NE2022 - Issue 4

COGnitions: Ramblings from the Northeast Area Director

Greetings COG Northeast

I am pleased to be able to say that I’ve ridden more miles this year than the last couple of years. In between family commitments and MSF classes I’ve been able to ride locally with friends and attend some COG activities. While I missed out on the national rally due to time off limitations, I did manage to attend three Northeast regional long weekend events so this year… Spring Fling, which I wrote about in a previous newsletter, Dog Days Weekend in August, and NE Fall Rally in September. In this issue are write ups of my experiences at the latter two.

Let me pass along some great news Three northeast members recently volunteered for open COG Officer positions and one for AAD. A few months ago, Brian Evan took on the IT Officer role; last month Lyle Cooper took on Membership Officer, and a couple of weeks ago Marc Hering took on the Industry Liaison position. Also, Mark Wallace of New Hope, PA, has been appointed as AAD Greater Philly. Many thanks to you all. All board positions are important, and many hands make lighter work. If other NE members would like to have an impact on the direction of the club, seek out opportunities to become a club officer, like being a Northeast AAD to support our Area or nationally by seeking to fill one of the vacant board positions including Magazine Editor or Safety Office. View the Contact Us webpage to review vacant positions.

COG Northeast is beginning to give thought to what the significant 2023 northeast weekend events will be. There are a few ideas, but nothing yet cast in stone. Possibilities include a redux of one or more including Alexandria Bay NY, Lake George NY, and West Dover VT. We’re always looking for member input for new ideas. If you know of a good location for a weekend event, please reach out to me or your local AAD. We can help you get the idea rolling and make it happen.

Sorry for beating the drum repeatedly, but I can’t say this enough Club activities are one of this club’s greatest value, and where the club relies heavily

photo courtesy Bob Barbanti

Steve Smith #3184

New Members

First things first, a warm welcome to our Newest NE Area COG members!

Thomas Ference Smallwood, NY 13707

Richard Burnette Littlestown, PA 13711

James Gavin Lancaster, MA 13712

Lee Carter Winchester, VA 13730

Steven Goble Forestburgh. NY 13732

Edward Wiegner Jersey City, NJ 13744

Edward Moore St. Thomas, ON 13746

Terry McBride Alma, ON 13754

Warren Tingle Lakefield, ON 13756

Fred Stevens Brownstown, PA 13761

Victoria Vedral Forest Hill, MD 13762

(Continued from page 1)

on member volunteerism. Thank you to those who have organized an activity. However, for the most part it seems to be the same small number of members hosting a good number of our activities. I would like to set a common goal for this fall and next year to have 10% additional Northeast members to organize one club activity each. That means we would like 30 members who have not organized something in the past to step up and plan an event. This will lead to creation of 30 or more additional activities around the NE area. This would be glorious for us having more activities to attend.

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. The AADs and I are here to help. There is also a link to a “How to Host COG Events: Webinar” video in the COG Library, Ride/Rally Hosting section. Lastly, if there are no activities close to home, then organize one to try to get other nearby members together. Another option is to expand the radius of what you consider a nearby activity. We ride sport touring bike meant to eat up miles, and riding to an activity is part of the fun, right?

That’s all for now. Be well and ride safe.

Steven Smith #3184 AD Area Director Naugatuck, CT 203 720 7575 nead@cog online.org

Maryann Geiser #4627A Newsletter Editor Tewksbury, MA 978 851 2710 maryanngeiser@gmail.com

Steve & Sue Cerutti #6763

AAD E Hudson Valley NY Copake Falls, NY 914 953 4154 Steveonlineusa@gmail.com

Terry Faherty #792 AAD Metro NY/NJ Staten Island, NY 718 227 2099 tmcefah@aol.com

Steven Rutter #9715

AAD S. Central PA/MD Elizabethtown, PA 717 361 1189 ruttersm@comcast.net

Mark Wallace #13537 AAD Greater Philly New Hope, PA 267 897 7424 Starrider2014@outlook.com

George Griffith #6377 AAD Northeast PA Benton, PA 570 925 5010 gbgriff.gg@gmail.com

