COGnitions Random thoughts and ramblings from your Area Director As I sit down at the keyboard to click out this column, I realize April is quickly coming to a close and now we begin to race toward Spring Fling Rally time. The good and bad news is that we have already filled all available rooms at the Inn. Rally host Brian Felice has identified a couple of nearby alternate lodging locations. One couple made reservations at the Breezeway Resort, which is only 1.2 miles from the Winnapaug Inn. They have a special for 30% off when you book three nights and they paid $321 including tax for 3 nights. See the rally info on page 2 for Brian’s contact info. The other rallies coming up this year are the “Dog Days Down & Dirty” summer un-rally in Marlinton, WV and the Fall Foliage Rally in Matamoras, PA. I was really looking forward to visiting the great roads in WV and seeing many of you at the “Dog Days Down & Dirty” summer unrally in Marlinton, WV in August. As some of you know, my daughter is planning a destination wedding later this year and I need to conserve vacation days (and funds) for that. COG is looking to fill a position on the volunteer Board of Directors: Marketing Director. Presently held by a Northeast member; I would love to see another NE member take over. Someone with marketing experience would be nice, but enthusiasm and desire to help the club to grow is more important. If you are interested please contact COG Executive Director Ken Ford at: [email protected]and tell him I sent you ☺ Since the last newsletter we gained 36 new NE members you can find listed on the next page. Included are four from Quebec, two from Ontario, one from Germany, and one from the United Kingdom. Please contact new members near you and welcome them, and I hope all new members will join us at an upcoming activity. As an update, COG NE presently has 573 members and 99 associates. Of those, all but 39 are renewing using the online system, and 435 are receiving this newsletter by email. The savings by choosing to forgo printed and mailed newsletter is returned to NE members as potential funding to AADs to offset costs at some of the planned social activities during the year. Have you stopped by the COG web forum lately? Usage is really picking up and there is quite a bit of great content and information being shared. The forum is a very useful way to pick up an impromptu ride or reach out and chat online with other members and non-members interested in COG, the Concours, and sport-touring. Many NE Area members are regular posters., and a few are admins and moderators. Pop in and see if you can figure out who they are. Until next time… Ride safe. Ride & Event SCHEDULE starts on page 6 2012 - Issue #2 - Mid Spring photo courtesy Bob Barbanti #7134
Transcript
COGnitions Random thoughts and ramblings from your Area Director
As I sit down at the keyboard to click out this column, I realize April is quickly coming to a close and now we begin to race toward Spring Fling Rally time. The good and bad news is that we have already filled all available rooms at the Inn. Rally host Brian Felice has identified a couple of nearby alternate lodging locations. One couple made reservations at the Breezeway Resort, which is only 1.2 miles from the Winnapaug Inn. They have a special for 30% off when you book three nights and they paid $321 including tax for 3 nights. See the rally info on page 2 for Brian’s contact info. The other rallies coming up this year are the “Dog Days Down & Dirty” summer un-rally in Marlinton, WV and the Fall Foliage Rally in Matamoras, PA. I was really looking forward to visiting the great roads in WV and seeing many of you at the “Dog Days Down & Dirty” summer unrally in Marlinton, WV in August. As some of you know, my daughter is planning a destination wedding later this year and I need to conserve vacation days (and funds) for that. COG is looking to fill a position on the volunteer Board of Directors: Marketing Director. Presently held by a Northeast member; I would love to see another NE member take over. Someone with marketing experience would be nice, but enthusiasm and desire to help the club to grow is more important. If you are interested please contact COG Executive Director Ken Ford at: [email protected] and tell him I sent you ☺ Since the last newsletter we gained 36 new NE members you can find listed on the next page. Included are four from Quebec, two from Ontario, one from Germany, and one from the United Kingdom. Please contact new members near you and welcome them, and I hope all new members will join us at an upcoming activity. As an update, COG NE presently has 573 members and 99 associates. Of those, all but 39 are renewing using the online system, and 435 are receiving this newsletter by email. The savings by choosing to forgo printed and mailed newsletter is returned to NE members as potential funding to AADs to offset costs at some of the planned social activities during the year. Have you stopped by the COG web forum lately? Usage is really picking up and there is quite a bit of great content and information being shared. The forum is a
very useful way to pick up an impromptu ride or reach out and chat online with other members and non-members interested in COG, the Concours, and sport-touring. Many NE Area members are regular posters., and a few are admins and moderators. Pop in and see if you can figure out who they are. Until next time… Ride safe.
