Short Run

Connecticut Bears in Sloatsburg, from left: Captain, Token2, Paul, Princess, CT Blogger and Grumpy with Pogy down front.

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, ride to Rhodes North Tavern, Sloatsburg, NY, December 27, 2015.

By: Chris Loynd

Sloatsburg, N.Y., is one of our closest destinations from Connecticut. In fact, it is shorter for Token2 to ride directly to the tavern than the I-287 and Hutchinson Parkway bus stop where we usually meet him. Which is what he did.

Token2 was on, as he described it, "a finger-drumming, eye rolling kitchen pass." He had to get back home fast to play host to holiday guests. It was our loss. This is Token's backyard. On past rides here he has taken us on scenic rides through Harriman State Park, and a few times 'round the roundabout.

Still, I was glad he came because he provided one of the funniest moments of the morning.

Stymied by the short distance, Princess rode from Long Island to our Stratford, Conn., start point. Paul also rode up from Norwalk to Stratford, only to turn around and head back south with the group. He lives in Norwalk, Conn., or Kalamazoo, Mich,, or both, it wasn't entirely clear.

Our Connecticut crew does not have many sub-one-hundred mile runs for the Polar Bear Grand Tour. Personally, I enjoyed the extra sleep. We left at 10:30 a.m., hours later than our usual departure times. We should have left a bit earlier; I did not allow for traffic.

Nowadays Tappan Zee traffic slows because people gawk at construction of the new bridge going up parallel to the current one. Driving home from the holidays on Saturday, I noticed the phenomenon. It was the only real jam we experienced all the way from Delaware. Today we had the same slowdown and from both directions. Additional accident rubbernecking headed west got us to the destination a bit later than planned.

Pogy did a bit of construction ogling himself. At lunch he complained there were no American flags flying from tops of any construction cranes. Usually some patriotic worker puts a flag on the pinnacle of the highest crane. At lunch we speculated the work is outsourced to the Chinese. I was guilty of a bit of construction rubbernecking myself on the ride home confirming Pogy's concern. All I saw were checkerboard orange and white aviation warning flags. Bridge commissioners, if you're listening, Pogy has a suggestion. Or all our blog readers could go on the new bridge web site and suggest they display a flag.

On the "Bridge commissioners" link above there is a tab for "contact us." There I sent the following message: "I was disappointed today to not see an American flag flying from any of your construction cranes. Typically I see the colors proudly displayed at major and minor construction sites. One so prominent as yours should show some patriotic pride."

Our late arrival was exacerbated by my lead. With Paul and his tiny thumper in the mix on this run, I decided to let him know we could accommodate most all riders. He was one of my students in the Connecticut Rider Education Program (ConnREP) classes this past summer. Pogy, John Jackson and I are instructors. I always tell my students about the Polar Bears. Token2 is a ConnREP graduate who learned about the Polar Bears from his instructor. I guess two converts in like 10 years maybe says something about our sanity.

I kept a reasonable speed achieving a comfort level that pulled Paul into our formation. On his previous trip with the Connecticut Bears, he tagged along at the back of the pack so he could "ride his own ride."

Princess was offered the lead, but settled for second bike. All I required of her was staying in position and using her mirrors to catch lane changes by the sweep when I couldn't see them. She proved a capable and precise rider, at my right hip the entire time. She rode tight.

Grumpy was next in line. He's back from medical leave. Being both short and warm, he figured this was a good opportunity to try out his new hand and healed body. He was pleased with the results.

Rhodes North Tavern is one of those wonderful Polar Bear destinations that gets us. Half their parking lot was blocked off for bikes only. A staffer was outside directing bikes for maximum packing.

Inside, lunch was wonderful. Token2 went ahead as we were delayering and Tavern staff put together a few tables for our group of seven. Our waitress was fast and efficient and never was heard a discouraging word. Our busboy brought us free scones while we waited for our orders to arrive. Princess was delighted to see a BLT first on the menu. I probably should have ordered one. It looked fabulous: ruffled lettuce, extra bacon, copious in size and penurious in price.