Tim Traylor #12811

Dave Perkins #5932

Derek Pugh #11636

Christian Dupuis #10098

AAD US Capital Region Waldorf, MD 240 416 9250 ebonyzg1400@gmail.com

AAD Greater Toronto Toronto, ON 416 691 2191 perkins43@rogers.com

AAD Eastern Ontario Ottawa, ON 613 222 9554 concoursderek@gmail.com

AAD Greater Montreal Sainte Martine, PQ 450 427 0182 d1user@mac.com

Claude Doucet #9011 AAD Atlantic Canada Middle Sackville, NS 902 252 5062 motorcycleclaude@gmail.com AADs for Central NY, DelMarVa, VA/WV, W Hudson Valley NY, Long Island NY, Central NJ, MA/VT/NH/ME and CT/RI

Around the NORTHEAST

News from your Assistant Area Directors Greater Toronto Greetings to all in the Northeast.

I just want to report that after a long break the North American International Motorcycle Super Show, aka the Toronto bike show, is back on next year on Jan 6 8, 2023, and COG GTA will have a booth for the duration. With the threat of Covid largely passed and an enthusiastic local membership, we are looking forward to showing the flag and spreading the good word about COG. I've attached a link to the show. If anyone in the near northeast can make it please drop by the booth to say hello. And maybe work a shift!

https://motorcyclesupershow.ca/ I'll be posting more information in future newsletters as the show approaches. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Dave E Hudson Valley NY

2022 is coming to a close, and the Fall Rally in Great Barrington was likely the last COG event I will attend before I head south for the winter. I hope everyone had a good time and made some great new

memories. I would like to thank our Area Director, and my lovely wife Sue for all the support in planning this get together. Also, many thanks are due to Greg Mitchell for scouting and creating some awesome riding routes. Additionally, I’d also like to extend a heartfelt thanks to member Bob Barbanti for donating a lot of really cool motorcycle items for our rally grab bag. The event was a success, but I had hoped more people would be able to attend.

In this day and age twenty five people is not a terrible showing, but I’d really like new members to come and experience what COG is really about. I am repeating myself, but COG is not just an internet forum. It is not just a Facebook page. While the aforementioned things are important tools to reach a wider audience and keep us informed, the real magic happens when riders get together and share a common love of riding and exploring.

If you’re reading this newsletter and maybe also my small contribution here please consider attending a regional rally, a local day ride, or a meet and greet. These events will only continue to happen if members attend. You are COG not just the officers. We put work into arranging these gatherings, and COG often donates money to make these assemblies even more fun. (This was the case last weekend when the northeast region of COG was able to provide us with an impromptu parking lot pizza party.) However, without members showing up, it is nothing. Your dues help, and your membership matters to all of us.

I know we have a lot of members in the northeast region, and I challenge you to step outside your comfort zone, and come meet your fellow riders. You will not be

disappointed. Old friends always start out as new friends, and if you don’t try you will never make new friends.

Thanks for attending my Ted Talk. I hope you all have a great Autumn and Winter. I will see you all in Spring. There is a Florida beach calling my name.

Steve C. Greater Philly [Editor’s note Mark is the new AAD for the greater Philadelphia area. Please join us in welcoming him to the team. Welcome, Mark!]

I have been riding motorcycles for 46 years. My brother and I started with mini bikes that we found that had been scrapped. We pieced them back together and got them running. Then we worked our way up to dirt bikes, enduros and I just never stopped. I’ve ridden in just about every state from Texas to Maine and have been planning and leading rides for as many as 17 riders for about 12 years now. My current ride is a 2004 C 10, before that I had a 1988 C 10. I just love these old school bikes. My wife and I have been married 14 years now and we have 3 offspring.

Mark

Dave Perkins #5932

Steve Cerutti #6763

Mark Wallace #13537

Dog Days Weekend

This trip was 1700 miles of riding bliss over the long weekend of August 18 21. Thanks to Jason for setting up the event this year, and to the 30+ attendees that made it a fun time. This event has been going on for many, many years. As Pat Sprague, the event originator, conveyed to me, the event’s name is coined from the term Dog Days of Summer has become synonymous with the heat and humidity that comes with August northeast weather. It was reportedly named for the “Dog Star” in the constellation Canis Major, visible in the August night. Knowing that the Mountain State held some superb motorcycling roads due to elevation changes, and those elevations from 2,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level also offer cooler riding temperatures. In a future issue I will present a longer version of the event history.

