2022 - Issue # 3
COGnitions:
Ramblings from the Northeast Area Director
Greetings COG Northeast Have you been getting in lots of riding this year? I’m doing better that the last 2 years, but still not up to par. My bike needs new tires, keeping me to mostly local riding. The tires are in the garage, but I’m waiting on bearings, TPMS batteries, and Murph’s 90-degree stems to arrive before beginning the work. FALL RALLY: A ver y r ecent calendar addition is a no-fee Fall Rally, September 15-18 in Great Barrington MA. We’ve Steve Smith #3184 never had a rally here before, and the location offers terrific riding in all directions – especially the NY Hudson River Valley. Please book rooms ASAP - The room block is only being held until July 30. As I am wrapping up this column Kevin Martin submitted a Return to Vermont event over Labor Day weekend. Don’t forget the August Dog Days Weekend in Marlinton WV and Jason’s FOJ Weekend at the end of September, Bridge Day Weekend in October , and Brrr Ride in November . along with sever al day rides mixed in. Be sure to check out the club’s Event Calendar for details for all club events. The internet motorcycling community has been discussing the news that the Gold Wing Road Riders Association (GWRRA) announced they are shutting down operations. Their announcement stated the club was not sustainable due to a sharp drop from 82,000 to 10,000 members. If I recall correctly the GWRRA owned a building in Phoenix and had paid staff, a significant contrast in business model to that of all-volunteer operations as COG.
photo courtesy Bob Barbanti #7134
COG membership growth rate was always slowed by a relatively consistent churn rate during my tenure as the Northeast Area Director. When this means is the annual influx of new members slightly outnumbers those who leave the club. Most of the overall membership decline (possibly close to 40-50% attrition) was during the 2008-2010 years when the COG web domain was “hijacked”, and the economy busted and there were many fewer new members joining. Looking back at the past the past 2-3 years, COVID didn’t help, but the club membership numbers remained stable, although overall attendance at events was down. It is important to note that unlike many other clubs, COG does not rely on regional or national rally fees to sustain the club. All our events try to be self-funding, and all-volunteer run. I feel this is a factor why dues remained consistently low for many years. (Continued on page 2)
Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS
New Members
First things first, a warm welcome to our Newest NE Area COG members!
Normand Baril Michael Aldea Michael Boles James Chewning John Hayatt Jason Hill Edward Manz Michael Oliver Tim Ozman Michael Swavola Mark Wolcott
N. Attleboro, MA Hawthorne, NJ Milton, WV Spotsylvania, VA Odenton, MD Barrington, NH Burlington, NJ Elkridge, MD Palmyra, VA Wayne, PA Waverly, NY
13648 13701 13695 13702 13705 13703 13698 13669 13685 13654 13659
(Continued from page 1)
In the wake of the GWRRA decision, members from other clubs, including some COG members, have publicly speculated this same fate awaits their club. It is natural to be concerned but projecting this fate onto COG publicly may turn away prospective members reading public comments. Instead, let’s work together to ensure COG’s survival. To have a positive impact on the long-term health and direction of the club there is the option to become a club volunteer or officer. Club activities are one of this club’s greatest value, and this is where we rely on member support. Many hands make light work. If only 10% more NE members organized one club activity, we could see one on the event calendar every week during riding our riding season. Hosting a club activity is easy and begins with planning something that YOU would like to do, then submit it to the COG Event Coordinator for posting to the calendar. If you would like to have a greater impact on the direction of the club, seek out opportunities to become a club officer, like being an AAD to support our Northeast Area or nationally by seeking to fill one of the vacant board positions including Magazine Editor; Membership Officer; Industry Liaison; Safety Officer. View the Contact Us webpage to review vacant positions. Many thanks to Northeast member, Brian Evan, who volunteered and was recently appointed as the club’s Information Technology (IT) Officer. Many of us got to meet Brian at Spring Fling. That’s all for now. Be well and ride safe.
