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| Connecticut Polar Bears at The Cabin, Howell, NJ, from left: Pogy, Grumpy, Captain and Chris. All-day rain and a fair distance had us in the car this Sunday. |
By: Chris Loynd, CT Blogger
Photos by: Grumpy; guest photo by PB Photographer Bernie Walsh
Our weatherman let us down. We ended up getting Sunday's promised forecast a day early on Saturday when it was of no use to us. As late as Friday, Saturday was supposed to have heavy, steady rain. Sunday was light and scattered showers in the morning and clearing in the afternoon. But on Saturday the pattern reversed.
The Connecticut Bears have the disadvantage of distance when weather is bad. It's one thing to ride in rain for an hour on local roads. It's quite another to ride interstates for three hours in rain. So Saturday afternoon we opted out of riding.
We had such fun a couple of weeks earlier we figured another ride in the car would be okay. Plus this Sunday's event is the toy drive for the children's hospital through the Valerie Fund. Since I knew we would now be going in a car -- and therefore storage was not the same issue as on a motorcycle -- I went a little crazy Saturday evening buying some extra toys. I also knew there would be fewer riders and therefore fewer toys.
Polar Bear Grand Tour Grand PooBah Bob Hartpence even sent a Saturday email offering two points for those who came in a car and donated a toy. The usual penalty for driving in a car is receiving just one point.
Point of order, by the way, we are allowed only two car rides for a single point each. So any future car rides this season will accrue no points at all for the CT Bears.
However what the distance takes away on rainy days it gives back far more on sunny ones. Our greater distance means we accrue more polar bear points on any given ride than our New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware based compatriots.
Sunday's weather was miserable. Fonz and Anonymous Ed contemplated riding, but I got a text from Fonz Sunday morning saying they decided discretion was the better part of valor.
Good choice guys. It rained steady, sometimes heavy, the whole day. We were all glad we went in the car.
Pogy's wife Kathy sent him out to the car with a plate of freshly-baked cookies when we picked him up in Norwalk.
Captain again offered his spacious Subaru and piloted it as we sat and joked and snacked on cookies.
Lunch at the cabin was very good. Pogy and I tried a crab and sherry soup that was reminiscent of the turtle soup we prize at Bahr's Landing, another Polar Bear destination. This time I did get my Philly Cheesesteak, as did Grumpy. Captain and Pogy both ordered a Lumberjack sandwich. Our waitress was attentive and happy to joke with us.
Our conversation was fun and funny and wide ranging. My tongue is swollen still from biting it for the last two hours of our ride as the conversation turned pointedly political. A liberal surrounded by conservatives, I mostly just listened.
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| Polar Bear Photographer Bernie Walsh caught the CT Bears upon arrival, from left: CT Blogger, Captain, Pogy, Grumpy and Barry Kirschner a representative from the Valerie Fund at the Children's Hospital where the toys headed to a Christmas party that afternoon. |
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| Polar Bear Grand Tour Photographer Bernie Walsh. |
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