My steak sandwich was New York style which means slices of steak instead of the wafer-thin "Steakums" style meat we're used to in Philadelphia. Seems I've made this mistake before. That said, the sandwich was delicious, as were the sweet potato fries. I brought half home. Somebody remind me next year to order the BLT!

Grand Tour Grand Pooh-bah Bob Hartpence shared a rave review for last week's destination, The Tilted Kilt. He said management was very accommodating, the girls friendly and the food delicious. The manager asked if Bob thought it would be okay for the girls to pose on some of the bikes in the parking lot. Bob quickly assured him no bear would object! Hopefully my work schedule allows me to make the ride next year.

Getting Bob's Tilted Kilt report.

As we caught up with each others' lives, Pogy shared with us a new chapter in his elderly friend's story. And the weather being wonderful and once again unseasonably warm, he decided to stop by to see his friend who now lives near Danbury. He quizzed Token2 on the best route. And in his queries he asked Token2 if there was any difference in a particular Interstate exit for a given route East and West. Token2 immediately answered, "No . . . except that they go in opposite directions." Pogy tried to explain. Token2 defended his answer saying, "I don't know how else to answer that question." You had to be there, but it really hit my funny bone, hard!

At the Dunkin' Donuts departure.

Tartan Army

Tilted Kilt Connecticut Polar Bear riders, from left in the back: Princess, Captain, Pogy, Fonz and Jim. Down front is this week's guest blogger Token-squared.

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, ride to The Tilted Kilt, Monmouth Junction (or South Brunswick), NJ, December 20, 2015.

Editor's Note by Chris Loynd: Once again The Maritime Aquarium called me to duty, although I've no one to blame but myself. I cooked up this idea of a Pajama Party for "The Polar Express" movie now showing in our IMAX(r) Theater. It was great fun and a great success. We had a gourmet hot chocolate bar with handmade artisan hot chocolate by Chocopologie Cafe and Bistro, a selection of exotic toppings from Village Market in Wilton and selection of fresh bakery cookies from J&L Bakery. We enjoyed sold out theaters both mornings, so our success may cost me twice as many Polar Bear rides next year. My job was to greet visitors as "The Conductor" and I now appear on I don't know how many family albums, Facebook and Instagram posts. So once again I turn to Token2 for a report on Sunday's ride.

Polar Express Pajama Parties featured a gourmet hot chocolate bar and free photos with "The Conductor."

Polar Express conductor with Caitlin, the Aquarium's new events manager and hot chocolate server.

Tartan Army
By: Token2

Full sun made up for a bearish below freezing start to the ride south. Captain led Fonz and Pogy to the Westchester pick-up, where your author took up the lead with Princess settling in the cradle. Jim slotted in on the Cross County Parkway. The ride south turned into a rather scrappy affair as gaps in the formation occurred with frequency. The curse of cruise control; so unforgiving to the imperfections from a real hand on the throttle and the modest speed changes that result. Guzzi doesn’t fit cruise control to their adventure bikes and if they did I suspect it wouldn’t be pretty. Or self-cancelling turn signals for that matter....sorry!

I hanker for the old days of quality group riding but in recent times technology introduced partial group cruising to the CT Bear ride (yes, there is a difference). Perhaps that is just cruise control envy showing up or am I a closet Luddite?

The journey south was uneventful aside from a few crazed cagers, perhaps stressed by the rush to finish Christmas shopping. Our destination was a new addition for the 2105 schedule, the Tilted Kilt in Monmouth Junction.

The Early Departure Policy put us in the destination parking lot at 10.50am, even with a slow 65 mph dawdle down the turnpike. The doors of the restaurant opened at 11am and a table was acquired. As we settled in the unique ambiance became apparent and was enjoyed by most attendees.

