Britbike forum Forums Events - meetings / rallies / rides Three state mountain ride forum 2023 25th anniversary

OK it is official. The date for the TSMR is Saturday may 20 2023. I would expect some to be here by Wednesday the 17th. the red coats can make there plans and we will have to do the same on this side of the pond. There are several air B&B options real close by for those that feel that roughing it is a motel without cable tv. Before you book one check in with me as i know for sure the scott cabins driveway is steep and motorcycle parking will be an issue

its not the red coats you have to worry about, it is Shaun's red long johns!

Kev lad, not my red union suit, it's Wade and his Red pants....A yarn worth telling over a beer, sat around a camp fire, whilst munching on a P'arn....

We are looking for pic from way back when

I redid the title. I did not realize that this one would make the 25th year this has been going on so NOW it is the 25th anniversary TSMR. maybe we can make a week long like the 10th year. I do have my work cutout to make a great time for all.

I swear I think that the first one was in 2000, not 1999. I bought my red Firebird Scrambler on 07/22/1999 (just verified the docs), and two weeks later rode it to Toronto OH for the OVBSAOC on the 32 year old Dunlop tires that were so dry rotted that when I changed them after I got back, my thumb went through the sidewall.

I didn't even have a Brit bike in May 1999, so there couldn't have been a TSMR that year .... Assuming that Gordon, Alan, and I met together to plan the first one in the fall of 99 or the spring of 2000, the first one couldn't have been earlier than May of 2000 ....

Lannis

Well the joys of old age CRS thats what i get for listening to gordon. Now i have to go back and rename it again.

"Assuming that Gordon, Alan, and I met together to plan the first one in the fall of 99 or the spring of 2000, the first one couldn't have been earlier than May of 2000 ...."


Sorry........I consider the lunch that was attended by THREE bb.com members the FIRST BTSMR /TSMR.......we ALL THREE rode to the event. As far as I know it was the first time members planned a get together. Everyone was invited. Three of us showed up and one of Lannis friends joined in.

When Windy asked me which year this one was I clearly stated it depends on whether you count that lunch.

I started the ride, with help. I COUNT the lunch as NUMBER ONE.

I still suck at math but I do think 2023 is number 25.

Ya'll count what you want to.

G

PS.....



Old 110 print. I was hoping it had a time tag but pretty much knew it didn't.......been down that road before. I could be wrong Lannis but those tires don't look new.

The route was different and the location of the gathering changed ........sound familiar? TO ME this was our first.......

Hey, I'm OK with that .... I was thinking Blowing Rock, back when you had your surveying office just off Main, and we met at Cheeseburgers in Paradise, an' all like that.

But if Macado's in Roanoke VA counts as a Three State Mountain Ride, I'll go along with it!

Lannis

I am good with calling it the 25th. If more than one BB.Comr got together than that was the start of a good thing. So lets go with this.

Sorry fellers......I'm feeling a bit beat up the past week. Seems like everything I touch goes to hell.....I need a win.

Lannis is 100% correct......if you don't count that lunch.

Over the years I went back and forth on whether to count the lunch or not. You'd have to go back to 1999 and read our thread about it but Im pretty sure we got together to discuss having a BritBike.com RIDE. At the time I was competing in AHRMA observed trials, running a T-shirt sale for the site and thinking about putting together a BritBike.com get together at Mid-Ohio. I had a lot on my plate.

We really didn't have a lot of members back then..(1999) .....600 or so and very few were active posting members....probably less than 100.

I had been thinking about having a ride centered out of Blowing Rock.......at the time of the lunch the route had us on top of Roan Mountain at one point but that changed before the actual first ride.

Trying to add up what Lannis has said the lunch was probably 1999 and the first actual ride was 2000. But over the years I began to include the lunch because of a couple of important things (at least to me). NUMBER ONE being it was (to my knowledge) the FIRST attempt by bb.com members to actually get together and I didn't want that to get lost. Number two is I was looking for help and Lannis and Alan both agreed to help.

When I say I hosted 15 rides.....I'm not including the lunch because Lannis actually hosted the lunch........that just adds to the confusion.

SO...........all that said the 25th IS an important milestone. IF you want to include the planning lunch then that makes the 2023 the 25th. If not then it's the 24th.

As far as I'm concerned......there are three of us (again) that have a vote. I vote for adding the planning lunch to the total but will go along with what Lannis and Windy have to say about it.

Yea, yea I know it's NOT a big deal.

