Friday, March 25, 2016
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
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...
Til next time...
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)