As luck would have it, on the very occasion when slow food service would have been somewhat tolerable the Tartan Army of servers proved adept at delivering on the orders while still providing entertainment to the guests. The food was decent with the cleverly named ‘Mother Clucker Chicken Sandwich’ raising a few eyebrows. Captain continued his starvation diet; apparently with colder weather on the way he needs to slim down to permit another layer to be fitted under his riding gear….God forbid he would think about electric heat. Pogy reverted to form and chowed on hi-cal, which was a relief as I was thinking he looked unwell after his salad last week. The food arrived en masse.

As a frequent visitor to Scotland I can with absolute confidence state the Tilted Kilt is a very American take on Scottish hospitality. Oh by the way, for the sake of contrast, in Scotland a Tartan Army has abundant facial hair and is usually found in the vicinity of a soccer or rugby stadium. Anyway, by a majority vote the destination is considered a keeper. Princess may pen a dissenting opinion (but we don’t care). With the Tilted Kilt joining Hooters on the riding roster it only remains for Bob H. to sign up a Twin Peaks to complete a Polar Bear titillating trifecta. Alas, such a thing is unlikely given the nearest Twin Peaks is in North Carolina.

Jim it would seem is coming into a busy season with his theatrical career and will be engaged in performance of ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’. On further questioning he confirmed that he would be wearing a toga but refused to provide pictures, advising that tickets to the show remain available. We may not see him again for a bit (which maybe a good thing given the toga). Not forgetting of course to wish you a happy birthday James!

The return north commenced at about 12.15pm. Arriving at the top by 1.40pm we stopped for refreshment and further banter, except for Pogy who rolled on to Norwalk to attend to some personal business. Would it be wrong to suggest that the time he gained by splitting off the group allowed him to brief his S.O. on the events of the day before pictures were posted online? Yes, you are right, it would be wrong.

Princess bought the Dunkin beverages and treated us again to cookies, this time they travelled a shorter distance to our table and arrived in full protective package. She would like Paul to return to the group to relieve her of newbie bear teasing status. No such luck NYDIVA, not today anyway.

The group splintered again with Joanne and Jim heading off for a birthday celebration dinner in NY and the CT contingent made their way east.

So on the last full day of Fall another ride is in the books. The days will start getting longer for our next ride …OK, just a little bit, but it is a start. Happy Christmas.

Token 2 finds his happy place.

Fonz finds his happy place.

Yup, Pogy in a happy place.

Bob in his happy place.

Not sure what happened to the Captain. He was probably thinking about Fox News.

Princess Treatment and Newbie Perspective

Howell, NJ Bears, from left: Princess, Captain, Mac, Paul, Pogy, Token2, posing in front of Paul's Yamaha SR400.

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, ride to The Cabin, Howell (or Freehold), NJ, December 13, 2015.

Editor's note by Chris Loynd: The Maritime Aquarium holiday festivities kept me from a warm and maybe too "hot," ride on Sunday. (We had the 60-piece Westport Community Band playing inside the Aquarium this day. What was I thinking?) In this unique blog post we have an accounting by Token-squared and also hear from new rider Paul Bruneau. I must say I am a bit ashamed. I encouraged my motorcycle student to ride with us, but he chose a ride when I couldn't be there to mollify our crew. Apparently Captain was leading and riding by the pirate code: "Them that falls behind is left behind." Thankfully Paul survived. Hopefully on his next ride we can have someone up front willing to hold the horses just a bit. And don't worry about time to kick over that thumper, because you can start any motorcycle in the time it takes me to put on my gloves and arrange my kit. I thoroughly enjoyed the view of our crew in Paul's lens. It all makes for interesting reading. Enjoy!

The Princess Treatment

By: Token2

At 8.30am my call went out to The Captain. I had decided to abandon the old CTPB etiquette in favor of the more recent Princess Rules of Engagement. The call took the form of a complaint.

“Why hadn’t you called to confirm the time of my pick up?” I asked.

“Be there at 9.35, the Princess will be at the bus-stop as well,” came the retort.

“Would you like me to lead?”

