Boy Are We Glad We Did NOT Ride

CT Bears braved weather (in a car) traveling to Montgomeryville Cycle Center.
From left: Captain, CT Blogger, Grumpy and Pogy.

Polar Bear Motorcycle Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, ride drive to Montgomeryville Cycle Center, Hatfield, PA, Dec. 1, 2019.

By: Chris Loynd
Photos by: Grumpy

As the week progressed the forecast worsened. Saturday afternoon we decided not to ride. A wintry mix was forecast to change to all snow, then rain, then back to snow with accumulations ranging from one to six inches. Timing looked dicey as well. For us Montgomeryville is a three hour destination one way. Even with an early 8:00 a.m. departure, there was no way we could get there and back and be sure to beat the sleet, ice or snow. Rain is bad enough. But motorcycles are pretty dicey in snow and near impossible in sleet and ice.

Captain and Pogy felt they should support our host Montgomeryville Cycle Center and the Grand Tour by driving despite the forecast. By Polar Bear rules, we get just one point for driving, and can use that option only thrice for any points at all. As you can see in the previous blog posts, Captain, Pogy and Grumpy have already burned one of their car rides with last week's very rain drive to Hillbilly Hall.

Captain offered to navigate his all-wheel drive Subaru to Hatfield and back again. Grumpy and I invited ourselves too.

On the ride down, we were wondering if we should have been on our motorcycles. We saw only a drizzle or two as we neared Montgomeryville Cycle. Ninety-nine percent of the trip over was on dry roads.

Captain's piloting skills were holding up pretty well, but his navigation was stymied by a faulty Subaru computer. He'd had it to the dealership weeks before. But the fix didn't take. Grumpy was riding shotgun and with his cell phone backed up the Captain. Pogy and I did our best not to be backseat drivers. Pogy did on occasion remind Captain to watch the road and not the faulty GPS.

We were a bit baffled by Captain's decision to take the parkways to the George Washington Bridge, but he was driving his car so we kept our mouths shut until well after we were too far along to change Captain's mind. We made it to I-287 okay. Then there was a debate and subsequent vote about how soon to turn off and head west to Pennsylvania. I-78 won out, over the Captain's choice, and Grumpy guided us toward a Delaware River crossing.

After crossing the Delaware, Captain refused to turn right, despite being a stalwart conservative Republican. He finally relented to the third request, but we missed the scenic covered bridge. Nevertheless, the scenery of this slice of Pennsylvania is delightful: rolling meadows, fieldstone houses, simple country farms and opulent three-car-garage mansions.

Still in all, we made good time, arriving at our destination about 10 minutes before 11. The wonderful folks at Montgomery Cycle already had a hearty and free lunch set out for us. They offered a very tasty beef chili, fried potatoes, fresh fruit, pastries and coffee. The chili was spicy and sweet all at once. It was perfect for motorcycle riders, er, um, polar bear car riders, and especially appropriate for such a cold, gray day.

As we were eating the rain outside became steadier. Other bears were arriving by car. When we exited a little before noon there were just three intrepid motorcycles in the parking lot.

Grumpy guided Captain back toward Connecticut, now ignoring the Subaru's intermittent GPS in favor of his own memory and cell phone. We were still debating if maybe we could have ridden our bikes. But before we reached the Delaware River, Grumpy noted the ice building up on the car's outside mirrors.

Entering New Jersey the weather took a quick and severe turn for the worse. On I-287 we were down to 40 mph carefully picking our way through a couple inches of slush and then snow in an ice storm with moderate to heavy traffic. Yeah, we would have never made this on motorcycles. We hope that those who decided to ride had shorter – and more southern – routes home.

For all our teasing, Captain held the Subaru between the lines, negotiated some slippery lane changes and only cut off one irate driver. That happened toward the end of our ride in the never-friendly, ever-heavy, Connecticut I-95 traffic. He had plenty of room to merge by the way. Connecticut breeds irate drivers like it garners taxes – in ever increasing orders of magnitude.

