The forecast called for rain in the afternoon, so 7 riders met at 9:30 to ride the scenic route to Moyer's Vineyard, Winery and Restaurant on April 30th. Robi Baishnab, Bob Blackwell, Bryan Dunlap, David Marietta, Tom Rannebarger, Larry Watts and I rode dry roads under cloudy skies to Bainbridge and took a break. There we ogled Larry's Moto Guzzi project bike "Francesca" and checked the weather radar. We were soon to get damp. Larry turned for home (man, that Guzzi sounds good!) and we headed for the twisty bit of tarmac that is Ohio route 763. We got light rain and wet roads before the truly curvy stuff and took it easy.
We arrived at Moyers around 1 pm. There we were invited by the new owner of Moyers to park our bikes under the cover of the rear deck dining room. We introduced ourselves and told the story of the annual Moyers ride. Then we we given a quick tour of the wine making area under the restaurant. The new owner was a really nice guy who even sent a bottle of wine to our table. We declined, as we were riding, but of course we bought several bottles to take home.
In the dining room we found Howard Baumwell, Curt Chevlen and Pat Mogavero. They had arrived earlier and already finished their lunch, but they stayed and visited with the late-comers for a awhile.
On the way home we got an hour-and-a-half of rain that was just hard enough to make vision difficult. After another break in Chillicothe we split up and found drying roads all the way home.
I can honestly report that we were a happy group. Each of us had signed on knowing the rain would come, and while our boots were soggy or spirits were good. It was a fun day regardless.
