The Finger Lakes BMW Rally was a wet one.

Friday

Scott, Alecia and I left the Philadelphia area around 10 a.m with the goal of staying ahead of Earnesto.  Lunch was eaten in Blooms burg at a great local burger place.  I'd recommend it, but I can't remember the name.  If I can find out, I'll put it here.  We arrived in Watkins Glen around 5 p.m.  To avoid several small towns on NY 14N heading in to town, we took a long cut to 414.  The view of Seneca Lake from 414 is amazing.  Both of my visits to Watkins Glen left me with a memorable fondness of the view.  I'm not really the camera type, so I've got no pictures.  Perhaps I'll change that someday.

The rain didn't begin until near midnight.  When it did, it would not stop for almost 24 hours.

Saturday 

The camp ground was a veritable swamp.   Saturday was mostly spent hanging out in the dining hall of the camp ground.  While technically we were not stranded, nobody wanted to go anywhere.  There were few modern conveniences, and my cell phone broke (grumble).  I recall looking around and wondering if there was some semblance of a shared experience with refugees in various areas of the world.  Living in tents, no where to go, and nothing to do but wait.  We had none of the usual distractions which normally occupy our minds.  No television, no Internet, no cell phones (at least not in my group). 

All told we had a good time, wich a few stretches of frustration wishing the rain would stop.  I think both Scott and I were peripherally worried that our tents were taking on water.  We were more fortunate than many.  We camped on rather high ground upon which no water accumulated.  For a day filled with practically nothing, I was exhausted.  Being warm and snug in my tent I slept well and was happy.  

Sunday

We woke to skies with empty promise. Brief leaks of sunlight were quickly sealed up by dense clouds.  We would not see much blue sky or sun until Monday though we would not see much rain either.  Thankful for even relatively dry roads and fields in the camp ground, we commenced with day rides and regular rally activities.  Mid day I was back at the camp ground.  The sky was misting.  Frustrated I packed up and rolled out.   About 100 miles into the trip I ran into Morgan, Leah, and Mike.  They convinced me to return to the rally with them.  We did so, pitched camp and went over to Ithica to eat at the famous Moosewood Lodge.  Delectable.    We picked up beers on the way back into town and sat up drinking, laughing, and talking until around 2.  Well worth the return trip.

Monday

I woke around eight a.m. and rolled out.  Skies patched in blue and gray with occasional sunshine.  The closer I got to Philadelphia the less dense the clouds cover.  The ride started almost too cool yet concluded almost too warm.  A beautiful ride.  US220 in pa is a great traveling road, as is 42.  I was home by early afternoon.  Another successful rally, I hope to have many more.

The Beefs 

I've only got one major beef about this rally.  Before I get it out there I'd first like to say that the folks that put this rally together do a great job.  It's a wonderful event on a terrific campground attended by lots of people.  A stellar event.  This beef is less about the rally then some of the folks attending it.  Like I mentioned earlier there was substantial rain fall.  The best shelter from the rain was the dining hall. Folks spent a lot of time in the dining hall as a result.  One of the rally volunteers requested that we be courteous and vacate the hall so that dinner could be served.  Some folks did, many did not.  The dining hall is not big, maybe 150 - 200 people can sit in there at a time.  There were over 600 attendees.  I'd say there were near 200 pretty rood folks that would not rotate out of the dining hall to make room for others to eat.  Shame on you.  This is the kind of treatment you expect outside of the community, not at a MOA rally. I hope some of you are forced to eat outside in the rain when others sit comfortably after finishing eating monopolizing needed table space.