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| CT Bears at Brian's H-D, from left, Pogy, Chris, Scott. |
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.
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| CT Blogger earned his Gold Rocker on this trip. |
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| Chris and Pogy at the "stop at the top" of the Garden State Parkway. |
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