Area Director NE Newsletter Editor
Naugatuck CT Tewksbury MA
203-720-7575 978-851-2710
nead@concours.org maryanngeiser@gmail.com
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 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
Elizabethtown, PA Benton, PA Waldorf, MD Copake Falls, NY Staten Island, NY Toronto, ON Ottawa, ON Sainte-Martine, PQ Middle Sackville, NS
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 902-401-6821
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
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AADs for Central NY, Southeast PA/Philly, DelMarVa, VA/WV, W Hudson Valley NY, Long Island NY, Central NJ, MA/VT/NH/ME and CT/RI
NE AREA STAFF
Steven Smith #3184 Maryann Geiser #4627A
2022 - Issue # 3
Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS north Jersey into the Catskills via Hawk's Nest and I found News from your Assistant Area Directors some nice Metro NY, NJ new roads to enjoy. I'll be scheduling a Greetings fellow day ride soon NE COGgers! Well so keep your summer is in full eyes open to swing and I hope the forum we're all taking and advantage of calendar. I'm it! The Spring Fling Terry Faherty #792 already was fun as always registered for and it was great to see friends both old and new. I am the Dog Days taking full advantage of my new per weekend in WV. If you've diem position and have gotten out riding as much as I can. Spent the never been whole week of Americade enjoying try to make the excellent weather and put over it. Excellent 1200 miles on the new scoot. The roads and Tourexpo was a bit bigger this year good times! Next but still nothing like the halcyon up is the Fall days of the indoor and outdoor expos from years gone by. Probably rally that has just been partly due to the lingering Covid announced in worries but mostly folks just aren't out there riding like in the past. I've September. It's centrally located in Massachusetts so hopefully we'll tested out a new route through
Around the NORTHEAST
see a nice turnout. That means Scotty and I are off the hook till next year, but I think it might be time for another Lake George hootenanny. We will most likely be following the new norm and forgoing a banquet to keep the cost down. The days of a 17 bucks a head dinner are long gone. I encourage anyone who knows some good roads to help out and maybe put together a day ride or meet and greet. You can reach out to the officers for assistance. If we all pitch in the club will benefit! Have a great summer and see you out there! Terry (Continued on page 4)
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Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS (Around the Northeast - Continued from page 3)
Eastern Ontario Summer is here and I hope you have been out riding… I know I have been. The COG GTA tech day appeared on the schedule for the first time in 3 Derek Pugh #11636 years so Eastern Ontario riders just had to visit again. On a brisk morning on June 18th I started a group ride from Eastern Ontario (Carton Place) and rode to Trenton Ontario at Pete J.’s home where Tech day was being held. We took some great nonprimary roads for an extended ride. Over the years I have had several animals on the road in front of me but today was a first… we had a wild turkey! The turkey was just standing there and was rather startled (as we were) as we rounded the bend and it ran into the tall grass. The Tech day was well attended and we all had a great time seeing riders that we haven’t likely seen in 2+ years. Oh, and a lot of work was done on bikes too. Sadly the visit had to come to an end and I headed west towards the GTA so I could visit with my daughters for Father’s day which was the next day. I think this is the first time is 7+ years I got to be with both daughters on the same day as they both lived out of the country for a number of years. Back to Ottawa on Monday to a week of wet weather and then the following week I tested positive for Covid… 2 days after the rest of the family. A week to get over that and then a week of volunteering I committed to and I haven’t ridden
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since…. I’m hoping that changes this weekend… so if you see a blue C14 on the road with a rider with smile a mile wide… wave! As always, if you have an idea for a ride or meet up please suggest it, I would be glad to help. Derek
Greater Toronto To my Canadian friends a Happy Canada Day (July1) and to our American cousins a Happy Independence Day (July 4)!!! Our monthly meetings have Dave Perkins #5932 been well attended through the spring. At the June Tuesday meeting we were reminiscing about a trip that some of us took about 3 years ago to Alexandria Bay, on the shore of the St. Lawrence in upstate NY. We all agreed it was a picturesque spot with Boldt Castle visible from the hotel. I stated that the Castle was where Thousand Islands salad dressing was invented. I got a bit of the fisheye from some but I did some further research and it is POSSIBLY the place it was invented though several other places on the river make the claim. I’m sure you are waiting in the edge of your keyboards for definitive proof! At the Wednesday meeting Ron Ford said that he and a group of friends, including Glen Cavers,
