It's been a month since my last post

Here I am in the Florida Keys. It's sunny, warm with a slight breeze. Perfect bike weather. Too bad my bike is sleeping in NJ. Barbara tried to convince me to trailer it down here but I didn't think I would ride very much. I spend alot of time out on a boat. I'll be back in NJ some time in May. Just in time for perfect bike weather!...and Rita's bike nights.

Snow

I thought that I might make a few polar bear runs this winter. That was before all of the snow hit. It's been a white winter around here, with the bikes quietly sleeping in their enclosure. Yesterday I had to knock 12 -16" of snow off of the bike enclosure before it collapsed.
I'll be back in the Keys in three weeks. I'd love to have my bike there but I'm out on a boat most of the time so the bike would just sit there too. Best to just let it sleep here until Spring.

Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! For everyone lucky enough to ride today...be safe! It would be horrible to lose anyone today.

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.