2020 - Issue # 3
COGnitions: Ramblings from the Northeast Area Director Welcome to Summer!! If not for the heat and humidity I may not have known it arrived. Up to this point, things that makes it feel “summer” to me have been affected by the virus lockdown. Two of them are instructing rider training and COG activities. Both have been canceled since March. It seems we are at a point where some restrictions are beginning to relax, and the slow, phased approach to reopening has begun. The state motorcycle training program will be allowed to begin running classes later this month, as the community college begin to allow staff and students back on campus in a limited capacity. To me, it is like seeing the first robin in the spring. Many roadside restaurants are open and have outdoor or limited indoor seating. This will make it a bit more accommodating for a small group ride destination activity. There are reports of COG friends who have been meeting up for an unofficial ride here and there. Even as club activities begin to spin up Steve Smith #3184 remember that participation is a personal choice – both for the activity host and Social Distancing M-F the attendees. I have participated in a few rides with friends and have seen firsthand that it can work. I want to send along a big “thank you” to Coop, Greg and all the 21 attendees of the June 13 “Rhode Island Romp” for demonstrating it is possible to run a scheduled activity and be health safety minded. In this issue Greg will report about this ride and his plans for hosting scheduled July and August rides in Northern New England. I believe this was the first activity from the schedule that was not cancelled. I hope this can become a trend. This past weekend was the “4th of July Weekend Thrill Ride” in Marietta, OH organized by Jason Kaplitz. Rumors have it that there were close to a dozen attendees. Not too shabby for a wicked hot weekend and the motel pool being closed due to COVID. Also in July was the “Bag Lunch Meet and Greet Quabbin Reservoir ride, the “Sport Touring Camaraderie Moonlight Ride” and “Southern Maryland Meet & Greet / MIR Ride.” During August there are five planned activities: the “Triple State Gallop” that Greg mentions in his report, the “Ephrata Bikers Breakfast”, two different Ontario meet & greets, and “Dog Days Weekend.” Jason recently spoke to the motor inn. Renovations at the inn continue, and the best news is that the outdoor swimming pool will be open. So far there are 22 registered for the weekend event. Jason says that only a few rooms in our block remain. Book your room now. The Dog Days event has been around quite a few years. It was first organized and run by Pat Sprague during August 2004 at Boyer Motel and Campground in Arborvale, WV. Pat stated… “The geological survey base marker in the cement porch at the adjacent church, shows 2600' elevation. This location was the hope to get out of the hotter weather in VA during the dog days of summer.” The event has been held annually almost every year since then. Boyer Station was home to the event until 2012 when it was moved to Marlinton, WV for a year, and then Snowshoe, WV the following year. For 2015 it moved to Staunton, VA where a nice downtown and inexpensive motel were the draw. This year marks the long overdue return to the cooler mountains of West Virginia at the renovated Marlinton Motor Inn for a real escape from the dog days of summer. Last month I provided a brief update on the web migration project, and it is still chugging along at a slow, steady pace. I have been assisting on different assigned tasks, including migrating content from the old, current site. The team has set September 30 as completion and cut-over deadline. The club’s new IT Officer penned a report that will be in the next Concourier magazine. One thing I am happy to see is an effort to bring back use of the concours.org domain for our internet presence and email. Contact the IT Officer if you have tech skills you would like to share with the club. photo courtesy Bob Barbanti #7134
BREAKING NEWS: 2020 COG Northeast Fall Rally has just been cancelled. Please read the notice in this issue from Kevin Martin. For all activities, be sure to check the online calendar and watch for email updates from the staff and ride hosts. That is all for now. Stay healthy and ride safe.
Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS Concours Owners Groupsm
New Members
John Croteau First things first, a warm Matt Stoller welcome to our Dennis Mongstad Newest NE Area COG members! Robert Reynolds Donald Sutterby Patrick Riley Thomas Womack Tom McMahan Dennis Jordan Luis Salgado Michael Bellot Hubert Sheppard Gabe Calvo Charles Kemper James Hartzell
13136 13138 13145 13149 13152 13158 13160 13163 13164 13165 13167 13169 13172 13173 13178
Ottawa, ON Londonderry, NH Manchester Township, NJ Milford, VA Dundee, NY Fairfax, VA Goode, VA Boiling Springs, PA Fayetteville, PA South Amboy, NJ Charlottesville, VA Laurel, MD Willimantic, CT Burlington, VT Middletown, CT
NORTHEAST AREA NEWS Published 5 times a year for the Concours Owners Group and distributed to Northeast Area members. Past newsletters are archived in the club’s online member library at www.cog-online.org Also available at: issuu.com/cognortheast Written (most formats except Works) & photo (most formats) submissions are welcomed and members are encouraged to share their COG experiences. Please send to: Email: NECOGEditor@gmail.com Snail Mail: COG NE Newsletter c/o Maryann Geiser 139 Kennedy Rd Tewksbury MA 01876 © 1989-2020 Concours Owners Groupsm
Northeast Area Fall Rally - Cancelled Unfortunately due to the ongoing pandemic and associated Vermont State restrictions, I regret to inform the Membership that we are canceling this Rally. The Commodores Inn has informed me that the State of Vermont is conducting a slow opening strategy with tourism restrictions. With respect to Stowe VT and surrounding communities, all local tourism type events have been canceled through the end of the year. All bars have been closed, and lodging has been imposed a 50% occupancy reduction by the State. In addition, group buffet type gatherings are strictly prohibited, preventing us from having our Rally Banquet, and as a result, the Commodores Inn has reduced their Staff and closed their Bar and Restaurant until further notice. Vermont also has imposed tourist restrictions on all lodging businesses in an effort to maintain their low COVID-19 infection rate. Lodging businesses are required to manage customers based on their point of origin. People coming from states and communities restricted by Vermont will be either turned away, or required to conduct a 14 day quarantine period once arriving in Vermont. All customers will be required to fill out an infection survey which will be forwarded to the Board of Health for review. Given these guidelines and restrictions, and the fact that our Canadian friends will not be able to attend due to US border closings, I’ve decided to cancel this event. All members who have made reservations at the Commodores should call the lodge and cancel with no charge. If anyone wishes to maintain their reservation, the Commodores will honor the Rally room rate upon request, however be advised that as a tourist area, its possible that most businesses in Stowe will be closed or only partially open. Finally, COG will refund by check, in full, any Fall Rally registration fees paid with the cancellation of this event. Members do not need to contact the Club for rally registration refunds. We will report this to the Treasurer and Nancy will process them. Please be patient as processing time may take a little while. Thank you for understanding and your support to COG. Kevin Martin Area Director NE Newsletter Editor
Naugatuck CT Tewksbury MA
203-720-7575 978-851-2710
nead@cog-online.org maryanngeiser@gmail.com
Greg/Tracey Habel #7010 Steven Rutter #9715 George Griffith #6377 Tim Traylor #12811 Steve/Sue Cerutti #6763 Terry Faherty #792 Dave Perkins #5932 Derek Pugh #11636 Christian Dupuis #10098 Claude Doucet #9011
AAD MA/VT/NH/ME AAD S. Central PA/MD AAD Northeast PA AAD US Capital Region AAD E Hudson Valley NY AAD Metro NY/NJ AAD Greater Toronto AAD Eastern Ontario AAD Greater Montreal AAD Atlantic Canada
Hopedale MA Elizabethtown PA Benton PA Waldorf, MD Copake Falls NY Staten Island NY Toronto ON Ottawa ON Sainte-Martine PQ Middle Sackville NS
508-444-2235 717-361-1189 r 570-925-5010 301-535-6193 914-953-4154 718-227-2099 416-691-2191 613-222-9554 450-427-0182 902-252-5062
COG7010@verizon.net ruttersm@comcast.net gbgriff.gg@gmail.com ebonyzg1400@gmail.com Steveonlineusa@gmail.com tmcefah@aol.com perkins43@rogers.com concoursderek@gmail.com d1user@mac.com motorcycleclaude@gmail.com
OPEN POSITIONS—please inquire
2
AADs for Central NY, Southeast PA/Philly, DelMarVa, VA/WV, W Hudson Valley NY, Long Island NY, Central NJ, and CT/RI NE Webmaster
NE AREA STAFF
Steven Smith #3184 Maryann Geiser #4627A
2020 - Issue # 3
Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS
Around the NORTHEAST News from your Assistant Area Directors