Ride & Event
SCHEDULE
starts on page 6
2012 - Issue #2 - Mid Spring
photo courtesy Bob Barbanti #7134
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Take Note!
Toronto ON Sean Donovan #10030
Madison CT Todd Buttrick #10036 Linden Germany Bernd Neumann #10044 New Cumberland PA Franklin Cornish #10055 Bethesda MD Jeff Ludwig #10061
Coatesville PA Mark Gregg #10062 Ravenswood WV Larry Weese #10070
L'Ile-Bizard PQ Norm Mailloux #10078 Lake Peekskill NY Fred Bock #10082
Hillsborough NJ Gary Peatick #10084 Strasburg PA Dan Carpenter #10085
Haverhill MA Robert Balaam #10092 Mashpee MA Fred Parenteau #10093
Belchertown MA Lawrence Smith 10094 Sainte-Martine PQ Christian Dupuis 10098
Magnolia NJ Mike Spegel #10099 Charlotte VT Colin Rehkugler 10100
North Attleborough MA Jim Sullivan 10104 Waterloo NY David Bragg #10106
Granville NY Dan Petty #10107
Cabot PA Jeffrey Shoupe #10108 Manassas VA Clark Melillo #10114
Greenwich CT Todd Vallely #10115 Swansea MA Arthur Ferreira #10116
Columbia MD Brian Coghlan #10117 St-Barnabé Nord PQ Sylvain Corriveau #10118 Hinsdale MA Jeff Neuf #10125 Elkins Park PA Jason Levy #10127
Clifton Forge VA Fred Hampton #10129 Dartmouth MA Josh Motha #10133
Epsom ON Dean Osborne #10145 Wolcott CT Steve Koesterer #10151
Wyoming PA Craig Kroznuski #10152 Otterburn Park PQ Alain Charland #10164
Villanova PA Robert Belasco #10165 Walsall United Kingdom Tim Winfield #10166
Reading PA Matthew Dennis #10168
Editor’s Corner Random Requests, Rants or Opinions
Neil Baldwin #5762 A fellow COGger was la-menting his lack of riding opportunity and I related to him how, last year, I was in a similar situation. To add insult to injury, I had also taken the foolish step of adding up my costs (insurance, etc.) and calculating my per-ride cost. Yes, peculiar I know, but sometimes I can’t help myself… dad was an accountant and I used to work in a federal govern-
ment department—say no more! As you might guess the per-ride-cost was substantial and not something that could ever be justified in any rational way. But, then again, motorcycling is not a rational thing in (m)any respects. It can be fun, it can be pleasure, it can be exhilaration, and these are not con-crete things that can be measured. It’s about looking down at the reflection of your face in the clear plastic of the dashboard and seeing a smile gleaming back. This year, I know will bring more riding. It’s gonna be a good one. Contact me: [email protected]
New Members First things first, a warm welcome to our newest NE area COG members!
Plan Ahead! COG NE AREA
Fall Foilage Rally October 25-28 MatamorasPA
Come experience the riding and
scenery in the Delaware River
Valley, The Catskill Mountains,
and northern NJ.
COG NE AREA SPRING FLING The southern coast of RI is a great location for riding and sight-seeing, with many attractions nearby. We are sneaking in one week before the “season” officially starts so we can enjoy everything tfor less cost and smaller crowds. The hotel will open the outdoor, heated pool one week early for us. And, of course, this will be the first COG event endorsed by Kirby the KiPass Maskot in his home state. Rally Details: Winnapaug Inn 169 Shore Road (Rt. 1A), Westerly, RI 02981 800.288.9906. Member Rally Fee: $40. Group Dinner on Fri-day evening. Saturday COG will have a booth at the Twisted Throttle open house. Review the online Calendar of Event entry at www.cog-online.org for complete details, registration, and contact information. BRIAN FELICE 401.828.3354 [email protected].
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Around the NORTHEAST News from your Assistant Area Directors (complete list of AADs on back page).
