On Saturday, August 1st, the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Christian Sport Bike Association will be having it's August Monthly Ride - The "Shamokin Screamer". We will be meeting at the Starlite Diner in Fogelsville for breakfast around 8am and the ride plans to leave around 9:15am, so please be ready. Late comers might get left, so don't be late!

Another one of our very popular rides, the “Shamokin Screamer" will start with kickstands up @ 9:15am which encompasses the very challenging and technical section of the famous RT 125 path that most have either heard about or are familiar with. The crew will be enjoying a hearty lunch at May's Family Restaurant in Berwick. This ride concludes at a Hess on RT 125 near “Sweet Arrow Lane” in Pinegrove, PA.for those wanting to know the end point. Come out and enjoy the roads with us. Remember all our riders are required to wear their protective gear and select their riding group (see below for details).

All bikes and beliefs are welcome, please let us know if you or any friends are coming (send them invites). Please ensure that you and any friends both read and comply with our ride policy, www.pacsba.com/csba-ride-policy. Also please come to the diner with a FULL TANK OF GAS. We will not be making additional stops during the rides - just the scheduled stops approximately every 80-100 miles. There are two gas stations on either side of route 100 near the diner, so please fuel up before the ride. Thanks!

Lastly, please if you decide to join us for the day, we ask that you select a pace and group in which you desire to ride (below on pinned post) to start the day out with - you can always change your group later - it's just to help us assign you a rider leader and group to get the day started off right. Thanks again!

We hope you can make it… Let’s Ride!

Event picture was taken and provided by courtesy of “Kenneth Neely Photography”

The Facebook event is viewable here: www.facebook.com/events/1579464955627579/

CSBA Ride Report – Shamokin Screamer August 1st , 2015



It’s always a blessing to serve and be appreciated. We give thanks to God for his wisdom and harvest….

So, where do I start? We had very full ranks (36 in attendance) on this fine day, and of course, people came ready to ride. We had full family teams, Father/Son teams, and Mother/daughter teams. Some cruisers, some stretch bikes and of course some experienced fast riders, some slower paced rides, with everyone in the middle. We even had a family come down just to break bread and hangout! The main thing is everyone came to enjoy the roads with us – all bikes; all beliefs – that’s the rock the CSBA stands on, so I was thrilled to provide the backdrop for a thrilling day of what would soon to be a ride for the record books.

On my way in I ran up on a Busa traveling west on Rt22 that looked familiar to me. Turns out it was a bike our very own Ron W. recently sold to one of our newest CSBA members (John K.) so I got to roll in with him to the Starlight for our 8am meet-up. How very cool to meet him for the first time like that. We arrived just shy of 8:00a, and there was already a few waiting, eager to get the day started. I did hear from Sydney S. that he was having cooling issues and was turning back. Nick B. was present and accounted for, traveling all the way in from Long Island. Hector was present, displaying this new 14R! As more and more people started to trickle in, I made sure I gave out raffle ticket assignments I had with me. (For those that didn’t make it, please see me as I had your book of tickets with me, and still have them) I’m happy to report I sold an additional 16 tickets to folks in attendance, so thanks to all that are supporting our offering.

With so many folks coming out for the day, I was blessed to have our strong leaders present. If you remember from our last ride report, Rick J. was nursing an injury from a skiing accident and was ready and able to lead this ride with Larry S. as his wing man; Chris R. was in the ranks and was paired up with Chris A. for group 3; we gave Andy a break this time and promoted our newest member (accepting and joining our CSBA ranks as a card carrying member on Saturday) Kairi P. the reins to lead the chase group with Russ (aka Rusty Bucket) covering his flank line. I had the F1 group, but didn’t have an experienced sweep rider, which would quickly come in to bite me (more on that later in the report). Big kudos for Nick B. for his patience in everything for the day – I’m so sorry the lines got messed up Nick. ☹



In usual fashion, I gave the “Rules of the Road and Ride” overview and then we huddled up for our worship prayer for safety. We then took our places, lining up according to groups. Now – I’m going to say here – the purpose of the groups is two fold: 1: to serve as a starting point for the ride, and 2: to keep the ranks tight so folks don’t get lost. When we have riders overstating their abilities, it makes it hard on everyone else riding near them. On our first turn out the gate (a right hand sweeper onto the HWY) I later found out riders near the front brake checked the line and nearly caused a crash. Not good – then they wouldn’t let anyone pass? I went over the passing rules – you can’t hold up a line. The lead pace was warm (not even hot) and we walked away from them and they weren’t even visible once into the twisties. Very soon, we completely lost them, and since I didn’t officially have a sweep rider – I assumed they dropped to the next group. That was totally my fault, but I’m accustomed to riders in the F1 group to be experienced at pace riders. We waited (I was off the bike) till the next group came and when I didn’t see them; I was hoping group 3 picked them up. Needless to say I later found out that they did in fact get lost in those early back roads. We continued to push up to mountain and my group arrived safely to the gas stop just before lunch, only to have an encounter the law enforcement as they were surely out in numbers this day. There was no pursuit; the state trooper followed us into the gas station and even got gas at the pump – but on close inspection noticed the lack of a license plate for one of our lead riders. That prompted a full VIN search (stolen bike validation) and about a 20 minute detainment. Once everything for the rider was cleared, he was given a ticket and we exited the gas stop in the opposite direction of the trooper. While at the gas stop, we heard from the 2 other lost riders. We provided them the location for the lunch spot (which was 10 minutes away) – but later learned they had their own run-in with state police on the hwy. It is unclear of the details of that outcome. All I know is once to the lunch spot, their partners left to meet up with them, charting a course to intersect with them heading south.