Metro NY, NJ Greetings again all! Like most of you my riding plans have taken a serious hit thanks to the ongoing pandemic. I did take a ride up to Lake George for three nights since I had the vacation Terry Faherty #792 already for the original week of Americade. Enjoyed a stay at the Sorger residence in Queensbury and got to do one full day of riding real backroads. Just what the doctor ordered after two months of 12 hour shifts at the hospital. Most places were still closed but we made it work. As I write this it's July 3rd and I'm off for the next week. Weather looks good all week so I hope to actually take a couple of real rides, rather than my local "get the bike out of the garage" spins. I'll drop a post online and see if anyone wants to play hooky with me. Unfortunately the rest of the country is starting to catch up to NY when it comes to cases but as long as we keep hospitalizations as low as possible they can weather this storm just as we did. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Fall rally doesn't get affected but you never know. Going to make my reservations, register and hope for the best. As long as we all do our part and stay 6 feet apart we can make this happen safely. As someone who's considered "essential" I haven't had to deal with being stuck at home and my family has weathered the storm with finances intact. I know that isn't the case for most folks and I pray you all are doing as well as can be expected during these tough times. Hope to see you all out on the road soon and keep the shiny side up! Terry
MA, ME, NH, VT With me off of work for the summer and Tracey back to work, it’s given me more time for longer projects Greg & Tracey Habel around the #7010/7010A house. I feel great getting to those to-do lists a lot quicker, it gives me purpose, and the house is looking better. After a year search for factory saddle bags and brackets for her 2012 Can Am Spyder, Tracey finally hit the jackpot on Ebay in June. Once we started to do the install we realized we were missing 4 long bolts for the brackets. After making a quick trip to the local Ace Hardware, the project was back on. A few minor mods and hours later, Boris the Can Am Spyder was better equipped for traveling. No more duffle bag needed for the back of her seat to hold her stuff AND now I get both my saddle bags on Herrin Christabelle (my 99 Connie) to myself! What will I do with all that room?! Thank you to Lyle Cooper who led the first ride of the season from MA into RI to which he named the Rhode Island Romp. With about 13 attendees pre-registered on wwwcog-online (thank you to all who registered or emailed me to help for planning purposes!), we were surprised and delighted to see 21 people and 19 bikes show up at the King Street Cafe in Franklin, MA. With indoor seating still closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, people made use of the outdoor seating and did their best to maintain social distancing and wear masks. With such a large headcount, we decided to break into two groups with Coop leading the first, and I the second. By Coop sharing the GPS route and providing everyone with stopping locations, we were able to get the group to lunch on time. With our bellies growling (especially after inhaling the aroma of fried food), we stopped in Gallilee, RI for outdoor dining at Iggy’s Doughboys. Thank you to all who observed social distancing and wore masks to keep us all healthy. Although Tracey and I had to split early, Coop led the ride to it’s conclusion at a local ice cream shop for delicious treats. Coming up on the calendar I have 2 rides scheduled. I am asking that all attendees please practice social distancing and wear
2020 - Issue # 3
your masks when we are off the bikes and in close proximity. In addition if you are not feeling well, please skip the ride and we will see you next time. Both my ride postings have additional details on safety measures. Saturday July 18th join Tracey and I for a Bag Lunch at 12 pm at the Tower at Quabbin Reservoir. Bring your own bag lunch etc. and we will eat around the picnic tables. Please note the restrooms will be closed so we will stop immediately after lunch at Stop n Shop for a bio break before heading out for a 2 ½ hour ride around the Quabbin area. Our final stop will be at Harold’s in East Brookfield for large portions of their delicious ice cream. Saturday August 1st join us for a Triple State Gallop (3 states - MA, RI, CT). Breakfast will be outdoors at 8:30 am at Breakfast at Stephanie’s in Upton, MA. Plans are to head south to Chapachet, RI to stop at the nostalgias Brown & Hopkins Country Store. Then it’s over to CT on nice backroads before heading north into south western MA with a lunch stop at Steaming Tender in Palmer (an old train station) in the outdoors. From there it’s off to find ice cream of course! We are hoping to see everyone at the upcoming Fall Rally in Stowe VT this September! Please help us out to estimate attendance and group ride sizes by signing up on www.cog-online.org , the Concours Owners Group Facebook page, or drop us an email (cog7010@verizon.net) , phone-call (508.444.2235), text (508.444.2235) etc. Hope to see you there! Stay safe and stay healthy, Greg & Tracey
