Today marks my last day as President of the Sharon America Legion Riders. Greg (Vice President) and I stepped down from our positions after 4 years, and have handed the reins off to other members who will officially assume their duties tomorrow.
New blood is needed now and again in order to keep things fresh and moving in a positive direction. Here's wishing Dale and Mary many successes as they lead our Riders forward.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Monday, May 29, 2017
2017 Rolling Thunder
The night before departing on an adventure is notoriously bad for getting
sleep. Too much excitement, plus last-minute thoughts/ideas all
bouncing around inside the cranium make for a very fitful resting period.
This year was no different, but there was an added twist; tremendous thunderstorms and torrential rain rolled through in the middle of the night, waking both Greg and me. No, we weren't sleeping together, but we did compare notes on Friday morning and found that we'd both been woken up by them. Fortunately by the time we rolled out of our respective driveways, the rain had dwindled to a slight misty drizzle.
After a quick discussion on the route, we were off. Traffic treated us pretty well but the rain made sure to let us know it hadn't forgotten about us, and we were pretty wet for most of the first half of the day. Merritt Parkway, usually a welcome and windy, truck-free ribbon of roadway has let us down two years in a row now. Long, long stretches of feet-down backup (and this year, with rain pouring down on us). We may have to reconsider our route next year…
Anyway, the second half of the day found us dodging fewer rain drops, and even enjoying a few intrusions of sunlight now and then. But the road gods were still not done with us; they threw a miles-long, turn-the-bike-off-and-wait-to-move traffic jam at us, at one of the usual bad spots; the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Good lord, this place is a disaster. But it doesn’t have to be; if they let us use all the lanes that are available, I think we’d flow through there without issue. But nope, they had two of the left lanes closed down. That means that coming through the toll booth, you’re bringing something like 12 lanes down to 4, then 3, then 2. Yeah! That’s a great idea!
Ok, enough bitching, we made it without any accidents. But here’s a comparison for you; when I go out to Olean, it’s the same distance (500 miles), and I can make it out there in 6.5 hours. The trip down to DC this year took us about 10 hours I think it was. Yep, that’s how much traffic sucks, going to DC.
Anyway, where was I. Oh yeah; we made it safe and sound. Kerry was happy as hell to see us of course…I mean; who wouldn’t be?
James arrived from work and we set to working on a plan for the weekend. We didn’t have anything concrete lined up so we tentatively agreed to let it be another by-the-seat-of-our-pants weekend (like last year).
We grabbed dinner at an upscale place out on the water followed by some libations at an Irish pub in Old Towne, then back to the house to close out the evening.
Saturday found us running some errands, catching up with some friends not seen in some time, then we headed off to a restaurant that K wanted to bring us to. Turns out the place was a Biergarten! Whoo-Hoo! After that was back to the house to kick back for a bit, then out with a whole bunch of friends for another great dinner; this time out on the patio, gathered ‘round a nice gas fire pit.
We made one more stop before heading home, to a country bar where they had a riding bull. One of our friends (Rebecca) said she wanted to ride the bull, and did. That was all I needed in order to convince me that I needed to ride it, too. (I was worried how my neck would handle it, but it did just fine). It was pretty fun! (I think the lady controlling it took it easy on this old guy, though…)
Sunday was Rolling Thunder day! We left the house a few minutes later than usual, but we figured we still had time. They don’t block off the Constitution exit until 11. We arrived at 10:33…just in time to see a police vehicle block off the intersection and pull out a cordon to stretch across the entrance. Damn. Ok, looks like we’re taking the Independence exit. We wound up parking right on Rte 66, along with tons of other bikes. Traffic was moving very slowly in this section, anyway, due to all the bikes and goings on, so it was safe to park there.
We ambled off, visited The Wall to pay our respects, hit Thunder Alley for our rally pins, then took our positions along the route for the run, proper.
Soon the bikes were rolling past, cheers and applause..and before long; rain. Not just rain, but downpours! Man, it was really coming down, but that wasn’t going to stop the bikes. Some folks were dressed for the weather, some weren’t, but they were all cruising on by, flags flying, horns honking, saluting SSgt Tim standing at attention; all the usual wonderfulness.
And speaking of SSgt Tim; he gets credit for the funniest comment this weekend. In the middle of the rain pouring down and the cold wind whipping everyone’s nipples to attention, I overheard him say to one of his supporters; “It’s not as hot this year...” Haha!!
We stuck it out for almost 3 hours but we hadn’t brought any rain gear with us to the parade route so we were all pretty cold and soaked, so we called it a day, made our way back to the bikes (put some rain gear on), and headed back to the house for warm showers and cleanup.
Sunday nights are lower key, since we have an early departure the next morning. One of K’s friends came over, we all hopped on the bikes and headed off to another Irish pub for dinner, then back to the house where another friend came over and we all hung out and wiled the rest of the evening away.
Today’s ride home wasn’t as bad as we’d feared it would be. We had some traffic, we had some downpours, but overall; we made good time; only 8 hours! Sweet! But we were pretty chilled and wet by the time we arrived back. Oh yeah; Greg peeled off at his exit (8), and my exit was only one more up (9). But as soon as he peeled off, I hit a traffic jam which left my with feet down and not moving. Really?? But…I’m so close to home!! Turned out to be a minor fender bender on the far left, just before my exit (of course) which had that lane closed down, and of course everyone was rubber-necking as they went by. When I finally had the clearance, I hammered up my exit, and headed for home.
Now, laundry is in the washer, dinner is in my belly, and I’m actually posting the trip writeup before heading to bed. Look at me getting things done!
So, takeaways from this year; we’re going to reevaluate our departure next year and are currently planning on heading down Thursday, instead. Traffic on Fridays is just too out of control and we waste too much of the day not moving fast (or not moving at all).
We also want to go back to how we used to do things; do more visiting of memorials and such. Last year and this year, we just kind of floated and caught up with friends. Don’t get me wrong; it’s awesome to do, but we feel like we could (and should) have made more of an effort paying respects to those who this weekend is for and about. (The good thing is that going down on Thursday should definitely help with achieving that goal.)
