One of my favorite things about the WaltInPA Discord Server is that we meet for Motorcycle Group Rides several times throughout the riding season. Sometimes these rides are short spur-of-the-moment trips, and other times they are organized Group Rides with a lot of time and effort invested into planning and organizing.
I look back fondly at the rides we have done together – the first of which we called the Road Apple Ride
. We met at the Valley Forge National Park and rode to Shady Maple Smorgasbord for Lunch. The ride was a collaboration between Goofy Bastard and WaltInPA.
I’m pleased to say that I met up with Goofy Bastard recently (for one of those spur-of-the-moment rides), and we decided to put on another organized Motorcycle Group Ride. We’ll be paying homage to the Road Apple Ride with the same Starting Point, and we’ll also be headed in the same general direction.
If you would like to join us on our joint WaltInPA & Goofy Bastard Motorcycle Group Ride, I would encourage you to join the free WaltInPA Discord Server. This will give you the opportunity to get to know the people you’ll be riding with and help build camaraderie.
I would also like to stress that this Motorcycle Group Ride is intended to be laid back and comfortable for all involved. If you like to ride aggressively, this probably isn’t the ride for you.
Ride Details
| Ride Date: | Private – See Group Ride Channel in WaltInPA Discord |
| Meet Time: | 9:30 AM |
| Rider Meeting: | 9:45 AM |
| Kickstands Up: | 10:00 AM |
| Start Point: | Valley Forge Park – Visitor Center Parking Lot |
| First Stop: | Rapps Dam Covered Bridge |
| Second Stop | Daniel Boone High School |
| Final Stop: | Liberty Union Bar and Grill |
| Total Travel Disatance | Approximately 95 Miles |
Table of Contents
Start Location
The Meeting Point for our Group Ride will be the Valley Forge National Park. There is a large parking lot near the Valley Forge Park Visitors Center (near the Bike Rental Stand). We will try to find a space large enough to organize our group near where the Red Arrow is pointing. If the park is busy, we may need to meet up farther east in the gravel-paved section of the parking lot.
In the past, we have not been able to access the parking lot via County Line Road and had to enter at the intersection of PA Route 23 and Valley Forge Road. The park is a popular location, so be prepared for pedestrian traffic around the park.
Knox Covered Bridge
To begin our Group Motorcycle Ride, we will exit the Valley Forge Visitor Center Parking and travel through the Park to the Knox Covered Bridge. This is a single-lane bridge off PA Route 245 in Chester County, PA. The Covered Bridge is picturesque, but there is no safe place to park, so we will not be stopping.
Rapps Covered Bridge
After riding through the Knox Covered Bridge, we will make our way to Rapps Covered Bridge. This Bridge is located next to the French Creek Heritage Park and has ample parking. We will be making a short stop here to take photos and chat for a few minutes before resuming our ride.
Kennedy Covered Bridge
After leaving the Rapps Covered Bridge, we will make our way over to the Kennedy Covered Bridge via back roads. This Covered Bride is located next to a Charter School, which has parking available if anyone would like to make a quick stop for photos. The distance between Rapps, Kennedy, and Sheeder Hall is quite short, so no stops are planned, but we can certainly accommodate anyone that would like to stop for a quick photo.
Sheeder Hall Covered Bridge
After riding through the Kennedy Covered Bridge, we will continue through back roads and make our way to the Sheeder Hall Covered Bridge. There is ample parking beside the bridge; however, it is a popular fishing spot and will likely be busy. A photo stop is possible, but we may not be able to get close enough to the bridge to make it worthwhile. A stop is not planned, but we can accommodate anyone that would like to get a photo.
PA Route 724
After leaving the Sheeder Hall Covered Bridge, we will make our way to PA Route 724 in Spring City, PA. We will travel west toward Birdsboro. This will be the longest straight leg of the ride and will take us along the Schuylkill River. From here, we will turn left onto PA Route 345.
PA Route 345
About a mile into our ride on PA Route 345, we will come to the Daniel Boone High School. This will be one of our stops and makes for an excellent place to take photos overlooking the landscape. We will plan on being here for about twenty minutes to stretch our legs and chat.
PA Route 345 is a scenic ride through French Creek State Park. The road is tree-lined and shaded through most of the ride and includes a number of sweeping bends and curves. It is an excellent Pennsylvania Motorcycle Road, and we’ll likely see a number of other motorcycles on the road.
PA Route 82
We will be traveling South on PA Route 82 in order to loop back north on Creek Road. This is a beautiful road that follows a creek and provides plenty of curves.
PA Route 401
We will be traveling on PA Route 401 from the Morgantown Area toward Phoenixville. This is a pleasant road with gentle bends and plenty of scenery. We expect traffic to be light with some congestion south of Pottstown and as we get close to Malvern.
PA Route 29
PA Route 29 is a pleasant tree-lined road with shade, but the road condition is rough in spots. Keep an eye out for potholes and rough patches. Fortunately, our direction of travel is in much better condition than the opposing lane.
Phoenixville
Our ride will conclude in Kimberton with a stop for lunch at Liberty Union Bar and Grill. We anticipate arriving around 1:00 PM. A Menu can be viewed on the Liberty Union Website.
After lunch, we’ll break off, and the Motorcycle Group Ride will be concluded.
Fuel Stops
With this Group Ride being less than 100 Miles, we have not planned for a dedicated Fuel Stop. There are several fuel stations in the area of Valley Forge Park, it is recommended that you stop and top off your tank before arriving.
If, for some reason, you are unable to fill up before arrival, please let us know during the Riders Meeting. We will be passing a Wawa when turning onto PA Route 724. If we needed to make an unscheduled Fuel Stop, this would be the ideal location as it does not take us out of our way.
Communication
Several group members use Sena In-Helmet Communicators (Mesh Network) to communicate while we ride. We find this tremendously helpful to keep the group together, and it is also a lot of fun to chat while we ride! You are welcome to join the Mesh Network.
If you have an older Bluetooth Communicator (or use another brand), we may be able to accommodate you using Discord Voice Chat over a Smartphone Data Connection. This solution isn’t ideal, but we’ve used it with varying levels of success in the past.
Video and Audio Recording
Several Group Members partake in Motovlogging and create Motorcycle Content for YouTube. If you are uncomfortable being included in the video, please speak up so we can accommodate you. Additionally, our Voice Communications may also be recorded for use in Video.
MSF Group Ride Info
Thanks for Joining Us!
I want to thank everyone that came out to join us for our Group Ride. I had a great time and look forward to seeing everyone again later this riding season!
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