Twist and Shout

Last night I had selected a couple of places to go on the bike. Open house at Whitehorse Gear in NH was a possible shot. Then there was a run to Bubs BBQ with the Mass Motoring group. I got a call from Magilla saying he was gonna be at Giff's tomorrow with his new bike to him for a sticker. Then there was the deep contemplation on how I was going to open an account for the half billion I was going to the win in the lottery. All this thinking made me tired. (you can click any of the photo's and they will get bigger, then you can just blast thru the picks and skip the commentary if you want, I wouldn't but you can, if you want that is, you really shouldn't)

By the time this morning rolled around I was still exhausted and just opted for Giff's. I was headed to McD's for coffee and passed this guy.  My morning started out much better than his for sure. They needed their morning coffee much more than me.

Being inspection time in Mass for motorcycles I expected to see a huge crowd there. Kind of like an opening day at a HD place without the free food. Some interesting bikes always show up at Giff's during this process

Mike (Magilla) finally showed up 45 minutes late for his appointment. This is his new Valk to Him. This bike is not quiet but not annoying loud like some. It has that Mark Donahue Cam Am Porsche sound, if you can remember those.  He also had a very loud horn installed to make sure any cars crowding his space are jolted back where they belong with the sonic boom. With that said his apparel has to be just as loud. Can you say VISIBLE !!

Oh that's Doug standing next to Magilla admiring the new bike. He was in for a sticker as well.

As I said interesting bikes and people show up during this time of the year. There was the kid on the sport bike with 50,000+ miles on it and this was his back up bike. He actually rides his bike. For a good part (wanted to say most part) the bikes show up with less than 10,000 miles on them and the trip to Giff's might be the longest one of the year to boot.  Then there is the vintage ones

 

 

With Mike and Doug here, Bill running around working and me, it is almost like a mini gathering of the second wave NER folks. (NER= New England Riders). Conversation wanders in and out about age, car tires on bikes, brownies, new jobs, old jobs and just about anything that comes to mind.

 

 

This guy had a similar morning to the guy up there.

 



One of the topics gets around to heading to Twisted Throttle after Giff gets done looking at brakes, rotted tires, and telling the guy to come back next week with the baffles put back in the pipes. They are holding their annual open house.

I finally have a place to go. I am having real problems this year about getting on the bike. With only one grand tour I am competing in, I feel like a sail boat without the wind, or the canoe with no paddle or Lizzie without here axe. I head home to get ready. If were are gonna go I might as well grab some towns down that way I need.

We got there without incident, Well sort of, Giff flipped his flip phone out of his flippin holder to the the freakin street. I am sure his flippin flip fone is in a least four pieces now. As soon as we rounded the corner we ran into Linda and Jay (I sure hope I remembered that name right), new riders with the NER. I followed Linda a couple of weeks back on her Bandit and she can really ride that thing.

And then there were some folks we didn't know. Actually we didn't know most of them.

 

 



And there were vendors too.

 

 

 

There was the neat bikes.

 

 

 

And then there was the entertainment

Right behind these guys was one of Twisted Throttle vendors presenting classes on safe riding skills. Not sure if those guys teach this stuff.

Back in 2007 I went to Twisted Throttle's open house. Matter of fact I had just gotten my Connie that weekend. It was in an old warehouse (which was really neat). I think the guy who started it was just in business for a little less than a year at the time. I remember this because I met his parents there and we got to discussing his catalog (which was a piece of art work) and his mother said "Not bad for being in business for a year".  In the last stunt picture I think the owner is standing by the Continental sign. Impression of where he has come. WOW, his store is unbelievably laid out. This is not your run of the mill motorcycle apparel and accessory shop, this is a well thought out boutique. Display, color , people, classes, knowledge, great products, products you can't get just anywhere, this place has GOT IT ALL and has a really cool name to boot.

Then it was time to depart. But I still had daylight even if the clouds were trying to squeeze out the sun. Next stop a Z to A town. This years GLMC Grand Tour are towns that begin in Z or end in A. There are not many towns that meet this criteria in New England, so it is going to be a tough time getting a lot of towns. Last year we hit 212 towns, this year it is gonna be hard to get to 100, I could always expand the boundary to OH and KY.



 

My tasks for the day were done. Now it was the ride home. Before I left I planned a route that was not exactly the most direct way to get home. Choices, Choices, head home the quick way, beat the rain and the chill. or see where the purple line will take me. Purple line won out.

 

Stopped to take a picture of this house. This place just struck me. The rippely roof, the falling down entry way roof, over grown bushes, peeling paint. It was just screaming "pay attention to me, I got some history here". What was really neat the cars to my right and left would realize I was taking pictures and actually stopped while I was aiming the camera. Not just one, but a couple of times.

 

 

There was the rusted water tower, also saying What about me

 

 

 

I stopped here because of the pink tree. I just stood out and emulated spring. So to contrast the shot I swung about 90 degrees and grabbed this. Needed to finish out the rust series.

 



Of course who could pass up a dam and waterfall.

 

 

At this pace I am never gonna get home. But I have to, to see if I won the half billion dollars in the Powerball Lottery.

 

I grabbed this one to waymark, it's a state park. Kind of neat light in the trees. The sun finally came back out.

 

 

 

So all in all it was a great day, only thing missing was MeAsWe to see some of these places.