And there you have it; Rolling Thunder, 2017. Another fantastic trip in the books! (The weather sure could have been better, but it can always be worse, too).
Pics!
We park our bikes under the tree in K's yard to protect it from the elements...but I guess the birds feel this doesn't apply to them.
The offerings at the biergarten! (I wanted to take these glasses home but the owners of this place were too nice and I didn't want the bad karma on my head.)
Four pretty maidens, all in a row...
Parking on the side of the highway in downtown DC...
...and under surveillance as we do it...
One of the first ones through every year; the old gentleman in the bamboo cage...
SSgt Tim had help this year (open the pic and zoom in...)
People are supposed to stay out of the road, and the park police keep asking them to step back up onto the side, but these idiots just keep flowing out into the roadways.
This is what the side of the road we're standing on, looks like. Bikes are coming through here, people. Get the Fcuk out of the way!
A nice clear shot of SSgt Tim's helper.
Enter the rain...
and more rain...
...an more...
This rider had brought something to give to Tim. It was a plaque of some sort, but I couldn't see what it was. He and Tim saluted each other and then he was off again.
There was a group of riders who were wearing kilts. Kilts! I loved it! (I bet it was pretty wet and chilly, though!)
At one point, Tim was pointing at the Battle Cross memorial in front of him and shouting to those riding past (not in a mad way) to observe and remember.
A couple of shots of the procession as we made our retreat...
Later on, back at the house, Greg told me that one of my taillights was out so we popped the lens off, replaced it with a spare that he had, and taped it up. Thanks Bro!
In Connecticut, I spotted this exit sign and I don't know why it never jumped out at me before;
Again; this is in Connecticut - only about two hours from my house. If only this were true! Maybe some kind of magical shortcut!
Lastly, I was told I had to have pics to prove I rode the bull at the country bar. "Pics or it didn't happen" as the saying goes. Well, I don't have pics, but I do have something better; a video. (Hopefully it loads ok.)
Ok, that's all I've go for ya. I need to get caught up on some long overdue sleep.
Rolling Thunder - always a poignant and memorable trip.
Give thanks and honor to those who gave us the freedoms we enjoy!
Ride Hard, Take Chances
This year was no different, but there was an added twist; tremendous thunderstorms and torrential rain rolled through in the middle of the night, waking both Greg and me. No, we weren't sleeping together, but we did compare notes on Friday morning and found that we'd both been woken up by them. Fortunately by the time we rolled out of our respective driveways, the rain had dwindled to a slight misty drizzle.
After a quick discussion on the route, we were off. Traffic treated us pretty well but the rain made sure to let us know it hadn't forgotten about us, and we were pretty wet for most of the first half of the day. Merritt Parkway, usually a welcome and windy, truck-free ribbon of roadway has let us down two years in a row now. Long, long stretches of feet-down backup (and this year, with rain pouring down on us). We may have to reconsider our route next year…
Anyway, the second half of the day found us dodging fewer rain drops, and even enjoying a few intrusions of sunlight now and then. But the road gods were still not done with us; they threw a miles-long, turn-the-bike-off-and-wait-to-move traffic jam at us, at one of the usual bad spots; the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Good lord, this place is a disaster. But it doesn’t have to be; if they let us use all the lanes that are available, I think we’d flow through there without issue. But nope, they had two of the left lanes closed down. That means that coming through the toll booth, you’re bringing something like 12 lanes down to 4, then 3, then 2. Yeah! That’s a great idea!
Ok, enough bitching, we made it without any accidents. But here’s a comparison for you; when I go out to Olean, it’s the same distance (500 miles), and I can make it out there in 6.5 hours. The trip down to DC this year took us about 10 hours I think it was. Yep, that’s how much traffic sucks, going to DC.
Anyway, where was I. Oh yeah; we made it safe and sound. Kerry was happy as hell to see us of course…I mean; who wouldn’t be?
James arrived from work and we set to working on a plan for the weekend. We didn’t have anything concrete lined up so we tentatively agreed to let it be another by-the-seat-of-our-pants weekend (like last year).
We grabbed dinner at an upscale place out on the water followed by some libations at an Irish pub in Old Towne, then back to the house to close out the evening.
Saturday found us running some errands, catching up with some friends not seen in some time, then we headed off to a restaurant that K wanted to bring us to. Turns out the place was a Biergarten! Whoo-Hoo! After that was back to the house to kick back for a bit, then out with a whole bunch of friends for another great dinner; this time out on the patio, gathered ‘round a nice gas fire pit.
We made one more stop before heading home, to a country bar where they had a riding bull. One of our friends (Rebecca) said she wanted to ride the bull, and did. That was all I needed in order to convince me that I needed to ride it, too. (I was worried how my neck would handle it, but it did just fine). It was pretty fun! (I think the lady controlling it took it easy on this old guy, though…)
Sunday was Rolling Thunder day! We left the house a few minutes later than usual, but we figured we still had time. They don’t block off the Constitution exit until 11. We arrived at 10:33…just in time to see a police vehicle block off the intersection and pull out a cordon to stretch across the entrance. Damn. Ok, looks like we’re taking the Independence exit. We wound up parking right on Rte 66, along with tons of other bikes. Traffic was moving very slowly in this section, anyway, due to all the bikes and goings on, so it was safe to park there.
We ambled off, visited The Wall to pay our respects, hit Thunder Alley for our rally pins, then took our positions along the route for the run, proper.
Soon the bikes were rolling past, cheers and applause..and before long; rain. Not just rain, but downpours! Man, it was really coming down, but that wasn’t going to stop the bikes. Some folks were dressed for the weather, some weren’t, but they were all cruising on by, flags flying, horns honking, saluting SSgt Tim standing at attention; all the usual wonderfulness.
And speaking of SSgt Tim; he gets credit for the funniest comment this weekend. In the middle of the rain pouring down and the cold wind whipping everyone’s nipples to attention, I overheard him say to one of his supporters; “It’s not as hot this year...” Haha!!