“No, I will”

“Sweep?”

“No, Pogy has bagged that spot.”

"OK, see you at the bus-stop.” I didn’t.

A relaxing day in the cradle was upended by the three lane closure of I-684 South due to an accident, forcing me on a lengthy detour. My arrival at the bus-stop at 9.38am turned out to be a lonely affair, for the first time in 8 years I had missed the rolling pick-up. As we all know, the CT Bears wait for no man (or women, even a Princess)…I had now experienced the full Princess treatment. It sucks.

I could not have missed them by much …but it took until exit 11 on the NJ Turnpike to catch up. Captain was applying some mustard on the ride south. As I hooked up at the rear I was surprised to find a new guy at tail gunner, with Pogy one bike up. Hmmm….. Immediately upon catching them Captain signaled he was pulling off at the services just before the GSP exit. I thought he wanted to find out the reason for my tardiness. I was wrong, he needed a pee.

So it was that the group was introduced to Paul, the new guy, at the Thomas Edison Services. A recent convert to motorcycling, Paul passed the CT MSF course in September having been trained by a certain Mr. Christopher Loynd assisted by one Pogy Pogany. Obviously, Paul had a natural talent for two wheels as we all agreed (with the exception of Pogy) that his MSF instructors were really not that good. Paul rides a 2015 Yamaha SR400, which is a very smart choice of bike for entering the sport. However, a 400cc thumper gets a little breathless on take-off and inclines compared to the other bikes in the group and Pogy and Paul had agreed that he would ride at the rear on this occasion. This would allow Paul to get a sense of the pace of things, observe the dynamics of group riding and to “ride his ride” if necessary in order to be comfortable. For sure his headlight faded into the distance a few times, but he always caught up. It seemed to work well for all and Paul rode with a good head for a newbie with only about a 1,000 miles under his belt. Nice to have you along young man (Paul lowered the average age of the male riders by about 10 years) and we hope to see you again.

The southward journey continued at a good and very uniform clip. The day which had started in the low 50’s embraced the mid 60’s ahead of our arrival at The Cabin. Frankly it was too darned hot and we were all over dressed. It would hit the low 70’s on the way home, thank goodness the sun did not come out much!

Huge turnout, the place was packed. Jill, our delightfully mild mannered waitress, had to put up with the customary questions about ‘same day service’ when the food was a bit slow arriving. No names of the guilty will be mentioned. Jill was advised that there was such a thing as justifiable homicide and several of us would have backed her story. Of course all good natured banter, wasn’t it Captain and Pogy? Darn it, I mentioned names…oops.

Mac consumed his usual gold plated hot dog for $15 without complaint, well, perhaps just a little grunt. Captain and Pogy are on an identical anti-fat bastard diet and chose salads. The rest of us went for hi-cal sandwiches. The food was Cabin good.

The return north was uneventful and included a stop at the top. Joanna had brought some goodies from ‘Kiss my Cake’. Evidently, as the picture discloses, “Kiss my Cake” cookies don’t travel well, or a Harley gives a very bumpy ride or Joanne licked the filling out before putting them back in the box. In any event they were delicious and enjoyed by all.

Pogy asked Paul what RPM his machine runs at when doing 70mph. Paul’s response “I have no idea because I never did under *0!” (There was an eight somewhere in his reply). Great answer! If the ride south had mustard then the ride north was Habanero hot.

A fun day out which at times felt like we were in the southern not the northern hemisphere given it is December.

A First-Time Ride with the Polar Bears of Connecticut (and Long Island)

By: Paul Bruneau

I believe to grow any skill you have to alternate periods of practicing what you know with occasions to push yourself to the next level. My first group ride today, a record-setting warm December 13th with the Connecticut riders of the Polar Bear Grand Tour, was definitely a chance to push myself.

