| By: Chris Loynd
You know how sometimes in winter you are driving along in a
clean car, surrounded by clean cars and then you see a car so
crudded up with salt and junk you know it must be from up north
and sure enough the license plate reads, "Maine" or "Vermont"?
We were those guys Sunday.
What is it about the Cape May Polar Bear ride and
Nor'Easters?
A doozy came through Saturday. And while along the coast we
only got a few inches, our friends in northern Connecticut got
up to 18 inches.
New Jersey got a dusting to mostly just rain. |
Connecticut polar bears
were salt covered before we
got out of state.
|
| When we got to Cape May we were surrounded by
shiny, clean bikes. We held our heads a little higher as we
parked our crudbikes. I felt like a true Polar Bear. In late
August, just before Hurricane Irene, I put my bike in for an
engine remanufacturing.
It had 137,000 miles and I figured I didn't want any troubles
during Polar Bear season.
When I called Marcel, the service manager at Brothers
Harley-Davidson he asked, "Are you sure you don't want to keep
it a little longer to enjoy the riding weather?"
"No! I got to get it ready for Polar Bear season. So I need
it by the end of September to get my break-in miles done," I
replied. |
My bike with it's brand new
chrome and engine. |
"You have this riding season thing upside down," Marcel laughed.
I didn't even need to shovel my driveway Sunday. Fonz did a bit.
Grumpy has a ski slope and had to clear it. Then he dropped the
bike in an icy Ansonia intersection on his way to meet us at
Dunkin' Donuts. He, and his ride, were fine and he made it to
Cape May and back.
Grumpy said in his e-mail the week after the ride that he was
a bit sore.
Our northern pals Token and Bart were completely snow bound.
They may also still be without electricity. Because the snow was
wet and heavy and trees still had all their leaves, the damage
to power lines here was worse than with hurricane Irene.
|
Fonz's driveway. Not too bad
along the coast of Connecticut. |
| Some areas of Connecticut are without power
still. The utility is promising 99 percent restoration by end of
day Sunday, more than a week after the storm. Fortunately,
even with our early start the temperature was above freezing.
Unfortunately, they had been spraying salt on the roads all
Saturday and into Sunday morning.
Still, our morning ride was not so great. In fact there was a
time there when I was entertaining thoughts of turning around.
I mean, I am out here to have fun. And with the spray and wet
roads, with strong and gusty winds, with the slabs of snow
blowing off roofs of lazy car drivers, with a few sphincter
moments of less than optimal traction, it was becoming a chore.
|
Fonz's ride. That gloss black
paint job and chrome nicely show the salt deposits. |
| We figured to keep within the warm embrace of
Long Island Sound. So I opted to follow I-95 all the way to the
George Washington Bridge. Only the New York State Patrol had
other ideas.
The Cross Bronx Expressway was closed, shut down. Fortunately
the NY trooper was standing outside his car and gave us easy
directions to the bridge.
Traffic remained heavy until we got well south on the Garden
State Parkway.
Polar Bear Grand Poohbah Bob Hartpence sent out an e-mail on
Saturday to ensure all Bears that Sunday's ride was a go. He
said the roads were dry. |
Fonz decorated the fairing
of Grumpy's Road Glide.
|
| We did not find those dry roads until we were
about halfway down to Cape May. Fortunately, roads were dry
for the whole ride home. And the sun was shining. It even warmed
up a bit.
But the long ride meant a sunrise start and a finish in the
dark.
I led the ride because I wanted to vary my speed a bit. I had
'pert near a thousand miles on the new motor. Still, I didn't
want to crank it the whole way to Cape May.
It worked out just fine. The ride down was so crappy, I kept
speeds below the posted limits. |
Fonz, Captain and Blogger
bikes parked in a Dunkin' Donuts sunrise. |
| For the first time I can remember, Cape May
sign-in was a breeze. No waiting. We bought our "this season"
shirts, made our acquaintances, I teased Bob about his "dry
roads" e-mail and we were off.