We stuck it out for almost 3 hours but we hadn’t brought any rain gear with us to the parade route so we were all pretty cold and soaked, so we called it a day, made our way back to the bikes (put some rain gear on), and headed back to the house for warm showers and cleanup.
Sunday nights are lower key, since we have an early departure the next morning. One of K’s friends came over, we all hopped on the bikes and headed off to another Irish pub for dinner, then back to the house where another friend came over and we all hung out and wiled the rest of the evening away.
Today’s ride home wasn’t as bad as we’d feared it would be. We had some traffic, we had some downpours, but overall; we made good time; only 8 hours! Sweet! But we were pretty chilled and wet by the time we arrived back. Oh yeah; Greg peeled off at his exit (8), and my exit was only one more up (9). But as soon as he peeled off, I hit a traffic jam which left my with feet down and not moving. Really?? But…I’m so close to home!! Turned out to be a minor fender bender on the far left, just before my exit (of course) which had that lane closed down, and of course everyone was rubber-necking as they went by. When I finally had the clearance, I hammered up my exit, and headed for home.
Now, laundry is in the washer, dinner is in my belly, and I’m actually posting the trip writeup before heading to bed. Look at me getting things done!
So, takeaways from this year; we’re going to reevaluate our departure next year and are currently planning on heading down Thursday, instead. Traffic on Fridays is just too out of control and we waste too much of the day not moving fast (or not moving at all).
We also want to go back to how we used to do things; do more visiting of memorials and such. Last year and this year, we just kind of floated and caught up with friends. Don’t get me wrong; it’s awesome to do, but we feel like we could (and should) have made more of an effort paying respects to those who this weekend is for and about. (The good thing is that going down on Thursday should definitely help with achieving that goal.)
And there you have it; Rolling Thunder, 2017. Another fantastic trip in the books! (The weather sure could have been better, but it can always be worse, too).
Pics!
We park our bikes under the tree in K's yard to protect it from the elements...but I guess the birds feel this doesn't apply to them.
The offerings at the biergarten! (I wanted to take these glasses home but the owners of this place were too nice and I didn't want the bad karma on my head.)
Four pretty maidens, all in a row...
Parking on the side of the highway in downtown DC...
One of the first ones through every year; the old gentleman in the bamboo cage...
SSgt Tim had help this year (open the pic and zoom in...)
People are supposed to stay out of the road, and the park police keep asking them to step back up onto the side, but these idiots just keep flowing out into the roadways.
This is what the side of the road we're standing on, looks like. Bikes are coming through here, people. Get the Fcuk out of the way!
A nice clear shot of SSgt Tim's helper.
Enter the rain...
and more rain...
...an more...
This rider had brought something to give to Tim. It was a plaque of some sort, but I couldn't see what it was. He and Tim saluted each other and then he was off again.
There was a group of riders who were wearing kilts. Kilts! I loved it! (I bet it was pretty wet and chilly, though!)
At one point, Tim was pointing at the Battle Cross memorial in front of him and shouting to those riding past (not in a mad way) to observe and remember.
A couple of shots of the procession as we made our retreat...
We asked one of the park police to snap the customary group picture. We look like a bunch of drowned rats...
Later on, back at the house, Greg told me that one of my taillights was out so we popped the lens off, replaced it with a spare that he had, and taped it up. Thanks Bro!
In Connecticut, I spotted this exit sign and I don't know why it never jumped out at me before;
Lastly, I was told I had to have pics to prove I rode the bull at the country bar. "Pics or it didn't happen" as the saying goes. Well, I don't have pics, but I do have something better; a video. (Hopefully it loads ok.)
Rolling Thunder - always a poignant and memorable trip.
Give thanks and honor to those who gave us the freedoms we enjoy!
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Onward to Thunder...and Lightning...and Rain...
Small crowd making the trek to DC this year; just Greg and me. Departure time is set for 0530 tomorrow morning, and we've been going on the assumption that with just the two of us, we should make decent time on the trip down.
Then the weather stepped in. We're now looking at 100% chance of rain for our send-off. We may ride out of it at about the halfway point, but any reprieve will be a short one. Weather for the rest of the weekend looks like showers on Saturday, showers and T-storms on Sunday, and rain for our return trip on Monday. The rain gear is certainly going to get tested (I already know how mine will do; terribly).
Oh well, we do this trip for the purpose, not for the weather. To remember, reflect, and to honor those who have served and continue to do so. So many of them have been through so much more than a few days of riding in the rain, we certainly don't have any room to complain.
Sure would be nice if the sun came out, though...
Ride Hard, Get Soaked
Then the weather stepped in. We're now looking at 100% chance of rain for our send-off. We may ride out of it at about the halfway point, but any reprieve will be a short one. Weather for the rest of the weekend looks like showers on Saturday, showers and T-storms on Sunday, and rain for our return trip on Monday. The rain gear is certainly going to get tested (I already know how mine will do; terribly).
Oh well, we do this trip for the purpose, not for the weather. To remember, reflect, and to honor those who have served and continue to do so. So many of them have been through so much more than a few days of riding in the rain, we certainly don't have any room to complain.
Sure would be nice if the sun came out, though...
Ride Hard, Get Soaked
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Posto Ghosto
We’d been
having a lot of rain lately, but lucky for us; things cleared out and the
sunshine came in – and came in with a vengeance. Friday wound up being near 90 and mid-to-high
humidity – so much so that I actually put my main AC unit in to cool the house
off for the arriving guests. They were
pretty warm by the time they arrived but between the shade from the trees and the
beerfreshments in the cooler, they were soon comfortably settled in.
Managed to catch a little bit of breeze on the flag in this one!
Ride Hard, Take Chances
A few of the
locals stopped in to catch up with us but most of the party was going to meet
us at the Eagle Brook for dinner. (We
weren’t able to do Chickie Flynn’s this year due to the Volbeat & Metallica
concert going on at the stadium.)
We got
caught up and relaxed a bit before heading off for some grub. Fortunately, Matt had suggested a reservation
because that place packs up hard, especially on weekend nights, but his
foresight resulted in a nice open swath of real estate waiting for us and we were
soon seated and the night was in full swing.
