Had a really nice ride Sunday. Met up with the local Goldwing group at the DeliKing for breafast, then a group went for a ride to Rockport and Salem. Good group, but I'm seriously the youngest by 10 years! They call me the "pup". Nice. The leader really didn't know where he was going and used his GPS. Had a few u-turns along the way, and they ride a tad slow, but that was ok. We ended up at Salem Willows.. and literally the ride stopped there. No ride to get back to the area, no leader - just... go. Interesting. Might try to get these guys on Facebook, but then again, I'm probably the only person in the group who uses it.

Really nice ride this afternoon. 70 degrees - I'm taking advantage! Went up the back way to 133, then to Gloucester to get a DD's in the center of town, then came back. Surely was worth it! Wore the hi-viz jacket - nice and warm, and if you can't see me now.... you're blind!!

Did a little recon on Sunday in the truck for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend in the Catskills. Wanted to see if it was better heading out Rte 2 instead of the usual 101-9 thru Vermont. I really like Rte 2! Except for the "highway" part of it (495-202), the western end has some really nice sweepers and photo opportunities. Took it out to Rte 7 in Willamstown, and maybe plan to head south on 7 to 23, and take that to the NY state line. Did a mileage comparison too - 129 miles to Williamstown. Came home via the "old" way (took 7 north to Bennington, and 9-101 thru NH). That way actually adds about 60 miles (it's further north). Gonna look on Google maps to see if I can cut out the Highway Rte 2 out and come in further west. Then again, be nice getting the highway part over early, We'll see... :)

The weather last couple of weekends has been just horrid - cold and wet. That's fine for a dog's nose, but not so good when you want to ride. This upcoming weekend is just more of the same. Supposedly this pattern is supposed to break on Monday (of course!!) so we'll see.

Looking forward to the Catskills weekend on Memorial Day weekend. Never been there totally alone - actually looking forward to it. Eat where and when I want, take roads I never took before, maybe head over to Bethel.. one just never knows!

Great ride yesterday! Of course, a RTE! We (Chris me and Lynn )headed to Phil's BBQ in Milford, NH after an hour or so of riding practice with Lynn. I sure wish I knew the route Chris took, but it was all back roads, hither and yon, and somehow we ended up on Rte 13 somewhere, and took that to 101 to Phil's/ MMMM!!!! Brisket plate... all I want there. So delish!! And Phil makes his own version f coastal Carolina vinegar sauce.. just plain amazing!

Sunday!! What an awesome day. 550 mile solo ride to Acadia national park in Maine. It's national park week, so no admission fee. No one in the park really - far less that the normal summer crowds. Plenty of parking at the top of Cadillac Mtn, which is what set out to get to. Went to 95 to Portland, then 295 to the end to Cumberland, then Rte 1 all the way, up through Wiscasset (Red's was closed - opening on the 18th). Tad nippy right next to the water - glad I had the heated gear! Left home at around 8:30, got to the park at 3:30 (!!), and spend an hour there. Came back via highwat all the way, got back home at 10 or so. All in all an awesome day!

OK - last Sunday went out in the truck (too cold to ride) to find some new roads. Nothing brand new, but a nice loop for the bike. About 90 miles.

114 - 13 - 77/136 - 47 to Bennington, 31 to Wilton, 101 back  to the area.

Warmer.. yet raining. And that's the prediction for the weekend. When will this shit be over so I can ride!!

Yeah... April 4th... 2 inches of snow. Winter, go the fuck away!!!

**sigh** 36 degrees and raining. I think I'll stay in tonight and nap.. AGAIN!

Weather is actually looking good for Sunday - but it is Easter Sunday, so I'm not sure I'll be able to get out there... kids are coming over.

Really??

On the first day of spring in New England... 4 inches of snow?? Un-freaken-real!

Nuthin doin

Last weekend.. cold, wet. Upcoming weekend, they're predicting SNOW??!! WTF??!! I want that damn global warming Al Gore promised us.

Til next time...

Gotta start somewhere!

Prequel

OK.. we'll start here - a little background, get the boring stuff out of the way. I'm a 56 yr old grandpa who rides a Goldwing (yeah, I know... typical!) A LOT. If it's not snowing (I live in New England), then chances are I'm out there. Usually anywhere from 15-20K miles a year. So, no, not a bar-hopper. Riding is therapy, like it is to most of us. I own my own company, so I probably get more time off than most people. I'm lucky, and I know it. I also have a place in Florida which I'm down to about 5-7 times a year. Got a buddy down there who lots me borrow a bike when I'm in town, but let's face it - Florida isn't the place to ride. Flat, straight, hot, and tons of old(er) people. Give me hills and valleys, twisties, scenery of ANY kind, I'm there.