I traveled to Marlington WV with Terry Faherty and Marc Hering. The plan was to depart Wednesday, use one day for travel, and arrive in time to kick back and relax once we got there. This meant slabbing it down there at least part of the way. After work on Tuesday, I departed Connecticut and met up with Marc, who hosted me overnight at his home in Jersey City. This saved two hours of early morning travel, especially considering we needed to depart from his place at 6:00AM to meet Terry for breakfast @ 7:00AM in Clinton NJ. After a filling breakfast we sync’d our comms, fueled the bikes, and hit the slab at 8:00AM. We put many miles behind us quickly, stopping as needed for fuel and stretch breaks. We exited the slab at Winchester VA, where and headed west to Romney WV

by Steve Smith

where we stopped for lunch. The route then went south on terrific roads to the motel, passing Seneca Rocks, Green Bank Telescope, and Boyer Station, the original site of Dog Days. There were roughly 30 people attending the event. It was nice to see many of the mid Atlantic crew, especially past AADs Pat Sprague and Clyde Watson. I am happy I was able to hang out and have a good conversation with Grant & Dee Beauchamp, as they were involved in a fatal motorcycle accident a few weeks later. We rode a bit more than 200 miles each of the next two days, heading east one day, and west the other. On the day we headed east, we headed across the mountain gap on RT 39. Our destination was a visit with prior COG members Andrea & Brian Felice who recently moved outside Staunton VA. It was great to see them and enjoy a wonderful meal. We doubled back using the same route and enjoyed the twisties in the opposite direction. On the ride west on the next day Jason led us on a loop route of asphalt nirvana riding on RT 39, RT 20, and RT 15, stopping for a terrific meal of Mexican cuisine.

and we planned a two day trip traveling all back roads and departed Saturday morning. Mitch routed day 1 and I routed day 2. Our first travel day took us into VA on RT39 and then turned north taking roads following Cowpasture River, continuing north toward Sugar Grove WV, and up to Great Cacapon for lunch. I think I blinked and missed our ride through Maryland passed Hancock. We initially chose to end day 1 travel at an $80 economy motel in State College. However, when I called to make reservations, the cost was $199 with a 2 night minimum. (mental note: it’s not a good idea to pick motels in college towns mid to late August) After a Google search for lodging along our planned route we found a very reasonably priced ($79) B&B that had availability in an eclectic, renovated Victorian building in Shamokin PA. The innkeeper had us park the bikes in the backyard to save us from using street parking. While the B&B did not provide a prepared breakfast, the kitchen and fridge were stocked for guest use. We packed the bikes early, and after eating breakfast on the deck we headed out. We rode RT 125 south, which is a short length of road that has many curves that are switchbacks. I once heard

The trip home to Connecticut was going to be with Greg Mitchell,

someone call this the PA dragon. Near the end of RT 125 we turned the bikes northeast toward Pottsville, where we stopped and paid homage to America’s oldest brewery with a required photo op outside the DG Yuengling & Son building. We continued northeast through the Pocono Mountain area and east of the Dela-

ware River into northern New Jersey. We entered New York at New Milford and continued through Warwick, stopping for lunch in Greenwood Lake. From there we rode through Harriman State Park and Bear Mountain before crossing the Hudson River over the Bear Mountain Bridge. At the Annsville circle we turned north toward Putnam Valley and Clarence Fahnestock State Park. We were riding on part of the same route we took during the Sybill’s ride we did last year. Continuing east we crossed into Sherman Connecticut where Mitch and I parted ways to head to our respective hometowns.

NE Fall Rally

The NE Fall Rally was the weekend of September 15 18 in Great Barrington MA. Many thanks to Sue & Steve Cerutti for their organizational efforts and hosting duties

The trendy, small downtown has many eateries within walking distance to the motel. The NY border is very close by, providing quick access to the excellent riding in Columbia and Rensselaer counties. Northern MA is also easily reachable, providing additional destination rides. Several good ride examples GPS files are available through the event page for member download. These will remain for future use.

Thursday morning, I rode northwest and met up with Christian Dupuis in Copake Falls. From there we headed to the motel where we had a planned meet up with Greg Mitchell. The three of us then headed out on a day ride to the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne

Falls, MA. Chris and I had never been there before, and I was looking forward to seeing this botanical attraction.