On a side note.........some of you already know this but while we were at the lunch in VA......a waiter comes up to us with a phone and says a funny sounding guy is at the other end. Lannis probably remembers exactly what he said....I'm paraphrasing. It was MORGAN calling us all the way from Sweden!!!!!

Okay enough of that.........having Kev and Shaun over next year IS a big deal in my book. Whether we call it the 25th or not isn't. But at least we might finally put an end to the confusion I've caused over the years.

G

So lannis what is your vote???

And I'm good with whatever you two decide.

G

Oh, toss ME under the bus, eh? Set ME up as The Bad Guy no matter which way we decide?

Keep in mind that we only have this question because we have ten fingers and thus use a decimal numbering system. If we used octal, then it wouldn't be 25 years but 31. If we used hexadecimal, it would only be 19 years, so it wouldn't be an issue. But since we DO use a decimal numbering system .....

1. Three people rode Britbikes across the mountains, although only two states were involved, we hadn't graduated to 3 yet. But whether it's the Two State Mountain ride, or the Three State Mountain Ride, it's still the TSMR, so there's that.
2. We were there because of our involvement in Britbikes via the "BSA Pitstop".
3. Morgan was there via phone, although nobody carried phones back then as I remember, it was tied to the wall with a wire.
4. A curious friend showed up to add to the group.
5. Even at that meeting, I was still riding on the factory K70s from 1969 and taking my life in my hands, so no, those weren't new tires.

It wasn't in Blowing Rock, but then again it's not in Blowing Rock NOW, and we still count the gatherings, so the location doesn't really matter.

So by the power vested in foisted upon me by the two posts above, I vote that we had 5 people (including a remote Morgan) at the first TSMR in 1999, seven at the second one in 2000, all the way up to 2022 which was the 24th one, and that next year 2023 will be the Silver Anniversary of TSMRs, in token of which special guests will be welcomed from England to help celebrate. So let it be written; so let it be done ....

Lannis

Lannis, you just proved once again.........why we're blessed to have had you around all these years my friend.

THE BRITISH ARE COMING!!!!!!!!

I've met Shaun and look forward to seeing him again.......but I've NEVER met Kev even though I feel like I know him through his posts and photo's.

2023 should be a hoot!!!!

Thank you again for being you Lannis.........G

PS.....honestly I don't think anybody else actually cares what year it is but 25 is one heck of a milestone.......it's been a long road and it would have just died out if Windy hadn't stepped up and took over.

Well you would think that at one time or another that lannis worked in a gubment office. It takes a true wordsmith to answer a simple question with a book.

But we still love ya bro.

Mine isn't the longest post on this thread by a long chalk....

Lannis

Yea but it was well written. So it will be the 25th anniversary TSMR if for no other good reason in honer of the lads coming over from the land where these contraptions we enjoy riding originated.

I think (need to be careful about that). that I attended the first ride that was at the Blowing Rock Inn, and I am thinking 2000. I believe I rode a B44 VS. I attended the first 12 or 13 events riding a B44 SS, an A65 Lightning, and a B50 on different rides. I think in 2000 we had a torrential downpour in the last 20-30 minutes of the ride...I mean a real gully washer. I remember meeting Lannis, Gordon and Richard for the first time . I don't remember how many were on the ride but it wasn't that many bikes. I also remember having a hamburger at that restaurant just up the street.

My recollections from a fading memory.

Anyway, what a great annual event for BB enthusiasts, keep it going!

Mr Mike.

Mr mike

It would be nice if you could make a showing but I fully understand if you don’t take care and keep the rubber side down.

I need to decide if I'll have a pin made up for the 25th. I've always enjoyed handing them out. Bad thing is the min order is 100 and I end up with 50 or so left overs that I end up giving away later on....just not sure these days how much....later on I got.

Probably won't be around for the 50th so it's something else to think about.

Mr Mike.....it'd be nice to see you again. You sir were a BIG part of the beginning of the ride. Seeing you again at the beach this year has been the high point of the year for me.

Take care.......hopefully our paths will cross again soon.

Gordon

Comments?

Silver colored metal instead of the gold color used in the past.

I know we're only talking about a handful of folks that actually care.....but what the heck.

G

I know it is on a white background but Virginia just seems to disappear

Valid point but.......the white pops (IMO) on darker colors. I only know one fellow who has white leathers . Most everybody else has darker colored riding gear. So if not white......what?

BLUE and RED are going to fade into those same colors........I'm not sure where to stop?

That "logo" was used for at least 15 years like it is.








Gordon

I like it.