I knew I was in for a challenge when Pogy, who met me at the Darien I-95 service center, gave me the quick course in group riding with the CT Polar Bears. After explaining the hand signals and some introductory group dynamics he said, "Just leave a couple of bike lengths ahead of you so that you have time to react to anything." My first thought was, "I don't think I can count 'one-motorcycle-one, one-motorcycle-two' in a couple bike lengths." Having been only recently indoctrinated by Connecticut's MSF program (with Pogy himself as one of my excellent instructors -- the other being Chris who couldn't ride today due to work), I knew I would suffer from a conflict or two in this group ride! But he also gave me the excellent advice (also provided in the MSF course) to "ride my own ride" if I felt uncomfortable at any point.

Moments later I had the chance to ride my own ride as Pogy gave me the "roll 'em out" signal and I proceeded to attempt to kick-start (it has no electric starter) my Yamaha SR400 several times with the key in the "off" position. FINE-C flies right out the window when the pressure is on. Pogy correctly rolled out himself rather than getting left behind by the sub-group consisting of The Captain, Mac and Joanna.

The Captain, being the caring and understanding leader that he is, must have given us (me) some pity because I was able to catch up to the group within a mile or so. Pogy signaled for me to take the spot ahead of him so he could be the sweeper or "tail gunner" as he told me the position is called. But between my 400cc single-cylinder engine, and my own reluctance to use the "1/8 second rule" to determine following distance, I wasn't able to keep a sufficiently tight formation to prevent car drivers from wanting to merge into our group. Pogy, bless him, rode up and signaled me to fill in the gap, but I just wasn't able to. He ended up moving up himself to let me figure things out in the new position of "backup sweeper" which was not a bad solution -- it allowed me to observe how the group worked and also slinky along at the rear to suit my engine and my own riding distance.

Pogy also let me know at the service center that the group rides at 70 to 72 MPH which I found to be a bit of an understatement, at least as far as my speedometer was concerned. There was a time when the speed got a lot more comfortable for me, and that's about when I noticed a police car riding alongside us, but I'm sure that was a coincidence.

On we rode as I picked up little ways to improve, even from the back of the pack. It was very clear that I have to work on closing that gap! As we headed south through New Jersey toward the destination of The Cabin in Howell, NJ, I saw another biker in my mirror. As a studious reader of the Polar Bear Blog, I thought the new rider might be Token2 and indeed it was, joining us just seconds before we exited the expressway.

Soon we turned into The Cabin, parked, and then Pogy introduced me to the riders of our group, who each warmly welcomed me. We made our way in with gifts for the children's hospital in our hands. Either Pogy or the Captain (I'll let them battle that one out) got us a nice 6-seat table and then they both started to torture our poor waitress who was dealing with probably more tables than any human could manage. She had her revenge, though, as five of us received our meals while Pogy could only look on, plateless, in stunned disbelief (which lasted for about 10 minutes). Token2 took pity on him by handing over his pickle, which I gather is some kind of Polar Bear inside joke.

Lunch gave me a chance to ask the group questions like, "when did you star riding?" which is a great icebreaker in a group of bikers, I think. Mac told me he got a Honda in 1960. I didn't have the heart to tell him that was the year I was born! The Captain shared that he started riding in 1997 and Token2 added, "And he actually learned to ride about 4 years ago!" Tough crowd!

I talked about picking up my gently used 2015 bike in Ohio and trailering it back to Connecticut. Pogy said he was really glad that Yamaha reintroduced this small bike to the U.S. market after having last sold it here some 30 years ago, and that it made a great first bike. In his next breath though, he said, "and as you have learned today, you have to get rid of it as soon as you can." I think he owns stock in Honda.

I didn't make the group have to wait for me as we left the restaurant, but a moment later at the fuel stop, the attendant fouled up my card swipe forcing everyone to wonder where the heck I was. Joanna later begged me to ride with the group again next week, because with me there, she was no longer the one who was causing delays, which shielded her from the Captain's stern eye. He runs a tight ship!

