Goodbye Columbus!

Ohio curves...who knew?

The last weekend of July was the Honda Homecoming near Marysville. The hotel rooms in the immediate area were spoken for and as a notorious last minute planner, I wound up staying on the west side of Columbus.

When I checked in to the Fairfield Inn, I met Bernie Keller, a H-D dealer from Gaithersburg, MD. He had athe biker's tan that I recongnized when I saw him in the lobby. He was on his way home from a business trip that had taken him to the Black Hills area. He had put in some long hours crossing the country on his Harley the last few days. He invited me to visit Rockville Harley-Davidson if I was in the area. Nice guy. I'll keep his card in case I get over that way.

The Marysville factory turns into Mecca for Honda motorcycles for a few days, accompanied by the red carpet treatment from surrounding towns. The crowds and organized events are great. Meeting old friends and making new ones is always fun too. The part I have passed up in previous years is exploring the countryside nearby.

Until last week, my picture of Ohio has been one of cornfields and more cornfields. Roads laid out along ancient section lines. Roads with as much character as oatmeal. On this trip though, I actually consulted the handout material from Honda and set out to see what was there.

I had the best intentions of getting up early Saturday and going on the Ride For Kids but that didn't quite work out. I did see Bernie again. He and his girlfriend were heading across the parking to to the Cracker Barrel. We wished each other good riding and parted ways.

I dug the map out of the trunk and found the route with the most wiggly lines. The route was marked in gold highlighter and was located about 45 mile east of me, straight across Columbus.

Saturday morning, the traffic was light and the weather was in the mid 70s. I headed east on 70 and was admiring the dozen or so skyscrapers off to my left when someone in the exit lane changed his mind. He suddenly crossed the solid white line into my lane. Discretion being the better part of valor, I nailed the gas and swerved left, then back right, using all the power and handling the Wing is known for to avoid a shoving match with a Ford Explorer. Then I resumed the speed limit (or just a little over) and watched my mirrors as the careless driver slunk farther back to avoid my gaze.

I had skipped coffee this morning, but now, fully awake, I began to more fully appreciate my surroundings.

About the time I started thinking I had missed my exit, the turnoff for Thornville appeared. As soon as I started south past Buckeye Lake, the road actually dipped down into a swale. I was so suprised, I stopped for a picture. The road curved down around to the right, then straightened and flattened again. "That didn't last long" I thought.

I got to the first turn at 204, and instead of going east, turned west to visit the little town of Thornville. Very picturesque. A quiet little town on a hill surrounded by rich green farmland.

After retracing my track, I headed east on 204. Another suprise. The road was like a roller coaster. I could feel the suspension stretching to the limits at each crest. I also learned to approach these hills with caution because of the immediate turn on the other side. Another interesting observation is how much undercarriage on an approaching pickup is visible when you both arrive on top at about the same time.

My third surprise followed quickly. Just as I rounded off a hard right hand corner, I noticed an old lady walking a dog in a field to my left. She raised her hand and waved a friendly greeting. It wasn't the only wave of the day. I was amazed at the friendliness of the people in the area.

I followed the backroads, generally east through tiny towns, past farms and woodlands, even to an Industrial Sand mine probably from the Paleozoic Period. (The sand, not the mine). I had just cleared a series of twisties and headed for a straight stretch when I noticed big rusty buckets traveling back and forth on cables above the road. I made a turn into a driveway which was covered with powdery sand. Very slick. After wallowing back to pavement I snapped a picture of the operation and what passes for a town in the background.

Back on track, I passed several interesting sideroads that beckoned with tree tunnels and sharply rising turns. I figured with my E-Trex for a guide, and none of the roads showing, I should keep following the signposts and stay on the gold highlighted trail.

I am lucky in that all my life I have wanted to know what lies around the next corner. The course laid out by Honda didn't dissappoint. Dozens of blind hills and turns kept me guessing and kept my speed in check as well.

Finally I reached a crossroads somewhere south of Zanesville and stopped to refer to the map. A fellow who had been sitting on his porch came trotting up to make sure I found the right road. I was starting to get used to Buckeye hospitality. After assurances the unmarked road heading north was highway 22, I was off again.

Zanesville got in my way for a while. I was looking for 146 east and after a few tries, returned south to where I had passed a couple of hundred bikers milling around a blocked off street. I drove the only Honda in sight into the middle of the event and asked what was up. It turned out to be a Viet Nam Veteran's ride. I fit the participation requirements, but didn't feel like my current "uniform" fit in. There were enough "do-rags" present to build a weeks worth of RoseAnne Barr's drawers.

I finally found someone who knew the area and headed out once again. Up to this point, the only bikes I had seen were Harleys and a couple of sports bikes of undetermined origin. I kind of thought I'd be wagging my clutch hand at Wingers all day. As it turned out, a little over 300 miles and the only Wings I saw were westbound on I-70 near Columbus.

Anyway, I headed east on 146, then 313, then angled up toward Plainfield on 83 and 93. These little backroads were fun and almost totally traffic free. It was a good thing too, due to the sneaky corners and blind hillcrests. A couple of times, I turned around for a second run at a chicane once I had it sorted out.

Stopping frequently to make sure I was still on the "gold route," I meanderedup to Coshocton and finally headed west on 541. This section of road was still curvy but obviously was designed for something faster than an Amish buggy. You could actually see into the corners and the hillcrests were not backloaded with switchbacks.














I made good time heading down to Newark and found my way to west 16. I wanted to get back to Marysville in time to claim the free motorcycle they were giving away, so I pulled over one more time to consult my trusty souvenier map.

I was on 16 near 37, stopped alongside a road sign. A guy on a Harley pulled up along side me facing against traffic and asked if I needed help. We had a nice conversation about area roads and the relative merits of various bikes. Randy Kinzel is a K-9 officer with Columbus PD. He noticed my Blue Knights windshield sticker and we exchanged thoughts on retirement and how the world changes after you hang up your "shootin' irons." After pointing me in the right direction, we went on our ways; me west, Randy east. You meet the nicest people on a Har... I mean Honda.

About this time, Ohio started looking like it used to and I started remembering I hadn't had breakfast yet. The Tumbleweed in Bellefontaine was good. Why not? I made a bee-line for the dining room. It was about 3:00 pm and I had been listening to '60s music on the XM for 6 hours. Time for a snack and a little down time before the big Gold Wing give-away.

The chimichanga hit the spot and I returned to the Honda factory to join thousands of bikers holding our collective breath so as not to miss the magic moment. The announcer strung us along for a while with "important announcements" then finally said something about Michigan. Then I really started paying attention. "The winner of the brand new GL1800 Gold Wing is... David Palmer of Berien, Michigan!"

Bummer - maybe next year. If not the free bike, I have a feeling I'll at least go for the red route. I hope a few folks will read this and decide to tag along.