At one
point, Lynner asked if she was able to go out on the deck and have a cigarette. I said I didn’t think so, as I’d never seen
anyone out there. But she asked, and
sure enough – we were outside and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine (except
for the cigarette smoke). :-D
We ate and
drank and had such a great time that we may have to mix things up between this
place and Chickie’s, going forward. Or
maybe we incorporate both, one on one night and one on another. Time will tell.
When it was time to head back to the house, we got
set to go but as sometimes happens when you get a ton of bikes assembled; one
of them won’t start. It was Flex’s bike
this time, and we soon had a circle of flashlights illuminating things while we
took to removing the seat to check the battery connections.
They were fine, so we thought maybe the
battery needed a jump (this was its first sojourn of the year). Flex lived the closest so we shot over there
and he grabbed a set of cables from his neighbor. When we got back, we discovered that they
must have been stored outside because the contacts were fully rusted and
corroded. We tried cleaning them up as
best we could, but still got no spark off of Aaron’s bike.
Then we got
to thinking more; Flex has had problems with his ignition switch before so we
took that off. Everything seemed in
order but as soon as he bolted the tank panel back down, the bike came to life. Ah ha!
So we know that he needs to get in there and clean things up again.
With no more
holdups, those of us making it back to the house, made it back safely, and we wiled
away the rest of the evening with cards and laughter in the (nice and cool)
basement bar.
Ater getting everyone to bed (including a couple of crashers from the Metallica concert who needed some sleeping bags for their car), I thought it'd be a great time to snap a couple of pics...
Managed to catch a little bit of breeze on the flag in this one!
Saturday
morning dawned too early as usual when hanging around with this crew. We didn’t have anywhere concrete to be until
later in the afternoon so we took our time getting moving and off to
breakfast. After that, we headed back to
the house for a bit to get cleaned up, and then headed out for the first stop
of the day; Alberto’s for lunch. Wait –
lunch? But we’d just eaten breakfast
about an hour and a half ago. No
worries, those who weren’t hungry just shared apps, while some of us fatties
(including myself) managed to eat a full meal again.
More friends
arrived and we’d soon cornered more than half of the outdoor seating area –
never a bad thing. We also had another breakdown
in the parking lot but it wasn’t one of us this time, it was an SUV, and it was
a dead battery this time (you can see his hood open in the pic above). Did anyone
have jumper cables with them? Yep, Cindy did!
She’d thrown a set into her car when she’d gotten home the night before,
after the issue with Flex’s bike. So the
SUV was soon on its way and we’d done our good deed for the day.
From there
it was off to BOG Iron brewing to see Erin and Rebecca. We filled the place up pretty tightly and
Rebecca invited us all back to the vat and fermentation area to take a group
picture. Too cool!
Zi hadn't arrived yet so it seemed ok to use his mug...for some mugs shots!
A funny
side-note; while we were at BOG, a younger guy who used to come to the pig
roast happened to come in. He didn’t
recognize me since I was off talking to the NY crew but I overheard the
conversation he was having with Mike (who was up from Jersey for the
weekend). The guy said he’d heard the
pig roast had been cancelled because there’d been parking complaints from the
neighbors and that was why the party wasn’t happening any more. I didn’t speak up to correct him (the
neighbors have always been fantastic and never given me any problems at all),
and it was fun to hear a 3rd party commentary on what rumors were
going around
Our last
stop was back at the Post for Chrissy’s surprise bridal shower. We’d had some challenges trying to keep it a
secret from her, all while she was hanging out with us, but things came
together nicely and she wound up being totally surprised (she and Aaron had
gone to the Post from Alberto’s, while we went to BOG. That allowed them to get the gifts part of
the shower out of the way before we crashed things.)
They had some food left over when we got there...all desserts! Get 'em Zig, get 'em!
We hung out
at the Post until the daylight was beginning to fade, then headed back to the
homestead for another evening of laughter. This time we had a fire out back until quite
late, then those who were still there gathered in the bar for more cards and
nonsense.
And speaking of nonsense, Tim...put your hat the right way...
The last one down this night was Matt - who opted to turn my house from a 3-bedroom, into a 4-bedroom...sweet, higher property value!
Sunday. Ahh, the dreaded departure, but like all good
things; this too must end. The NY Crew
got their things packed up, themselves cleaned up, and then we hit breakfast
one last time. After we’d filled our
bellies, we headed out for the obligatory photo in the parking lot, followed by
a bit of sadness as McCarthy and I watched them head off toward home.
So…how do I
feel about this year with it not being a full-blown Cinco de Roasto? I feel great!
Much less stress and MUCH less cleanup!
I do miss
the Saturday morning adrenaline-fueled race to the pig farm, though. That shared shredding of the highway, followed
by hanging out in the parking lot for them to open - that was always one of my
favorite parts of the pig roast weekend.
But it’s ok because we still managed to squeeze a ton of laughter and
shenanigans into a small timeframe; less than 48 hours! That’s right; all that fun we had, was had in
less than two days! (Who has more fun
than us? We do!)
This weekend
was fantastic and I can say that I’m rejuvenated about this party once
again. After each of the past few years,
I’ve come away feeling burned out and worried that I was pressing my luck with
things. I can honestly say that after
this weekend, it was definitely the right decision to move it from what it had
been, to something much smaller.
And I can’t
wait to do it again next year.Ride Hard, Take Chances
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Ghosto de Roasto
It's that time of year again. Oh wait...no, it's not!
For the first time in 15 years, I haven't been going out of my mind trying to get all the logistics lined up for a large influx of revelers. For the first time in 15 years, I haven't been scrambling to get food, chairs, booze, blankets, tables, tents, etc. all lined up and ready. This will be the first time in 15 years that I haven't held the Cindo de Roasto party!
Last year was billed as Cinco Finito, and that's exactly what it was. It was the end of a great run, but that run needed to end. And at that time, folks kept asking me if, come this year, I would miss it. I gave my best answer at the time; I don't know. I knew I'd miss seeing everyone, but fully expected I wouldn't miss the headaches.