Over brunch, some had breakfast, some chose lunch, we caught
up with riding buddies. It hardly seems seven months have
passed.
With a very demanding workload this year, I will definitely
do more riding in winter than I did all summer.
Hopefully the weather will be kind. But it is winter. And we
start from New England. There are no guarantees. |
Bob Hartpence, Polar Bear
Chairman at sign-in. How does he do it?
|
|
Clean bikes
at Cape May.
|
Rich and Dave our Flight B
leaders.
|
Starting out with a bit of
snow in the background: Fonz, Chris, John K.
|
Fonz, our very own Polarican,
at the ride's start.
|
Grumpy, Chris and Pogy,
partway down.
|
Grumpy at our last stop of the
day.
|
Starting out just after
sunrise we ended up at home after sundown.
Back to top. |
|
Lewes,
Delaware, November 6, 2023
Week 2 Polar Bears, from
left: Mac, Bart, Captain, Pogy, Chris (your blogger), Fonz, John
J, Grumpy and Token2.
|
| By: Chris
Loynd
Lewes, Delaware, is a long way from Stratford, Connecticut,
especially on a motorcycle, even in summer, I don't care who you
are.
What a wacky ride. It's basically a 12-hour day for us, 10 of
those in the saddle. It's like 270 miles one-way. It's a good
touring day. And in the quest for the coveted Polar Bear patch,
this ride takes our Connecticut bears a long way.
There are not many 7 pointers in the schedule.
If you ride the first two rides of the season from Connecticut,
you are 'pert near halfway to the 30 points needed to qualify. |
Made it! Irish Eyes Pub in
Lewes.
|
|
Or if you are like the Captain, you will have donated blood in
New Jersey, traveling there and back on your motorcycle, four
times before the season even begins, for extra points,.
Plus you will have attended every extra point ride Bob Hartpence
offers.
So John K. likely crossed the 30-point threshold on this ride.
While I am not as crazy about points as some of my compadres, I
cannot deny the prize was nestled in the back of my mind as I
contemplated going or not.
Several of us came off a tough week to ride this Sunday. |
Captain John Kammerer, our
Polar Bear points king.
|
|
I was on antibiotics, but feeling much better. A simple cold
morphed into a nasty sinus infection the week before our Lewes
ride. On Thursday the sinus pain was so bad it made my teeth
hurt. But the miracle of fighting fungi had me feeling chipper
and barley sniffling and no longer contagious by the weekend.
Our northernmost CT bears, Bart and Token2 were snowed under
from the freak Nor'easter mentioned in last week's Cape May
blog.
As it turned out, Bart needed only to dig out his driveway. His
was a lucky oasis of electricity in an otherwise dark grid. He
even rode up to the Dunkin' to start out with us Sunday. |
Achoo! That's me, Chris, your
blogger, on the right. I was feeling much better by Sunday, no
really.
Fonz, at left, was busy snapping away as we waited to sign in
for the big points.
|
Token2 was not so lucky. He was without power the whole week,
sending furtive e-mails to fellow riders when he could from
random cafe wifi hot spots. But the juice came back on Saturday
night in his house. And I guess John felt he had spent more than
enough quality time with his wife Lynn sitting in the dark
together and so he took off to ride with us Sunday.
Mac was undeterred even by the lack of a motorcycle. He followed
us down and back in his car. His bike's in the shop. All the
same, he said he wanted to sign in and get the season started.
Unlike us, Mac earned just one point for bringing his car.
Except for a gravel parking lot, and a lot of that gravel fresh
and deep, Irish Eyes Pub is a fine destination. |
Bart.
|
The food was great. All the dining room tables were filled by
the time we arrived. So we pushed together the bar tables and
high stools and perched together like a flock of birds.
Token2 was sitting next to me on one side of the table. Being
more toward the center, he heard more of the conversations at
both end of the table than I could. At one point he turned to me
and said, "You know you're riding with old guys when they are
comparing PSA scores."
