Snow Ends Just in Time

You only need a motorcycle-width path to go Polar Bearing! Shown is the driveway of this week's author.

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, ride to The Exchange, Rockaway, NJ, February 18, 2018

Ride report by FONZ

This week's ride was to the Exchange in Rockaway NJ.  It was predicted to snow on Saturday into the morning Sunday so I wasn't expecting a big showing.  I decided to wait until the morning to make my final decision.  The snow had stopped and according to the weather report it was going to be warm enough to keep the black ice away.  At 0700hrs, I grabbed my shovel and created a path just wide enough for me to get out.  As I took a break from shoveling I checked my email and noticed Captain had sent a message indicating that he was concerned about black ice and he was considering driving.  Figuring I was going to be on my own again I decided to plan my departure at 0930hrs.  I spoke to Pogy who stated he couldn't make it due to a planned trip with the wifey.  He did report that I287 clear with no black ice issues.  After speaking to Ed, we decided to meet at the Fairfield rest stop on I95.  After I completed shoveling  I spoke with Captain and informed him of my plan.  He stated he was not sure if he could make it to me in time so I should leave him behind if he's not there at 0930hrs.  Since I changed the time I advised him that I would wait...no worries.  After getting dressed I got on my Ultra and SHUCKS she didn't start.  I was cutting it close for time so I quickly jumped on my wifeys Softtail Slim (picture attached).  When I started the MC, she ran outside and yelled "What are you doing?!?"   I wanted to yell back I'm going to buy a pizza but I didn't want to take any chances.  She made me promise that I would clean her baby when I returned.  I gladly accepted and took off.

When I arrived at the rest stop Ed was already waiting.  After gassing up I noticed Captain was there and ready to go.  We left with me and my WAZE assisting with the navigation and Ed took the sweep.  The highway was consistently wet in the 1st and 3rd lanes so I tried my best to stay in the middle to avoid the splashing from other vehicles.  I also decided to maintain a longer than usual space cushion (4 to 5 seconds) for safety and splash avoidance.  My decision came in handy because there was a point when we merged onto I287 when my WAZE notified me of an object in the roadway.  When you hear the message, my experience has been that you have approximately 4 tenths of a mile before you see whatever is being reported.  Right on cue, I noticed an opaque back near the center lane.  I also noticed a vehicle with its hazards on traveling in the middle lane that initially appeared to be going slower than that other traffic.  As I signaled to change lanes I immediately realized HOLY SHIT the vehicle was completely stopped on the highway in the middle lane right next to the debris.  Thankfully I had been alerted early enough which helped with avoiding a possible disaster.  The rest of the way down was uneventful other than the constant one way snowball fights we continued to experience because NO ONE cleaned off their cars.  

Upon arrival I decided to park in the front as to not risk slipping and sliding down their steep driveway.  Our arrival time was 1101hrs.  It turns out that there was a wedding on the lower level so sign-in was set up on the top level.  Initially I walked over to the high tables next to the bar.  Captain wasn't pleased with my choice because it was too far and he believed we would be ignored.  He found a bunch of tables next to the kitchen and allowed me to pic our final destination.  Lunch and sign-in were both quick and efficient.  The ride back was significantly better.  Most of the roadway was dry.  As I mentioned earlier, I promised to clean her MC so I followed Ed to have our buddy Gaije spray salt away on our MC's before we rode home to finish the process.  (picture attached)  Once I arrived home, I finished cleaning the MC.  I was cleared after her inspection.  It was a great day! 

Wet! Wet! Wet! and Google WAZE

CT Polar Bear rain riders, arriving at O'Connor's, from left: Fonz, Anonymous Ed, Pogy and Captain.
Photo thanks to Bernie Walsh.

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, ride to O'Connor's American Bar & Grill, Eastampton, NJ, February 11, 2018.

Pogy's version:

All I can say about today's ride is WET!WET!WET!