Fast forward to this year, and I was pretty spot-on with my guess. It will suck not seeing so many wonderful faces, but man - oh - man, am I so glad to not be running around like crazy.
So, what to do with myself on this weekend? Well...funny story...
At last year's party, folks were saying they weren't willing to let the Cinco thing die. What would I do if folks just decided to show up, anyway?
Well, back in January, I received a phone call from Lynner. She explained that a few folks from out that way were wondering if they could still ride out to my house on this weekend. They understood that Cindo de Roasto was over, but they didn't want to lose a destination/ride, so could they come out and just hang? I thought about it for all of about 2 seconds and said; Absolutely, come on out!
So that's what's happening. It's a small turnout, only 3 bikes and 6 people. Oh, but that's the NY contingent. There are folks from these parts that don't want to miss out on seeing the NY crew so there will be some celebratory activities at the homestead this weekend, but it'll just be a shadow of years past. (Hence the new moniker; Ghosto de Roasto.)
The plan at the moment is; I'm taking a half-day tomorrow to ride out and meet the crew, then bring them in via back roads to avoid Rte 1 traffic. (The Metallica concert going on tomorrow night will cause major traffic snarls on that stretch of road and we don't want our esteemed guests to get stuck in that.)
Once we get to my house, there'll be some elbow-bending then it's off to dinner at Eagle Brook Saloon. (We usually hit Chickie Flynn's, but since that's located right next to where the concert is...)
After that, it'll be back to the house where we'll be joined by others who weren't able to meet us for dinner, for cards and shenanigans long into the evening, I'm sure.
Saturday will probably find some of us off to get breakfast, then kick around the house for a bit...or maybe go for a bit of a ride...then we're gonna check out BOG Iron brewery for a while, then it'll be a stop-by at the Post, then back to the house for shenanigans, part II.
Sunday will see the NY crew make a break for home while the rest of us try to collect our heads and get ready for the week ahead.
This will be a most-adequate successor to the parties from years past.
It's almost here, and I can't wait...
Ride Hard, Take Chances
For the first time in 15 years, I haven't been going out of my mind trying to get all the logistics lined up for a large influx of revelers. For the first time in 15 years, I haven't been scrambling to get food, chairs, booze, blankets, tables, tents, etc. all lined up and ready. This will be the first time in 15 years that I haven't held the Cindo de Roasto party!
Last year was billed as Cinco Finito, and that's exactly what it was. It was the end of a great run, but that run needed to end. And at that time, folks kept asking me if, come this year, I would miss it. I gave my best answer at the time; I don't know. I knew I'd miss seeing everyone, but fully expected I wouldn't miss the headaches.
Fast forward to this year, and I was pretty spot-on with my guess. It will suck not seeing so many wonderful faces, but man - oh - man, am I so glad to not be running around like crazy.
So, what to do with myself on this weekend? Well...funny story...
At last year's party, folks were saying they weren't willing to let the Cinco thing die. What would I do if folks just decided to show up, anyway?
Well, back in January, I received a phone call from Lynner. She explained that a few folks from out that way were wondering if they could still ride out to my house on this weekend. They understood that Cindo de Roasto was over, but they didn't want to lose a destination/ride, so could they come out and just hang? I thought about it for all of about 2 seconds and said; Absolutely, come on out!
So that's what's happening. It's a small turnout, only 3 bikes and 6 people. Oh, but that's the NY contingent. There are folks from these parts that don't want to miss out on seeing the NY crew so there will be some celebratory activities at the homestead this weekend, but it'll just be a shadow of years past. (Hence the new moniker; Ghosto de Roasto.)
The plan at the moment is; I'm taking a half-day tomorrow to ride out and meet the crew, then bring them in via back roads to avoid Rte 1 traffic. (The Metallica concert going on tomorrow night will cause major traffic snarls on that stretch of road and we don't want our esteemed guests to get stuck in that.)
Once we get to my house, there'll be some elbow-bending then it's off to dinner at Eagle Brook Saloon. (We usually hit Chickie Flynn's, but since that's located right next to where the concert is...)
After that, it'll be back to the house where we'll be joined by others who weren't able to meet us for dinner, for cards and shenanigans long into the evening, I'm sure.
Saturday will probably find some of us off to get breakfast, then kick around the house for a bit...or maybe go for a bit of a ride...then we're gonna check out BOG Iron brewery for a while, then it'll be a stop-by at the Post, then back to the house for shenanigans, part II.
Sunday will see the NY crew make a break for home while the rest of us try to collect our heads and get ready for the week ahead.
This will be a most-adequate successor to the parties from years past.
It's almost here, and I can't wait...
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Fair Weather Flip-Off
After a seemingly extended period of dreary and rainy nastiness so far this Springtime, the sky this morning is a nice clear blue - and from what the well-dressed folks on the television are saying; we've got a stretch of beautiful dry weather ahead of us. And that means...get ready for the posers!
Ya see, taking the same route to work every day, you get to know the regular riders. The guys who aren't afraid of some overcast skies, or a few raindrops, or even some chilly temps. And they get to know you. You recognize each others' bikes, each others' riding styles, and it builds a bit of camaraderie. So the "motorcycle wave" between us is a given. A little bit of congratulations to each other for being true to the ride.
However, when the weather turns nice, now we have an influx of bikes. Folks who are now all to eager to get out and show the world their stuff. Their shiny bikes, their clean and spotless riding jackets, their feigned looks of disinterest and derision toward others, etc. And when I give the motorcycle wave to them, they remain steadfast in their determination to (in their minds) stand above the rest of us, by not returning the wave.
I used to get aggravated at this behavior because when you wave to someone and they don't return it, it's kind of like a reverse wave. It's like being flipped off, instead.
Now, though, I find it comical. Why? Because I see some of the same faces each springtime and I know they're also taking the same route every day. Which means they see those of us who ride through the good and bad. And oh...how it must irk them to see someone else actually enjoying their rides, weather be damned, all while they're stuck inside their comfy cages - some even with bold Harley stickers prominently displayed for all to see! Ha haa!
