It seems like no matter how well I plan to make it to
David’s Place early for the Pre-Meeting Ride, there’s always something that comes up.
Tonight was no different. So there I was flying down Rt. 82, passing a few cars when I got the chance. Got to the roundabout at Rt. 85 and the car ahead of me
was either unsure of which way to go or scared of jumping into the circle.
Finally he pulled to the right, as if going North on 85. Seeing my chance I
blew past him and around the circle to get onto 85 South.
Looking at the clock
on my bike I knew I still had a few minutes to get there. I caught up to the
cars that were ahead of me but decided not to pass since they were keeping up a
good pace. Scanning ahead I saw what I was hoping not to see. A line of bikes
headed my way.
I waved and the guys waved back. I saw a side road coming
up fast. Applying the brakes hard and downshifting to first I pulled a U-Turn
in the entrance to the side street. Six cars passed ahead of me before I could
get across Rt. 85 and chase after them.
Once again the cars were keeping a good pace and I didn’t
have the chance to pass any of them. Two of them turned off before we hit the
roundabout. I was trying to keep the taillights of the bikes in sight and hoped
I would be able to see which way they went at the roundabout. Fortunately I
could see that they made a left onto Rt. 82 South. At the roundabout one of the
cars ahead of me went straight and I followed the other three into the left turning
lane.
This time the drivers knew how to negotiate a traffic
circle and we quickly got through. One of them turned into a driveway, so now
there were only two, but somehow a motorhome had gotten ahead of them. My only
hope was that the motorhome would turn off or if the guys made the left at the
ice cream shop on the other side of Rt. 11. Luckily the motorhome and both cars
got onto Rt. 11.
I kicked the bike into fourth gear and as I approached
the pack I could see Dave, riding tail gunner, waving me ahead. As I slipped
into position Jim Scarritt turned and gave me a thumbs-up. It felt great!
It had grown quite dark by this time, but I could make
out most of the usual characters. I know most of the bikes by their brake light
patterns. I quickly picked out Sean’s special edition Harley and Joe’s new
Victory Cross Country. And I assumed that since Dave was riding sweep, that
Lane was leading the pack. I also assumed incorrectly that it was Ernie riding ahead of Sean. Later as we stopped for an intersection I could see by
the street light that it was actually Rich Jones. They both ride Harley full dressers.
The only one that still had me stumped was the bike directly ahead of me. Again the distinctive break light pattern told me it was a Victory Vision, but I don’t know anyone in the club who has one. I later learned that this was a friend of Sean’s whose name is Jim. I found it very easy riding behind Jim; he fit right in with our formation.
The only one that still had me stumped was the bike directly ahead of me. Again the distinctive break light pattern told me it was a Victory Vision, but I don’t know anyone in the club who has one. I later learned that this was a friend of Sean’s whose name is Jim. I found it very easy riding behind Jim; he fit right in with our formation.
We were a total of eight bikes, which I thought was
OK for the last Pre-Meeting Ride of the season. There is a bit of a
chill in the air and without the sun, not much chance of that improving before
the ride was done. Riding in the dark is a totally different experience. You can get a false sense of security, generated by the many hazards that are not illuminated by your headlight. You really need to ride a heightened level of awareness or you might get an unpleasant surprise.
Our route took us into East Haddam where we crossed the
Connecticut River into Haddam. We turned South on Rt. 154 and passed through a
number of towns. As we approached Old Saybrook I could see what looked like the shadow of tall hills against the night sky up ahead, but that shadow must have been a line of clouds coming in
off the Sound, because there were no tall hills in the direction we were
heading.
Continuing down Rt. 154 through Old Saybrook and looking out toward the Western horizon at Plum Beach I could see the last, dark red, glow of the sunset.
Continuing down Rt. 154 through Old Saybrook and looking out toward the Western horizon at Plum Beach I could see the last, dark red, glow of the sunset.
