2002 Punkin Chunkin
Trip Report and Photos by Joe Sestrich

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

Met Clay and Carlos at Hank's diner in Chadds Ford at 8 AM. Had some coffee and breakfast including the fabulous Hank's grilled potatoes. Carlos noticed that my helmet seemed clean and new, and that it needed some dirt and bugs to look respectable. He said not to worry, that today's ride would take care of it.

We decided to go to the Punkin Chunkin competition first, then to the Polar Bear ride lunch at Lewes. The plan was to take Rt 1 south to 113 south to\par Millsboro. Got on the road around 8:30 AM, with the temp. hovering just below 40 deg F. I suggested we take back roads to Rt. 7 in Hockesson, DE., so I got the lead on my K75S. Lots of twisties and within minutes I had a grin on my face. When we got to Rt. 1 south, Clay's K12RS took over leadership duties, at which point speeds increased considerably.

We tried a detour around the $1 toll for the canal bridge, which consisted of a 360 degree high speed, right hand sweeper. I lost my nerve trying to keep up with Clay, but Carlos had no trouble. We ended up getting back on Rt 1 south after the toll booth, and the entrance ramp had a 50 cent toll machine! Lots of digging for exact change ensued. Oh well.

There was some police activity on Rt 113 south. This stretch seems to be actively patrolled for speeders. Clay had no problems getting us to the Punkin Chunkin site around 10\:30. Once there, we had to cross about 500 yds of recently harvested corn field to get to the motorcycle parking area. The soil was pretty moist and sandy and smelled mighty fertilized. Carlos let out a couple of hoots and gunned his R1100S, sending some rooster tails my way. I stood up on my pegs to help absorb the shocks as we went over the rows.

The air cannons used to shoot the pumpkins are truly something to behold. The biggest one this year was Old Glory, with a barrel length of 135 ft. You can get sense of scale in the picture by comparing it to the school bus parked nearby. Hang time on the shots were in the 10 to 15 second range, and the longest shot we witnessed was around 3500 ft! The only disappointment was that they wouldn't let the public get close to the cannons. We were about a mile away, and we couldn't get the full impact of the blast when these babies go off. Speaking of impacts, one of the shots went astray and drifted into the spectator area, missing a Port-a-Potty by about ten feet. It was unoccupied, but it was a friendly reminder that you never know when your number is up.

Meanwhile, as the cannons were shooting, there were smaller catapults firing at will, into the field. These were manned by a staggering cross-section of home-grown American mechanical and design talent. Apparently, they shared a burning desire to see things go splat. This all seemed to be random activity, but may have been secretly choreographed by the man in the chicken suit . Finally, the announcer got on the PA system and ordered a cease fire, due to the threat posed to the marshals who were in the field trying to take measurements for the "real" competition.

The last machine we watched was a centrifugal device that I got on tape (click here to see video clip - large). This made a viscous sound when it got up to launch speed, so crank up your speakers to get the full effect. Remember, I was filming this from a mile away. The distance of this shot was 2500 ft! We also got a picture of Carlos in his next machine - a motorized toilet with a bath and shower. Built for comfort, not speed..

By now it was 1 PM and time to head to Lewes for the Polar Bear ride lunch. Carlos needed a chicken sandwich from the Outback Steakhouse booth to hold him over for the ride. We took Rt. 24 north to Lewes and got there at 1:30 towards the end of the lunch. There were still a lot of Gold Wings in the parking lot at Fisherman's Wharf. The Gerbing dealer from Atco, NJ had a booth set up and we picked up some goodies before eating. The food was pretty good, although Carlos would have enjoyed his crab cake more if someone hadn't shrunk it (his words, not mine.) We discussed the best route home, and decided to take Rt 1 north to Rt 9 north just before Dover. We departed around 3 PM and noticed in the parking lot that Carlos had picked up a nail in his rear tire. He mentioned that he may have to take it easy on the way back.

Rt 9 was an absolutely gorgeous 2 lane road with lots of turns, beautiful scenery in the wetlands, and very little traffic. The sun was getting low, making the Fall colors much more distinctive. At this point Carlos could\ not contain himself and took the lead at high speed, with Clay following close behind. So much for taking it easy Carlos! I decided to let discretion be the better part of valor, and followed at a considerable\par distance.

We passed a wrecked crotch rocket, turned around to help, and seeing that he had plenty of assistance from friends, continued on. We passed over the Delaware Canal on a breathtaking bridge near the entrance at the Delaware River. Further north, we got stopped in traffic caused by a car running off the road near where Rt 9 intersects Rt 1. You definitely have to pay attention at all times on this road! After a couple of minutestraffic was waved on and we continued north on Rt 1. Clay and Carlos exited for 95 north and I honked and waved goodbye, staying north for Rt 7.

I got home around 5 o'clock, feeling just tired enough to be satisfied that I got enough riding in. The Gerbings heated gloves, jacket liner, and thermostat I picked up worked great, even with temps in the mid forties and speeds over 80 mph.

Thanks Clay and Carlos for the great company and ride!