VA/WV - Pat Sprague #1887 Yes, the weather this past year has been just plain whacky. It seems that the equinoxes and solstices have nothing to do with the change of a season; it’s a flip of a coin anymore. No, the coin flip has much better odds. The pros can’t predict any weather so I watch the squirrels and birds, but they’re confused too. Here in the Virginia mountains we had a whopping three inches of snow (last October), then almost no rain over the past six months. Technically, we’re in a drought! (Last week was the first I ever watered a garden in April.) But not to worry, we had plenty of heavy rain for Russ Fleming’s Crabcakes Ride in March, resulting in just eight folks rid-ing in for brekkie, then back home. This past weekend I cancelled the Sun-day ride at Marshall, VA, due to a three-day rain event with temps in the 30s & 40s . A little to the west, where my ride route lay, they got several inches of wet snow. A new event was added for the 22 July, meeting at Gordonsville, VA for break-fast and ride. The route has been length-ened from the cancelled February ride to allow for the longer, and hopefully warmer, days. May will be better. That’s the plan, any-way. Come join us just above Winches-ter, VA for the Sport Touring Camara-derie ride on 06 May: five rides to chose from, great food from new manage-ment, and new and old COG friends will be there, riding their bikes. Have a safe ride to Winchester or wher-ever your rides take you.
Metro NY/NJ—Terry Faherty #792 Here we are again with another riding season spread out before us! Greetings from Gotham, trans fat and smoke free thanks to Mayor Bloom-bucks! The Spring Fling is right around the corner so get those bags packed. Knowing Brian it should be a Class-A affair! As I write this it's Friday, April 13th <gasp>, and I'm getting packed for a quick blast up the NY Thruway to Scott Sorger's Garage Majal in Queensbury, NY, for an orgy of bike wrenching. New chain (yeah I got one o' those ), and assorted other lubing, perhaps even an oil change? Perhaps we might even work on one of his bikes!. While there I plan on working him over to commit to a meet and greet for Americade week at his fine abode, so keep an eye on the forum for details. Nothing big just ride in have a soda and a snack (bringing your own is encouraged!) and see how a retired LILCO worker can live! (I can only dream of such opulence! But I did have two children....damn my Irish po-tency!!! ) That is all depending if Scott's *most* understanding spouse doesn't put the kibosh on it. I'll ply her with pink wine and see if it doesn't fly! I'm heading up to the Spring Fling on Thursday, probably quite early to avoid the rush. My knowledge of Connecticut roads is nonexistent, so how I get there remains to be seen. Perhaps our es-teemed Area Director will allow me to tap his encyclopedic knowledge for some ideas, or maybe even let me join him? As long as John Purdy doesn't embarrass me on the back roads. This should be a great time folks so if you can come, do so! If you're local stop in and say hi. If you want to get lost and enjoy the pleasures of the Connecticut back roads drop me a line and we'll try and hook up. We will be running the Independence Ride again on Sunday, July 1st to Big W's Roadside BBQ. If you love BBQ—and believe me, I do—you’ll love this place! I'll again be gathering a group at the Dunkin Donuts at 755 North Broad-
way, right on Rt 22 just north of I-287. I should be there by 8 am to enjoy some caffeinated beverages and a light break-fast (you'll want to save room for the BBQ) with full tanks, empty bladders and kickstands up at 9 am for a ride to the BBQ. Please check the ride schedule for details. Remember folks, this club is only as good as we make it so if any member has any ideas for a ride/gathering, don't be bashful, step up and get in the game. Feel free to drop me a line with suggestions/ideas. Let's have a great riding season, and see you on the road! PA (western) - Joe Cyprych #4665 Hello fellow COGgers, I am sure we’re all on our bikes by now (even our Canuck brothers!) and now is the time to start planning your season. I just got done reserving our campsite at Cook Forest as well as our rooms for Canaan Valley and Marlinton. These are only a few of the rides that we plan on attending this year and we will be add-ing more along as we go along. The point I am getting at here is, if you’re going to get out and attend a few rides this year, call up and make a reserva-tion—the hosts really enjoy knowing that folks are going to attend! Looking over the schedule hats off to a lot of folks who are hosting a lot of events and rides for us all to attend. So, with that, we are looking forward to hooking up this year with old friends and making some new ones. Remember, once we were all new guys, so come on out and meet the gang. Have a great and safe season!
