Known and Unknown Connecticut Polar Bears

CT Bears in Kingston, NY, from left, Scott, Pogy, Anonymous Ed and Sharon. Additional rider not shown.

Polar Bear Motorcycle Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, ride to Smokehouse BBQ, Kingston, NY, March 24, 2019.

By: Pogy

Departure time today was 0915 from Stratford.  Because of the route, instead of going down I95 we go due north, so I drove to the DD to meet the guys.  Arriving at 0900, the Captain and Anonymous Ed and his better half were already there.  Within a few minutes, Scott and another Anonymous guy showed up making it a party of 6 – The Captain announced that he would not be going with us due to some unexpected family issues so it was 4 bikes and 5 people.  

Anonymous Ed very eagerly asked if he could lead the ride – We were so thrilled that we all went out to his bike to help him program the address into his GPS – What a sport!

We departed a couple minutes late but no big deal – we headed up Rt 25 to 84 west to 87 – Traffic was light and we arrived at the Hickory at 1115 – walked right in and had our pick of a table.  Service was a little slow but the food was very good and a nice portion – and priced right.

We were back in the saddle around 1230 – Anonymous Ed and the other anonymous guy were going to Empire Harley in New York so when Scott and I broke off at the 84/87 split, they continued towards the city.  Scott broke off just as we were entering Ct towards Stamford and I continued to Rt7 s – 

All in all a good ride and good weather and an excellent point man!!!

Until next week Ride Safe 

Pog

Too Windy

CT Bears at Brian's H-D, from left, Pogy, Chris, Scott.

Polar Bear Motorcycle Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, ride to Brian's Harley-Davidson, March 17, 2019.

By: Chris Loynd

Brian's Harley-Davidson, this week's Polar Bear destination, is less than an hour from my folks' place in Wilmington, Del. It's always good to visit Mom and Dad, so I invited myself to dinner Saturday night. Home is where you're always welcome.

Mom surprised me by inviting my longtime, like since the fourth grade longtime, friend Lenny and his mom to dinner. We had a great time.

I did not say anything to my folks, did not want them to worry. But Saturday's ride was one of the least comfortable of my 17-year, 150,000+ miles, riding career. I've ridden in a lot of stuff. Plenty of rain of course. Through a hail storm in South Dakota. I've done some very windy riding before, but on my Harley.

My Springer has a heavy front end. The Softail sits low to the ground and the weight is low. Russ Curtis and I rode in a wind so strong at Sturgis one year that we gave up on our ride and turned tail for our lodgings.

Saturday I was on the Honda ST 1100. It's not as heavy as the Harley. It sits up high. It's covered in flat plastic panels catching every side wind. I felt like I was balancing on the edge of a knife for four hours.

Crossing the Tappan Zee bridge was an adventure, but I was still fresh. Crossing the Commodore Barry Bridge from Jersey to Pennsylvania in the last half-hour of my ride was truly nervy.

After getting pushed around, 'pert near into the next lane at times, on the New Jersey Turnpike, I got off at Exit 7 to take I-295 south instead. I figured it would have more trees and protection. As I rode, I tried to read the terrain for open spots. The wind was gusting from the west. When there was a break in cover like an open field, I laid over the Honda's airbox to streamline my profile a bit.

Sunday morning the winds were diminished. I lit out for the Polar Bear destination after Mom's delicious scrapple breakfast. Pogy and Scott had started out a whole lot earlier that morning and were waiting for me when I arrived. I would have been there about 15 minutes earlier, but I messed up on my navigation two miles from the exit.

Interstates 95 and 295 intertwine just south of Brian's H-D. I opted for 95 north when I should have stayed left on 295. By the time Garmin sorted it all out, I was banging along the backroads retracing my steps.

Pogy and Scott were gracious and allowed me time to eat a bit of lunch and enjoy some stories. The Brian's H-D HOGs do a wonderful job hosting the Polar Bears each year. They have free food, excellent traffic control and friendly hospitality all the way around. One of the HOGs who was managing traffic took time out to take our group photo for us.

