By Ken Bell, member Thou Shalt Ride
The JMA Meet & Greet scene which was briefly sidelined by Covid received a much needed shot in the arm this summer in the beautiful Finger Lakes of New York courtesy of Thou Shalt Ride (TSR) the JMA Chapter that covers mostly Upstate, Central and Western New York State.
Participation was strong with over 60 participants representing over 12 clubs from the US and Canada with some riding as far away as Florida and Saint Louis! New friends were made and old friends reacquainted as the group rode throughout the Finger Lakes region covering 7 of 11 lakes. Something new, an adventure ride, was included at this Meet & Greet for those who wanted to try some off road riding and we found a new subset of the JMA, the JMAA! That second ‘A’ stands for adventure. Hopefully we can expand on that component at future events! Hot summer weather and pop up showers did not slow us down. The weekend kicked off w a lakeside BBQ hosted by TSR. Friday offered a choice of either a beautiful ride through the Bristol Hills of the Finger Lakes or the adventure ride taking us from hilltop to hilltop. Both rides ended in Hammondsport, NY., which is the home of the Curtiss Museum. Some rode back to our base in Canandaigua while others took in the museum. Friday evening was a group dinner with more laughter, smiles and good times. Saturday began at the local Harley Davidson dealership which hosted us for breakfast. The Saturday ride, which was over 200 miles, brought us through wine country but there were numerous opportunities to peel off for sightseeing, gastronomic and viticultural delights. An abbreviated ride was also an option. Several intrepid riders pushed through the entire ride and were rewarded with a spectacular handlebar view of the region. Mostly everyone concluded the day at Temple Beth El, the only Jewish institution county wide. Temple Beth El is a small Synagogue, really a Shul, serving the Finger Lakes region and is also a location of one of 1,564 Torah Scrolls that are from the Bohemia and Moravia region of Czechoslovakia that were rescued from the Holocaust. The scroll is on permanent loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust. Here is a link telling the fascinating story of the scrolls. We were welcomed, enjoyed a brief Havdalah service, had dinner w some of the Temple membership and brought out the sacred scroll giving everyone an opportunity to hold, see and read from this Torah. I’m very proud to report that the Meet & Greet participants donated over $1,400.00 to Temple Beth El! We concluded the Meet & Greet Sunday morning w bagels and lox, of course, and everyone was on their way home. New York has many regions with great riding. The Finger Lakes, 1000 Islands, the Catskills, the Adirondacks, the Western NY/PA border and the US side of the Niagara Frontier, all areas Thou Shalt Ride covers. Maybe we will see you at a future Meet and Greet in one of these beautiful locations.
Selected photos are shown below. The entire photo album here
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