By John Fraser
Hello fellow Ocean State BMW Riders! Happy Fourth of July! Well, went to my first rally this June and it was a great one! The MOA Rally in Lebanon, TN.
Bob Fadden, Bruce Stevens and I left on 6/17 for the 1000 plus mile ride down to Lebanon, TN. We had an interesting weather ride! It rained like crazy in spots on the way down, making the riding interesting! We stopped twice on the way down, once in Carlyle, PA and once on the Virginia, Tennessee line.
Once we arrived at the Rally and checked in, we got together with Mikey, Dave and Ken and had great time. I set up my tent near the big tent we split with the Yankee Beemer crew. Bob and Mikey camped nearby and the rest of the gang were smart enough to get hotel rooms! It gets HOT in Tennessee! There were a few thousand people at the rally and all were nice. Great crowd!
The event was packed with vendors, food trucks, beer tent, bands on stage and great local riding. it’s a beautiful area. Fantastic riding! Bob led some great rides through the rolling Tennessee countryside! The ride home was interesting!
Bruce continued on to visit relatives in North Carolina and Bob and I rode the slab home. It was BLAZING hot. So after one overnight near Blacksburg, VA, we decided to just go for it and blast home; as the next day was going to be even hotter. We wound up going over 700 miles in temperatures that went from 94°-102° degrees. It was definitely a marathon, but we made it back without incident. We owe a tip of the hat to Mikey, who was kind enough to take our camping gear back home in his truck and relieve us of some weight and bulk. Thanks Mikey!!
Anyway, the MOA Rally next year, as I’m sure you’re all aware will be near Burlington, VT. Tickets are on sale now!
Ride safely and we’ll see you at the meeting!
John Fraser
