Winter riding in New England

[JimC]

2 outta 3 aint bad...I want you, I need you...
but there aint no way Im ever gonna love you....

As sung by Marvin Lee Aday also know as MEAT LOAF! is a story of lost love. It was on his hit album from the 70's Bat out of Hell. Which had a motorcycle on the cover...so it ties into this ride....okay thats a stretch, but here it is non the less


My 2 outta 3 story isn't about lost love, but collecting Tags on my motorcycle. I left West Boylston about 9:15 am on January 23rd in search of a 3 items.






2 of them in MA and one in NH. I called my buddy STP otherwise known as Phil to see if he wanted to get that big ST out for a few miles...but he was too busy working...All my other riding buddies were snow bound so it looked like I was on my own.
I store my bike at my office,and looking out the garage I had a little snow and ice to trudge thru to get to open pavement



Once on the road I was pleased to find mostly dry pavement. At least the sunny sections were pretty clean. I knew the highways would be fine, but I still wanted to explore on back roads. I did something different with the gps, I didnt plan my route, I just had each stop programmed as a waypoint and I let the gps tell me which way to go.

There is a lot of snow on the ground in our area. Ive kept busy the last 2 weekends with plowing, and the days in between have been below freezing. On this day the temps were gonna be in the high 30's...ahhh what a perfect day to ride
Some scenes you just dont see on a nice June day of riding...






I worked my way north on rt110 thru Clinton, Lancaster, Bolton and Harvard. My first goal was to stop at a friends house to pick up some stickers. Just before I got to his house I wanted to get a shot of the town common and the cannon it has.
All the DPW workers looked at me with amazement as I set up my tripod then ran and jumped thru the snow to get this shot



Here is the unmolested shot, Im amazed at how many cannons you see in small New England towns and village squares.....remember that now for future gains



Okay, so I get to Bob's house and what do I find? Some neat driveway markers.
.


You would think seeing Bob is a motorcyclist and he might want to get out and ride on some warm winter day that he would SHOVEL HIS DRIVEWAY!


Holy smokes Bob....get that ice melt out!!

[JimC]

I get my loot and put Bob's paper by his door so he doesn't have to worry about slipping and falling before he reads the globe. Even the paper boy must have been afraid to walk to the door!
I ride back past the cannon and the DPW guys, I beep and way as I ride by. By the look I get from them you would think they've never seen and exotic Italian motorcycle driven by someone in Full on HI VIZ gear riding in the middle of winter??
My next stop was Emerson Hospital and the first tag of the day. The helipad. THe gps took me on some back roads thru Littleton, Carlise and into Acton.

At the intersection of 27 and 110 I took a quick right and visited with the people at Moto Market. Turns out I was not the only crazy one out today

I wasnt in the mood for one of those fancy cups of coffee they sell, so I just order a few things I need for my helmet, then geared up and hit the road.
My first tag of the day was next


Or so I thought!
Seems I missed the post where someone already got this one, but I didnt find that out until the end of the day when I got back. From Concord my next stop would be Saugus. I didnt want to just take the highway, but I should have!
Riding inside 128 really sucks, but hey its January in MA and Im riding, so I wasn't too upset.

I did run into this guy at a intersection in Melrose, what a car!


Maybe Tim can fill us in on this car, but it sure did look impressive in person!
After working my way thru traffic and a few wrong turns I finally found tag #2

The site of the old Weylu's on Rt1 in Saugus. This stretch of highway has several landmark restaurants in the Boston area. Hill top steak house and The Ship are just 2 of many.
My only memory of Weylus is this, on a cold Ocotber night I remember watching a baseball roll thru the legs of one great Red Sox player...breaking the hearts of many fans in a New York minute. I was having dinner here when that happened

I remember riding home that night on my RZ350 thinking the Curse of the bambino must be true!

2 down, one to go!

[JimC]

So now I find my self in Saugus MA, just a few miles north of Boston. Its 2pm, and I decide that Portsmouth NH was my next stop.
I didnt want to be out much after dark so I figured I would need to use the Highway to make my way north. 50 miles of I95 brought me to the granite state. Someone wanted to see what farkles I have on my multi, so I took this photo to highlight my stuff.

Garmin Quest, JM radio/intercom and CB and Ipod Nano. You cant see my dual heat control for the Gerbins heated clothes I wear on these winter excursions
As I reached the toll booths in Hampton NH I realized I forgot my Ezpass! I had to do it old school like Pat! The people behind me must have been upset to find that I had my wallet in my jeans pocket. The one I cant reach with my Olympia Phantom suit, without standing up on my pegs and unzipping everything then bending my body in a direction that isn't natural.
I should have given my camera to the toll both guy, it would have made a great photo. But I think I would have been rammed from behind.

Just past the toll booth I found the last tag of the day.

The ADV board is where two of these tag locations came from. They dont allow for file photos to be used, so I needed to find a New Hampshire tag to put up. I didnt want to travel any further north, it was cloudy and the temp felt like it was dropping.
I worked my way towards Hampton Beach and found three items to choose from



Go here to find out which one I used
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=382211
By this time I really needed to use a restroom, I only stopped to snap photos for a few hrs, and I was also getting hungry.
As I rolled back towards New Hampshire I pulled up next to this guy on the stuck up bridge

I said Hi as I pulled up my camera to snap this photo, he didnt seem to happy about that and took off. Maybe he thought I was an alien, would you say hi to this guy?

[JimC]

Okay I lost by buddy as he turned towards Dunkin Donuts and I rode right passed! Yes, I wanted to stop, but I needed some food.
Tripoli Pizza at Salisbury beach is one of my fav places to get a slice. There's something about ordering food thru a window and eating it standing on the side of the road



This was my planned stop for the MA tag on both forms, But as I learned later it would only be good for the New England riders form

Right next door to Tripoli is Christy Pizza, Ive never had one from them. So I figured I would compare the two and pick the winner


Can you tell I was
Here are the two slices



I think they share the same oven, but Tripoli puts less cheese and more spices... my fav (its the second photo)
Okay now the gps is telling me I should be home by 4, if I go the direct route. I figured I finally have time to stop here



I do.... I use the restroom then drink my coffee real fast as I watch this clowns press conference


The one on the left

Once Im warmed up I head out and follow 495 south towards home. A few shots from the road



Some people out there think I ride too fast...well I cant keep up with many of the cell phone talking, make up applying, text messaging masshole drivers!
Once I reached West Boylston I pulled up next to this cougar in her suburban



Yup, taking on the phone was Mrs OSJ!

A few miles from home I stopped for some last photos as the sun fell behind the horizon





In the end I did 222.2 miles, got 2 outta 3 tags and ate some tasty pizza. Not bad for Friday Jan 23rd in New England!

[Bill_Anderson]

Geat report and photos. I was afraid we were not going to hear from you until spring.

[JimC]

Originally Posted by Bill_Anderson

Geat report and photos. I was afraid we were not going to hear from you until spring.

Its been a rough winter!
Lots of plowing means little riding

Just a few days after that Ice storm we got 10" of snow, and a few days later another 12" fell. I havent seen my lawn since!

[Bill_Anderson]

Originally Posted by JimC

Its been a rough winter!
Lots of plowing means little riding

Just a few days after that Ice storm we got 10" of snow, and a few days later another 12" fell. I havent seen my lawn since!

Didn't you just get another big one or was it limited to Maine? Look at the bright side... NO YARD WORK.