(Continued on page 4)
3
Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS (Around the Northeast - Continued from page 3)
Greater Montreal Eastern Ontario 2020 will always be remembered as the year COVID-19 put us into lockdown and spring & summer activates were put in question. Luckily in Derek Pugh #11636 eastern Ontario the restrictions have kept the numbers down and although many summer activities and events have been postponed or canceled, motorcycle riding is allowed! In fact with so little other activates allowed my C14 has been getting a work out, first oil change has already be done. Unfortunately Ontario is still in group restrictions so no COG events are scheduled at this time but when safe I hope to schedule a small meet and possible ride afterwards. Most of Ontario is in yet another heat wave (defined as: EITHER two or more consecutive days of daytime highs at least 31°C or nighttime minimums higher than 20°C. or two or more consecutive days of humidex values of 40 or higher). Care must be taken if out riding because heat exhaustion may progress to heat stroke. Symptoms include nausea, dizziness, irritability, headache and excessive sweating to name just a few, all of which do not make motorcycle riding enjoyable. Just because it’s extremely hot out doesn’t mean you should remove the layers of protection and ride without gear, remember ATGATT and stay hydrated! Reading my notes from last year I was looking forward to attend the NE fall rally in Alexandria Bay which I did and really enjoyed. Sadly due to COVID-19 the spring rally was cancelled I do not think Canadians we will be allowed to cross the border for fall rally… fingers crossed for attending 2021 events! Ride safe, Derek
4
As the Summer of 2020 goes on, activities in the Quebec region remain scarce. Covid measures remain in place, limiting travel and providing limited Chris Dupuis #10098 access to lodgings and restaurants. As the border remains closed, the bulk of vacationers have reoriented their plans to the province's favorite regions. The Gaspé peninsula, Charlevoix and Lac St-Jean areas are seeing strong tourist activity and the same goes for the Laurentians area. As far as roads go, some old favorites are showing signs of neglect. Routes 327 and 329 are rough, lots of tar snakes and rough spots, but 323 and 321 West of those are fine and provide good riding. Route 155 between Shawinigan and Metabetchouan is still a good road, and 132 around the Gaspé still provides a lot of joy. On a personal note, due to the border closing between Canada and the United States and the possibility of its extension to 2021, I have to cancel plans for my attendance to this year's rallyies. I am a bit sad I won't see my Northeast Area buddies this Summer. You are all in my thoughts and I hope you all stay well in these challenging times. Ride safe! Chris
Greater Toronto Greetings fellow COGgers. Judging from the e-mails I've received from Steve and others in the NE you are all managing well through what can only be described as a crisis. We are fortunate in Canada to Dave Perkins #5932 have local, provincial and national governments that are largely singing from the same song sheet. From what we see and hear in the news the northeast states are doing likewise. The numbers are dropping but not enough to get cocky. Vigilance and prudence will be the byword for a long while I think. Chris Dupuis, my colleague in Montreal, pointed out that the border will not likely be open for the foreseeable future which precludes attending any NE events. Sad as I was looking forward to the fall rally and returning to Stowe, VT, the site of the first COG rally I attended in 2003 as a newly minted member of COG. We can only hope that the crisis will have passed to the point we can meet together again in the spring. To end on an up beat, take advantage of the reduced traffic on the roads and get out and ride. Within the confines of distancing and wearing a mask your risk will be greatly diminished. Be responsible to and for yourself but also for those you know and don't know. We are all in this and mostly together. Let's stay safe. E-gards! Dave
RIDES & EVENTS Due to the ever changing regulations being put in place to help combat the spread of Covid-19, the events published on the calendar may change. Please visit the on-line calendar at cog-online.org , check out the Concours Owners Group Facebook page or contact your AAD for the most up to date information on what’s happening in your area.
2020- Issue # 3