Still, there are a few perquisites to being an old guy. They
don't always balance out the detriments. But young guys can miss
a lot due to lack of seasoning. More on that later. |
CT Polar Bears take over the
bar for lunch. From left: Token, Grumpy, Mac, Fonz and Bart.
|
|
Pogy entertained us with his long awaited comeback to Token.
Apparently they made a bet or something LAST season and Pogy
owed Token a dollar. Well Pogy carried that dollar around the
world and waited all summer to make a special presentation of it
to Token last Sunday.
Oh the places that dollar has been! And the things that dollar
has seen!
These two guys are our worldly ones, both having jobs that take
them far and wide. Token is a British expat and world traveler.
Pogy is a first generation AmerHungarian working for a worldwide
helicopter company. Me, I've been to Canada . . . several times.
|
Token's dollar after its
'round the world trip with Pogy. John J. in the background is an
innocent party.
|
Back in Delaware, I decided that while it certainly is wonderful
that Gerbing Co. has a lifetime warranty on their electric
motorcycle clothing, it is not much help when you have to send
your stuff out for repair during winter riding season. I mean,
when else are you going to discover that your jacket liner is no
longer getting power to your gloves?
So I bit the bullet and bought yet another liner. This way I can
ride warm while my old liner makes its way to Tumwater,
Washington, state for chrissakes, for repairs. (At least my
liner won't have traveled as far as Token's dollar.)
The replacement liner was an almost $200 investment. But I like
to ride in winter and I hate to be cold.
|
Token-squared, not for his
British affiliation but for his not one but two foreign
motorcycles.
|
Grumpy started busting my chops about being a "rich" guy. I
don't think he's seen my house. And I gave him as much back.
I'll bet he makes as much or more than I. And I told him so.
For one thing, Johnny B. has a gigantic diesel, scratch that,
TURBO DIESEL truck with dual gas tanks, dual tires, dual other
stuff, you get the idea. I'll bet his truck costs more than a
gaggle of Hyundais like I drive, the Accent, bottom of the line,
2005. (Hey I got a kid in college and a Harley. We gotta cut
corners somewhere.)
Plus, Grumpy is supporting a colony of folks at his house. The
way he tells it he has relatives coming from far and wide to
reside under his roof.
|
John J., left, and Mac. Mac
drove all the way down in his car for one point.
|
The coup d'etat came when, as we're getting dressed out in the
parking lot, Grumpy reveals that he, too, just bought a new
liner. "It was only like two hundred bucks," he grinned.
As I started my bike, it didn't. Boy, oh boy, that is a sinking
feeling. Hoping against hope, I turned the switch off and back
on again. This time it started.
But I soon discovered I had no reading on the speedometer. And
as I rode back toward Connecticut, it soon became clear I had no
brake lights or turn signals.
A dark cloud of despair filled my helmet.
But I am an old guy, well at least an older guy. And as I
mentioned earlier, we have a few advantages.
|
Returning to the bikes,
Captain far left, John J, center.
|
|
One of these is experience.
As I rode along, worried for my bike's failure at any moment and
so far from home, my brain polled its database. A faint memory
clicked into place. And as I rolled it around and examined it,
the memory grew stronger and more appropriate.
Yes, it was years ago. Same thing. No speedometer. Riding by
myself up in Massachusettss I think. I recall the bike ran okay,
all the way home in fact. Then they replaced my ignition switch.
I felt a little better. Despair faded into mere dread.
When we made our last gas stop on the Garden State Parkway, it
was getting pretty dark.
|
Bob picture of the week.
|
|
I enlisted the help of my fellow riders. Fonz, who was behind
me, was warned to watch out for my lack of brake lights. "If you
feel a little bump, it's just me," he assured me. Captain said
he would follow me all the way home acting as surrogate brake
lights and turn signals.
Fortunately the bike started right up. And then I tried turning
the ignition switch just a little toward the "off" position.
Instantly the speedometer lit up. I checked the turn signals.
Yup, they're back, brake lights too.
Dread was shredded by the bright light of knowledge. And I rode
comfortably home.