Over the Raymond Baldwin Bridge (more commonly known as
I95) we headed back East into Old Lyme. We hopped onto Rt. 1 which took us into
Waterford where we made a left onto Oil Mill Rd. At the end we beared right
onto Way Hill Road which brought us back to Rt. 85.
Passing under I395 we made a left onto Douglas Lane, left onto Vauxhall St. Ext., right onto Hunts Brook Road, right onto Unger Rd.
which becomes Moxley Road and we were at the clubhouse.
This is a very nice ride, which we have done before, but
I enjoy it every time.
I was happy to see that there was a nice turn out at the
clubhouse too. It seems like we have more members showing up to meetings now
that the season is winding down. I guess everyone is busy taking advantage of
the long daylight hours in the summer. It would be nice if they used that
advantage to join a pre-meeting ride at least once a month during the riding season. But as the beginning of this post indicates, I know how difficult that can be. Among the many members were Jeremy Marcial (Oh Har Oh oo) and Mike Demers (Mr. Classic Suzuki); both of whom I have missed seeing at the meetings.
A few items of interest came up at the meeting. To start
off, it appears that Joe Fogarty has been in training to fill in for Craig Wormald (Old Business) while he is attending to the Port Charlotte County. Joe got off to a rough
start, missing his cue to call for a “Motion to Accept” the Treasurer's Report. Fortunately other
members jumped right in and Joe was in fine form by the end of the meeting.
A number of members are not well. Please keep them in
your thoughts and prayers: Doug Young, Patti Duerrler, Thib’s wife, and John
Cherrick.
Steve Natale was at the meeting again, looking and moving
around much better. It’s great to have him back although I hear he’s been
misbehaving playing with a new leaf blower that’s too heavy to be lifting just
yet.
Of
particular note are the following items:
- Banquet tickets sold like hot cakes and I believe the count is over 50 now. I’m not sure what our limit is, so don’t wait to get yours.
- The Moose Club is holding its Halloween Party this Saturday (10/26) at 7:00 PM. Come in costume or come as you are. For some, that’s scary enough! But do bring a canned good for the Town Pantry. It is also requested that you bring a dish to share, but it is not mandatory.
- Road Captain, Tom Lloret, will not be able to lead a ride this Sunday, so Road Sergeant Dave Adams will be leading our ride to the Turkey Run (see next post for details) Meet at Dunkin Donuts on Rt. 32 in Montville for 10:00 AM A.O.B. …OR… Dunkin Donuts on Rt. 85 in Colchester for a 10:30 AM A.O.B.
- NEXT WEEK’S MEETING WILL START AT 7:00 PM – No pre-meeting ride.
- The Gift Run will be the following Sunday, November 3rd. Details to follow.
- That is the same day that David’s Place will be closing for the season.
- Middlesex County is considering a ride to the Ivoryton Pub for their meeting on November 5th. Meet at the usual place in Old Saybrook at 6 PM. Vinny will confirm all details at the next meeting.
- Club Elections will be held at the November 7th meeting.
- Club Dinners will be starting at the November 14th meeting. I believe the price is still $7.00 per person.
- The Holiday Parade Schedule appears as if it will work out OK. Groton’s is on December 7th and Montville’s is on the 8th
- We are looking at either April 13th or April 27th for the 2014 Bike Blessing. We need to choose a date now so that vendors can commit to participating. April 13th is Palm Sunday, so April 27th looks like the most promising date. Besides, Paul Neves says the forecast for April 27th is Warm & Sunny. I’d like to know who he gets his forecasts from. Most of my sources are lucky to get the weekend right!
- Finally, the 2014 Iron Adventure in Ludlow, VT is scheduled for July 24th – 26th. It appears they have learned from their mistakes and are working to make this event run more smoothly. Even if they don’t, most of our members who attended this year’s event are eager to go back. Even if it’s just to ride the amazing roads up there and sit around the bonfire at the Best Western at night. Sounds like a great time.
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