Dawn's photos are the first section.   Click here to go to Mike's photos, (c)firemed MIKE.

(1, 2, 3) Sadie and Brice rode up from FL and stayed with us on Thursday night. We were joined by Denise and VTXRob Friday morning. While gassing up, we were shocked when a woman drove away from the pump with the gas hose still attached to her car! (4) Halfway through our journey to Virginia Beach, we stopped at Emporia for lunch at Cracker Barrel. (5) Crossing the bridge into Newport News - this former FL girl was so happy to see that expanse of WATER! :)
A few folks hit rain on the way in, but our group was spared a ride through thunderstorms...at least on Friday. ;) It was wonderful to finally put faces with screen names, and meet such a fine and fun group of folks.
Friday night, we gathered at Cheers for a hearty meal, followed by after-dinner gellato at the City Center.
Saturday, kickstands were up at 9 for a ride through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, as well as shoreline and country road riding. We enjoyed the view of multiple boats and even a submarine before we took the tunnel ride.	Left: The entrance to the tunnel Right: Hmmmm...someone wanted his butt to be famous...
Denise snapped a few shots for our trip album.	We rode pretty country shoreline roads, which was relaxing after the Interstate. I got lots of practice handling the T while doing U-turns on gravel and sand.
A bird in flight at one of our scenic stops at Webb's Island.	We made our way to Cape Charles for lunch and a walk on the beach. Check out the size of Brice's burger!! My T's battery was seriously weak, and the guys had to push start the bike numerous times, which was frustrating and embarrassing! Thanks for the help, guys!!!!
Left: Mitch walks on water in Cape Charles. Right: John and I were surprised to learn that Chesapeake Bay was formed from the impact of a meteor.	We left Cape Charles to head back to the hotel in Newport News. Coming up out of the tunnel, we felt a blustery wind, and then saw lightning and black clouds ahead...we quickly pulled over to the bridge's emergency stop to don rain gear. Never having ridden the Tourer in the rain, I was pretty nervous, but the T handled just fine on the bridges, Interstate and in town. It didn't rain too hard, and the group kept together nicely throughout the wet experience. We were lucky, because Brice's CB weather channel said there was hail in the area. Thanks SO much to our great guide and road captain, Mike, and to Pawp, our tailgunner, for keeping us together safely.
We finished off our Saturday with HUGE dinner and a bit of entertainment from our chefs at a Japanese hibachi restaurant. The sushi was great...love that wasabi! Here's a fun VIDEO of the chefs and our smiling group from firemed (click the play button in the lower left of the pic).	Sunday morning: group photos were taken of the "Rally Alumni" (third year attendees) and "Rally Rookies"  (first-timers to the ECR), and goodbyes were said. Part of the group then took a historical ride through Jamestown and Williamsburg, and others headed towards home. I experienced a number of firsts with my Tourer on this trip, and gained some valuable riding experience. One of the great things about the ECR was LEARNING so much from the experienced riders. THANK YOU for sharing your knowledge! Photo above: Denise and VTXRob following us home to Danville. John and I enjoyed ourselves immensely on the trip, and we hope to meet up and ride with many of these folks again in the future! I'll post more pics or links to pics as I gather them up...

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