Remembering the previous ignition switch symptoms reminded me of
a conversation I had just had that week with my son Trever. He
was agonizing over a problem with his Camaro. Just could not get
it to run right after he installed a new distributor. It was
backfiring through the carb.
Trever works as a mechanic. And apparently he mentioned the
trouble to his fellow mechanics. One of the more experienced
guys suggested a very simple solution. Trever came home that
night, tried it, and the Camaro purred. "How the heck would that
old guy know to try that?" Trever asked me. "I just smiled and
said there are a few, just a few, advantages to being an old
guy."
|
| Guest Contribution:
Fonz
Irish Eyes Entry:
Even though I had an extra hour this Sunday, I still
miscalculated and almost ended up riding to the Irish Eyes
Pub alone. Luckily for me, the CTPB's are great for leaving
on time. I usually gas up in the AM near my home and then
print out a gas receipt to check the time. The latest I
have been able to depart from that gas station and still
make the departure time has been 9 minutes.
On Sunday, I fueled up and then printed my receipt. I
looked at the time and thought...HOLY Sh*#, they're leaving
in a minute! I quickly took off not knowing exactly where I
would catch up. I may have violated a few laws along the
way :)
|
Fonz arriving at Irish Eyes
Pub, Lewes.
|
Normally I commute on RT 8 Southbound and then merge on I95
North to make it to our start point in Stratford. Due to my
tardiness, I decided to merge on I95 Southbound and took my
chances catching up with the CTPB's while en-route. Lucky
for me I saw my fellow bears about 10 miles from the merge
and quickly joined in on the formation. Whew, that was
close. I've missed the group in the past and had to travel
alone to the destination. Its not as enjoyable so I'm glad
the timing was just right. I'm going to have to work on my
arrival time. The ride was exceptional thanks to Captain
who rode at a great pace. I was actually able to average
about 50 miles per gallon on this ride due to our speed. I
did make a personal observation this week. When we stopped
for fuel on on the GSP, I was informed by CT Blogger-Chris
that his rear lights were not operating. He asked me if I
had noticed. I quickly replied "NO" and felt confused. How
could I have missed that? I concluded that I have reached a
mental comfort zone with the bears, that did not allow me to
see the obvious. Good hand and arm signals and a sweep to
protect my rear may have played a part as well.
I do have to make a safety suggestion. Let's make sure that
we do not choose a gas up location that is just prior to a
toll booth. I saw Captain almost get creamed by a vehicle
that refused to allow him to merge. I'm thinking that
Captain was attempting to merge to the extreme left of the
highway in order to make it to the Ezpass lane. Not
really sure what happened...maybe he's reached a mental
comfort zone as well. Good times!
Fonz
|
|
Old Bridge,
NJ, November 13, 2023
Week 3 CT
Polar Bears, left to right, back row: Ken, Token2, Russ, John J,
Captain, Chris (your blogger), Jim and Mac.
Down front from left: Bart, Fonz, Grumpy and Cindy.
|
By: Chris Loynd
Ahhh, the joys of group riding.
Riding with a big group of fellow motorcycles has its appeal,
and its foibles.
Last Sunday we did group riding by the Pirate Code.
The Connecticut Polar Bears have had discussions over the years
about how many bikes we should have in a line before we divide
the riders into two or more independent groups.
Some say the threshold is six bikes, some say eight or even 10.
I'm pretty sure 12 is too many.
|
Polar bears preparing to leave
our Stratford, CT, Dunkin' Donuts departure point.
|
Nevertheless, Sunday's unseasonably warm weather and reasonably
close destination turned out the Polar Cubs who engorged our
group.
We started out with a threshold nine bikes. Then as we were
riding along the Fonz suddenly appeared, pushing us to an upper
limit 10. Somewhere before we hit I-287 Jim materialized, as he
is wont to do, and we were 11. Token was waiting for us at his
usual pickup point and that made it a dozen.
Twelve can be tough to manage. It is a long line of bikes.