MA/VT/NH/ME Greg & Tracey Habel #7010/a At last, spring has sprung in the North East. In March, we got our busy sched-ule under way with a Meet & Greet in Men-don MA at Lowell’s Restaurant with a ride following to the Vanilla Bean Café
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in Pomfret CT. April was another Meet & Greet, this time at Famous Legends in Raymond NH with a ride to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord NH. (See photos on page 5.) Both were well attended with about 30 people at each and 15-18 bikes going along for the planned ride after lunch. We are delighted to see more couples coming to the Meet & Greets. Welcome ladies! Remember this is your club too and we want to hear from you. Send us your ideas for lunch stops, ride destina-tions and overnights. Over the past two months we have met lots of new and prospective members. We hope to see you at some of the upcoming events we have planned throughout the season. Kevin Martin helped out and ran sweep on the March ride and then led a 2nd group from Famous Legends in April. Thanks Kevin for helping us keep the groups at a safe size and assuring we could keep everyone together. Brian Kellet and prospective member Dave Barker also volunteered to and ran sweep for the 2 groups from Legends. This is the stuff that makes COG such a great club—it’s the members that help out and make sure fun can be had by all, and the safety of the group be kept in mind at the same time. Thank you! We will be hosting our Annual Tech Session with Pat & Sherry Mulloy at the end of April followed by a camping weekend in CT in early May. June 2nd will be a ride hosted by Kevin Martin up to Petey’s Seafood in NH… a lovely ride up the NH coastline. Come join us the following weekend for “A Week-end in the Berkshires”, June 8- 10. The weekend will include a Saturday ride to Bennington Station restaurant in Ben-nington VT followed by a ride to the summit of Mt. Greylock. We will also be stopping at a unique monument for the Ride Contest. Can’t make it for the weekend? No problem, just meet us for the ride on Saturday! We have a block of rooms being held until May 1st at a special rate for COG, so make your res-ervations ASAP. You can register for the event and get all the details through the www.cog-online.org event calendar. Hope to see you there!
Don’t forget about the Ride Contest. We will announce the winner at the end of the season at the November Social. Wayne Geiser is currently in the lead with 3 out of 20 under his belt. There is still plenty of time to beat him! Check out the 2012 MA/ME/NH/VT contest and rules posted on the forum: http://preview.tinyurl.com/82z6s3b Check out the calendar regularly for additional events and rides scheduled for the season. Please be sure to register on-line at on the NE events calendar if you plan to attend an event. This helps us to plan for the group size and to make reservations for lunch stops, etc. If you have an idea for a ride or are in-terested in hosting an event, please con-tact us and we will be glad to help you put it all together! NY (Hudson Valley NW) - Bob Barbanti #7134 I will try to keep this short and make it easier on our newsletter editor, Neil. Spring is finally here! March and April sure have had some strange swings in the weather this year. It was in the 40s last week but tomorrow is supposed to be 85-90 degrees. Anyway, we had our first Newburgh Meet & Greet at the new location. The Neptune Diner welcomed us with great service, great food and great weather. We had 15 people from three states show up for the April 14th Newburgh Meet & Greet. (See pictures on page 5.)Afterwards, four folks went to Motorcyclepedia (motorcycle mu-seum), while others broke into groups to ride. You really couldn't have asked for a better day. It was 72 degrees and sunny. Now if only all the events could have this kind of weather! Upcoming events include another New-burgh Meet & Greet on May 12 and June 9. This will continue to be at the new location, The Neptune Diner, just around the corner from the old location. Check out the event calendar or give me a shout if you’re not sure about location or have other questions. On July 1st, we will be doing a three-prong attack to ride to the Big W BBQ. Known as the
Independence ride, it was a great time last year so hopefully it will turn out as well again. This time we will meet in three different locations, with Steve, Terry and I leading groups from each. The Independence Rides will converge on Big W for tire kicking and some great BBQ. My ride will depart from the Pilot Travel Center, (I-84 Exit 6) 239 Route 17K, Newburgh NY. I will lead a nice scenic route out to meet the other folks at the Big W. We will meet at 8:30 AM on July 1st. Stands up at 9:00 AM (you will need a $1.50 toll to cross the Hudson river). This should be a an-other great ride so come on out and meet some folks at any of these events. Because of the close proximity of the Independence Ride and other personal obligations, I probably will not be hav-ing a July Meet & Greet. But you never know. Hope to see y'all there.