travelled to Americade earlier in June. Glen is the fellow from whom I purchased my 2010 C14 last year. He replaced the Connie with a Triumph Tiger 1200. Sadly, the Tiger was in the shop yet again with a few electrical gremlins so he trailered his other bike, a 1950 AGS 500 single complete with Lucas electrics. He rode the bike for the duration of the trip and didn’t have any mechanical or electrical issues! Good on ya, Glen. And may the oft-maligned Jos. Lucas, aka The Prince Of Darkness, be blessed and rest in peace! And last but certainly not least we held our Tech Day on June 18 after a two-year hiatus courtesy of The Plague that has enveloped the World. Once again it was hosted by Pete and Deb Jackson at their home in Trenton, Ontario. They have a spacious garage and Pete has an excellent array of tools and
(Continued on page 5)
2022 - Issue # 3
Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS (Continued from page 4)
a depth of knowledge and experience in mechanics in general, and C10s in particular. To the tool mix I added my Morgan CarbTune synchronizer and a pneumatic brake bleeder. Three C10s were in the queue for substantial maintenance. Rhoda Warham from Carnarvon, Ont., which is about 200 kms/120 miles north of Trenton, trailered her own ’00 C10 and the ’98 of her late husband. The fork seals on her bike were weeping and the ’98 needed a good tune up. Pete got to the fork seals with Rhoda’s assistance as this is always a learning environment for all of us. Pete’s work on the fork seals drew a crowd and he was fielding questions about the process and the necessity for
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regular maintenance of the front suspension. Two former C10 owners and former COG members, Erich Knoop and Simon Haworth, got to work on the ’98. After a moments hesitation on both their parts the C10 brain- and muscle-memory kicked in and the body panels were off and the top of the engine cleared for a valve adjustment. A subsequent carb sync and brake bleed topped off the maintenance of the bike for the day. C10 #3 was Dave Grenier’s ’03. It has over 250,000 klicks on the clock. When I arrived about 9:30 Dave had the panels off and was about to start removing the cam cover so I offered my assistance which he readily accepted. The valves were set and the carbs sync’d. There was only a small handful of parts and body screws left over from all three C10s handled on the day. Not bad, Guys!! New C14 owner and COG member Denis Claveau changed the engine and final drive oil. He had a lot of questions and I hope he got a lot of good answers. Rob Owen brought in his “B” bike, an 80s era
Yamaha Seca. We all marvelled at its very good condition. All it needed was a quick carb sync and it was ready to go. One thing we emphasized in our announcement for Tech Day was the social and fellowship aspect of the gathering and boy-howdy did that work out! I estimate there were about 25 riders there. Derek Pugh, my counterpart in Ottawa, Canada's capital city, put out the word and a large group came down from there and other parts of eastern Ontario. Chatting, rag-chewing, bench racing or just good old BS-ing, whatever you call it, conversations were breaking out among the attendees and friendships were renewed and acquaintanceships initiated. Deb put on a feed of burgers and salads that really hit the spot. Conversations continued over the lunch break. Then it was back to the bikes to finish up the tasks at hand. We finished up about 5:00 PM when we got Rhoda’s bikes back on her trailer for the trip home. All in all, it was great day and the weather was ideal—cool and sunny, typical for mid-June in southern Ontario. And to our neighbours to the south keep that in mind. The weather in the spring and summer is beautiful in most parts of Canada so consider a trip north. The riding is very good, the people friendly and the US dollar is very favourable for you exchangewise And we speak the same language! But wait for the snow to melt! Until next time ride and stay safe!! Dave
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Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS
E Hudson Valley NY I hope the summer is treating you all well. I have not been riding as much as I should, since Sue and I are undertaking many homeimprovement projects, trying to Steve Cerutti #6763 sell a house, splitting our time between NY and FL, and generally having little free time as we consistently try and fail to predict the future, among other things. I did manage to get out for a few local rides with some fellow COGgers, so the itch is occasionally scratched so to speak. (Ironically, I did more riding in FL. It is not the motorcycling mecca that is the northeast, but flying along in the ocean air with the Atlantic just yards away has its own charms.) Not coincidentally one of those rides, was a trial run of a Hudson Valley route suggestion for the upcoming Fall Rally in Great Barrington, MA. This ride will culminate in a lovely road side BBQ joint - of course some food sampling was necessary. Other ride/route suggestions are in the works, and I’m sure they will not disappoint. Since we’re talking about the Fall Rally… Steve Smith, Sue, and I scouted and secured a great location at a recently renovated motel right in the heart of downtown Great Barrington, MA, and walkable to everything you’d need. You can visit the events page at concours.org for registration details and to learn a little bit more about the rally. It should be a great time, and since there is no banquet or rally fee, we plan to have a weather-permitting pizza party on Friday or Saturday. I hope you are all well, and continue 6
to be well. I’m looking forward to Arkansas. Based on a quick Google September and hope to see you all search, it's 3200 km one way or at the rally. I’ll find some nice roads 2000 miles. Congratulations Andy! for you. Cheers, Steve C.
