0
So my girlfriend took the BRC at the beginning of June, had a blast (and did plenty well on the skills eval), and bought an '02 F650GS on Friday. She rode it from Bethel back to Killington Friday night, we did about 145 miles on Saturday, and she the rode it home to Moretown on Sunday, despite some classic Vermont weather around Granville (she did pull over and wait for the Biblical deluge to clear before going through Granville Gulf, but I don't blame her at all...I would've been rather tempted, too, as I was following in her car so she could get that home, as well). I think she went for a shorter ride Monday, took the bike up to Frank's on Tuesday (it needed a new front tire, probably due to the PO's storage and tire inflation habits).
So what do you do with five days of riding experience in Vermont? Mountain gaps, of course. We met yesterday, a bit south of Waitsfield, and headed to Brandon Gap first. I figured it was the least-technical of the gaps and would be a good way for her to ride some corners without the risks involved in App Gap. Well, it seemed like a great idea until the sky opened up and it goddamn poured rain to the point of water running down the road, virtually no visibility, etc. The sky looked brighter ahead, so we kept riding on the "well, it will stop soon" theory. We found a patch of blue sky over Rt 53, but that quickly turned to rain (although the sun was still shining, too). Finally, after a fuel stop in Brandon, we managed to get out to 73 E and find some non-rainy areas. After a bit of riding up Rt. 30, we considered options for getting back to the MRV; she didn't want to ride any of the gaps in the weather we had just experienced, and I can't say that I blame her. The sky over Middlebury Gap was not appetizing, so we continued north, taking the back way through Middlebury to 116.
After getting sprinkled on in contemplating Lincoln Gap, we turned around, headed up to 17, and stopped at the 116/17 intersection. The radar seemed to have a hole over 17, so I followed her through App Gap. Although it wasn't my usual pace, she did a great job with good cornering lines, slowing before tip-in, etc. The way down the MRV side was a bit more challenging, but heck, that's only her sixth day on the road.
I am psyched. Now she just needs to find some luggage for her bike and we'll be good to go exploring.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by 5TOEZ