MD - John Hamilton #9279 Both on the COG forum and the ZX14 forum, I have read sentiments lately that motorcycling as a sport is on the way out. I realize there are a lot of moving parts to this contention. I took a look at the active MD member-ship roster and realized it isn’t really a lot of people. But I’m not sure there needs to be more people. MD is a strange state: small as it is, there is really a gulf, more like an abyss, which separates Baltimore County and the region around it from the rest of the state. Yet any member who lives in MD can make all the “local” events, such as the yearly ride-ins that Russell still does. Or even the meet-and-greet in Cumberland in May, though anyone in southern Maryland would have a day trip out of it. So I guess being small isn’t necessarily all that bad. But back to the contention motorcycling is on the way out. I know quite a few MotoGP fanatics who think since Rossi is on the way out, so is that level of the sport of motorcycling, racing. And it’s true, 2012 is introducing new technol-ogy and new rules which attempt to … continued on page 5.
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John Hamilton, continued from Page 4.
further level the playing field. But tying the health of the sport to the success (or lack thereof) of one rider is probably not a good measurement. Right now, Mo-toGP and WSB are both owned by the same company. I’ve read some think the owners will seek to lessen the appeal of WSB to drive more people to MotoGP. How soon we forget. Just three years or so ago, everyone in MotoGP was saying it was the small grid sizes and lopsided
victories that were hurting MotoGP attendance. This has resulted in a re-duction in revenue. What does this have to do with COG, more specifically the NE Region and Maryland? Probably not a thing, but it seems that we as an owners group, and as true sportsmen and women (I refuse to use -person) playing and living a sport and lifestyle unlike any other, don’t have anything to worry about. Members will come and go. Last week I
got a response to one of my emailings asking to be removed from the list. This person no longer has a motorcycle. I didn’t ask why, it’s not any of my busi-ness, but I feel for him, because I can’t imagine a world in which there are not motorcyclists, and I’m not one of them. On the way out as a sport? I don’t think so. Just show up at any NE rally events, or even better, the 2012 National, and you’ll see that motorcycling as a sport, at least amongst COG members, very much alive and well.
1. MA Meet & Greet at Lowels Restaurant in Mendon 2. NH Meet & Greet: Coop gets a view of the sun at the McAuliffe Shepard Discovery Center
3. NH Meet & Greet at Famous Legends in Raymond 4 & 5. Newburgh Meet & Greet at Neptune Diner
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RIDE&EVENT SCHEDULE Time listed is START time. Visit www.cog-online.org for updates.
(CT) FRI-SUN 4-6 May 1:00PM CT Camping Weekend Join hosts Greg & Tracey Habel, and Pat & Sher Mulloy for a memorable spring camping weekend in north western CT near the NY border at the Housatonic Meadows State Park Campground. Friday: arrival, campfire, cowboy dinner. Saturday: day ride, lunch at a family restaurant followed by a cookout and campfire back at the campground. Event cost: ~$20. Camping: ~$17-27. Complete schedule & details on web site. GREG HABEL 508.444.2235H 508.856.7609W 508.873.1042M [email protected]
(VA) SUN 6 May 8:30AM Sport Touring Camaraderie Ride 1 All makes and brands Motorcycles welcome. Meet for Breakfast at 8:30 am at Denny’s Restaurant at the Flying J Truck Stop ( I-81 exit 323 ) 1530 Rest Church Road, Winchester VA. There will be 5 rides to choose from 150 to 200 miles long, all include paved & unpaved roads and end back at the Flying J Truck Stop. More details on web site PAT SPRAGUE 540.743.5132 [email protected] RUSSELL FLEMING 410.374.9687 [email protected]
(ON) TUE 8 May 7PM South Central Ontario Meet-Up 2nd TUE each month Mohawk Inn, Campbellville, Guelph Ln, just N of 401. All welcome, friends, wives, girl/boy friend. Many hungry people arrive earlier to their dinner - road house food, salad, wings, burgers, fish & chips etc. A mainly social function to meet other riders, shoot the breeze, plan rides. DAVE CLANCY 905.389.7681 [email protected]
(NY) SAT 12 May 11AM Newburgh Meet & Greet Come join us for lunch at our monthly meet and greet in Newburgh, NY. It's a chance to meet some of the COG family and friends. There is also the possibility of a short ride afterwards. This is a monthly Meet & Greet, normally held on the second Saturday of the month. All are welcome to attend our get together. Come meet some of the COG bunch and hopefully have a great time. BOB BARBANTI 845.895.1130H 845.206.7406M [email protected]
(MD) SAT 12 May 12PM Maryland (& tristate) Meet & Greet Bring a friend to introduce them to our Maryland COG family. Meet other Maryland COG members, eat some good food at the Crabby Pig in Cumberland MD, then go on a nice 1-2 hour ride in the mountains to help digest the fine lunch. Route suggestions welcome JOHN HAMILTON 301.733.5387H 301.393.8221W 240.291.8603M [email protected]
(RI) THU-SUN 17-20 May 6PM NE Spring Fling Rally See page 2 for details.
