FJRiders.com

The first weekend in August is upon us and it's going to be a busy one. Dianne and I have tickets for a concert in Pittsburgh on Saturday and after talking with some friends of ours who have a house in Johnstown, PA they offer to ride out to Johnstown with us on Friday afternoon and we can stay there, then they will ride part way to Pittsburgh with us Saturday morning. Dianne and I each schedule to leave work early Friday and we meet them for the ride west. It's pretty warm out and I've hit most of the murals we would pass on the way already. Straight to their place to drop off our gear and I go back into Johnstown itself where I already have mural locations in my GPS.




This next one is really something to see as it takes up the entire wall of the building. Spider-man has ties to Johnstown, PA.



Working my way back to the house I come across this. The entire jersey barrier is one long, continuous mural for over half a mile.





A ghost mural for a long dead company.



Some quick showers at their house in Johnstown followed by dinner and some beverages then we call it a night. We've got a shorter ride tomorrow but a lot of murals to visit in Pittsburgh.

Saturday morning we're up fairly early and Dianne and I offer to treat our fiends to breakfast so we can get an early start and not worry about cooking and clean up. We hit an Eat N Park near their place and stop to fuel up before heading west. Directly across the street from the gas station I spot a Mexican restaurant and this.



Seeing as I have a list of locations in my GPS I take the lead as we head to the small town of Lilly, PA to see a memorial from when the people of the town kicked out the KKK. I swore I had a picture but it must only be on my phone. This has been a bonus stop on some long distance rallies.

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/23115

Moving on to the town of Blairsville, PA.






It was starting to get warmer now and our friends had some other items they wanted to take care of back at the house. After saying our goodbyes and thanking them again for the hospitality Dianne and I are once more on our own. We continue on and Dianne spots this on a side access road paralleling the main road.



We roll into the outskirts of Pittsburgh and now the real fun begins. There are a lot of murals in Pittsburgh and this city spread out over a pretty large area.





Right around here we have an interesting encounter that I wish I'd gotten a picture of. In the above group of pictures, we left the location of the middle pic and made a right turn into an alley behind that business. We found the third mural on a garage a block away in that alley. The next mural we're heading for we were to make a left turn at the next intersection, but that is a one way street and we could only turn right, so we proceed one more block to the next street, a one way to the left. We are NOT in a nice section of town at this point. We in da hood. As we prepare to turn left I look straight across the road into the next block of the alley and see a whitetail buck standing in the alley. There has not been an area in the last several miles that would have been a good habitat for such an animal and this thing has got to be lost. We stare at it for a minute realizing it's unlikely it will get home alive from it's current location. There's nothing we can do and we must move on.







We're heading into the Strip District of Pittsburgh. Lots of traffic both vehicular and foot variety. We're also in a mural rich environment and must consider the 100 yard rule so we pick some murals and ignore others. There are some tough choices around here as almost all of them are worth seeing.








We head to our hotel for showers and hopefully a bite to eat before our show.

We know we're going to have a decent ride ahead of us to get home and that it's going to be hot later in the day so we leave out fairly early to beat the heat. This mural is on the wall of a building right next to our hotel so I snag this before Dianne even gets on the bike.



Then we head back into the city itself.














While we're at a mural we end up chatting with a lady taking her dog for a walk and she tells us about a mural I had not known about. It is on the wall of a property owned by Pittsburgh native Tom Savini, an actor, special effects and make up star and gives us some quick directions so we don't miss it. Apparently he painted this himself or so we were told.



Moving on.




Out of Pittsburgh in the nearby town of Etna and the former recording studio of Mac Miller.



We've now been gone for a couple of hours and barely gotten any closer to home so it's time and we need to cover some miles now. We stop off in Latrobe, PA for the last Lincoln Highway mural we'd missed on earlier rides. This is actually on the back side of the building in the parking lot, not visible from the road. We'd actually stopped here on the way to SEO but didn't know we had to circle the building to get to it.



No more murals on the way home but we've added 91 more to my score in less than 3 days, saw a great concert, and spent quality time with some friends.

The next weekend I pick up a few straggler murals I've either just learned about or stumble across. I soon need new tires so stick a bit closer to home as I still have some big rides coming up and want to get my money's worth out of this pair first.




The next Saturday is spent doing this.







I scuff in the new tires commuting through the week and plan my next mural hunting trip.

Bike back in peak operating condition it's time to start the destruction of another set of tires. I've been in Reading, PA twice so far but have still not hit all of it. I'm leaving early in the morning to hit more of it and then venture further into Philadelphia. Reading first.








Between Reading and Philadelphia.






A really cool mosaic tile mural. Imagine how many hours this must take.



Getting closer to Philly.