Leading a group that big is sort of like managing a train. That
many bikes stretches the length of maybe three or four
tractor-trailer trucks.
|
Chris, your blogger, arriving
at Dunkin' just in time and ready to ride.
|
Before we even got to Token our leader inadvertently broke the
group by merging in front of a slower car. Our sweep rider came
up to add to the confusion. Then one of our more expert riders
decided to cut off the cops who were creating the traffic jam in
the first place, riding up in the unoccupied lane next to our
group to form up again in front of the slower car.
When I saw him come up, he was wearing a different jacket than
usual. I did not recognize him. My first thought was, "Who is
this jerk?" Boy was I surprised when our group reformed and I
got close enough to read his license plate. (I won't mention any
names but later Fonz told me he was surprised the cops didn't
pull him over.) |
This week's ride leader, John
J.
|
And no sooner did we assimilate Token and head for the Hutch
than a couple of cars once again cut into our line as we went to
merge onto the parkway.
They created a pretty big gap. Once they cleared out of our
path our ride leader and just two other bikes were a spec on the
horizon and fading fast.
The cars cut me off so I was de facto lead for the moment. So I
slowed a bit to get the rest of us to form up, and then tried to
catch the leader.
He didn't make it easy.
Once I got the rest of us within striking distance, and I wanted
to get us all together before the move onto the next expressway,
I zoomed ahead and gestured to the leader to slow down -- even
just a little -- so the rest of us could catch him.
|
Fonz in his Veteran's Day
vest.
|
Of course with full face helmets at highway speed communications
options are limited. I got a puzzled look from our leader, but
while he was puzzling he did back off his throttle just enough
for the rest of the group to gather -- once again -- behind him.
I fell into line and we soon transitioned to the next mix
master, the merge onto the GW Bridge.
Once we reached the order and regularity of the New Jersey
Turnpike, things settled down. We grabbed our own lane and owned
it.
Now I have assiduously avoided mentioning any names. |
Cindy Fox joined us for her
first Polar Bear ride of this year, and this time riding her own
bike.
|
And later in the day John Jackson asserted that this blog and
the ribbing from fellow Bears may be the reason we have a hard
time finding ride leaders.
Wait, we have a hard time finding ride leaders? Grumpy will lead
any ride any time. Oh, he grouses about always having to lead.
But he's just living up to his nickname.
The Captain will volunteer to lead any ride. But do you really
want him to?
I've led my share of rides.
And reviewing past blog posts I see that I always lead a picture
perfect ride. |
Ken also put in his first
Polar Bear ride of the season. Coincidence?
|
|
When we finally got down to Old Bridge and got our helmets off,
I understood the morning's problem even better. John J. revealed
that his Harley mirrors only reach two bikes behind him. So he
really could not see that he had no more that two followers as
he blasted down the Hutchinson River Parkway.
And the Pirate Code? Certainly you remember, "Them that falls
behind is left behind."
So if you wish to join us on a ride next Sunday, and you have
moderately good riding skills and a decent GPS in case we lose
you, you are welcome to join the Connecticut Polar Bears. If you
have a thick enough skin we may even let you lead. |
Big turnout in Old Bridge
thanks to the unseasonably warm weather.
|
Prologue:
I did get a new switch installed on my Harley the Saturday
before this ride. It feels noticeably tighter.
As I perused my records, I see I installed my first
replacement switch in June of 2007, five years and a month after
I bought the bike. I had 102,210 miles at the time. Bridgeport
Harley-Davidson charged $185, but it was covered under my
extended warranty.
My second replacement (third switch) was due four-and-a-half
years later, November of 2012. I had 138,474 miles at the time.
Brothers Harley-Davidson charged $154.50.
So it appears that the bad news is that I am needing switches
more often. |
We ended up parking on the
road before the KofC.
|
| The good news is that they are getting less
expensive. Maybe I am just twisting too hard, 'though I don't
think so.
When I first mentioned my switch troubles in the blog for the
Lewes ride, I talked about how experience serves us old guys.
Well it turns out I haven't learned all my lessons.