(RI) SAT 19 May 12PM Twisted Throttle Open House Join us under the COG canopy for a Meet and Greet at the Twisted Throttle Open House "Bolt on accessories that fit YOUR motorycle". There is no fee for this event. Twisted Throttle will provide lunch free of charge. Whether you are attending the RI Spring Rally, just want to hang with COGers, or are interested in finding out about COG, stop by! GREG HABEL 508.444.2235H 508.856.7609W 508.873.1042M [email protected]
(NH) SAT 2 June 8:30AM Petey’s Seafood Lunch Ride Meet with Kevin Martin at the Acton Bickfords, Nagog Park, Rt 2A/119 for breakfast followed by ride leaving at 8:30AM to Rye NH for lunch at Petey’s Seafood Restaurant. We’ll ride up thru southern NH and out along the coast then stop for lunch at Petey’s, located at 1323 Ocean Blvd (1A), Rye NH, 5 miles south of Portsmouth NH, or 8 miles North of Hampton Beach. We should be at Petey’s around 12:30 pm for anyone who wants to join us for lunch. KEVIN MARTIN 978.459.6275 [email protected]
(MA) FRI-SUN 8-10 June 3PM “Unrally” in the Berkshires Super 8 Lee/Berkshires/Outlet Area, Lee, MA, Call ASAP since they are holding a block of 12 rooms till May 1. Mention COG to get rooms at the reduced rate. There will be a Saturday escorted ride in the Berkshires with a lunch stop at a local restaurant. Complete details, local attractions & alternate lodging/camping options on web site. GREG HABEL 508.444.2235H 508.856.7609W 508.873.1042M [email protected]
(AR) MON-FRI 11-15 June COG National Rally “No Bad Roads” Eureka Springs, Arkansas. See web site for details.
(NY) SAT 9 June 11AM Newburgh Meet & Greet Same details as 12 May.
(ON) TUE 12 June 7PM South Central Ontario Meet-Up Same details as 8 May.
(MD) FRI-SAT 22-23 June 3PM North & South Get-Together #15 Come on Friday, setup your tent and have a cookout in the evening. Saturday breakfast, ride and evening cookout. Breakfast will be held in the driveway serving bacon, eggs, juice and coffee starting at 8AM. Then you can leave at your free will on one of many routes that could take you in PA, VA, WV and MD of 260 miles or 1 of 2 short routes of 100 miles or a DUAL Sport Ride. Around 6:30 pm will be the evening cookout. Sunday breakfast served, with a ride there after. Detailed directions and alternate lodging listed on web site. RUSSELL FLEMING 410.374.9687 [email protected]
(NH) SUN 24 June 11AM Wachusett Mountain Meet & Greet Meet us at the top of Mount Wachusett Mountain State Reservation. Bring a bag lunch as we enjoy the view. Ride to follow. Bring a friend! Rising above the surrounding forest to a height of 2006 feet, Mount Wachusett stands as a unique landmark within the central New England landscape. From the summit, a clear day reveals views of Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire, the Berkshires to the west, and the Boston skyline to the east. GREG HABEL 508.444.2235H 508.856.7609W 508.873 [email protected]
(VA) SAT 30 June 6:30AM Blue Ridge Parkway Challenge Join me on my personal challenge to ride the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway north to south in one day! We’ll leave the Waffle House in Waynesboro VA by 6:30 AM. Get there early if you want breakfast before heading out and hitting the BRP for what he expects to be a full 12 hour day of riding. After exiting the end of the BRP in Cherokee NC, we will ride over to Maggie Valley for the night to stay at The Clarketon Motel (www.motorcyclefriendlymotel.com ) who will give a 10% discount to anyone making the ride. For the return trip there are many roads in the area for someone to take advantage of and several choices of a return to the Waynesboro area. TIM STEELE 540.649.7007 [email protected]
(MULTI-STATE) SUN 1 July 9AM Independence Ride to Big W BBQ What better way to kick off the Independence celebration that to go for a