In Philadelphia but really the outskirts. This mural is Kobe Bryant's daughter who was killed with him in that helicopter crash. Kobe has his own mural on the other end of the basketball court. There were actually people playing and this was the closest I could get. This area of town was also pretty sketchy and I tried not wasting too much time while I was there.






Must be on the west side of Philadelphia... Fresh Prince will Smith.



60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley.



It's hard to see in that last pic but a few feet behind my back tire I see as I walk back to my bike a metal spoon with scorch marks on it. This is why I was not looking forward to Philadelphia. Too many areas where I just don't feel completely comfortable or safe. I figure it's time to start working my way home.




Coming through Bryn Mawr, PA .





Once west of this point I'm riding back through places I've already visited. No more pics for the day. It's time to head home and start planning for next weekend.

BkerGeek and his lovely wife Susie are hosting a tech day this weekend and Dianne and I have decided to drop by and say hello. I've already done my maintenance so this is just to hang out and if needed maybe lend a hand. It's also a good excuse to get some murals. We leave out Friday morning taking a somewhat scenic route. Our first stops are in Wheeling, WV.



We'll have to go back later to see this once it's complete. First time we got to see one being painted.





Cambridge, OH.




Dublin, OH



Then onward towards Marysville where the Geeks live. We booked a hotel nearby and plan to visit in the morning.

Saturday morning we're up early so we can get the Marysville murals before going to tech day.




We spend a few hours with the Geeks, Spinninprop, Rayzerman, FYB, FJRFarrier, and more watching the great forum minds doing most of the work. Not sure who actually washed Geek's FJR but it was cleaner than I'd ever seen it. With plans to hit murals in downtown Columbus we've actually already stayed about an hour longer than we'd planned but we don't get to see these folks nearly enough.

Hilliard, OH



Heading into Columbus.







This next mural is my favorite out of all the many I visited. This is at a nursing college and looks so incredibly 3-D. That wall is flat yet you could swear that balcony exists. If you ever visit Columbus, OH this really is a must see.



Making our way through the city.






Looking behind my bike in the last photo is a mother with 2 young kids eating ice cream. It's a hot day by now and the kids both seem a bit bored. Dianne takes this opportunity to dig out 2 of the toy motorcycles we carry and gives them to the kids. Until now she hadn't had that opportunity and it not only makes the children's day a but better but Dianne's as well. This is something we will make a point of continuing to do.

More in Columbus.






By this point, it's hot and it's getting to be late afternoon. I hadn't booked any lodging for tonight but had hoped to be back in PA or at least close to it. Dealing with Columbus traffic on a Saturday afternoon ate up far more time that I'd anticipated. We make the call that we've seen enough of Columbus and need to head towards home.

Lithopolis, OH.



Lancaster, OH. Is there some rule that says Mexican restaurants have to have a mural?







Nelsonville, OH







It's now after 6:30 pm and the nearest place I can find an affordable room is in Athens so I book that and we call it a day.

Some of those 3d ones are just incredible.

The more Dianne and I travel the more I've learned to look beyond just the lodging itself. I've learned to make sure we'll have a place to eat without having to get back on the bike at the end of a long day. Last night was no exception. This hotel had a pizza shop and a barbecue place within walking distance, actually just through their parking lot. We walked over for barbecue and found the restaurant had a mural on their back wall. Sort of a double bonus.
We get up early to get moving as we're hours further west than I had planned. A few quick stops in Athens, OH for murals and we can work our way home.




Coolville, OH. Don't blink or you'll miss it.



Even though we'll be back in West Virginia for EOM in just a few weeks we decide to get what murals we can during this trip.

Weston, WV





Buckhannon, WV





Elkins, WV




Parsons, WV and another of my personal favorites.



Heading further northeast and the town of Oakland, MD



Almost back to Johnstown, PA this is in Somerset, PA




Finally we head for home having added another 91 murals to my tally. Next weekend will be Labor Day weekend and another bonus day of mural hunting.

If anyone asks what Chuck was doing in 2023, I'll let them know.

September will be the final month of the Grand Tour and I'm sitting at 894 murals as of August 31. I've set a goal to hit at least 1000 so I guess I'd better get moving. The long weekend will help. Dianne offers to ride along and we're heading back into Baltimore for my third time. It's a target rich area so we should be able to run up my score.







What would Baltimore be without a little Edgar Allen Poe.



Back to the hood.






A community garden complete with scarecrow










Somewhere around here Dianne has had her face shield open to get some air as it's been pretty warm when she gets stung by what we think was a bee. She's allergic so this mean get her some Benadryl, fast. I always carry a couple with us in the tank bag and we had been carrying a small cooler with drinks. This definitely makes things a lot less fun and means we really should head for home. One fuel stop and back to the house it is.