And on the way back north there was no mercy left as the Captain led a hasty retreat (and I do mean hasty)! A few minutes after they disappeared over the horizon, I spotted good ol' Token2 sitting at the off ramp leading to the traditional Dunkin' Donuts stop, waving me in. And I'm glad he did because he bought everyone hot chocolate and Joanna shared delicious, if slightly mushed, macaroons.

Again departing, the group decided to take the Merritt Parkway after the Tappan Zee, and I thought I would be able to enjoy a casual ride over the hills, through the curves and under the bridges of the Merritt. And indeed, after the gang disappeared in front of me, I was able to! But in all seriousness, it was a great day for a nice ride with new friends.

Ancient and new riders, Mac, left, and Paul, right.

When will waitress abuse end?

Flight B Leader Joan.

Bob with what appears to be not one, but two, Princesses.

Macaroons mixed by Harley-Davidson.

Mac, Princess and Pogy at our "stop at the top".

Notable or Notorious Connecticut Bears?

Montgomeryville Bears, from left: CT Blogger (your's truly), Token2, Captain, Mac, Fonz, Princess and down front of his own volition the Pogster.

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, ride to Montgomeryville Cycle Center, Hatfield, Penn., December 6, 2015.

By: Chris Loynd

There's a line in the movie "The Natural" where Robert Redford's lead character baseball great Roy Hobbs asks sportswriter Max Mercy (played by Robert Duvall), if he ever played the game. "No," Mercy answers, "Never did. But I make it more interesting to watch."

Perhaps this blog makes some small contribution to making the Polar Bear Grand Tour a bit more interesting. And for the record, I do ride with the Polar Bears, and from Connecticut.

We knew early on that more than our Connecticut contingent read this blog. It started with the Captain and his hat. Pretty soon random strangers came up to him at Polar Bear meets addressing him by his blog promulgated moniker. It happens still. It happened just today.

Last week we created a new character in the Connecticut Bear's Pantheon. I had christened her Long Distance Diva. But Captain crowned her a Princess last week. And that's the name that stuck.

So much so that when I signed in this Sunday, Flight B Leader Jim barely said hello before he blurted out something about his girlfriend, or was it my girlfriend, did we bring her? Is she here? I had no idea what he was asking and mumbled a confused, "Huh?" "The Princess," he said emphatically, "Did she come this week?" "Oh. Yes," I replied. "She's out in the parking lot yapping, I mean, holding court."

Joanna was surprised, and I think secretly delighted, to see her sign-in sheet decorated, presumably by our Flight B Leaders, in a fashion befitting her station.

So whether you see us as notable, or notorious, we are happy to have you share our adventures.

Token2, back from his European travails, was pressured into leading this week's ride. He made the mistake, I guess, of riding up to the Stratford Dunkin' Donuts where our rides begin. (Usually we pick him up en route because he lives farther west in Connecticut; in fact, about as far west as one can live in our tiny state.)

Like Fonz last week, Token did a stellar job of leading . . .. right up to the point where we actually had to find our destination. Like Fonz, he exited too early. Either that, or he wanted us to tour the lovely holiday decorations of Chalfonte.

It is amazing how Pennsylvanian everything looks as soon as you cross over the Delaware River. Maybe it's because we come ashore at New Hope. Houses and businesses are lovely field stone with big wooden doors and wooden window shutters. They line narrow streets. Everything turns colonial. At lunch Joanna commented on seeing a sign for the Cock and Bull restaurant. She's heard of cock fighting and bull riding, but was shocked at such a name for an eatery.

(By the way, Token2 ditched the scenery on the ride home. He insisted on sticking to the Interstates, striking out for I-78 east, which led us through miles of retail that looked like every endless American strip mall. One notable exception was the fake silos on the truck weigh station buildings on I-78. Nice touch PennDOT, nice touch.)