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ride and enjoy great BBQ. Like last year, the hope is to set up 3 meet points to kick off rides and make another three prong attack (like the three corner hat of the time) and converge on Big W. More details to follow on web site and next newsletter. TERRY FAHERTY 718.227.2099H [email protected] BOB BARBANTI 845.895.1130H 845.206.7406M [email protected]
(MA) SAT 7 July 8:30AM Pioneer Valley Ride Meet at Bickfords Restaurant, 526 N. Main St (Rt 12) Leominster MA to join Kevin Martin for a ride which will include some of the best motorcycling roads in western MA, including The Mohawk Trail, 8A, 116, 112, and a number of unmarked county roads. We’ll be stopping for lunch in South Deerfield MA at Wolfie’s Restaurant. KEVIN MARTIN 978.459.6275 [email protected]
(ON) Tue 10 July 7PM South Central Ontario Meet-Up Same details as 8 May.
(PA) FRI-SUN 13-15 July 10AM Cook Forest Camp&Ride This has turned into an annual event with a great turnout every year. This campground is very nice place and motorcycle friendly. The Cook Forest area is a awesome place for riding, with great roads, awesome scenery and plenty of attractions to visit. For you dual-sporters, they have a awesome trail system in the forest to explore, or just kick back and relax around the campfire. They are holding a area for us so when calling for a reservation mention you are with COG. Two tents per site so share if you like. They also have a cabin and sleeping rooms for rent for those who prefer that. Hope to see everyone there. JOE CYPRYCH 724.796.1401H [email protected]
(VA) SUN 22 July 8AM Breakfast & Ride Meet at Inwood Restaurant on Rt. 15, just N of the roundabout in Gordonsville VA, at 8 AM. Ride will follow. We'll hope for blue skies and clean roads. PAT SPRAGUE 540.743.4874 [email protected]
(PA) FRI-SUN 27-29 July 8AM National Road Ride Assemble at 8AM behind the AC&T/Exxon gas station, Hagerstown PA at intersection of Dual Highway (40) and Edgewood Drive and arrive Elkins WV 4-5 PM Friday evening. Saturday, ride the mountain train (one of them, usually a 4 hour trip) and then a short 2-3 hour ride to Luray VA. Tour of cavern in evening. Sunday, ride down out of the mountains on VA 211 to Sperryville VA and a
break to mingle with all the bikers doing the same thing after riding 211 then hop on 340 or US81 and head north to home, while my group will head a little south and pick up Blue Ridge Parkway and ride it north until it becomes 340. Home around 4PM Sunday. First night at the Elkins Motor Lodge, Elkins WV. Second night at the Quality Inn, New Market VA. Get motel reservations asap—these are prime summer vacation spots. Ride waiver required. Complete details on www.cog-online.org event calendar. JOHN HAMILTON 301.733.5387H 301.393.8221W 240.291.8603M [email protected]
(VT) SAT 28 July 11AM Lower VT Meet & Greet Join us for lunch in Springfield VT at Fifty Six Main Street Restaurant followed by an afternoon ride. Bring a friend. We'll stop at the Underground Telescope Museum for pictures as part of the MA/ME/NH/VT Rodeside America 4 state contest. Details & links on web site. GREG HABEL 508.444.2235H 508.856.7609W 508.873 [email protected]
(NH) SAT 4 August 8:30AM Newport Day Ride I thought it would be fun to go back to the Car Hop Drive-In after visiting last year for the first time. The Fabulous 50’s Car Hop is an old fashioned out door drive-in restaurant located in Newport NH. This is a fun place to stop for lunch and the riding up to Newport is great. We’ll meet at Cliff’s Café in Townsend MA for breakfast then leave at 8:30 to ride up to Newport. KEVIN MARTIN 978.459.6275 [email protected]
(WV) THU-SUN 9-12 August Dog Days Down & Dirty See back page.