Despite the weather we had a great time together. We discussed the world's problems, without solving any. We enjoyed some locker room humor and funny stories, some of them actually not heard before by us.

Here's hoping we get a few more decent weather weekends. We need the points to earn those coveted Polar Bear rockers.

Captain piloting, Grumpy capturing the moments, the GPS computer stuck somewhere in New Jersey.

Ice build up just beginning on our drive home.

Montgomeryville Cycle Center also had a canned food drive.

Rainy Day Friends

CT Polar Bears in Montgomeryville, via automobile, from left: Grumpy, CT Blogger, Pogy and Captain.
Thank you Bernie Walsh for taking the photo!

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, DRIVE to Montgomeryville Cycle Center, December 2, 2018.

By: CT Blogger
Photos by: Grumpy

It is said that there are sunny day and rainy day friends, the latter being more reliable and resilient. Perhaps such is too philosophical an argument for our Sunday Polar Bear excursion. Pogy put it better, "Oh great; six hours of ragging on each other!" One advantage of riding together in the car is that we get a lot more taking time together. Even riding together all day on bikes, we get less than an hour to talk. Sunday's drive was a real treat.

I am not ignorant of the perception that a six-plus-hour drive to nowhere in the rain is crazy. As it turned out, we had great fun the four of us. At the end we were all glad we went, and went in a car.

Sunday's forecast was for rain. Weathermen disagreed on how much and when. Some were saying thundershowers would end by morning. Some called for clearing in the second half of the day. Still others suggested an all-day thunderstorm threat.

Me, I'm getting too comfortable these days to desire a whole day of riding a motorcycle in the rain. It's one thing if you're touring and have to. Even more acceptable is the unexpected shower. You suit-up and take it. But purposely starting out in the rain, in the winter, riding all the way to Pennsylvania and back, seemed excessive.

So I called Captain and suggested we consider a four-wheeled alternative. We'd discussed just such a possibility the night before. Captain's weather forecaster was more optimistic. He answered my call from the Dunkin' in Stratford with his rain suit on and his Honda Goldwing parked outside in the steady drizzle. "See what Pogy thinks and call me back," he suggested.

I called Pogy and his National Weather Service forecaster was more dismal. Pogy had even called the tower at Sikorsky Airport in Stratford. He was flat out against riding but willing to spend the day with us in a car. He even offered to drive if Captain and I could get down to Norwalk.

Captain easily agreed to driving instead of riding when I called him back. So he rode his bike back home, quickly stripped off his motorcycle gear, changed into regular clothes, got in his car and drove over to pick me up, most conveniently, at my house.

Meanwhile I guessed Grumpy might be going. He's a Connecticut Polar Bear regular; he's even adjusted his work schedule to open up Sundays for riding. Fortunately, I got him just before he headed out the door, also all dressed in rain gear, and ready to roll on his Harley. He wasn't dead set on riding either. He quickly changed clothes and drove his pickup down to the Dunkin' to go in the car with Captain and me. (Maybe we're all valuing our comfort a bit more these days.)

As it turned out, we left only five minutes later than our originally scheduled motorcycle departure.

On his drive down from Derby, Grumpy heard on the radio that I-95 was shut down in Westport for an accident. So  I called Pogy, rerouting him to the Merritt Parkway for pick up.

If we had gone on the bikes we would not have known about the accident. We would have been sitting, dead stopped, on the Connecticut expressway, in the rain, with Pogy waiting at the rest stop, in the rain, wondering what the heck had become of us.

So we were lucky in that. But our luck didn't hold.

It rained steadily all the way over to our destination. All day, all the way there and back, we saw heavier and lighter periods of rain, never a thunderstorm, neither a respite.

Pogy originally lobbied for a route over the Tappan Zee Bridge (we all decided not to call it by its new, politically-motivated, name) to I-287 to Route 202. It saves us slogging over the all-too-familiar NJ Turnpike or Garden State Parkway. In a car it was even easier and Captain was amenable.