Upon arrival we stopped at the downtown Middle Eastern Flavors food truck at 53 Bridge St, Shelburne Falls, for some tasty Lebanese food. There are plenty of other eateries to choose from nearby. After lunch it was a short walk to check out the Bridge of Flowers. In a good way it was not what I was expecting. It was created in 1929 from a decommissioned trolley river crossing and turned into a botanical garden walking attraction. Afterwards we departed on the 2 ½ hour ride back to the motel.

On Friday we chose to ride the Columbia/Rensselaer loop with a modification to include a stop at Mount Greylock State Reservation and take a ride up the twisty, narrow park road to the 3491 foot summit. While there we climbed to the observation area of the Veterans War Memorial Tower. It was a beautiful day with clear skies we could see nearly 100 miles as the crow flies and could see the outlines of the Catskill Mountains, Adirondack Mountains, and Green Mountains in the dis-

by Steve Smith

tance. We walked the grounds around the tower, and then followed a walking path to the Bascom Lodge where we had lunch. On Saturday the group I led rode a 100 mile loop that headed into northern Connecticut. We went past Colebrook River Lake, rode through the town of Riverton CT (twice) and then took a ride over the Seville Dam at Barkhamsted Reservoir, and a took a quick stretch and photo break while there. From there we rode along the east shore of Lake Mcdonough and then headed west to have lunch at Zach & Lou’s BBQ in Torrington CT. After a tasty meal we continued the ride west and then north to return to Great Barrington.

Greater Philly Area Breakfast by Mark Wallace

We had riders from Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania at the Breakfast held on September 17th.. The comments I heard over and over was how nice it was to have a COG function that is close and convenient to attend. Everyone said they will watch for next month's breakfast and plan to attend barring unforeseen circumstances. A couple of us did a ride from the restaurant out to Van Sant historical airport to watch the antique aircraft activities and visit with other motorcyclists from the area. Not a huge turnout but I expect it will grow into a nice fellowship of COGGERS in time.

Mark

In Memoriam

Two COGgers Involved in Fatal Head On Crash

Some sad news was conveyed to me that I need to pass on to the group. COG members Grant and Dee Beauchamp (#2337/A) were involved in a fatal motorcycle accident. A good friend of theirs and past COG member, Stan Stagg, passed this on to me “September 3rd around noon Grant and Dee were hit head on by a van that crossed the center line. They were pronounced dead at the scene. I wanted to inform the group since he was an active member. A couple days prior he was at my house and told me he had a great time at the most recent [Dog Days] rally they attended. He was supposed to be coming over to a picnic at my house with a bunch of friends that evening. This has been an unimaginable shock to my wife and I all our friends and his family. We will miss them.” I feel the same way. They were wonderful people whom I have known through COG for almost 25 years. Always eager to lend a hand when the NE hosted national rallies, and Grant had been talking to me about volunteering more and hosting local rides. I am so glad I was able to see them and chat it up at Dog Days Weekend in Marlinton WV. We were talking about my planned back roads tour home and Grant provided some restaurant suggestions during the overnight stop in Shamokin PA.

The following is from their obituary: Grant M., age 69, and Dee A., age 68, of Narvon, passed away on Saturday, September 3, 2022 as the result of a motorcycle accident. While sad, the greatest blessing is that they were together. They were married almost 50 years after meeting in college they would argue who asked out whom and their love for each other will be remembered for generations to come. Their biggest fights were over map directions which would always need to be resolved using a physical map.

Grant was born in Louisville, KY son of the late Harry and Martha Sherman Beauchamp. He was the youngest of 4. He had a passion for playing guitar (he served on the worship team at Gateway Church), fishing, Bruce Lee and monster movies, and keeping his car absolutely spotless. Grant was always quick with a joke due to his love of Monty Python and would spend a good amount of time finding the funniest birthday cards to give to others.

Dee was born in Philadelphia, daughter of the late Frank and Eva Goetter Siegl. She was the absolute baby of the 4 children and their only daughter. Dee was always described as being cute as a button by all who knew her. She is known for her cooking (which will be missed by all) as well as her quilting. Like many quilters, she will leave behind many unfinished projects which is the quilters curse, to start and get sidetracked by a new project. Dee’s children and grandchildren (and many more relatives and friends) have been blessed with the many quilts, stuffed animals, and dresses that Dee made that allow them to feel her gentle hugs again. Together they enjoyed good beer, motorcycling around the world with friends, worshiping the Lord, getting together weekly with their motorcycle “posse”, and having regular family dinners.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 24 at Gateway Church, 160 Cowan Road, Parkesburg at 11:00 a.m. There will be a time to greet the family from 10 a.m. until time of service and again following the service at a light luncheon. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation to a charity of your choice in the Beauchamps’ name.