Atlantic Canada Hello from Atlantic Canada! It's officially summer and the weather has warmed up nicely. The Bike Blessing Ride on May 07 was a success :). Claude Doucet #9011 Two Coggers showed up, myself and Andy Belliveau from Moncton. It was nice to gather again although some precautions were still taken. It was a beautiful day with a good turnout of different brands of motorcycles and clubs. Regarding Andy aka Andydude on the forum, he is now a minor celebrity. He earned the “Farthest Distance” award at the COG National in Eureka Springs
I'll hopefully be posting a ride soon for August, I'm leaning towards the Bay of Fundy area near St Martins NB. At this point it's looking like a day ride but may turn into overnight camping. Keep checking the calendar! Ride Safe! Claude aka MotorcycleClaude
2022 - Issue # 3
Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS
RIDES & EVENTS
Time listed is START time. Visit www.cog-online.org for updates and more details.
way is 20 minutes east! Bring your friends, we don't care what they ride. This NOT a Concours Owners Group sanctioned event. We’ll be staying at the Howard Johnson Express, 268 N. Central Ave., Staunton, VA 24401. Call the motel directly at 540-416-1917 and ask for a room in the FOJ block. We are asking everyone to register so we have an idea of how many to expect. See the website for all the details. concours.org/event-4862582 JASON KAPLITZ gsjay@kaplitz.com
(MA) Friday, July 15, 7:30AM Take a day off and join Kevin Martin for a Friday ride around southern VT and western MA with a stop at Dots of Dover on famous rte 100. Ride starts at Johnson’s Restaurant, 164 Boston Rd., Groton, MA 01450. Please gas up before the ride and arrive early if you want breakfast there before (ON) Tues, Oct 11, 6:30PM leaving. COG GTA Meet & Greet See Aug 9 for details KEVIN MARTIN cog145@comcast.net (ON) Wed, Oct 12, 6:30PM COG GTA East Meet & Greet (MA) Saturday, August 6, 8:30AM See Aug 10 for details Join Kevin Martin on a ride into CT for lunch at Joanna’s Restaurant. The ride starts at Michael’s Bridge Diner, 56 Main St,, Lancaster, MA 01523. (WV) Fri - Sun, Oct 14 - 16 Bridgeday Weekend Please gas up before the ride and arrive early if Come enjoy the largest one day event in West you want breakfast there before leaving. Virginia and the great motorcycle roads in the KEVIN MARTIN region. We return to our favorite motel, the Minercog145@comcast.net al Springs Motel, 30 McGraw Ave., Webster Springs, WV 26288. Call to book your room with (ON) Tues, Aug 9, 6:30PM Randy - Cell 304 644 2557 COG GTA Meet & Greet Office 304 847 5305 COG GTA Monthly Meet & Greet second Tuesday. We'll meet at The Red Harp Pub 137 Mill St. Mention you're with the motorcycle group. Bring a steak! Grill on site! E, Acton, ON from 6:30 - 8:30 for a casual getSee the website for all the details. together of COG members and like minded ridconcours.org/event-4874406 ers. All are welcome. JASON KAPLITZ gsjay@kaplitz.com DAVE PERKINS 416.691.2191 perkins43@rogers.com (VA) Thurs - Mon, Nov 10 - 14 Brrr Ride (ON) Wed, Aug 10, 6:30PM Brr is Back! The Brrr ride celebrates the drawing COG GTA East Meet & Greet to a close of the riding season (for most of us) and COG GTA East Monthly Meet & Greet second has long been a staple of the COG NE calendar --Wednesday. We'll meet at Royal Oak Pub, 617 especially for the “COG Camping CraVictoria St. W., Whitby, ON from 6:30 - 8:30 for a zies.” Highlights include cabins at the KOA, casual get-together of COG members and like “Roger / Clyde” style campfire (if it doesn’t move minded riders. All are welcome. then burn it), great riding, walking down to the DAVE PERKINS 416.691.2191 Pink Cadillac for communal dinners, (maybe not perkins43@rogers.com so much the hike back up the hill to the KOA), gathering for breakfast, freezing our tuchuses off (WV) Thu - Sun, Aug 18 - 21 heading to