Mosquito Beemers: Photos

2005 Memorial Day Ride to Tionesta Pennsylvania

It was a small but elite group that met at the Baconsburg Restaurant in Cortland this past Sunday morning for our Memorial Day Ride. Cliff Masink our Ride Captain exemplified how our club members are willing to walk the extra mile in the interests of the club. He and his wife Debbie showed up with a brand new blue LT they had taken delivery on late Saturday afternoon. Now is that taking the Ride Captain’s job serious, or what? Tom Fear and Rose Morris showed on Tom’s LT while Susan and I made up the third bike with our blue 1150RT. After a suitable period of admiring Cliff’s new baby and praising him for his selfless sacrifice in the interest of the Mosquito Beemers, we set off in beautiful weather. Cliff led, and Tom was Tail Hook Charlie, so Susan and I, on our RT, felt like an end table between two couches.

We had a beautiful ride out 88 to Pa 358 to Sandy Lake. From there we took US 62 to Franklin where we stopped for a very nice lunch. Over lunch we decided to skip going to the rodeo at the Flying W Ranch and just ride. Since Cliff had not had time the night before to read the instruction manual for his new LT, Tom became LT sensei. Each rest stop became a BMW dojo where sensei dispensed LT wisdom and survival. “Now Cliff-san my poor and humble personage will not always be there to guide you. You must give wide path to the festive dog who makes sport in the roadway,” and so on.

After a short stretch between Franklin and Oil City US 62 becomes a beautiful winding road that follows the Allegany through heavy canopy forest all the way up to Warren, PA. We hit some rain on the way to Oil City but after a short break under the porte-cochere of a conveniently closed store, the skies cleared and we were on our way. We had a beautiful but cool ride up to Warren at which point we picked up U.S. 6 and then PA 27 for Titusville. After a coffee and bathroom break we continued on 27 to Meadville where we picked up US 322 for Jamestown. We took PA 58 and OH 5 to Kinsman where we bid our adieus.

Ernie Conover
Parkman, OH
May 30, 2005