Departure time was 0845 from Stratford. Ed, Fonz and the Captain picked me up in Darien with Fonz in the lead. The ride down to O'Connor's was uneventful except for the RAIN - got there at 1100. 
Got a table, lunch and back on the road a little after high noon.  Three out of 4 of us got rockers today.


The ride back was much more fun because it was RAINING harder and we came back over the GWB - Holy Crap!!! Nothing like a lot of flooding on the left hand side of the road. When we got to the break off for 15 / 95, the Captain and I went 95. Fonz and Ed went 15 - 95. Was clear and I got home at about 1500.

Nothing like a little wet to sharpen ones skill set.

Till next time
Ride safe
Pog

Fonz's version:

(Editor's note: for those who do not know, WAZE referred to in Fonz's report is Google's traffic and maps app that uses real time traffic reports from other app users to help find the best route and avoid traffic delays.)

O'Connor's ride report by FONZ, or WET Willie

 We ALL earned the PolarBear water patch for this ride.

 I can comfortably report that riding in the wintery mix last week was more pleasurable than the consistent downpour we experienced this week. Pogy called me on Saturday and asked me to lead which I gratuitously accepted. I did mention to Pogy that I was planning on following WAZE, which would probably take us in a different direction depending on traffic. He did not have a problem with following as long as we were safe.

I arrived at the gas station across the street from our departure location 0841hrs and fueled up. I'm usually pretty good at timing myself to either be right on time or just past the meet time, which forces me to do catch up. Either way, I do this on purpose because I don't like getting dressed, then undressed, only to get dressed again in a hurry. I noticed Ed had set himself up in line and Captain was waiting for me. As I pulled up he asked if I'd like to sweep. I replied that I was prepared to lead because Pogy had asked me the day before. Captain informed me that I better talk to Ed because he was leading. Instead of talking to Ed, I just took the lead spot and took off. Ed just jumped into formation trusting I knew where I was going and Captain became the sweep by default...no worries.(As you can see in the pic that Bernie took, Ed keeps it tight). Instead of flying by Pogy and forcing him to do catch up at his pick-up location, I got off at the rest stop to pick him up and we were all able to safely merge back onto the highway as one.

Too tight and too loose, our CT Bears arrive at O'Connors.

 According to WAZE, I95 to the Cross Bronx then to the GWB was the way to go. Once over the bridge, WAZE also decided to reroute us towards the Lincoln tunnel and then back onto the Jersey Turnpike. We arrived at O'Connor's at 1100hrs.

There was a some conversation as to my choice of route and the fact that its been a LOOOONG time since Captain has even traveled on the Cross Bronx Expressway. Ed was surprised how well paved it was compared to his previous experience, which was a few years ago. Pogy enjoyed the reroute towards the Lincoln Tunnel that gave us about 9 1/2 miles of smooth sailing until we merged back onto the NJ Turnpike.

Once at O'Connor's, we changed tables 2 times before we finally settled on the romantic table near the fireplace. We all strategically placed our gear around the fire in the hopes to dry it off before our ride back. Lunch was good. The LALALALA soup was delicious...you had to be there. Bob came by to greet us and give the guys some lip that they abandoned me last week. It turns out that we all had separate conversations and miscommunicated. Captain stated he would have come with me if I had called...my bad!  Prior to our departure, I asked the group of they wanted me to follow WAZE or just take the Garden State Parkway. It was decided to allow me to navigate using WAZE. The rain got heavier at times and our speeds reduced significantly. The first reroute occurred as soon as we got onto the turnpike. Instead of the cars only side, WAZE said the truck/cars side. As we were traveling North, I immediately noticed the traffic on our side was significantly less. We were able to maintain speed for quite some time before traffic got heavier due to the weather. At one point, WAZE had us get off the normal route, onto RT 40 or 46 (I forget) then back onto I95 again.

