, we all followed along as one “Relaxed Pace” group. The roads were wet, with occasional mist and light showers in the air, so caution was paramount. Thankfully, the temperature was agreeable; not too hot and humid, nor too cold and damp. Along the way, we took a brief pause to allow for a certain pink GSXR-600 to catch up to the group. Traveling at this reduced pace, one could have taken the time to appreciate the side benefit of rain nearly every day for an entire summer: some very lush and green hills and valleys, to go with the swollen creeks and rivers.