We always have a bit of trouble with Montgomeryville. For one thing, our leaders -- me included -- never seem to be sure if we are approaching it from north or south and therefore are looking for it on the left or right. One year I famously missed catching it on the right because I was expecting it on the left and rode right past. It's not like there's a giant building and a big sign and a parking lot filled with motorcycles. All but my wing man, ever-faithful Russ, jumped ship and exited for the dealership. Russ is the world's best motorcycle wing man. He'll follow you up a tree, if that's where you're headed. Then there's the infamous story of Captain leading a ride all the way here to Montgomeryville Cycle Center on a day the Grand Tour destination was elsewhere. He led on, and on, ignoring boisterous protestations by his followers. As Captain says, "The minute I crested the hill, I knew I was in trouble." Hey, anyone can push the wrong button on a GPS, right?

At at stop light, somewhat close to our destination, Token shouted to me asking on which side he should expect the dealership. I just shrugged my shoulders. For the record, it was on the left, well actually on the right if you were to continue down the highway, but you have to exit to the right on that little spur which means the dealership is now on your left. If you've been here you know what I mean!

The folks at Montgomeryville Cycle Center always treat us very well. It took them a few years to get the Polar Bear thing down pat. Their first year hosting they went all out with a pig roast. And it snowed. Now they offer a hearty chili with fixin's, including corn bread, and a brownie. It is tasty, piping hot and served fast, as was the coffee. We all had seconds. Thank you!

The dealership also offers good deals on their stuff for us Bears. They were selling Warm and Safe jacket liners for half price this year. I was tempted to buy a second one as a backup to the liner I bought just before the season started.

One year, Fonz brought one of his buddies and the guy ended up buying a motorcycle . . . well you can't actually buy a motorcycle on Sunday in Pennsylvania. He fell in love with a motorcycle and then went back the next week to buy it. He hasn't ridden with us since. I don't think that's any reflection on his motorcycle or the dealership. The cold weather thing just did not resonate for him.

Montgomeryville has often been a weather-challenged destination. But this season we've not yet earned our "Polar Bear" status. The weather has been unseasonably warm; not that I'm complaining. Joanna was grousing about seeing frost this morning. Wait until we're riding the whole day with sub-freezing temperatures.

Our plight was summed up by a guy in his shirtsleeves just coming back to his car in the rest stop parking lot at the top of the Garden State Parkway. We were just dismounting and pulling off helmets and gloves. He asked Pogy, "When was the last time you guys were riding on the first weekend of December?" "Last year," Pogy answered back. And that, my friends, is the essence of the Polar Bear Grand Tour.

Fonz checks in at Flight B. Where's the Princess?

Thank you Montgomeryville Cycle for a great feed!

Delicious and perfect for even warm Polar Bears.

The ride home was in temperatures near 50.

Even with the stop at the top we made it home with a bit of pink left in the sky.

Not Thankful for Traffic

Collegeville Connecticut Bears, from left: Mac, Fonz, Captain and Princess, back row; Chris & Pogy down front.

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, ride to Appalachian Brewing Co., Collegeville, Penn., November 29, 2015.

By: Chris Loynd

Well I knew we would hit post Thanksgiving Day holiday traffic. I even contemplated skipping the ride today because of it. But how often do you get to witness a coronation?

Once again I invoked our early departure program (EDP). I had several reasons. One, it's a long ride for us. Two, I recall slow service at our destination restaurant. And three, I knew we'd hit holiday traffic.

An 8:00 a.m. start isn't all that early, Google Maps said it would get us to our destination in three hours. When I spooled up the GPS, it predicted an arrival time of 10:45. I was worried my Connecticut Bears would be miffed at such an early arrival. But then I figured a stop along the way would easily eat up 15 or 20 minutes. So we're good. Right?

As I got ready for my artificially early start time, time got away from me. A few fits and starts and the next thing I know it's perilously close to 8:00 a.m. I know my guys wait for no one. So I pulled out Plan B. I jumped onto the interstate, rode one exit south and got off again to intercept my guys en route. It worked.