(ON) Tue 14 July 7PM South Central Ontario Meet-Up Same details as 8 May.
(ME) SAT 18 August 11AM Lunch Meet & Greet Please join us for lunch at Spurwink Country Kitchen, 150 Spurwink Rd, in Scarborough, ME. Ride to follow. Bring a friend. GREG HABEL 508.444.2235H 508.856.7609W 508.873 [email protected]
(PA) SUN 19 August 9AM Sport Touring Camaraderie Ride 2 All makes and brands welcome. Meet for Breakfast at 9 am at the Iron Skillet at the PETRO truck stop in Carlisle PA. There will be 9 rides to choose from 150 to 240 miles long, on paved & unpaved roads, all ending at the Middlesex Diner in Carlisle PA. List of rides on web site. GREG PUTERBAUGH
(VA) FRI-SUN 7-9 September 6PM Crookedest 32 in VA It has been a long time since COG has visited Willville Motorcycle Camp! After a good night’s rest Friday evening and a hearty breakfast Saturday morning we will head south down the BRP into NC then northwest back into VA toward Tazewell on Rt.16, “the crookedest 32 miles” in the state! After lunch in Tazewell, northeast through Burkes Garden, where the men and the boys separate on the way back to Willville Motorcycle Camp. The men will take the road less traveled (dirt/gravel/fire road), while the boys will stay on the asphalt and surf their way back to camp. Willville needs 30 days notice for the head count. KURT NORDSTROM 540.582.9414 [email protected]
(NH) SAT-SUN 8-9 September 12:30PM Whitehorse Gear Ride & Unrally Shop in peace and comfort and then spend the rest of Saturday and Sunday morning riding the area roads. Riders from Southern MA, RI, CT can meet at the Rest Area on Route 24 North (just north of I-495 in Bridgewater). Ride will leave from there at 7:30AM. We will stop at the Mobil “On the Run” on Route 133 @ I-495 in North Tewksbury departing at 9:00AM along some favorite back roads through NH and stopping somewhere around Rochester, NH (location TBD) for a break. From there we will continue on to Whitehorse Gear in Conway NH arriving about 12:30PM. Yankee Clipper Inn in North Conway is holding 10 rooms for us until June 1. Since this will be the weekend after Labor Day we should have a lot less traffic to contend with than usual. GREG HABEL 508.444.2235H 508.856.7609W 508.873 [email protected]
(ON) Tue 11 September 7PM South Central Ontario Meet-Up Same details as 8 May.
(VA) 15 September 11AM Barbecue at Mr. B's Ride to Mr. B's Barbecue at his new location near Berryville (up the road a ways from the old White Post shack) and eat barbecue for lunch. I'll be there around 11AM trying not to eat all the barbecue. JOHN HAMILTON 301.733.5387H 301.393.8221W 240.291.8603M [email protected]
MORE EVENTS ARE SCHEDULED IN THE FALL See next NE newsletter or online schedule at www.cog-online.org for listings!
Where will you spend the Dogs Days of Summer?!? COG escapes to the cooler temps of the West Virginia mountains, returning to the Marlinton Motor Inn. Rt. 219N, Marlinton, WV 800.354.0821; 304.799.4711, www.marlintonmotorinn.com The motel setting may be rustic, but the accommodations are anything but! Recently renovated, offering in-room phones, AC, Cable TV w/HBO and comfortable beds! Room Rates: vary, but a room with 2 beds/2 people will run $69.99. Call the motel direct - Don't delay, our block will only be held until July!
Camping nearby Watoga State Park, Marlinton, WV, 1-800-CALL-WVA, 304.799.4087,
No organized group banquet. Participants will be on their own for all meals. Self-guided rides for dual-sport and asphalt surfers. Minimal $10 rally fee! Register online or download snailmail registration form via events schedule at cog-online.org or contact Steve Smith (see above for phone #).
Come to the heart of Pocahontas County, in the middle of some of the finest riding you'll ever find! We look forward to see you in the Mountain State this summer.
Event Leaders: JASON KAPLITZ KURT NORDSTRUM JOE CYPRYCH PAT SPRAGUEKURT NORDSTRUM
