Polar Bear Blog, Langhorne, PA, March 24, 2013.
By: Chris Loynd
Yes, I know it has been about a year since I wrote about the Connecticut Polar Bear's motorcycle adventures on this blog format. My privately hosted blog has been available all year. Click here.
But this ride was special, and worth sharing more broadly. Polar Bear founder Bob Hartpence celebrated his 75th birthday, at the meet, arriving on two wheels. And it got me to thinking, since I celebrated my 57th birthday exactly one week earlier. Here's my entry:
One of the rides close enough to my ancestral home, I decided to spend the night with Mom and Dad and rode to Wilmington on Saturday.
It saves me a couple hours' of early morning rising on Sunday. From Wilmington to Langhorne is a less than an hour hop up I-95 through Philadelphia.
Sunday morning traffic was non-existent, so the ride took me even less time. I was half an hour early. I settled in with a cup of coffee and expected to soon see my Connecticut compatriots.
But I didn't.
Seems this week's ride leader, Grumpy, figured he knew better than his GPS.
I've often waxed and waned on the virtues of these satellite-enabled computers. And I have myself gotten into trouble by blindly following the dang thing.
Grumpy missed his exit. Token2rode up to rescue the lead -- as Token2 has done for me before -- they arrived, albeit late, at Brian's Harley-Davidson.
No worries for me. I enjoyed swapping some stories with a guy and two girl Polar Bears from the Jersey Shore.
My guys eventually came strolling in, walked right past me actually, and I joined them for Brian's free lunch.
Several of our guys earned rockers and pins this run.
Fonz earned his gold rocker this ride -- and held it up for the camera every chance he got. (Take a closer look at the group photo above.)
Fortunately, I earned my gold rocker too, in time to have it sewn onto my vest. Brian's H-D for several years now has had seamstresses available.
Unbeknownst to my buddies, I signed-in and got my rocker downstairs, then zipped back upstairs to get it sewn onto my vest.
That's the whole point of earning it on or before this run, right?
Meanwhile, the CT Bears downstairs in the parking lot were wondering what was holding up the group picture.
A highlight of this week's run was Bob Hartpence's birthday. Bob is one of the founders and the leader of the Polar Bear Grand Tour.
First, I thought it salient that Bob's family had to travel to the Polar Bear destination in order to celebrate their patriarch's birthday. No way Bob misses a Polar Bear ride, even for his own birthday.
Second, I was shocked to learn Bob was celebrating his 75th birthday. I thought he was much younger; most of our Connecticut bears concurred.
Bob is at every meet, on two wheels whenever weather allows. He's always fun and positive and quick with a joke.
Bob gives me hope.
Last Sunday was my birthday. At 57 I can just now see 60 on the horizon. It gets me thinking about how many more years of riding and fun and even life I have ahead of me.
If I can be on two wheels at 75 like Bob, well maybe the future looks longer than I thought. I can't imagine I'll be still riding like Leo at 90-plus. But who knows?
Meanwhile, I figure to hang around with enough old guys to feel young and enjoy my Polar Bear adventures as the years roll on. And with than in mind, I confidently paid my money and signed up for the 2013-14 season.
