Back on the Road: First Group Motorcycle Ride of the Year

Reconnecting with friends, exploring scenic Pennsylvania back roads, and enjoying the simple pleasure of two wheels

Getting the Band Back Together

Today was a pretty special day in the sense that me and a small group of friends, guys that I know fairly well from the Walt in PA Discord server, got together for a group motorcycle ride. It was actually the first one of the year. The last group ride I was on personally was with Goofy, New Year’s Eve. And before that, it’s been several months since our little motley crew has gotten together to get out and ride.

What makes riding with this group so enjoyable isn’t just the journey itself, but connecting through our Sena communicators, chatting and joking as we ride down the road. There’s always plenty of laughs and a bit of good-natured ball busting along the way. That’s the aspect of group riding I really treasure.

Our crew today was small but mighty: me, Goofy, Goofy’s son, Scott’s Moto Adventures, and Trekkie Moto. Just the five of us, which is perfect for keeping track of everyone through turns and traffic.

The Route: Limerick to Lancaster County and Back

We met up at the Wawa in Limerick, Pennsylvania, which coincidentally is where Goofy and I first met back in 2020 for our very first group ride. After chatting a bit and topping off our fuel tanks, we headed out.

I had a general idea of where I wanted to go but wasn’t entirely sure how to get out to Route 401 from our starting point. So we winged it a little bit, hoping it would all work out in the end. That initial part of the journey went fairly well, except for one stretch that was pockmarked with loose gravel and potholes—far from ideal riding. But once we got past that, the road opened up to some nice twisty back roads that led us out to Route 401.

Route 401 isn’t a technical road by any stretch of the imagination, but it is winding and runs through some really scenic areas. There are tree lines on either side, providing lots of shade and cover from the sun. It’s just a pretty ride. We took that all the way out to Route 23 in the Morgantown area, and from there rode down to Route 625.

That stretch of Route 23 isn’t the best for riding. You go through some cool little towns, but there are pockets of congestion around Route 10 and Route 176. Otherwise, it’s a pretty laid-back, easy ride with wide-open fields and farms on either side—picturesque, but relatively straight. It’s pleasant but not something I’d go out of my way to ride.

Horse and Buggy Country

We hopped on Route 625, and that’s where the horse and buggies began. We started seeing lots of them, which made traveling a bit challenging with traffic coming in both directions and trying to safely pass the buggies. Challenging, but very scenic.

From there we picked up Route 568 and took that out to Route 10. That whole stretch was really nice—moderately twisty, or I’d probably say more winding than twisty. After a little dogleg down Route 10, we got back on Route 568.

The stretch from where we jump off Route 10 out to Route 724 was loads of fun. It’s a twisty road with elevation changes, ups and downs. The big downside is that there tends to be gravel in odd spots, so you really need to be careful. But with a stream on one side and tree lines on the other, it’s both fun to ride and scenic.

Through Birdsboro and Back to Limerick

We hopped on Route 724 and followed it through Birdsboro. That little stretch of 724 isn’t very fun—it’s 55 mph with lots of tractor-trailer traffic and congestion. Not a road I would ride for fun, just one of those necessary connections to get where you’re going.

After Birdsboro, we jumped onto Limekiln Road, though we hit a rough patch where the road was ground down in preparation for new asphalt. It wasn’t scary, but definitely not fun. Fortunately, it was a relatively short stretch.

We followed Limekiln Road all the way into Douglasville, cut down Route 662 for a short ways, then worked our way through twisty back roads until we eventually made it out to Swamp Pike in Gilbertsville. From there, it was basically a straight shot all the way down Swamp Pike to our lunch destination.

Lunch Break at the Flying Pig

Our lunch stop was at the Flying Pig Tavern in Limerick. Three of us had the Big Pig Burger, which is very good—a burger with tangy barbecue sauce that’s just delicious. The prices are reasonable and it’s a pretty laid-back atmosphere. I’ve been there for lunch with my wife a handful of times and really wanted to make it a lunch stop destination for one of our group rides.

Notable Stops Along the Way

We made two stops during our ride. The first was at Pool Forge Covered Bridge. Coincidentally, this was one of our stops on what we called the Road Apple Ride several years ago, when we rode through the Lancaster area on our way to Shady Maple Smorgasbord. As Goofy says, “we ate like kings that day.”

Oddly enough, we called it the Road Apple Ride because we were going through Amish country and fully expected to see lots of horse and buggies (and the “road apples” they leave behind). But during that entire previous ride, we saw only one horse and buggy, and it was parked at a business. Today was completely different—we must have passed a dozen or so.

The stop at Pool Forge is always nice. It’s a scenic little park where I believe they hold wedding receptions. There’s a historical building, picnic tables, and a stream that runs under the bridge. It’s a really nice place to take a break and relax for a few minutes between rides.

Our second stop was just at a community park in the Douglasville area. Nothing special really, but we had been riding for over an hour since Pool Forge, and it was a convenient place to stop, get off the bikes, stretch our legs, and recoup before the final leg of our journey.

Riding Light for a Change

One thing worth noting about this ride is that I left all of my camera gear at home. Even though I haven’t been posting much on YouTube since around January (actually, I haven’t been posting at all), I’ve been recording stuff in hopes of finding time to edit. But today, I just didn’t want to ride with a backpack full of backup batteries, extra cameras, and all the gear that goes along with a typical motovlog.

It was really nice to get out for a change and not have to worry about lugging around a backpack, checking battery levels, swapping out batteries, and all the stuff that goes with it.

Everyone else—well, not everyone else, but Goofy, Scott, and Trekkie—all recorded the ride, so they should have variations of our trip on their respective YouTube channels. And for me, well, you get this written blog post. I hope it somehow does our ride justice and that you enjoy it.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch you in the next one.