It was a bit chilly this morning, but the sky was clear and calm. It promised to be a beautiful Fall day. Ten bikes left Dunkin Donuts in Montville and we picked up one more at the Dunkin Donuts in Colchester. We were to pick up one more near exit 5 on Rt. 2, but there was some confusion about what time we would be passing, so they caught up later.
On arrival, Dave did what he does best, engaging the event hosts in conversation. I'm pretty sure there was mention of his furry, horned hat.
We all sauntered on over to register and buy raffle tickets.
I met Joe, one of the members of the Lusitanos "Riding" Club. Unlike a motorcycle club, they include any type of vehicle that you can "ride" versus "drive" like a car. They even have a sub group of ATV riders. Thier name is derived from their American Portugese origins, but all are welcome.
Inside Gengras HD...Like kids in a candy store.
If I were to get an Ultra Glide, this would be my choice of color scheme.
This photo doesn't do the do this bike justice. It had a number of admirers
Jim and Mark rode up with us and registered, but decided to ride over to Cycle Gear and other parts unknown.
Who remembers when you had to buy an aftermarket fairing and bags for a Honda Goldwing? The turn signals on the backs of the saddlebags were as big as a car's break lights. This would be a great bike for Road Guard duty.
Time for the Rider's Meeting
Lance and Melissa road up with us from Montville.
Dave wasn't the only one to get a "Special Edition" color.
Randy's new squeeze, Raelynn
Another club of a different kind that attended was the Motorcycle Ministry.
Time to go!
Ken and Linda (Raelynn's brother & sister-in-law) met up with us at Gengris.
This pink camera? It's my wife's. Really!
The ride from Gengris HD in East Hartford to Food Share in Bloomfield was escorted by police from a number of different towns. But this was no funeral march parade; these boys were moving! And everyone was happy to join them.
Heading out we immediately got onto CT 2 West bound, merged onto I84 to cross the river and then merged onto I91 North, getting off at the exit for CT 305 we made a left and headed West. Right onto CT 187 and left onto Woodland Ave.
All along the way the police had traffic stopped to let us pass. We had all five lanes of I91 wide open, but followed our escort into the HOV lane where we road with a minimal amount of "Rubberbanding" until our exit. Our group stayed intact with no difficulty.
Their job completed, the police road out to the sound of our ovation.
What a beautiful day!
No, that's not Dave's special edition Ultra Glide, but one just like it. We actually encountered TWO of them during the day. Dave threatened violence if either one came within 100 yards of his bike!
I estimate that there were about 100 - 125 bikes involved. Not nearly as many as I had expected.
The event was hosted by the Hartford H.O.G. Chapter.
Paul and Rich enjoying some of the free beverages and snacks.
These "Turkeys" supplied us with hot chocolate, apple cider, DD munchkins, apples and cut up oranges.
Greg, a H.O.G. member, joined us on the Billy Joel run last month. It was a pleasure seeing him again.
A look inside the warehouse.
I didn't see many members of this MC.
Randy, Raelynn and her brother, Ken
Time for the raffle drawing. There were a number of prizes. Mainly gift certificates from Gengris, Stop & Shop and the other event sponsors.
There were "Turkeys" everywhere
Another sporty, similar to the purple one at Gengris
I thought this was a modified sporty as I was riding next to it coming up I91.
But it's actually a Star Bolt
Speech, Speech!
Thank you. Thank you.
The crowd was enthralled! Now if we could just get them to be this quiet during our weekly meetings!
This bright shirt caught my attention. I liked it so I took this photo, thinking "Why bother asking if I can take a photo of your shirt? This guy will never know" Then I realized he had eyes in the back of his head!!
I wonder if he gets hair in his eyes!
More speeches, thanks and praise for our participation. This time from representatives from Stop & Shop. This guy was a very good public speaker.
Mount up! Rich is leading us somewhere good to eat.
I thought Melissa was going to loose this hat on the ride down to Hartford
Parking in a "NO PARKING" zone. The police advised we had only one hour, but most doubted it we be strictly enforced.
Pack your valuables and lock them up. You're not in Montville anymore!
Greg and his orange Harley. Perfect for pumpkin season.
I got to talk with this Victory owner. He rode when he was younger and after the kids got a bit older, he rented a Harley while on vacation one year. He got bit by the "riding bug" pretty bad, but couldn't afford a Harley. Victory's were still rather new in 2002 and quite a bit less, so he bought one. He's still riding the same bike and isn't ready to give it up for another model.
This restaurant fed us for free and the food was great. There was a rigatoni in a creamy bolognese sauce,
a cavatappi in pesto sauce,
ravioli stuffed with sweet potato in a creamy sage sauce,
meatballs, warm garlic & cheese bread and salad. All of the pasta was made on the premises and you could definitely tell the difference. I didn't look to see what their pricing was like, but I would certainly eat here again.
Everybody was happy....well, almost everybody.
When this bunch started talking about visiting one or two vineyards on the way back; one of our hosts (below) told them of a vineyard owned by a member of her family. I think we may be making a trip there before too long.
Little by little, everyone started saying their goodbyes. Dan and Paul planned on putting Dan's new Star Stratoliner through it's paces. They invited me along, but I don't think my little Triumph Bonneville would have been any match.
Besides, our adventure wasn't over yet and I wasn't ready to go home. So I joined the group heading for the vineyard in Portland and I wasn't disappointed. It was a beautiful day, it was a beautiful venue and we arrived at just the right time having our choice of seats on the back patio next to the fireplace.
But first everyone had to get their photo taken with the giant cask.
That's not what I meant when I said "Hold up a pumpkin"!
Don't stand too close or you may get the spigot poking you somewhere you'd rather it didn't!
They had all sorts of stuff for sale.
I don't think this was operational yet.
How many times have we passed this truck with the barrels on it on CT-66 in Portland?
Dave found a "Manly" sized glass to drink from.
Belly on up to the bar girls!
They certainly know their clientele.
This guitarist was very talented. He played beautifully and his singing was just as good. I was especially impressed by the range of his voice. Singing songs by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, CCR, Cat Stevens, the Talking Heads and others, he was always right on key. He even played one or two of his own songs. You can find more info on him at http://benkane33.com/about-us/
It all started off innocently enough with a modest pitcher of sangria and slowly picked up steam with successive bottles. I thought wine "tasting" involved a small taste, perhaps even a glass. But this crowd needs the whole bottle to make up their minds. Of course the proprietor was more than happy to oblige us and even came out with samples of a new wine that isn't available yet.
Margo always knows how to make herself right at home.
Two more bottles, please.... Restrain that woman!
These three can be trouble when they get together! Threatening to quit their jobs and forcing their significant others to chauffeur them on a never ending wine tasting tour.
I think this one's had enough! Time to go home.
Special thanks to Randy for sharing his photos for this report.
No comments:
Post a Comment