So when this year's first instance of the fair weather flip-off happened (this morning) it made me smile. And actually set the mood for this morning - a good mood!
Welcome back to the roads, everyone. We've been waiting for you.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Ya see, taking the same route to work every day, you get to know the regular riders. The guys who aren't afraid of some overcast skies, or a few raindrops, or even some chilly temps. And they get to know you. You recognize each others' bikes, each others' riding styles, and it builds a bit of camaraderie. So the "motorcycle wave" between us is a given. A little bit of congratulations to each other for being true to the ride.
However, when the weather turns nice, now we have an influx of bikes. Folks who are now all to eager to get out and show the world their stuff. Their shiny bikes, their clean and spotless riding jackets, their feigned looks of disinterest and derision toward others, etc. And when I give the motorcycle wave to them, they remain steadfast in their determination to (in their minds) stand above the rest of us, by not returning the wave.
I used to get aggravated at this behavior because when you wave to someone and they don't return it, it's kind of like a reverse wave. It's like being flipped off, instead.
Now, though, I find it comical. Why? Because I see some of the same faces each springtime and I know they're also taking the same route every day. Which means they see those of us who ride through the good and bad. And oh...how it must irk them to see someone else actually enjoying their rides, weather be damned, all while they're stuck inside their comfy cages - some even with bold Harley stickers prominently displayed for all to see! Ha haa!
So when this year's first instance of the fair weather flip-off happened (this morning) it made me smile. And actually set the mood for this morning - a good mood!
Welcome back to the roads, everyone. We've been waiting for you.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Friday, May 12, 2017
Signage Sadness
I posted a long time ago about folks running stop signs. But it's happening with such frequency now that I feel I gotta post again. I'm losing my frikkin' mind here. Geting cut off just about daily, sometimes more than once a day. These idiots just come screaming out from side streets - it's bad enough if they almost hit me in the Jeep, but in the bike it's an entirely different story.
And once these idiots who are so intent on making sure they get out in front of me, cut me off? Then they aren't even going the speed limit. Why the hell did you feel you had to race through the stop sign if you're then going to go 10 miles an hour below the speed limit??
This morning's example involves one of those white van buses. Not the full sized yellow ones, and not one of the yellow "short buses", but the white vans that do transport. (YCN, I'm looking at you because this morning's idiot was working for you.)
Anyway, this fool is entering from the left, on a diagonal road which has a stop sign where it meets the road I'm on. Since it's a diagonal road, traffic on each road has visibility of the other, so the bus could see me coming and stomped (I mean STOMPED) on the accelerator to rocket through the stop sign and come out in front of me. Then they immediately slowed down to well under the speed limit. Why?!?!?
And the kicker? You'll love this. My new friend was so safety-conscious that when they approached some railroad tracks, they were sure to stop, put their flashers on and look both ways before proceeding.
Not sure where that sense of safety was when they were racing to cut off the guy on the bike.
Oh well. It's the weekend. Get out there and get some miles on.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
And once these idiots who are so intent on making sure they get out in front of me, cut me off? Then they aren't even going the speed limit. Why the hell did you feel you had to race through the stop sign if you're then going to go 10 miles an hour below the speed limit??
This morning's example involves one of those white van buses. Not the full sized yellow ones, and not one of the yellow "short buses", but the white vans that do transport. (YCN, I'm looking at you because this morning's idiot was working for you.)
Anyway, this fool is entering from the left, on a diagonal road which has a stop sign where it meets the road I'm on. Since it's a diagonal road, traffic on each road has visibility of the other, so the bus could see me coming and stomped (I mean STOMPED) on the accelerator to rocket through the stop sign and come out in front of me. Then they immediately slowed down to well under the speed limit. Why?!?!?
And the kicker? You'll love this. My new friend was so safety-conscious that when they approached some railroad tracks, they were sure to stop, put their flashers on and look both ways before proceeding.
Not sure where that sense of safety was when they were racing to cut off the guy on the bike.
Oh well. It's the weekend. Get out there and get some miles on.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Ya Gotta Regatta!! (Or do you?)
The weather this weekend was the big story. The whole way out it was cold and rainy, and there had been rumblings within the troops about abandoning the plan to go into the water. Hell, there was talk of not even doing the camping thing, but staying at Mark and Mary's, with their dry roof and warm heat. I was the last holdout but by Friday mid-day, the torrential rain and cold winds had finally convinced me that we didn't have anything to prove by being wet and freezing.
We did head over to the campground to see the rest of the crew we're friends with and to be honest, the weather had actually settled down for a few hours. It was still chilly and overcast, but the rain had paused. Mike and I were seriously talking about coming back in the morning and going in with the rest of the crew (Kevin said he would drive us out if that's what we wanted).
Maybe it was just the beer; mellowing our concerns and giving us a rosy outlook in our minds...
Whatever it was, it was quickly eradicated when the winds suddenly picked up, the thunder, lightning and rain all returned with a vengeance. We said our hasty goodbyes, wished our brave compatriots luck, and jumped back into the Jeep to head back to the comforts of civilization.
The next morning, the news started arriving; the Regatta had been cancelled! The water was too high, moving too quickly, and there were undercurrents that were causing all kinds of concern to the organizers, as well as the rescue personnel who would be stationed along the way.
"How can they stop it?" we thought. It's a public waterway, with too many spots to launch from. But then more word came in; they were posting cops at all the entry points to prevent any idiots from going in anyway. Huh. Ok, I guess that's how they can stop it.
But I guess the adage; "where there's a will, there's a way" won out. In the early afternoon, word came back from the campsite; I guess the organizers had stepped back, saying that while the official event was cancelled, they weren't able to keep people out of the river all day. If folks wanted to go in, they did so at their own risk. So of course; some folks were braving it.
I guess a few small groups of boats gave things a try and wound up completing the entire run in an hour and a half. Bear in mind this usually takes us about 6 or 7 hours. Granted, that includes lots of stops for eats, beers, and peeing, but still. 6 or 7 hours, compared to 1.5 hours. That's pretty amazing.