On the way back, I-295 got me again. Instead of splitting off to follow it, my GPS directed me east through Trenton, then north up Route 1 through Princeton and the Brunswicks South and North. We finally joined the New Jersey Turnpike at exit 9. It's a route we've done before. As I recall, Grumpy favors it, especially to dodge turnpike traffic.

Nestled in Route 1's suburban sprawl, Sunday's wind wasn't so bad. Scott had business elsewhere and split off from Pogy and me on the New Jersey Turnpike to take the George Washington Bridge. Pogy and I pursued the Garden State Parkway for the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Since it was a longer haul, and we now have more daylight than in previous months, Pogy and I made time for the stop at the top, Chez GSP, a.k.a. the Montvale rest stop, or as Token2 calls them "services." Pogy treated me to a hot chocolate and celebratory glazed donut.

CT Blogger earned his Gold Rocker on this trip.

Chris and Pogy at the "stop at the top" of the Garden State Parkway.

Maybe We're Getting Soft?

CT Bears at Bahr's Landing. We took the group photo indoors, hey it was raining outside.
From left: Pogy, Captain & Chris.

Polar Bear Motorcycle Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, ride to Bahr's Landing, Highlands, NJ, March 10, 2019.

By: Chris Loynd

Maybe we're getting soft. I certainly am willing to admit I'm not as willing as I once was to ride four hours in a cold spring rain. My compatriots agreed. So we decided discretion was the better part and took the car. Pogy offered to drive. I picked up Captain on our end of Connecticut and we drove together south to Pogy's home. Pogy took over and we headed south in his Honda pickup truck.

Grumpy, Anonymous Ed and Fonz were in Daytona for Bike Week. Rumor has it the Fonz is shopping for a new ride since his Harley was totaled by a left-turning car a few weeks ago.

It's maybe a little crazy to drive two hours to have a seafood lunch in New Jersey. We did each earn one point for showing up, albeit on four wheels instead of two. That one point tipped Pogy's tally, earning him his 60-point pin this Sunday.

Pogy managed to make the trip in two-and-a-half hours, despite being in the fast lane most of the way. (See last week's blog if you haven't already.) There was also a bit of a not-so-scenic detour which added to our total travel time.

Pogy's detour wasn't as bad as the time Captain led us into the ghetto. Or that time Clark took us through the worst part of Newark because he was breaking-in his V-rod and didn't want to challenge the engine at interstate speeds. That time I was nearly an unwilling participant in a police car chase. But that's another story.

We had a truly delicious lunch. Bahr's Landing does a wonderful job. Pogy and I miss the turtle soup.

A good time was had by all as we ripped on each other, told big stories and not too much politics.

Captain and Pogy.

Pogy earned just one point this Sunday, but it was enough for his 60-point pin.

Bob pic of the week. He also took our group picture.

Disappearing Buffet but Snow in the Background

CT Bears in Long Valley, NJ. Snow in the background is rare for this season.
From left: CT Blogger, Captain, Thumper and Pogy down front.

Polar Bear Motorcycle Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, ride to Long Valley Pub, Long Valley, NJ, March 3, 2019.

By: Chris Loynd
Photos by: Chris Loynd and Grand Tour Photographers Gary Rosen and Bernie Walsh.

Turnabout is fair play. So this week, Pogy took the lead and I was sweep. All-in-all, I thought the ride was pretty smooth. Only Captain was tucked between us. Grumpy and Anonymous Ed were at Daytona Bike Week. With just three of us, lane changes should have been a breeze. Perhaps my only complaint was that our leader tended to hang out in the left lane a bit too much. As sweep that gets a bit challenging because cars backing up behind us tend to get a bit testy.

Twenty miles of matching speed with a FedEx truck on I-287 was a bit much. Every now and then, Pogy eventually noticed the cars zooming up on the right and then cutting him off. Then he'd move over to the middle lane.