I blithely rode out of the Branford dealership and all the
way back home to Stratford with my new switch, the keys safely
stored in a zippered pocket.
When I went to put the bike away, I naturally went to lock
it. Wrong keys! Someone with more experience would have checked
that detail back at the dealership. Ah well. |
Fonz.
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Back to top. |
|
Sugar Loaf, NJ; November 20, 2023
Week 4 CT Bears, back
row from left: Grumpy, John J. Captain, Fonz, CT Blogger, Dolly,
Token and Mac.
Down front from left: Pogy and Bill. I thought it would be funny
to do a profile picture too.
|
 |
By: Chris Loynd
When I saw Polar Bear Grand Poohbah Bob Hartpence in very nearby
Sugar Loaf' N.Y., he joked that maybe this ride wasn't even
worth the Connecticut bears getting out of bed. I told him we
were experiencing Polar Bearing as our New Jersey brethren do.
This Sunday's destination was so close we only earned a single
mileage point. Heck, we usually achieve one point just getting
out of state.
A few of our members flirted, albeit briefly, with a point
stretch. We even racked up a few extra miles thanks to a closed
road around which Token, our ride leader, had to detour.
Grumpy and Mac, start deeper in Connecticut than most of us.
Those two did pick up the extra point.
|
Polar Bear Grand Poohbah Bob
Hartpence (right) with Flight A Leader John Bachota.
|
| But we dissuaded the others with peer pressure.
Most of us accurately recorded between 160 and 180 roundtrip
miles.
Token lives close to this Sunday's destination and so promised
us a scenic ride. He led us over parkways and through state
parks. The afore mentioned closed road caused him a bit of
consternation, most dramatically represented with not one but
two circuits of a traffic roundabout.
Slavish following of his GPS also caused him to head back into
town after a Dolly-mandated early gas stop. We dutifully
followed Token through every U-turn.
The only time in the ride where we did break formation on
Sunday was in the Barn Sider Tavern parking lot. |
Token2, center, at
the end of a successfully, circuitously led ride. Your blog
author, at left. |
|
Even though we arrived before 11:30 sign-in, the lot was
already full. Token threaded his way back around to the street
and found a good spot we could all share. Being his wingman, I
was right there with him. But when we went to back our
bikes into our spots we discovered only Token and I remained.
The rest of our guys decided to block in some other bikes in the
parking lot. The bike-bound riders soon saw the Connecticut
plates and coming into the restaurant went straight to the
Captain. It's the hat, John. The offenders went back outside to
move their bikes, releasing the other riders.
To his credit, Token did find plenty of twisties for us to ride.
His was a welcome respite from our typical Interstate expressway
dominated Polar Bear motorcycling.
|
John J. blocking in bikes. His
other Connecticut conspirators are parked left and right of him. |
Unfortunately the distances we typically travel, and the
Captain's flag, generally mandate faster and more direct routes
than the luxury we rode Sunday.
The Captain has a new American flag flying on a pole at his
house and was very concerned about striking his colors before
sunset.
A light fixture is on order and hopefully arrives and is
installed before Montgomeryville. There's no way we get back
from there before sundown.
Our Connecticut Polar Bear ranks continue to swell.
We picked up two new riders on this trip. |
Did Pogy start the third row?
|
Dolly is Fonz's wife. Not exactly new to the Polar Bears, she
rode with us as a passenger last year on the back of Fonz's
Harley. Sunday she was at the helm of her Honda Shadow.
Fonz had bought Dolly one of this season's spiffy new red Polar
Bear Grand Tour shirts. But he said she could not wear it until
she actually rode with the Bears.
Fortunately Sunday's ride was not at all bearish. With our
shortest distance of the season and temperatures nearing 60, it
was a perfect ride for cubs.
I think Dolly found it to be quite enough. At our end of day
coffee stop Dolly asked me, "What does it mean when you start
seeing things?"
"Seeing what?" I asked.
"You know, like two roads," she replied.