As we approached the GWB, I went lower level and lost sight of Captain and Pogy. Ed stuck with me the rest of the way. It turns out they decided to continue I95 the rest of the way, which added time to their overall ride. Our route was 87 to the Saw Mill to the Hutch. Pogy reported getting home at 1500hrs. It turns out that the WAZE route we took was faster. I live about 19 miles North of Pogy and I got home at 1453hrs. I later found out that I95 was shut down in Fairfield casing heaver traffic than usual. I usually don't know why this navigation is rerouting me but I usually follow. Today it worked to my advantage because it got me out the rain about a 1/2 hour early.

Pogy picked up his rocker on this ride.

Captain got his season rocker and his gold . . . of course.

As the biker tee shirt says, "If I have to explain it, you won't understand."

Warm and Safe Heated Gear

Editor's Note: After the wonderful Gerbing brand was sold to an investor group and manufactured in China I started having trouble with reliability of their heated motorcycle gear. Searching for an alternative I came across Warm and Safe. I ride with a full set of their liners and have been more than happy. When I had an issue with one of their controllers they fixed it fast, no charge, no questions. I love the founder Mike Coan's quirky blog and rambling writings. Here is his latest email; I do not know about the Anderson Cooper connection to which he refers. Oh and there's a discount code if you read to the end. Enjoy.

I know people accuse me of rambling, but I've got to ramble on this. Why would Anderson Cooper spend $3000 at the Warming store for Chinese designed old style heated clothing? True, they have a website that they must have spent lots of money on to get them in the top search positions in Google while we spend the money on designing great products. If any of you know how to do this, let me know. All we know how to do is make great gear.

It also bugs me when I look at a website and it says something like “our 7.4V heated layer will run 10 hours on a 2.2amp battery” I want to scream "HOW!!". Do the math people! 3 areas of heat on a 2.2amp battery claiming they can run 10 hours. How warm can it get if it is 2.2Amps per hour divided over 10 hours? That is .22Amps times 7.4Volts which gives you 1.6Watts of heat. But if you take the heat element and cram it into a small space, you will feel heat. But not much so why deceive your customers? Our heat layer will give you 8 hours of heat at 12watts of heat in 7 areas. You can get more heat if you want to run less time. And if you want 10 hours then 10watts of heat.

This has been one of the coldest winters and there are lots of people that need 7.4V Heat Layers from the people working in weather to people going to watch their kids play sports to hunters and to the elderly and those with MS, Lupus and Raynaud’s, and they should not think that to stay warm they need to shell out $3000 dollars or get ripped off by people that have no clue what they are selling since they did not put in the effort to design it.

Pass the word, let people know they can buy affordable heated clothing both for on the motorcycle and off. They can even get a discount by using the promo code “NL19” good until the end of February. Think about the people that need to stay warm and they will thank you. Post it on your forums, tweet it, pass the word please.

http://www.warmnsafe.com/7-4v-heated-base-layer-stuff/

Thanks,

Mike Coan

S'no Way!

CT Polar Bear Fonz at the destination with Polar Bear Newsletter Editor Walter Kern.
Thank you Bernie Walsh for the photos!

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, ride to Franklin House Tavern, Schaefferstown, Pa.

Editor's note: One intrepid Connecticut Bear made the ride Sunday. It's a long piece from Connecticut. The forecast was scary. But we have one rider who is snow fearless. And he made the ride. Here's his story . . .

By: Fonz.

Polar Bear Grand Tour Ride #13 ride report by PolarRican, aka FONZ or as Chris recently to referred to me...MANIAC After speaking to Pogy on Saturday, I got the impression that no one was interested in taking a chance on this Sunday's ride due to the inclement weather prediction. I was in communication with Anonymous Ed, who indicated he may be interested if he was able to prep his Super Bowl spread in time.

I've been known to ride when the weather has not been cooperative (http://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/polar-bear-grand-tour

Here's a pic from Feb, 2015 when I arrived home from that storm.

Safe at home after 2015 Polar Bear run.