When I had the opportunity, I tried to suggest lane changes from the back by moving over. But with only three bikes in line, drivers were moving into my space behind Captain. I ran the risk of being trapped and separated from our group. I also think Pogy's mirrors may not be working.

After observing Pogy in his truck on the following Sunday (see next week's blog) I think I understand. He's one of those Connecticut drivers who figures the left lane is best and safest for all circumstances. Grumpy is one too. And on Connecticut's congested interstate, it's hard to argue. But using Connecticut lane strategy on New Jersey's I-287 or Garden State Parkway is like applying Mad Max rules to the Natchez Trace Parkway. (That's a wonderful ride, by the way. If you ever find yourself in Mississippi with time on your hands, I highly recommend it.)

By the way, a tip for car drivers, flipping the bird at us as you drive by really does not change anything, especially when directed to the sweep rider. When I first moved to Connecticut I battled road rage fighting through rush hour traffic from Stratford to Stamford every day. A standup comic cured me. Here's his schtick:

"You people having a fit in traffic. What do you think you're accomplishing? Let me ask you something. A guy cuts you off. You blow your horn, flash your lights, make obscene hand gestures, tailgate. Now what do you think happens? Do you really think the guy who cuts you off gets home and says to his wife, 'I feel so bad. I cut in front of this guy on the way home. He was so upset. I feel terrible.' Do you really think that's what happens?"

Anyway, we got to our destination restaurant Long Valley Pub in good time. In fact we got there a half-hour before the kitchen opened. Our server bade us welcome nevertheless and brought Captain his coffee.

We were joined by Thumper. He was waiting for us as we pulled into the parking lot. Based upon my Connecticut Polar Bear departure email, he tried to catch us on I-287. But I guess with Pogy poking along in the left lane, he got tired of waiting.

Reminded me of former Connecticut Polar Bear Clark Makinson. Clark was from Connecticut but spent a lot of time in New Jersey caring for his elderly father. We were a lot looser in those days. None of this calling Captain in the morning to tell him where and when you will be joining us or if you're riding that day.

We'd be riding along I-287 or the Turnpike or Parkway and suddenly Clark was in our line. Sometimes you'd spot him on the shoulder waiting. More often than not, he just appeared. Rarely we'd meet him at a rest stop.

While we waited for the cook to arrive, Pogy and Captain entertained us with a spirited discussion of whether or not and when the Merchant Marines were an official branch of the U.S. military. Pogy was a Merchant Marine before he was a U.S. Marine. Captain was in the Navy. I'm too ignorant to know who won the argument.

Next Thumper unfurled his geek, engaging Pogy in a discussion of the F4U Corsair engine. Next was how helicopters work, pretty much from Igor's first one to modern day.

Sadly, Long Valley Pub has new owners. Captain asked the manager about the fabulous buffet and the manager claimed it was never there every Sunday. He asserted it was only offered on holidays like Easter and Thanksgiving. He should know better than to try to fool a biker when food is on the line.

Long Valley Pub for years was a prized Polar Bear destination. They had an amazing buffet with breakfast and lunch goodies of every sort plus a dessert table. It was a bit on the expensive side, but worth every penny. As we ate our sandwiches Sunday we reminisced about smoked salmon with capers, shrimp. king crab legs, fresh bagels with cream cheese, carving stations with rare roast beef and moist turkey, puddings, fruits, eggs, bacon . . . .

One thing I observed about the restaurant was that it was uncharacteristically empty. In years past, it was crowded. We got there early to be sure of a seat. My compadres said it was perhaps a forecast of evening snow. But I blame the buffetless fare.

Our sandwiches were very good, still a bit on the expensive side.

Pogy got us home well before the snow, Thumper dropping out on Route 80 to head to his now New Jersey residence.

Captain on arrival.

Connecticut bears just arrived.

Lunch but no buffet.

Cozy.

Scenic.

Captain earned his 60 points.

Bob pic of the week.