Christmas comes early

I'm in the Florida Keys right now. Since I left before Christmas I was given my gifts early...lots of stuff for the bike. Cup holder ( a much needed acc. for hot weather), trickle charger (overdue for this cold weather), throttle boss (give the wrist a rest), battery monitor (no more dead batteries), highway bars (just in case and a place to put some pegs) and a clock ( i like to know what time it is).

Halloween Ride - a chilly trip to Cape May

Today was one of those beautiful fall days. It was crisp and clear with a stiff breeze blowing the falling leaves all over. As we rode along the backroads of South Jersey our eight bikes made the leaves swirl around in sweeping patterns.

Today's ride was from Lumberton NJ to Cape May NJ. As far as the regular riding season goes this was the last ride of the year. This also marked the beginning of the 'Polar Bear' season, with registration taking place in Cape May. I didn't know this was part of the reason for today's ride so when we arrived in Cape May and turned the corner downtown I was suprised to see hundreds of bikes. They were all in Cape May to sign up for the winter Polar Bear Ride season. I have no intention of participating in winter riding, especially with the investment in heated riding clothes required to survive.

We ate lunch on the benches by the beach, watching the surfers and talking to all the walkers going by.

The ride home was as beautiful as the ride down, with the air feeling cooler as the winds picked up.

I'm going to miss the regular riding season but I'll be ready to go if we get any of those unseasonably warm fall and winter days.

Toys For Tots Run

Barbara and I received an invatation on Facebook to participate in this run. With Sunday free and the weather being perfect we decided to go on the run. The registration fee was one toy and $10 per person. There was plenty of breakfast food at the registration point; maybe too much. The run started in Bayville, at the 'dinosaur'. It was a great run; about 20 bikes. We had police blocking most of the intersections along the way which helped the group stay together. Of course one asshole in a car had to cut into the group right in front of us. The run ended at the White Pearl Hotel in Seaside. At the hotel there was a buffet, DJ and a 'Chinese Auction' for door prizes. Overall, it was a great run. We met a few great folks and we raised about $400 for Toys For Tots as well as a pile of toys.

Labor Day Weekend Ride

I joined the NJ Road Riders for a Sunday ride on Labor Day weekend to the Hawk Mountain area. It was a beautiful day; temperature, blue sky, a little breeze. We were headed out for the usual treat, ice cream. It seems all rides involve stopping for ice cream; not a bad tradition. We went through Allentown, Quakertown up to and through Hawk Mountain to Hesilers Cloverleaf Dairy. Check out the pictures at http://njroadriders2009.shutterfly.com/2010/1264 . We returned to the Burlington Bristol Bridge through Bucks County without incident. We didn't even have to do any u-turns; another Road Riders tradition.

You can't avoid...

You can't avoid alot of things while on a motorcycle...
The smell of a garbage truck on a summer afternoon. Yeeeeech!
Assholes in cars talking, texting, playing with cell phones while driving. This is becoming epidemic and there's nothing that can be done. This is just stupid. Everytime I have had a close call the driver of the cage has been on the phone. Put down the phone and drive.
Tailgaters. If the light is red ahead why are you in such a hurry to get to it?
Loose dogs. Owners don't care. Dogs are stupid, their owners are stupid.
Garbage on the road. People are pigs. How is it an option to throw trash out of a car window?
Highbeams. Motorcycle headlights are naturally bright. Don't flash your highbeams at me when I can't turn mine down...like those new 'white' headlights on cars.
Bugs...say no more.

...and so it begins

Before my son and I got our bikes my wife, Barbara, wasn't exactly warm about bikes. As time passed, first with my son riding then after I got my bike, she started to warm up to them; especially after taking rides with me. She spent enough time on the back of my bike that she's tired of sitting on that little seat. The solution was to get a bike of her own.

We went to look at a used Suzuki 250. It is the perfect bike for her to start on (the one many classes use for inital bike training) because of size, weight and power. We're going to get it today or tomorrow....and so it begins.
Much like teaching my son to ride a bike I now have to teach Barbara how to ride. It should go well as she has spent alot of time on the back of my bike and already knows how to drive a stick. The big hurdle will be getting her to coordinate both hands and feet.
Wish us luck!

Evening Ride - LBI

We have taken a few rides down to LBI. It's a nice ride and there's alot to do there. You have beaches, great clam chowder, seafood restaurants and the lighthouse, 'Old Barney'.

We took a ride down there last night, for the ride, dinner and hoping to meet up with an old friend of mine. Unfortunately there are lots and lots of traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.

The ride was uneventful except for the usual assholes. I was cut off by a pickup, people stop everywhere and doors open unexpectedly. It's amazing how many people no longer use turn signals.