Our chase group didn’t arrive without incident either. A detour for an ousted bridge took our chase group for a few loops. In keeping with manning the rear line, Russ got stopped by local law enforcement for moving through a local community too hot with that chase group. I guess they were trying to make up time - Luckily the officer was also a rider and just gave Russ a warning. They made it a little late to lunch but did arrive. The final incident we had was a downed rider on a nasty high-side. One of the “Tips and Hints” of the day were loose sand and gravel, and sure enough we all had our share of dealing with it – unfortunately this one hit a patch just right to take him out. His riding group, acting quickly getting him situated and as I understand, no incident with law enforcement happened during that event. He was able to limp home with minor damage to himself and his bike. We never want to hear of our friends falling, but big thanks to all that helped and made sure the event was limited in scope.

We enjoyed a great lunch at Mays Family Restaurant in Berwick. The owners were so impressed with us that they later came out to address me just before my worship message to thank us again for coming and to learn more about our organization. I gave them contact information and shared I would reach out to them to talk of ways they can help support us. ☺

We received the word (see below) and then mounted up for part 2. Most really looked forward to this as the afternoon route took us to the famed RT125; a roller-coaster of quick banked turns, long sweepers, elevation changes and full on twisties. If you were sleeping and lazy because of the great lunch up to this point of the ride, you surely woke up for this segment. I had heard from one of our friends (Luis V) earlier in the day that he was going to try to catch up with us for the second part of our ride – and sure enough, he was waiting just prior to RT125 start – so we got to ride with him for the remainder of the ride. He tucked up with my group in F1 and finished the ride with us.

In summary, it was a great day of riding. The weather was ideal, we had adventures to overcome, but all in all as we normally do - we tried to give everyone a fun and great experience. Group 2 took a slightly different route after an afternoon detour (we had two to deal with), so we didn’t finish the ride with them, but everyone was safe and accounted for, which is always a blessing. We exchanged information for new friends and talked about our next adventure. We said our goodbyes – paired up and headed home.

On our way home, the ride stayed tight for our group until we hit the open road, and then the big bikes saddled up and put on some horsepower. Things heated up real fast with Luis in the ranks – so much so that we actually caught and rolled up on Group 2 cruising back. We dropped a gear and hung with them a while until the itch came again – and then, well you can just about figure the ending from there….

I wanted to take this moment to thank everyone for your participation, involvement and giving attitudes on our rides. These rides are designed for you, our riders, to enjoy the roads with us. We’re promoting a fellowship and an environment in which we want you to come and enjoy your love with others that share your passion of riding. Is it a lot of work to keep it organized and fun? YES– you bet it is! But it’s so worth it for me to see you enjoy the roads with us as much as I enjoy your company.

We look forward to enjoying your company at our next track day event, tentatively scheduled for the end of this month. Visit our CSBA Day @ the Races Event page (www.facebook.com/CSBA.Day.at.the.Races) for additional information or our next street event “Bux-Mont Rattlesnake” Ride/Run. [ www.facebook.com/events/315981821929080/] . This is one you surely won’t want to miss, then again – do you really want to miss any of them? For more great pictures of this event, visit the face book event page for our “Shamokin Screamer” Ride here: [ www.facebook.com/events/1579464955627579/] or visit us on our website at www.pacsba.org. For additional information concerning the “Day at the Races” raffle, reach out to John LaSure or check the CSBA member’s forum on Facebook for additional information.

It was great to have everyone with us. For those that missed this one, we look forward to seeing you in the ranks for September. Blessings to you all!


Scripture for Shamokin Screamer - August 1th, 2015

HOPE FOR THE TOMORROWS

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things become new…”
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

As we enter into this hot August weekend, rejoicing for a new month and time with family and friends, we can’t help but wonder of the state of others concerning such controversial issues as the confederate flag topic, the issues in Greece, or other world ripping events. The good news is the Bible tells us there can be hope for the future.

First, there is hope of a changed person. No matter how hard we try, we are incapable of ridding ourselves of the selfishness and greed that cause conflict and strife and war. Our only hope is a changed heart – and Jesus is in the business of changing hearts.

Second, there is hope of a changed world. When we know Christ, He gives us, by His Spirit a new love and concern for others. We can no longer be indifferent to their sufferings, and we’ll want to do something about them. Changed by Christ, we can begin to change our world.

Third, there is hope of an unchanging eternity in Heaven. This world is not all there is. Someday all it’s pain and heartache will come to an end for those who know Christ (1Revelations 21:4). Evil and death will be abolished, and we will be safely in God’s presence forever.

As you read the headlines of all the negative forces or look at your own life, you may be wondering if there is any hope. Rest assured friends, the answer from the Bible is a resounding YES!! If you don’t know the Lord and want to learn more about him, please don’t hesitate to talk with me, or your friends here – as we are a light on the hill, as Christ was a fisherman of men and women, so are we.

Image gallery from the ride
redlineimages.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Ch...15-Shamokin-Screamer