Below is a link to the funeral home obituary and arrangements details: https://www.shiveryfuneralhome.com/obituary/grant-and-dee-beauchamp

RIDES & EVENTS

Time listed is START time. Visit www.cog online.org for updates and more 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 Parkway 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

(ON) Tues, Oct 11, 6:30PM

COG GTA Meet & Greet

COG GTA Monthly Meet & Greet second Tuesday. We'll meet at The Red Harp Pub 137 Mill St. E, Acton, ON from 6:30 8:30 for a casual get together of COG members and like minded riders. All are welcome.

DAVE PERKINS 416.691.2191 perkins43@rogers.com

(ON) Wed, Oct 12, 6:30PM

COG GTA East Meet & Greet

COG GTA East Monthly Meet & Greet second Wednesday. We'll meet at Royal Oak Pub, 617 Victoria St. W., Whitby, ON from 6:30 8:30 for a casual get together of COG members and like minded riders. All are welcome.

DAVE PERKINS 416.691.2191 perkins43@rogers.com

(WV) Fri Sun, Oct 14 16

Bridgeday Weekend

Welcome to West Virginia's largest single day festival! Every third Saturday in October, thousands of people gather on the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia to watch daredevils BASE jump into the Gorge below. Weather you visit the Bridgeday activities or just want to ride the great roads in Central WV you’ll have a great time!

Our home base for the weekend, Webster Springs, WV sits in a great region for riding. Routes 15 & 20 won’t disappoint and there are many more to explore, both paved and dirt! We return to our favorite motel, the Mineral Springs Motel, 30 McGraw Ave., Webster Springs, WV. We’ve stayed here many times and always have a good time. Rooms are clean and well cared for and we have access to a Gas Grill and Fire ring next to the creek.

Call to book your room with Randy Cell 304 644 2557

Office 304 847 5305

Mention you're with the motorcycle group. Bring a steak! Grill on site! See the website for all the details. concours.org/event 4874406 https://officialbridgeday.com/ JASON KAPLITZ gsjay@kaplitz.com

(ON) Tues, Nov 8, 6:30PM

COG GTA Meet & Greet

See Oct 11 for details

DAVE PERKINS 416.691.2191 perkins43@rogers.com

(ON) Wed, Nov 9, 6:30PM

COG GTA East Meet & Greet

See Oct 12 for details

DAVE PERKINS 416.691.2191 perkins43@rogers.com

(VA) Thurs - Mon, Nov 10 - 14

Brrr Ride

Brr is Back! The Brrr ride celebrates the drawing to a close of the riding season (for most of us) and has long been a staple of the COG NE calendar especially for the “COG Camping Crazies.” Highlights include cabins at the KOA, “Roger / Clyde” style campfire (if it doesn’t move then burn it), great riding, walking down to the Pink Cadillac for communal dinners, (maybe not so much the hike back up the hill to the KOA), gathering for breakfast, freezing our tuchuses off heading to the Blue Grass charity Pancake Breakfast and especially seeing old friends and meeting new COG'ers.

We will camp at the Natural Bridge KOA, 214 Killdeer Lane, Natural Bridge, VA 24578 (cabins available recommend early reservaions http:// www.koakampgrounds.com/where/ va/46144.htm).

See the COG event site for all the details. concours.org/event 4862607

DUSTY SHILLING cog@centaurfed.com

(ON) Tues, Dec 13, 6:30PM

COG GTA Meet & Greet

See Oct 11 for details

DAVE PERKINS 416.691.2191 perkins43@rogers.com

(ON) Wed, Dec 14, 6:30PM

COG GTA East Meet & Greet

See Oct 12 for details

DAVE PERKINS 416.691.2191 perkins43@rogers.com

Concours Owners Groupsm NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

Published 5 times a year for the Concours Owners Group and distributed

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 Group

photo courtesy Kevin Martin #145