Captain's sophisticated Subaru GPS refused to recognize his voice, or Grumpy's or Pogy's when we tried to change her mind on I-287. She was refusing to go the way we wanted. Finally, I was able to use my "computer speak" to get through to her and she acquiesced to Route 202.

Over more than a decade of riding to Montgomeryville, I think we've probably covered just about every route and approach. The destination is positioned such that there are a variety of options, one even includes a scenic covered bridge. At one time or another we've ridden then all. Today we figured to work diagonally down Route 202 from the more westerly I-287 beltway.

Route 202 isn't too bad once you break free of the pharmaceutical suburbs. The initial stretch near I-287 is pocked with stoplights and shopping plazas with the attendant traffic. Further out it is less interrupted and more scenic. It is familiar to us for multiple Polar Bear destinations. We were recalling some of the now defunct destinations. What ever happened to the Knights of Columbus?

(We also passed NorthlandZ on 202, the world's largest model railroad layout. Once again I promised myself a trip to see it . . . someday.)

Somehow our GPS got a bit confused as we closed in on our destination. We did a bit of suburban dodging in Chalfonte, Penn., before coming out at the dealership. Still we arrived right at sign in, 11:30 as planned.

On motorcycles our communication with each other for the hours involved is relegated to hand signals. We get to talk at lunch and even more briefly at the occasional rest stop or coffee break. But in the car, whoo hoo!

We delight in making fun at each others' expense, and sometimes our own. With some 16 years of Polar Bear riding together, we have plenty of ammunition. There's also an interesting political dynamic. I am the token liberal in a cadre of Glen Beckian, Fox Newsian, Trump Loving, Army-Navy-Marine Veteran, conservatives.

Grumpy early on gave a very convincing, cinema verite, soliloquy of his general thoughts about other drivers. The rest of us agreed we probably do not want to know what Grumpy is thinking, maybe even saying, inside his helmet on our many motorcycle rides. A few insights learned: he does not appreciate drivers who wantonly touch their brake pedals, he dislikes aggressive drivers weaving in and out of traffic, he feels most people are not going fast enough -- especially in the passing lane, he doesn't like . . . well, let's just say he takes great umbrage at a whole panoply of driving indiscretions.

Grumpy's not-so-secret is that beneath his gruff and often animated exterior beats a truly generous heart. He saved me years ago on my first Daytona ride. He barely knew me yet shared his campsite with me and another rider when our only other choice was a camping "site" literally next to the sanitation dump tank. His home is refuge for family and others. But don't you dare call him a sweetheart.

Pogy regaled us once again with his stories of world travel. He was triggered by Grumpy's stories about his global work making sure we all can enjoy cable TV. Together they commiserated about dealing with international cultures in ways not for publication.

On a tangent, Captain shared stories from his property management days. I thought I’d heard all his stories by now — a danger with longtime friends — I was wrong! Captain has lots more juicy content.

Our drive back took the scenic route to cross the Delaware River at New Hope. Great plan but the bridge was out. Not the one over the Delaware. A smaller bridge cut off our pathway within site of New Hope. The only detour sign we saw pointed us directly toward the defunct bridge.

Captain's GPS knew only to run us in a big circle right back to the impassable bridge. So Grumpy and I got out our phones and started navigating via Google Maps. Able to see a larger scale, we headed back the way we came, made a big loop, and ended -- finally -- on I-78 eastbound.

We all agreed such navigation would have been miserable on motorcycles, in the rain. Even the turnaround at the bridge detour would have been daunting.

So when the drive was done and the day complete we all decided it was not such a bad idea after all to come in a car. We earned a mere one-point each on our Polar Bear schedules. Still we were dry and warm and entertained.

Next week looks to be dry but very cold, perfect weather for Polar Bear motorcycling. The destination is just 10 miles south of Montgomeryville, so it will be interesting to see what route our ride leader takes. Fortunately, we already know about the bad bridge for the ride back.

What is it about Montgomeryville?