So.. why am I doing this? I dunno. People ask me where I've ridden to, where do I stop to eat, where do I crash at night.. all that stuff. Most of the time I remember, but if you ask me 6 months later, well, chances are I won't. I do post some things in TripAdvisor (senior contributor), and I do travel for work, so I think I kinda sorta know what works and what doesn't (for me - you might have different ideas, and that's cool too).

I'm starting this blog fresh for 2016 - I'm not going to torture you with previous trips. Suffice it to say that I've ridden to every NE state, NY state, PA, NJ, etc, and all of the Canadian Maritime provinces (Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland, and yes, Labrador (just the 50 miles or so of the paved roads in the province).  I've also ridden (some years ago, and on a rented Harley) from Boston to Fort Lauderdale (HELL of a trip!!).

I usually either ride with one person or a small group (4 max). Just a personal preference. I've done all the big charity rides - don't like them. Too many people, with a varying amounts of riding skills and showing off and/or drinking. Just don't mix, IMHO.

When I ride with my buddy Chris, it's always a RTE (ride to eat). We're both good size guys, and we love us some good BBQ.. so we search it out. When we do go, I'll post the name and a review... so it better be good!

I also ride with a group I call my Jersey Boys. Kind of a misnomer, since 2 live in NJ, and 2 in PA... but close enough. We all worked for the same pharma company - that's how we all met. There's a larger group that rides as well, but they all live down that way, so it's difficult to make those rides. Put it this way.. when I drive down that way for work, it takes about 5 hours straight super-slab. On the bike, I meander through Vermont, then down the Taconic Parkway, etc.. takes me about 8 hours. But I don't care. I'll get there, and someone in a big hurry on Rte 84 in CT isn't going to run me off the road. Peace of mind doncha know. Anyway, the Jersey Boys try to coordinate some weekend rides every year, usually different areas. Like the New England ride (MA, NH, VT, ME, NY) and the Catskill ride, the Niagra Falls ride.. you get the idea. I try to make as many of these as I can, but keep in mind - there's an extra day on each side of the weekend for travel time for me. These guys are just like me... older, either executives or retired, and all of them ride big BMWs. I don't hold that against them. Before I bought my 'Wing last season, I took a long ride on the BMW 1600RT (or whatever the biggest model is). Just didn't like the riding position - I'll stuck with my rolling Barca-Lounger! The other group that the Jersey Boys belong to is made up of pharma executives also. Every year, they do a Crab Run down to the Delaware or MD shore for crabs. Now, I'm allergic to shell fish, but I usually do that ride every year, because I like the group and area that we ride to (and they make sure there's something like chicken for me to eat as well!!).

So.. that's the history. Bored? Yeah - me too.

Let's talk about this season!

I've been out a grand total of TWICE! The weather isn't cooperating. Either it's 80 degrees (and on a Wednesday), or raining on the weekend. I did take advantage of the 80 degree Wednesday for my first ride of the season (just 50 miles of so, just to get it under my belt).

This past Sunday was a half-decent day (about 60 degrees) to get out for a longer ride, so I did just that. I took the Big Girl (the 'Wing) out for a decent ride. Totaled about 100 miles or so - not a bad afternoon. Took Rte 40 in Groton out to 119, followed that to Townsend, then cut up Rte 124 toward Jaffrey NH. Stopped for gas in Jaffrey (and made sure I did the speed limit the entire time in that town - don't want to spend any more time in their pokey - story for another day). Then decided to head down Rte 202 towards 119 back into Groton. Started to get hungry, and pizza sounded like a great idea. There's a place right in Jaffrey, but a friend I had in Jaffrey told me that it wasn't great - there was a better place down the road (Rte 119) in Rindge, NH. So I set the GPS and headed there. So happy I did! The place I ended up at (Pizza Haven - pizzahaveninc.com) was far better than I expected. Got me a sausage, black olive and onion pizza (don't judge me!!). When it came, I thought it would be a typical Greek style pizza, only because it looked like it. However, that's where the comparison ended. This was the lightest, fluffiest pizza I ever had! I usually don't eat an entire small pizza by myself, but wow... it was so light, I polished it off!! I would actually make a trip back up there just for the pizza. After that, just headed back down Rte 119 into Groton, and back on the highway for about 10 miles to get back in the daylight. Damn fine trip for the first time out for the season.

This coming weekend? Chilly (40's) and possible rain. Probably not riding. Cold is one thing (got heated gear), but cold rain? I think not. So the next time I post, I will have actually gone somewhere, and I'll report on it - unless I do something really cool, then I'll post THAT! But, I'm old, so don't expect much. Til next time!