Many people don't realize that Pennsylvania has its own little Grand Canyon. It's tucked away in Tioga County and approximately 47 miles long with a maximum depth of 1,450 feet and a maximum width of 4,000 feet.

The trip began with breakfast (What is it about motorcyclists and food?) at a dinner in Budd Lake, NJ. We knew when we left that there was a major storm heading our way. The experts weren't sure if it would arrive Sunday afternoon or Monday when we left. We all knew if the storm sped up we'd be swimming home, but what the heck. Life is an adventure. Besides, Barbara said that she hadn't been on a good rain ride in quite a while.

Laura led us along back roads with nice relaxing scenery. Even when we finally got on the interstate near the Pennsylvania border, the scenery was pretty. We stopped for lunch at a quaint, little BBQ restaurant where Laura had eaten before.

The roadside cafe featured outside dining, simply scrumptious food and a relaxing atmosphere. Good friends, good food, beautiful riding weather, great scenery. Can it get any better than this?

In the late afternoon, about 100 miles from the canyon we stopped at an overlook at a place called warriors path to stretch our legs and take in the beautiful view in this part of Pennsylvania. This was Indian land before the Europeans came here and this particular area was part of a well known trail.

The sign on the left tells the story of this area. What a fantastic view from the lookout point where we stopped. This certainly would be a beautiful place to live. Have you ever noticed how manicured the fields look in some parts of the country. It looks like a landscaper spent days looking for just the right look. Do you think the owners ever come up here to look at their property?

Later on, we stopped at the Local Harley Davidson dealership near Wellsboro because Laura needed a bulb for her tail light. Several members bought stuff and we had a nice visit with some of the local riders.

It was threatening to rain when we left the shop and headed on to our motel. We wanted to settle in before we went to the see the grand canyon.

The motel had a block of dorm style rooms on the second floor of a building in the back. We dropped our things then headed out for the grand canyon. After we turned off the main road we were on a twisty narrow tree covered roadway. I'm always fascinated by the light patterns made by the sun sneaking between the tree leaves. The different patterns have an almost hypnotic but very relaxing effect on me. When we reached the lookout point we parked our trusty steeds.

A canyon is a canyon. They all kind of look alike. Still, when I stand looking at one of the marvels of creation, I'm always filled with wonder at the all the remarkable variation in nature. It makes me feel small and I gain a better perspective of my true place in the universe.

The motley crew---I mean the other members of the club are pictured below just being themselves while we were playing at the canyon rim.

The ride back down the mountain was fun, although a little scary at times when you'd suddenly come up on a right degree turn at 40 miles an hour. After we reached the bottom, we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. What can I say, we "Eat to Ride and Ride to Eat".

Since we didn't have reservations, we had to hang out in the bar until a table was available for seven. This was a great little restaurant, with good food and a relaxing atmosphere. After dinner we headed back to the motel.

The dorm rooms were cool. It was fun being able to just walk across the hall to spend time with friends. We all congregated in Laura and Alex's room to watch the local weather on cable TV.

The weather would be the determining factor in what time we headed for home in the morning. Rain -- we'd leave right after breakfast. If it was clear we might do some more sightseeing. The forecast was rain, rain and more rain. The forecast for the Jersey Shore (where some of us live) was a Nor'easter with torrential rains and monsoon like conditions. So we decided to leave for home right after breakfast.

It was a great trip and a lot of fun. But the ride home was going to test our endurance. Barbara had to say she hadn't had a good rain ride in a long time. The ride home was a story all in itself. The photos on either side are the weather as we left for home. So, please read Journal of the Rain Riders for the rest of the story.