CT Polar Bears in Montgomeryville, from left, Scott, Captain, Mac with Pogy down front and Anonymous Ed behind the camera.

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, ride to Montgomeryville Cycle Center, December 3, 2017.

By Pogy:

Ride today was to Montgomeryville Cycle in Hatfield, Pa

The Captain, Ed and Mac started out at 0830 from Stratford and picked up Scott and me on I95 at about 10 of 9.  Captain was lead with Scott as sweep. Went over the GWB and on to the Jersey Pike with no fanfare. Traffic was moving along and we made good time.

We were told that exit 6 was closed so we took exit 7 which turned out to be somewhat chaotic – different GPS directions on different bikes – so it took us some time to sort thru stuff and finally ended up on the PA pike. When we got off the pike there was a little more confusion and because of a quick turnaround I ended up too far ahead of the group to turn around safely so I proceeded alone to Montgomeryville.  I showed up a few minutes ahead of the other guys. Captain had a few friendly words to me about leaving the group (he got up too early and not enough coffee). After the tongue lashing we signed in and had some chili. 

Back on the road by 1220, followed 202 North out of PA to Jersey. Got into a little rain along the way and was home by 1600.

Thanks for leading the pack today Captain. Don’t forget to take your happy pill before you go to bed tonight.

Pog

Polar Bear photographer caught our Captain and Jim.

Captain's Kryptonite

Hatfield Connecticut Polar Bears, from left, Anonymous Ed (actually his sleeve only, see arrow), CT Blogger, Token2, Fonz, New Guy Jim.
Down front: Captain and Thumper.

Motorcycle Polar Bear Blog, Polar Bear Grand Tour, ride to Hatfield, Penn., December 4, 2016.

By: Chris Loynd a.k.a. CT Blogger

Captain's ride to Montgomeryville Cycle Center in Hatfield, Penn., some years ago made him a legend in Connecticut Polar Bear lore. Poor fellow has yet to live it down. Grand Tour Polar Bear Pooh Bah Bob Hartpence will never let Captain forget it. And this past Sunday we discovered there may exist cosmic reverberations from that event haunting Captain still.

If you do not know the story, I will torture our much maligned Captain once more in the retelling. Full disclosure, I got this hearsay from my fellow Connecticut Bears. Unfortunately, I missed the infamous ride.

The Grand Tour scheduled ride on that fateful day long ago was to Brian's Harley-Davidson in Langhorne, Penn. Captain was leading. Unfortunately, he programmed the wrong motorcycle dealership into his GPS. He then led his compatriots to Montgomeryville Cycle, despite miles of protestations. When he approached the dealership's empty parking lot, Captain's heart sank. To their credit, the other Connecticut riders followed him all the way to the wrong destination. Communications are limited at speed in full face helmets.

I can attest that as lead rider you feel the pressure of those behind you. You know everyone of them has his own GPS confirming or refuting your route choices at every turn.

I've had my share of u-turns and miscues. If you lead enough rides, you will too. I own a disastrous circle at the foot of the Whitestone Bridge in New York City. That one even led to bike damage.

Even wise and wonderful Polar Bear Grand Tour Chairman Bob Hartpence is known to his closest friends as "The Shortcut King."

For our Connecticut Captain, maybe there is some magnetic field around Montgomeryville known only to him. Maybe it emanates unseen in cosmic waves. Leading a ride there I famously overshot the mark because I was looking for this dealership on the other side of the highway. Russ stuck with me as I sought a far away U-turn opportunity on the divided highway. The rest of my fellow riders ditched me, hard on the brakes, dove into the dealership and were having coffee and chili by the time Russ and I arrived from our U-turn.

I am a scientist by training and philosophy. So I do not put much credence in the "supernatural." At the most I admit there are many things in this world we do not yet fully understand. One of these is the powerful effect Montgomeryville Cycle Center continues to have on our beloved Captain, once again evidenced in this year's fateful ride to the Hatfield dealership.