Sitting at the stop light, signaling a left turn down to the Dunkin' Donuts, I saw Fonz and Mac riding toward the Interstate, Fonz in the lead. I changed my signal from left to right and fell in as sweep. Behind me I noticed Captain in his car. Unfortunately, because I was late I missed any conversation at the Dunkin'. So I had no idea what was up with the Captain.

There was nothing to do for it but ride.

We saw Pogy off his bike as we rode by the Darien rest stop. Usually he's mounted with the engine running. So we rode slowly, deep into Stamford, before Pogy finally appeared on his Wing.

Any thoughts I had of letting him sweep instead of me were quickly dispelled as he powered past me and pulled in behind Mac.

Johanna was ready for us at the bus stop. With a green light brightly shining at the intersection, we barely offered her a downshift as rode by and entered the Hutchinson Parkway. Looks like she got a new helmet. Johanna usually favors a half helmet. This was a full face with serious bling, enough bling that I could see it at 60 plus miles per hour.

Still sweeping, I kept a weather eye for Jim. Two weeks ago, he was waiting for us on the shoulder of one of the parkways headed to the GW Bridge. Where was it? Before the Cross County? After? He never showed. At lunch we learned from Johanna that Jim lost a good friend of his. Our deepest sympathies, Jim.

Fonz led a good ride, right up to the part where he had to find our actual destination. He kept a steady speed on the turnpikes, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Mac credits his smoothness with his own tight riding this week.

You see everything sitting at the back of the pack. And this Sunday we looked really good.

Fonz threw us a few challenges, taking I-87 instead of the Saw Mill Parkway, the GW lower level instead of the upper, local lanes to the turnpike instead of express. We held formation through it all, even an aggressive idiot who tried every way she could to cut us off, cut in, cut back, cut up. Thankfully, she finally found her way to the left lane and we bobbed in her wake, intact.

Captain did not have as much luck. As we tooled along in the local lanes, I saw him come up even with us -- in the express lanes. I waved and he caught up eventually.

Fonz rode steady, true and without stops. Worries about arriving way too early crept back into my consciousness.

But as we got to our exit from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, he choked. It is admittedly confusing. There are three choices: I-476 north or south or Exit 333. We wanted that 333, but it came last. Fonz headed off for 476, faked south, cut over north. We stuck with him like glue, me dodging back and forth trying to clear which ever lane Fonz wanted.

We recovered just fine. Our only penalty was some stop-and-go riding through downtown Norristown, Penn. An added bonus: we ate up a bit of that too early arrival time I was worried about.

We lost Captain once again in the stop lights. As it turned out in the end, he arrived at our destination well before we did. That's because Fonz refused to turn onto Third Avenue, or Fourth, or Fifth. At an opportune stop light Pogy and I rode up and convinced Fonz to finally turn LEFT! But then he wanted to head away from our destination at the next stop sign. I moved up and offered my services. Our destination was just a few hundred yards down the street to the LEFT! Fortunately, Fonz followed my lead and we finally parked.

Captain took advantage of his earlier than us arrival and grabbed a table and some coffees. We got our order in by 11:00 a.m., then waited 45 minutes for our food to arrive.

It was delicious, if slow. Princess may have caused the delay by ordering something not on the voluminous menu: a BLT.

We motored home and really didn't hit much traffic until we hit the Tappan Zee. The approach from the GW Parkway was stop and go. And it was a few miles of clutch-in, clutch-out to get over the bridge and through the tolls. But then we cruised I-287.

Our home state of Connecticut delivered the real traffic penalty. It was horrible traffic, and an extra half-hour, double what it should have taken, to get up the Merritt Parkway. Stop-and-go, extreme rubber banding, crazy tailgaters, we got the full treatment.

Our leader was heck on the big roads, not so much on the small ones.

And the food wait begins . . . 

Captain makes the presentation.

Princess Johanna.

Bling helmet and bear, she's really trying.

Princess and her vassals?

CT Polar Bears pose for PB Photog Bernard Walsh.

Princess descends the staircase.

Princess and her dragon.

Princess selfie.

Princess at Chez GSP with her fellow CT Bears.