In A Slump

This weekend was the annual (we have had 2 and 1 planned for next year so this qualifies as an annual event) NER Birthday Bash. This is a get together of the folks that I ride and socialize with. I left work early on Friday and rode up with Jan, Alan, Cole and Jarrad, making stops at Heritage Harley so that I could purchase a double shot glass. Cole was on the back of Alan's VStrom, her first ride on a bike and I think she may be hooked on riding. Only took like 100 miles.

Jan and Jarrad



Alan and Cole





On the way up somewhere in NH around Lake Winni, this ST1300 passed me in a very familiar red riding jacket. So I throttled up to stay with him, passing a Suzi SV650. The rider on the ST not to be out done, throttled up, and I reciprocated. The two us had a nice rhythm going on the twisties. Now I normally do not ride this spirited on unfamiliar roads, but for some reason this was different. We arrived at a stop sign, which completed our little bout. It was Easy Ed on the ST. Later that evening, he made a comment about the Connie following him and he figured it just couldn’t be Willie, because Willie just doesn’t ride that spirited. I just grinned. Turn Turn Turn!

Part of the weekend fare centered around me taunting and teasing Teri with TP. Last year she TP’d my bike, changed her mind and cleaned it off before I ever saw it. I only saw pictures. The week before the Bash, on at least a daily basis I would post a picture of duct tape, silly string, toilet paper and other images, to set the scene of the impending crime. Dave, Teri’s husband, apparently came prepared for a retaliatory strike with multiple cans of silly string and the comment, “You know this stuff is really hard to get off”. During BBQ on Saturday, I placed an empty roll of TP at their table, as another remainder that the wee hours of the morning were approaching. On Saturday night or Sunday morning, I tied a neatly made bow TP around the handle of the trailer where they kept their bike. For this year, I decided the UNDERSTATEMENT was more than enough to set Teri up for NEXT YEAR IN VERMONT!!!



Teri and Dave (in the purple shirt)


Saturday, I met with Lunatic Tim for breakfast at the Deluxe Diner in Rumford, ME. He is the most knowledgeable person I know about motorcycles, how they operate and what a particular model's idiosyncrasies are. He is the-go-to guy when I have questions. If he doesn’t know he will find out. Oh he is a great guy also and so is his wife Kimi.

The Deluxe

Tim

Before I left for breakfast, I realized I left my 2610 outside over night. I never ever do this, but I did (so much for the never ever). Low and behold there was an itsy bitsy teeney weenie bubble in the screen. Of course I had to touch it and of course I used my fingernail and BAM the whole screen shriveled up. Yes the cursed delamination of a Street Pilot. Sigh (actually it was more ah FUCK,but there was people standing around when I did this). I figured the whole unit was a gonner, as I peeled stuff off the screen. However the unit seemed to be working, so I justified in my head that I got good service out of this one and maybe it was time to upgrade to a new unit. Self Justification is such a good thing, especially when you know that is bull shit, which is another form of self-justification

After a great breakfast at the Deluxe, I headed for North Country HD in Augusta for a shot glass. I spoke with Carlene a bit, who owned Chips in Northbridge, MA. It was still early, so off to Wiscasset to Red's Eats. This is one of those 1000 places you must visit before you die places. I have been here once before and I think the line never goes down. I wasn't about to stand in line for fried food. So I accomplished one of the 1000's, 999 more to go.

On the way back to the Riverview Resort, I came across a sign that said "Bridge Out 2 miles", so I simply started to find other roads to get around this. Well even with the 2610 I managed to get myself hopelessly lost. The 2610 got me out of my mess, taking me some back road, which had Dancer and Prancer merrily coming across a field. I stopped, they stopped. I stared them down, they stared me down. We were at an impasse. I reached for my camera, pushed the on button, lens extends, raise the camera in an aiming position and Dancer dasher across the road, Prancer turns and high tailsin the opposite direction. Here's a pic of Dancer, telling me exactly how they felt about the situation.

On my journey back to my weekend home, I came across Dancer's and Prancer's family reunion.

Saturday night was about good food, lively topics of discussion and just hanging around with friends. Oh there might of been some beer and jello shots involved during those hours as well.

Sunday I rode home with Pam, Dave, Denise and Bill. It was nice just to follow and not be chasin stuff. No agenda, no place to stop at, no pictures that had to be taken, just riding. We rode out RT2, took a left onto RT113 passing Evans Notch, dropped down into Fryeburg and Conway, over the Kanc Rt 112, and down 175. At this point Dave and Pam split off and I followed Bill and Denise to home, where we finished the day with some great Chinese food and of course some really good conversation about life in general.

Now with all that said, doesn’t it sound like a perfect weekend. So why am I in the DUMPS. Because right now I have run out of places to go and there is still plenty of riding season left. I am sure I will figure out places to go, see, take pictures of and will manage to put another 2,000+ miles on in the next 7 weeks, so this is just a temporary void, soon to be filled with chasin stuff.