For one, Captain insisted on leading the ride there this Sunday. I was ready to lead, even wrote the key direction on my mirror in grease pencil: "I-287 x-15." I offered this to Captain. His response was, "I'll go where my GPS says." Unfortunately, his GPS chose prosaic over poetic.

We slogged west across Route 202. It was that much more annoying because it was the exact same route we took last Sunday. You start out in pharmaceutical land. Ortho-McNeil-Janssen, Roche, Johnson-Johnson, Thermo Fisher Scientific, the road is lined with corporate campuses fed by fields of solar energy arrays. Then the scenery settles into strip malls and housing developments, miles of them. Next you enter car land. As you reach Flemington the road is lined with auto dealerships: BMW, Audi, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Infiniti, Hyundai, Toyota, Kia and the NJ DMV inspection lanes. Finally, as you near Pennsylvania, you enter some scenic farm land, much of it rich people's horse farm land, presumably for the highly paid workers of pharmaceutical land. Meanwhile my health insurance is killing me.

Over the Delaware River, Pennsylvania's version of Route 202 dumps into narrow New Hope, then continues in two lanes, small towns, stop-and-go congestion. It does look like Pennsylvania here and there. Fieldstone colonial houses and antique shops in town, along with convenience stores. It does open to some farm vistas now and then.

It gets more congested and suburban as you near Montgomeryville Cycle Center. Captain -- or perhaps more correctly his GPS -- magnified this effect by moving us over to Business Route 202 for the last bit. Personally, I was perfectly happy on the expressway 202.

Nevertheless, we arrived on time, 11:30 a.m. on the dime.

And that included an emergency pit stop. Hey, when you gotta go . . . .

Captain did not suffer the stop gladly. His outburst was out of character for him. Hmmm, maybe the Montgomeryville effect runs deeper than we divine. New guy Jim got a talking to the minute our helmets came off in the Montgomeryville Cycle Center parking lot. Apparently there was an earlier conversation. I'm not taking sides. But as I age, I do understand the need for more frequent potty breaks. That's why I restrict my coffee intake on Polar Bear Sunday mornings.

Captain soon settled. Jim seemed okay. Good humor was restored. We broke bread together and laughed once again.

The dealership treated us to free lunch, chili con carne, corn muffins, coffee, even doughnuts. It also offered 20 percent discounts. Thank you Montgomeryville Cycle Center for hosting us once again.

As we were walking into the dealership, Token2 remarked how tight our group rode on the way over. He was second-to-last rider; I was sweep. I wholeheartedly agreed. There was a bobble here and there, boxing in a Jeep and a last-possible-minute route decision. But all-in-all it was one of our better group rides.

We cannot claim the same for the ride home.

After a double U-turn, down-and-back, gas stop, Captain did take us on the scenic route home. He chickened-out on one turn thereby missing the covered bridge. He was probably influenced by peer pressure of the Unified Harley Riders of Central Jersey who were riding directly ahead of us.

It's a nice, scenic, country route on the way down to the Delaware River. The roads narrow, then narrow some more, then drop down to one-lane over creek bridges. (Thumper remarked at the obvious economy of a one-lane bridge.)

The fun ended as we entered I-78 heading back east for Connecticut. We missed the exit for I-287 plunging onto the Garden State Parkway in the Oranges. After voting to skip the stop at the top of the Garden State Parkway, we overturned that decision, deciding we might as well stop now that we were passing directly by it anyway.

Thumper shared a story of his first Polar Bear ride. He'd missed the group and went on his own. He avoided interstate highways, stuck to local roads, and made the destination at 1:30. He had a chicken sandwich, then rode home, the last part in the dark. "After that I realized the Polar Bear rides were mostly interstate riding," he concluded. To his credit, Thumper is a brand new rider -- was one of my motorcycle students just this past summer -- and holds his own with the rest of us on his single-cylinder BMW.

We're trying to talk him into leading a ride. Hey, maybe Montgomeryville Cycle Center next year?

Captain.