Therefore, I decided to initiate the EDP, in and effort to get there and back before anything serious could start, so left Bridgeport at 0645hrs.  Apparently, Ed needed more time to massage his chicken before frying it, so he chose not to join me.  After gassing up in Fairfield, I was on my way by 0700hrs.

I traveled via our NO NO, WHY ARE YOU GOING THAT WAY route, which took me South on I95 straight to the GWB, then to RT 80. The rest was a blur because I was singing to myself (I SOUND PRETTY GOOD).  I had the cruise control set at 70...NOT 80 Captain... and it was smooth sailing all the way down to exit 13. As I crossed over into PA, the sun peeked through the clouds to give me the impression that all was well.  I later found out that NOT the case and was merely just a tease.

As I continued traveling in a southerly direction, EVERY portable billboard was flashing the following: "WINTER WEATHER TODAY BE PREPARED" Yes I stopped to take a pic.  As I got to about exit 40ish I started noticing the DPW trucks staging on the side of the road, which was a constant reminder that I was riding the line with the weather.  As I got off exit 13, the flurries began.  The initial snowfall was tricky because the side roads were very slippery.

I made it to the Franklyn House Tavern at 1026hrs.  Bernie Walsh was there along with another biker waiting at the front door.  Bernie is the guy who's always taking pics of us.   As I was dismounting, Bob pulled up in his truck.  After entering the restaurant, I was able to enjoy one of the first pots of freshly brewed coffee and enjoyed casual conversation with two of the waitresses, who both knew people who lived in CT but could not recall the towns.

They were very impressed by the CraZy guy who just rode all those miles.  If I was single and had more time, it would have been a great evening (Of course that's all in my mind).

I looked at the menu that they had designed specifically for the tour and quickly realized they did not start serving until 11a.  As I continued drinking my coffee and looking out the window, I noticed the wintery mix was in full affect.  I made a command decision (ALL IN FAVOR...AYE...ANY OPPOSED...NAY) that I needed to leave before things got worse.  I found Bob and asked him if there was any way to sign in early so I could begin my 215 miles back.  He had no problem with me trying to be safe and allowed me to scratch my name and miles on a napkin.  Bob assured me he would pass it along to the flight.

After taking another pic and short video, I was on my way at 1100hrs.  The snowy mix was coming down significantly.  I cautiously made my way back to the highway and was pleasantly surprised that the roads were not as bad as the side roads, clearly the trucks that were staging had started doing their job. 

The snow mixed with rain quickly froze on my faceshield and MC.  Every time I hit a bump, a chunk of ice would dislodge from the front of the MC and hit a different part of my body.  It took about three hits for me to realize exactly what was actually happening.  The other vehicles out there apparently did not get the memo that a storm was happening because they were blasting by me as if I wasn't there.  Every time I created a safe space cushion, another dumb ass would get right in front of me.

There was a point where I realized I was on the edge of this storm because there were moments where I got relief for about 2 seconds (maybe 4 seconds) then right back into the storm again.  As I was making my way back, my stomach started rumbling.  I realized I hadn't eaten anything yet.  I decided not to stop until I knew I was clear.  After about an hour and a half, I got a consistent break from the snow and it turned to rain.  After another half and hour or so, the roads were dry with only the occasional flurry.  At this point I was comfortable enough to start looking for a place to feed my face.  I stopped somewhere off of Rt 80 and found a diner.  Of course everyone looked at me crazy because I still had icicles on my jacket.  After a delicious brunch, I packed it up and decided to head home.  The snow flurries had caught up to me and gotten a little heavier but not enough to moisten the roads.  I took 287 back to the Merritt Parkway, which added an additional 10 miles, and got home by 1445hrs with plenty of time to spare to make it to Anonymous Ed's house to watch the Super Bowl. My total miles for this ride was 440. 

Polar Bear Grand Tour Grand Pooh Bah Bob Hartpence, left, another crazy Polar Bear who rode today (sorry but do not have his name), center and Connecticut's own Fonz, left.

Fonz wasn't the only one braving the snow Sunday.