the Blue Grass charity Pancake BreakDog Days 2022 See Page 8 for details fast and especially seeing old friends and meeting new COG'ers. (MA/VT) Fri - Sun, Sep 2 - 4 We will camp at the Natural Bridge KOA, 214 KillBack to Vermont Weekend deer Lane, Natural Bridge, VA 24578 (cabins See page 8 for details available - recommend early reservaions http:// www.koakampgrounds.com/where/ (ON) Tues, Sep 13, 6:30PM va/46144.htm). COG GTA Meet & Greet See the COG event site for all the details. See Aug 9 for details concours.org/event-4862607 DUSTY SHILLING cog@centaurfed.com (ON) Wed, Sep 14, 6:30PM COG GTA East Meet & Greet See Aug 10 for details (VA) Fri - Sun, Sep 30 - Oct 2 Friends of Jason Weekend Come join the fun! Friend or Former Friend, come and enjoy a great weekend of Riding and Parking lot activities. No agenda, no schedule! Staunton is a beautiful little town and the area is surrounded by great riding. The Blue Ridge Park-
20202 - Issue # 3
photo courtesy Kevin Martin #145
Concours Owners Groupsm
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 https://concours.org/library 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 © 1989-2022 Concours Owners Groupsm
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Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS
Upcoming Overnight Events Dog Days 2022 August 18 - 21, 2022 Jason Kaplitz COG #32 This is a weekend ride-in with limited planned activities (other than riding the great roads of West Virginia). Please mark your calendars and check back for additional information. The riding in this area continues to be AWESOME!!!! 219 North & South is great! 39 East and West is great!! The Highland Scenic Highway is great! We rode to Lewisburg, WV one Saturday and had a great time and lunch at the Del Sol Cafe. I recommend it! Oh, and the Mountain's won't disappoint cooling you off! Even if you're coming from somewhere that's been oppressively hot, pack something for under your riding jacket. We’ll be staying at the Marlinton Motor Inn, 21507 Seneca Trail, Marlinton, WV, 24954. Make sure to mention you're with the Concours Owners Group to get the group rate. Phone: 304.799.4711 Everyone will cover their own food, drink, and lodging expense. No organized group dinner.... However, we will all go to an onsite restaurant at the same time one evening. Although there are no registration fees, we are asking everyone to register so we have a headcount. Tourist information can be found here: https://www.pocahontascountywv.com/ More detailed informationn on the event can be found here: https://concours.org/event-4455430
Back to Vermont Weekend September 2 - 3, 2022 Kevin Martin COG #145 Join Kevin Martin for a weekend riding Vermont and the surrounding area. We’ll be staying at the Gray Ghost Inn, 290 Route 100, West Dover, VT, 05356, home of Mount Snow. 800.745.3615 https://www.grayghostinn.com The Gray Ghost is a small but very motorcycle friendly Inn located on Route 100 North in West Dover Vermont. Room bookings can be made directly online through their website or call the toll free number provided. The Gray Ghost has single, double, and multiple rooms plus a suite with separate rooms and baths to accommodate group room sharing to reduce costs. So if you’re interested in room sharing, please coordinate with friends and call the Inn to make those arrangements. Kevin is planning a ride there on Friday, September 2 nd from Johnson’s Dairy in Groton. Meet there for lunch around 11:30AM. There is also a ride scheduled for Saturday. See the COG web site for more complete details and to register for this event. https://concours.org/event-4884343