"I think it means you drop out of the group," I said. Geeze, she
rode behind me most of the day. I kept a keen eye on my rearview
mirrors the rest of the ride. |
Dolly rode her own Polar Bear,
um, ride, on her own bike.
|
Bill also joined us Sunday. He has a New Jersey Polar
Bear friend but lives in Ridgefield. Perusing the Polar Bear
Grand Tour site, www.PolarBearGrandTour.com, Bill found the
Connecticut contingent's blog on the Grand Tour's "Members'
Homepages" page and contacted me.
We liked Bill almost immediately, well right after lunch for
sure. Bill picked up the whole lunch tab, for all of us! I
sought him out later and assured him there are no initiation
rites, nor secret conclave votes, to be a member of the
Connecticut Bears. You pretty much need only to show up on a
motorcycle. Buying lunch for everyone is certainly not a
requirement. |
Bill was also a new rider with
us this Sunday.
|
Oh, if you desire the coveted Connecticut patch, you must firsf
earn the Grand Tour patch. But so far we have rejected no one
from just tagging along on our rides.
There is also the Connecticut Polar Bear pledge. And I forgot to
administer it to Dolly or Bill. It's very simple, raise your
right hand and repeat after me, "I am responsible for my own
safety."
That's it!
Sort of like parachuting, the real challenge is not in getting
someone to join us for the first ride; we won't really
know if Dolly or Bill likes us until she or he show up for a
second ride.
Meanwhile Dolly and Bill are immortalized in the Polar Bear
Motorcycle Blog. And not everyone can say that.
|
It appears Bill enjoyed riding
with the CT Bears. So we may see him again. |
From our Ride Leader:
Being a Connecticut
Bear....�.one has to have the ability to laugh at oneself,
enjoy the consequences of one�s actions and the helpful
advice that often follows. With that in mind I offer the
following ditty for the blog� (to be recanted to the tune of
the �hokey pokey� which I understand is as well known in the
US as the UK� and if not here is the tune:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxb0OBq7N3Q
)
��you put your kick stand down,
you put your kick stand up (duh!),
up, down, up, down and you shake it all around,
you do the chokey chokey on Bear Mountain Bridge
that�s what it is all about�.�
I give thanks for being a
CT Bear and hope all kindred Bears have a good
Thanksgiving holiday!
See you for the
Montgomeryville, PA trip. I still have been denied a spousal
pass to ride to Richmond, VA for the holiday so I could then
ride up to Hillbilly Hall; negotiations have been
terminated.
T2
|
Bill came dressed for bearing
the weather. I did not get a chance to ask him about his
experience with cold weather riding.
|
Dolly came ready for the cold
too, electric gloves and vest. But she wore a half helmet,
either because she expected
it would be warm enough or to make room for those big hoop
earrings.
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Of course Dolly, right, may
have gotten some good advice from her experienced CT Bear, Fonz,
left, our own Polarican.
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This week's Ride Leader, left,
and Wingman, right.
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Dolly, left, maybe getting
some advice from Mac, far right, with Fonz in the middle.
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Captain upon arrival.
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Another view of "third row"
parkers.
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Your blog author, Chris,
certainly enjoyed the ride.
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Finding a lunch spot. The Barn
Sider filled up fast.
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Waiting for our orders, from
left, John J., Captain, Token2.
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What did you say?
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Suiting up at the start, John
J., left, and Mac.
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Chris says, "Don't rush me!"
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Conversation with your riding
pals is something we enjoy. Lots of laughs and good stories.
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Pogy promises another dollar a
strange and unusual journey. Around the world in 80 days?
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Flight A Leaders: Luis
Granados, left, and John Bachota, right.
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Flight B Leaders: Dave
Cushing, left, and Richie Leyh, right.
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John J. racking up the Polar
Bear points.
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The Dolly Show. Dolly seemed to
enjoy posing with everyone and her hubby and others snapped
away.
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Fonz gets some good coffee for
the final stop while Mac, left, and Bill, right, seem
nonplussed.
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Suiting up for the last leg to
home.
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We will lose Grumpy soon to
the late shift at his company.
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