Sunday and Dianne wisely opts to stay home and just let me go do my thing. I'm going to head north, up I-81 this time as there are places I haven't yet hunted. Like Wilkes Barre, PA





A Japanese restaurant in Kingston, PA



More in Kingston.





Forty Fort, PA



Luzerne, PA




Edwardsville, PA where I once more got to give away a toy motorcycle. While setting up this photo a young Hispanic woman and her 2 young boys were rather obviously on their way home from doing laundry. She was pushing a cart with bags of clothing and each of the 2 boys were carrying either detergent or softener. They stopped and the boys were looking at my bike and chatting with their mother in Spanish. I commented about what good helpers they appeared to be and asked her permission to give each a toy as a reward. Permission granted I went into the tank bag and gave each young man a motorcycle of their very own. Mom's English was quite broken but I could plainly understand her gratitude.




Looping back now through Forty Fort, PA. Another case where traveling the other direction means seeing new things.



Pittston, PA




Heading home I pass a drive in theater currently hosting a day time flea market. This is the snack bar.



Berwick, PA



And because I'm coming back into Harrisburg on a route I don't normally travel I find this.

Monday off work means one thing. I'm going riding. York, PA has recently unveiled more than a dozen new murals with some still under work. I also learn I missed some. Time to go remedy this.






I can only get credit for one but here are two in the same picture. You can still see cardboard at the base of one it's that fresh.




The following Saturday I head off to get another mural ADVRider.com showed me. This one used in a photo tag game in Marticville, PA

EOM is coming up and we're heading back to Flatwoods, WV for a threepeat. I take a weekend off from mural hunting and instead prep for our upcoming pilgrimage to see our riding friends again. Dianne and I are leaving out on Thursday and weaving our way southwest. First stops are in Capon Bridge, WV.




On to Romney, WV.





Davis, WV.



Thomas, WV where I'm pretty sure we saw Wayne and Annette roll by.




Mail Pouch ghost mural.



Then on to the hotel in Flatwoods to unpack. We talk with quite a few folks Thursday night about our plans for Friday. Once more we're going to do something touristy and head up to Weston to tour the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. This lead to Ryan asking if he can tag along, which is great. Before we head to Weston I zip over to Sutton real quick for this.



We head to the Asylum hoping that we all get to come home and they don't keep any of us.




It turns out that while we're here there is a hearse and ambulance show on the property grounds. Obviously we have to walk around and see this.





Then it's back to the hotel for more frivolity

Saturday morning and the weather is not looking too great. Dianne decides she's just going to hang out at the hotel for the day and I can go finish mural hunting without her. I've talked with a few other riders just to see where they were heading or what route they planned for the day. Knowing that I make quite a few stops and many of them are in town I go off on my own. First stop is Summersville, WV.



Off to Fayetteville, WV





Oak Hill, WV






My final mural near Kirkwood, WV

So after all of this just how many murals did I photograph and what do I have to show for it? Well, I far exceeded finisher's status to get the t-shirt.



And a really cool 3-d printed kickstand puck with cord. Best of all I got this:



I finished after having visited 1,012 murals in 6 states. Used up 2 pairs of tires, 3 oils and filter changes, quite a bit of tolls on my EZ pass, and more fuel than I want to add up. The rider who beat me scored 1,254 murals and is someone I have competed against in some long distance rallies. I feel no shame taking second place to him.This ride report contains a small number of the total photos taken. Should you care to look at the rest here are the links to my 3 SmugMug galleries.

https://charlessnyder.smugmug.com/GLMC-GT23 Start to June 6

https://charlessnyder.smugmug.com/GLMT ... une-7-on June 7 through August 31

https://charlessnyder.smugmug.com/GLM ... inal-Push Final push

Thanks to all who have taken the time to wade through this and I hope you fell it was time well wasted.

Dang, how many did the winner get? You smashed this Chuck. Must have been a retired guy like Griff who won. Congrats, this is major considering you are still working and also don't live in a 4 season climate.

Cav47 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2024 4:46 pm Dang, how many did the winner get? You smashed this Chuck. Must have been a retired guy like Griff who won. Congrats, this is major considering you are still working and also don't live in a 4 season climate.

Cav, winner had 1254 as stated above. Winner is retired, John Frick and he's an IBR finisher. Second place to him is okay in my book. I've done a few Mason DIxon 20/20 and Void rallies with him. Great guy and super nice.

That was awesome Chuck. What a crazy amount of work and time put into this. I've never seen murals like some of these.
Great job. Look forward to hearing about your next crazy adventure.

Well, retired life has some benefits….time.

Congrats, Chuck, on your second place finish, that was no small feat! It’s definitely impressive, especially considering you are working full time.