"And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. "

(A. Lincoln)     

Our days have been quietly marching by; not unnoticed, or ignored, rather viewed from new perspectives. Since our ride with Lee to Connecticut in May, not much group riding has been on our agenda. A trip to Laconia and a hop out to Vermont for ribs with Dave were the only other social activity beside family commitments that we engaged in. Mostly Andy and I have been taking quiet rides, enjoying the solitude. Vermont, Massachusetts and the mountains of New Hampshire have all been our destinations. My mind has been in a more reflective mood as of late. My audio book listening while I commute is lending itself to this state of mind.

                Yesterday, we shook off the bikes for the Lee’s Benz and headed to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut to check out car racing to see what all the fuss is about with respect to race cars. The company I work for, which races a Corvette, was scheduled to participate at Lime Rock. I managed to get my hands on 4 tickets and off we went.  Most of our time was spent in quiet appreciation for each other’s presence, with only a few hours at the race track. I enjoyed seeing the Compuware Corvette in action.

                The day wasn’t without its challenges. An hour into our trip to Connecticut, I realized the tickets were sitting on the kitchen table. Yet with the help of Eckhart Tolle, whose audio book I have just finished, my response was not the meltdown I typically fall prey too. My anxiety ridden self is slowing transforming to better ways to handle challenges.  Tolle has to be one of the most influential and enlighten individuals of our modern times. I feel privileged to have been helped by listening to him.

                I am looking forward to our trip to the Blue Ridge in a few weeks. Yes, I still have anxiety, especially when contemplating traversing the Tail of the Dragon. Those who ride with me know I’m no peg scraper, yet I feel confident that I can master all 318 curves in those 11 miles taking them one at a time. We are all capable of doing what we need to do in any given moment. So I won’t dwell on the 318, but on each one individually as it presents itself.  I will also enjoy the week with Dave that he can spend with us.  Should Lee find a way to connect with us in the second week; well that will just be icing on the cake.

                For now, I will continue planning our trip. I’m working on the GPS files I will need. One for getting to the start, The Tail of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Diamondback and the Blue Ridge Parkway itself. I’ll plug in Dave’s contributions from his trip a few years ago of exits with gas stations, and restrooms. With help from the POI factory for a few other points of interest the planning is often almost as much fun as the doing. Yet nothing is as enjoyable as sharing experiences with those whose company you enjoy the most. That is what I am looking forward to the most.

Blaze Set Free

Cars, trains, ships and planes, all have been our vehicles of transport as of late. The planes were to and from the west coast, a rental car, the Midway (aircraft carrier) and the train ride around Safari Park. We saw family, tourist sites, mastodon bones, signs warning of rattle snakes and mountain lions. Yet, when Lee said “let’s go to Connecticut this weekend” he was talking about getting there by motorcycle. No other mode of travel ever sounded so enticing.


Andy and I were itching to get on two wheels again, so neither of us needed convincing. When I slid the doors open to let Blaze free, she looked so forlorn; her fenders dusty, the seat cold. It had been a while since she’d escaped the confines of the stall. I am often struck by how motorcycles “feel” to me. Jade always felt like a young untamed colt; alert, ready for anything. Blaze is more stoic; seasoned, patient and always compliant no matter the situation. I tenderly brushed her clean of dust and pollen, spritzed the windshield to removed the dead bugs, and off we went.

Last year, EasyEd had taken us on some fine Connecticut roads, and we wanted to revisit a few of them. Connecticut is one beautiful state. Andy leads us on a hightail out of New Hampshire until we exited to route 44. Lee took over the lead at that point and we lunched at the Vanilla Bean. After a great lunch, a stop at the Gillette Castle was in order with the obligatory ferry ride across the Connecticut River. From there we meandered our way to the coast, enjoyed the smell of the ocean, and a glimpse of a lighthouse from our saddles. We retreated to our respective rooms to refresh and then headed out for an evening meal, this time with Debra for a foursome and enjoyed our meal, at Saigon City, despite the establishment’s chaos and confusion. Deb having taking the brunt of being delivered a drink she didn’t order, and her meal requests ignored. I ended up enjoying rice instead of the rice noodle clearly labeled on the menu.

The next morning, with Deb back off to NH, we mounted our steeds and headed off to see if we could get closer to that lighthouse. No such luck, so Lee pointed us toward the Devil’s Hopyard, where he understood we could enjoy the cool spray of a waterfall. Once we had enjoyed fully nature’s beauty, I suggested that Lee and Andy might like to glimpse the Frog Bridge. With that Lee pointed us toward Connecticut route 66 and the ride along these roads to our destination were magnificent indeed. While Lee seemed unimpressed with 11 foot frogs sitting sentinel on thread spools, Andy did get a kick out of the sight. With the day marching on, we lunched late and took to the highways once more, opening up the throttle and returning from whence we came. Blaze is tucked back in, feeling better for having kicked up some dust, but by no means satisfied with being confined again.

Cool New App for Motorcycle Enthusiasts

Lately the itch has set in. I’m antsy, can’t concentrate, and am prone to daydreaming. I can’t point to any one factor for this recent emotional state, but feel it’s a combination of a number of factors. For one, the weather in March for a few weeks seemed more like June, and we got out on the motorcycles and enjoyed being back on the open road. Second, my company recently increased their vacation allocations and I’ve been beside myself with the possibilities this presents me with the added time off I’ll be enjoying this year. Oh the places I’d like to travel; the people I’d like to meet, and the food I’d love to experience across this incredibly diverse continent or ours!

My restlessness had me scouring the web for the ultimate destination. To my great joy and delight, I stumbled upon Motorcycle Roads.com . I was instantly drawn in. The site is neat and clean, easy to navigate and full of useful information without a lot of fluff. Let’s get to brass tacks, it says to me, you want to ride, we have some great suggestions! It didn’t take me long to sign up as a member to receive the e-newsletter although I could see a ton of other benefits I can take advantage of right there at the website.

When I thought I had just died and gone to heaven, I saw the sidebar add for a mobile web app! Where my eyes deceiving me? Absolutely not! I kept reading. “MotorcycleRoads Mobile web app (AKA MCR Mobile) is more than just a navigation aid; it gives you a ton of travel info you can access on the fly for a flawless, fantastic journey anywhere in America!” The app offers perfectly formatted viewing for your device, has route descriptions, photos, video and supporting facts. The routes are rated for scenery, road quality, and include attractions and amenities. And if that isn’t enough for you, there are links to the local weather forecast and rider comments. Some of these valuable comments provide feedback advice on restaurants, pubs, speed traps and safety hazards.

In addition to the great features I’ve just listed, you can customize with your own “My Roads Wish List” and “Roads I’ve Driven.” You can flag roads that look interesting or exciting to you and add them to your personal list. OK, I was IN. For $2.99 this is a great value! Then I hit a roadblock. The app is currently available only for iPhone or iPod Touch. Shucks! I’m walking around with my Android device. I do like my Android so what to do? Not to worry. They are working on apps for other devices such as Android, Blackberry, iPad and Palm. I signed up at this link so that I can be notified when the app is ready for my device. It was easy!

While I’m waiting for this app to be delivered for my device, I hope a few of you will take advantage of this and let me know how you like it. And by the way, my company is the industry leader in application performance management, and is expert in mobile app devices. So if while you’re using it, you run into any quirks, we can help get them ironed out. I want this app and if you are like me, you want it now and you want it dependable and reliable. After all, we don’t want any complications to come between us and the open road.