NE Fall Rally - Great Barrington, MA September 15 - 18, 2022 Steve Cerruti COG#6763 COG is pleased to announce that on September 15-18 we will be having a Fall Rally in the beautiful Berkshire Mountain region of western Massachusetts. This represents an entirely new location from us, but we believe everything is in place for a great event. The venue is set up for ample parking and post-ride socializing with guaranteed tire kicking/bench racing. There are countless shops and restaurants all within walking distance from the motel. The riding is both scenic and fun, and I’m sure our local members will be happy to let us in on some “hidden gem” roads. We’ll be staying at the Quality Inn Great Barrington, 372 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230 Phone: 413.528.3150 https://www.qualityinngreatbarrington.com/ Book your rooms early since our block of rooms expires on July 30. Call the hotel directly to make reservations and mention Concours Owners Group to get our discounted rate. See the COG web site for all the details and to register for the event. https://concours.org/event-4876551 This is a no fee rally. All are welcome, and I hope to see you all there.
Even more weekend events can be found on the Rides and Events calendar on page 7! 8
2022 - Issue # 3
Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS
Memorial Day Weekend Getaway Jason Kaplitz, COG 32 I organized the Memorial Day Weekend Getaway trip to Marietta Ohio with plans to ride the great roads of southeast Ohio. Several motorcycle ride routes are listed on the website: www.windy9.com. The event was posted on the COG calendar, and I invited friends from my local BMW club to join in the fun too. The COG calendar lists events by geographic location, so even though I’m in the Northeast, the event was listed as a North Central event. Marietta is just across the river from Parkersburg, WV. Most of the gang gathered Friday in Marietta, after having somewhat of a wet ride! Joanne and I got a late start which turned out well, as we missed the rain arriving dry as a bone. Saturday morning started cool and overcast with about 15 machines in the parking lot. Matt Taylor (#13573), who is a new COG member, lives nearby in WV and rode in to join the fun. Matt ended up leading myself and 2 other COGgers, Bobby and Wayne, for a great ride for lunch at Hillbilly Hotdogs just over the border in Lesage WV. Everyone needs to stop at Hillbilly Hotdog once in a lifetime. Our foursome had a nice day, stopping at several of the Locks along the Ohio River and some other local points of interest. Sunday started with Bright Blue skies and not a cloud to be seen! Chamber of Commerce Weather! Our group had grown to about a 24 in total, including COG members Bobby Winters, Dave Meadows, John Lippy, Wayne & Milly Tenney, Dave Fridirici, and Steve Peck, along with Joanne and me. Most gathered into small groups or headed out on their own for the day. This area offers many great riding opportunities. You may have heard of the Triple Nickle, Route 555? My first experience with 555 was in the early 90’S when COG held an event at Burr Oak, State Park. My riding group put about 175 miles on, enjoying all of the Nickle and all of Route 26 north. We stopped to see Big Muskie too! Google it. Traffic was surprising light for the holiday weekend. Sunday night we all gathered on the roof top patio at the Lafayette for cocktails, pizza, and storytelling. Everyone had a great day! The smiles on everyone’s face gave it away. Memorial Day was a repeat of Sunday’s weather, just a few degrees warmer. Joanne and I did a repeat of 26 north this time jumping off at Route 800 heading East to the Ferry in Fly. Route 800 doesn’t have a nickname, but it should. Ribbon of Glass comes to mind! So smooth… The Ferry from Fly to Sistersville WV. Is always a nice ride, only taking 10 minutes or so to get you and the bike across the river for the total of $4.00. I believe the weekend was a success for all involved. I’m sure I’ll be back. Look for a repeat of this event on the COG calendar next year. Maybe we’ll cross paths on the Triple Nickle.