I believe Sped and Myszka were in the second group to give things a try but I'm not sure. We had a free day on our hands now that we weren't doing the regatta, and we spent it in a fantastic way; Mark finally had some work for us to do. (I think it's been years since they've actually had any chores that we could help them with so it felt awesome to be paying something back again.)
A large spruce tree had been taken down beside their house and the branch/brush pile was enormous. We dragged it all out back to the edge of the lawn to be burned at a later date when things dried out.
Well, the "at a later date" plan was quickly scrapped and with some help from Mother Petrol, we soon had two huge bonfires going, despite the rain that was coming down (we had to split the brush pile into two piles because if we'd reassembled things into just one pile again, it would've been a conflagration assured to bring unwanted attention from town personnel.
We kept an eye on the fires until we were confident they'd burned down enough to not be a concern, cleaned up, and headed out and about for the evening.
Overall, it was a successful trip out, even though we didn't wind up doing the river thing. None of us regretted our decision to abandon the flood camping and ripcurrent regatta, that's for sure! We got to see so many folks; many of them the regulars we see whenever we're out there, but others which we don't get to see as often as we'd like to, so that was awesome.
Hopefully next year's weather will bring a return to the warmth and sunshine that we've seen there before. If not...we'll still head out, but we may just leave the kayaks behind.
Tomorrow's weather looks cold, but free of precipitation, then rain for a few days so we're definitely not in the clear yet. I'm looking forward to riding tomorrow, though. I need to get some miles on, badly!
Ciao for now...
We did head over to the campground to see the rest of the crew we're friends with and to be honest, the weather had actually settled down for a few hours. It was still chilly and overcast, but the rain had paused. Mike and I were seriously talking about coming back in the morning and going in with the rest of the crew (Kevin said he would drive us out if that's what we wanted).
Maybe it was just the beer; mellowing our concerns and giving us a rosy outlook in our minds...
Whatever it was, it was quickly eradicated when the winds suddenly picked up, the thunder, lightning and rain all returned with a vengeance. We said our hasty goodbyes, wished our brave compatriots luck, and jumped back into the Jeep to head back to the comforts of civilization.
The next morning, the news started arriving; the Regatta had been cancelled! The water was too high, moving too quickly, and there were undercurrents that were causing all kinds of concern to the organizers, as well as the rescue personnel who would be stationed along the way.
"How can they stop it?" we thought. It's a public waterway, with too many spots to launch from. But then more word came in; they were posting cops at all the entry points to prevent any idiots from going in anyway. Huh. Ok, I guess that's how they can stop it.
But I guess the adage; "where there's a will, there's a way" won out. In the early afternoon, word came back from the campsite; I guess the organizers had stepped back, saying that while the official event was cancelled, they weren't able to keep people out of the river all day. If folks wanted to go in, they did so at their own risk. So of course; some folks were braving it.
I guess a few small groups of boats gave things a try and wound up completing the entire run in an hour and a half. Bear in mind this usually takes us about 6 or 7 hours. Granted, that includes lots of stops for eats, beers, and peeing, but still. 6 or 7 hours, compared to 1.5 hours. That's pretty amazing.
I believe Sped and Myszka were in the second group to give things a try but I'm not sure. We had a free day on our hands now that we weren't doing the regatta, and we spent it in a fantastic way; Mark finally had some work for us to do. (I think it's been years since they've actually had any chores that we could help them with so it felt awesome to be paying something back again.)
A large spruce tree had been taken down beside their house and the branch/brush pile was enormous. We dragged it all out back to the edge of the lawn to be burned at a later date when things dried out.
Well, the "at a later date" plan was quickly scrapped and with some help from Mother Petrol, we soon had two huge bonfires going, despite the rain that was coming down (we had to split the brush pile into two piles because if we'd reassembled things into just one pile again, it would've been a conflagration assured to bring unwanted attention from town personnel.
We kept an eye on the fires until we were confident they'd burned down enough to not be a concern, cleaned up, and headed out and about for the evening.
Overall, it was a successful trip out, even though we didn't wind up doing the river thing. None of us regretted our decision to abandon the flood camping and ripcurrent regatta, that's for sure! We got to see so many folks; many of them the regulars we see whenever we're out there, but others which we don't get to see as often as we'd like to, so that was awesome.
Hopefully next year's weather will bring a return to the warmth and sunshine that we've seen there before. If not...we'll still head out, but we may just leave the kayaks behind.
Tomorrow's weather looks cold, but free of precipitation, then rain for a few days so we're definitely not in the clear yet. I'm looking forward to riding tomorrow, though. I need to get some miles on, badly!
Ciao for now...
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Kayaking The Arctic
Tomorrow, we depart for this year's Greaet Valley Regatta. This is my 4th time going and I have to say that it's time for a change. The first two times (2013 and 2015), the weather was fantastic, the water level was good, and we all had so much fun.
Then there was last year. With the cold, and the rain. Friday night it rained off and on for the entire night and then I remember texting back home on Saturday morning that it was 42 degrees out and I was putting shorts on to go into the river. WTF
The rain held off for some of the time on the water, but not all of it. But the thing I remember the most was that I froze my absolute nuggets off. By the time I got to the end of the run, I was shivering to my core. Unfortunately, I wound up way ahead of everyone again (I have no idea how I can lose a group of 20+ people along the way, but apparently I'm quite good at it). So, there I was; cold and frozen, no change of clothes, and no ride back to the campsite until the rest of the crew eventually started showing up. The rain picked back up back at the campsite and it absolutely poured for the rest of the night.
Ok, ok...well, the first two years were fantastic, I guess we were due for one bad one. Next year (this year) will be back to beautiful weather, right?
Wrong. If you can believe it, the weather for this weekend looks identical to last year's. Rain and low 40's for Friday and Saturday. Sunday looks different, but not in a good way; rain and snow. (Actually, that's an improvement. A few days ago, the % of rain was 100% for Saturday. Now it's dropped all the way down to...70%. Fingers crossed that in two more days, it'll have dropped to below 50%.)
So stay tuned, and wish us luck. We're bringing kayaks, but by the sounds of it; we should be bringing an Ark...
