Motorcycles

Friday, 15 May 2020

Triple Nickel Ride 2019 (May 24 - 27, 2019)

For the fifth-year members of the Great Lakes Road Riders traveled to Eastern Ohio and West Virginia for what is called the Triple Nickel (555) Ride. The trip is based in Marietta Ohio on the border with West Virginia. This year we were joined by members of the Spartan Indian riders' group.

The ride started Friday in Saginaw Michigan and traveled to Canton Michigan where I met several members at a Tim Horton's.  From there the group traveled south into Ohio and then southeast to the Pirates Cove restaurant in Mt Vernon, Ohio for lunch before continuing to Marietta. From the restaurant we traveled portions of the famed 555 and 676 into Marietta.

Our Saturday ride was to the old West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville for a tour of the old facility. The penitentiary is a gothic-style prison now withdrawn and retired from prison use, it operated from 1876 to 1995. Currently, the site is maintained as a tourist attraction and training facility. We started from our hotel on Ohio route 26 and weaved our way to West Virginia. Our lunch stop was at Clair Tavern and Grill on Hwy 7 in Clairington Ohio for burgers and fries. With the threat of rain looming, we waited out one storm before heading back to the hotel with only wet roads and a few rain drops.

Sunday's weather called for rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon, so we took a 120 loop ride in the morning from the hotel to Athens Ohio through portions of the Ohio 676 and 555 and returned to Marietta on Hwy 7. Lunch was at the Boathouse BBQ joint for a pulled pork, chicken and salad buffet. The ride was warm and dry with the rain holding off to later evening.

Monday's route home to Michigan started at 7 am starting north on I-77 before turning west on I-70 toward Columbus. I traveled around Columbus on I-270 and continued to US23 into Findlay before turning back north on I-75 into Michigan. The ride temps started out in the 60's and warmed to sunshine and 75 by early afternoon only to fall back to the low 60's and clouds by the time I arrived home.

The 555, 676, 26 and other eastern Ohio roads offer many great sweepers, hairpins and elevation changes to challenge any rider.

Overall a Great ride, Great time, and Great company.

	Our base for the weekend
	Bikes parked outside the hotel
	Another look
	more in the parking lot
	more bikes
	Our stop on highway 26
	One of the covered bridges along the route
555-2019/MVI_5660.MOV	Bikes lined up at the bridge
	My '04 Goldwing in the row
	View from the bridge
	Rick's done in the air
	26 South
	Another look of the Wing
	Outside our Saturday ride stop
	The old West Virginia Penitentiary
	Old Sparky electric chair
	List of the inmates executed by Old Sparky
	People waiting for the tour
	Some of the drawings in the prison
	A unicorn drawing
	Outside in the yard
	Guard stand overlooking the yard
	Dining area in the "max" part of the prison
	Your cell and facilities
	Visitors listening to our guide
	Rotating gate at the main entrance of the prison
	Guard tower
	Another guard tower in the yard
	Shower area
	Two bunk cell
	Outside the prison
	Our lunch stop on our way back to the hotel from the prison.
	Rest stop on our Sunday ride
	Bob and one of the new guys catching up on the news
	Cary checking out the bling on a bike
	Getting ready to continue our ride
	One the way back to the hotel my bike rolled over to 6 digits
	The 100,000 mile mark.

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