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Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS
Spring Fling Steve Smith, COG 3184 The Spring Fling is the one event I try to make every year, as it’s the first significant post‑winter COG Northeast event. It comes at a time each year when I really can use several days of cycletherapy. This year the event was held in Williamsport PA, May 19-22 at the Genetti Hotel, which was the location of the 2019 COG National Rally and a few past regional events. I really like the hotel’s downtown location, especially the abundant and varied food and beverage choices within walking distance. The riding in the Endless Mountain region is superb, and it only takes a few minutes to get out of downtown WIlliamsport and into riding nirvana. My riding buddy for the trip created the route and loaded it up into the Garmin XT after reviewing it. The plan was to meet up at a gas station in Calicoon NY at the edge of the Catskills and eastern side of the Delaware. I ended up travelling solo to the rally due to my riding buddy falling ill last minute. My trip there was a bit of an adventure. Departing Wednesday morning around 7:00AM provided a comfortable cool weather start. The first leg was to be a quick I-84 slab ride out of Connecticut. What I got was dense commuter traffic and several quick slowdowns to a crawl until I passed Brewster NY. The remainder of the slab ride to Port Jervis NY and was mundane. After a quick fuel stop and bio break, I continued north on Route 97 through Hawks Nest, where I stopped for the obligatory photo op of the riverside windy road. I passed the small town of Calicoon and continued a bit further north to Hankins NY where we planned to cross the Delaware river into Pennsylvania. From there the planned route was a zigzag south west diagonal line through Pennsylvania backroads. When I arrived at the bridge, I was a bit surprised. From the top of the hill, it looked like an old, narrow, foot bridge. After stopping closer and assessing the situation. I saw it was a single lane, steel grate deck bridge spanning the river. Luckily no traffic was coming the opposite way. I pulled over after I crossed and to take a photo. Continuing, I discovered that both Google Maps and Garmin Basecamp failed to identify several roads not far after crossing the Delaware River as dirt. At the end of a one of the hardpack dirt and gravel roads it continued on a road that can only be described as a rough dual track that crossed a section of state land. There was a sign there that said it was open to public travel, proceed at own risk. I paused there for several minutes staring at the signs and reviewing the GPS looking for an alternate route. The only one would was a significant backtrack and a possible hit of an hour or more in extra time. I decided to proceed. While traveling through that wooded area very slowly, I heard banjos playing in my mind. It The track was washed out in places and moving the heavy beast of a bike through there took much effort. Once beyond that, there was a short length of hard pack dirt road then I was fortunate to experience only asphalt for the remainder of the weekend. Along the way to Williamsport, I passed through the town of Tunkhannock. As I rounded a corner I caught my first glimpse ever of the Tunkhannock Viaduct. This is an amazing piece of railway architecture. My travel route took me through Forksville, and I stopped at Big Mikes to get a fantastic cheesesteak for lunch. The area riding in the Endless Mountains is superb in all directions. On one day a couple of us headed north and my plan was to do a portion of Russell Fleming’s well known Run for Buns ride through Slate Run, but a good chunk of RT414 was closed for construction and it would have been a significant detour to get the Wolfe’s General Store for a sammich. Instead, we headed to the previous Spring Fling rally location of Wellsboro PA to have a late lunch at the Native Bagel. It was nice to catch up with COG friends, old and new, over the long weekend. I had the pleasure of sharing a room with Mark Howard, a recent member of the club and a super nice guy. Brian Evan, the club’s new IT Officer, stopped in to hang with us for an evening. Attendees were treated to a very casual outdoor social near Jason’s room where we set up a table with snacks, cheeses, and meats. Some items were homemade, like cookies and the smoked cream cheese.
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2022 - Issue # 3