Then there was last year. With the cold, and the rain. Friday night it rained off and on for the entire night and then I remember texting back home on Saturday morning that it was 42 degrees out and I was putting shorts on to go into the river. WTF
The rain held off for some of the time on the water, but not all of it. But the thing I remember the most was that I froze my absolute nuggets off. By the time I got to the end of the run, I was shivering to my core. Unfortunately, I wound up way ahead of everyone again (I have no idea how I can lose a group of 20+ people along the way, but apparently I'm quite good at it). So, there I was; cold and frozen, no change of clothes, and no ride back to the campsite until the rest of the crew eventually started showing up. The rain picked back up back at the campsite and it absolutely poured for the rest of the night.
Ok, ok...well, the first two years were fantastic, I guess we were due for one bad one. Next year (this year) will be back to beautiful weather, right?
Wrong. If you can believe it, the weather for this weekend looks identical to last year's. Rain and low 40's for Friday and Saturday. Sunday looks different, but not in a good way; rain and snow. (Actually, that's an improvement. A few days ago, the % of rain was 100% for Saturday. Now it's dropped all the way down to...70%. Fingers crossed that in two more days, it'll have dropped to below 50%.)
So stay tuned, and wish us luck. We're bringing kayaks, but by the sounds of it; we should be bringing an Ark...
Monday, May 1, 2017
NH Repairs, Part II
I managed to get out of work a little early and hit the road
on Friday. Any hopes of beating the
traffic rush were soon dashed as my speed was slowed more and more until I was
doing the stop and go thing, trying to switch lanes and gain an advantage, only
to see the lane I’d just been in, start moving.
Bleah.
I hve no idea what got in there...
...but it was big...
Surprise! Your header has a huge gap in the middle, no jack under the end, and is held in place by only two nails.
All better; solid 3-beam with a spacer, and jacked under both ends. Nice and solid now.
McCarthy, installing the finish board to replace what was rotted.
Father and Son, working hard (while I'm messing aroud with my phone taking pics).
Rough is all done...
Finished! (Ok, it needs a bit of paint.)
Brontosaurus rib eyes!
A slightly well done McCarthy...
Sunday morning stroll down to the water...
And there you have it.
Maybe next post I'll actually have something bike-related for you...
Happy Monday
I stopped off for food supplies and then knocked off the
last stretch of the ride up. I got the
perishables put away, strapped on (!!) my plastering stilts and got to work on
pulling the old wood off of the garage.
Man, there was an awful lot of rot up in there. There were sections where the wood was literally
held in place by the paint because as soon as I started to pull it apart, it disintegrated
to powder in my hands. Apparently when
this was built, whoever did the construction never sealed on top of the trim,
allowing the water to just soak right on in whenever it rained. And soft wet wood is always a welcome habitat
for insects, so there’d been any number of tiny tenants over the years.
McCarthy and Michael arrived before too long and they helped
remove the rest of the trim and expose the header. And that is when we found our first surprise;
the header had no jacks on either end. Well, one end ran through the frame and to the
corner of the building, but the other end just went to the end of the opening. And then we found surprise number 2; that end
of the header was held in place by two nails.
Yep; one entire side of the garage door header had no jack and only two
nails holding it in place. It’s a wonder
the doorway hadn’t collapsed or even started sinking, for that matter.
Anyway, it was getting dark so we put the tools inside,
closed things up and headed in for the evening.
The next morning, it was a bunch of measurements, some
cutting and fastening using leftover stock from last weekend, then off to Home
Depot for a materials run. The GPS took
us a different route so I was excited that maybe a new HD had been built
recently. Maybe we weren’t facing a
(minimum) 3 hour trip (there, buy, come back) to get materials. But no, the one it brought us to was just as
far as the other one, just in another direction. Damn.
When we finally got back to the house, Steph and Alli had
arrived and were hanging out on the deck enjoying the scenery.
We got the materials unloaded; the equipment set up, and got
to work. Things moved along pretty well
and by the end of the day, we had both the rough-in, and the finish trim,
buttoned up. Tools were put inside,
debris was cleaned up, and things looked good.
It’d been a long day so dinner was under way long after the
sun had set. Michael (Sr) had brought up
an entire ribeye and then cut it into giant steaks, which he then threw on the
grille. Potatoes and some veggies were
also cooked up, but I just focused on the steak. Man-oh-man, talk about delicious. My mouth is watering a bit right now, just remembering
it.
Michael had one small snafu while grilling, though. The steaks had caught fire so he ran out to
squelch the flames and wound up getting a little too close. Fortunately for him; he hadn’t done his
annual head and beard shaving yet, so while the house did smell like burned
hair, at least it had afforded him some protection from the flames.
There wasn’t much left in the evening but we passed the time
with some libations and laughter. It was
a great way to wind down the day.
Sunday morning came too soon, and my head was feeling the
impacts of drinking a bottle of wine along with the beers. Oh well, sometimes we need reminders of what
hurts, right?
We got the tools loaded up into McCarthy’s truck and I bade
my farewells. I had some things at home
to take care of so I hit the road a bit before they did.
I need to make one more trip up there to get last minute
essentials taken care of, but that will entail another multi-hour trip to
Walmart, most likely. I’ll try and pick
up as much stuff as I can ahead of time and then see if I missed anything.
McCarthy said he wants to head up with me again but I don’t
know that the poor guy can put his schedule off any more than he already has
for me. I’ll let him know when I’m going
up, so we’ll see.
Pics!
That's some serious rot in there...
I hve no idea what got in there...
Surprise! Your header has a huge gap in the middle, no jack under the end, and is held in place by only two nails.
All better; solid 3-beam with a spacer, and jacked under both ends. Nice and solid now.
McCarthy, installing the finish board to replace what was rotted.
Father and Son, working hard (while I'm messing aroud with my phone taking pics).
Rough is all done...
Brontosaurus rib eyes!
A slightly well done McCarthy...
Sunday morning stroll down to the water...
And there you have it.
Maybe next post I'll actually have something bike-related for you...
Happy Monday
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