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One of my riding buddies is from Rhode Island and I am from Massachusetts, so we are planning a little trip from Delaware to home for some clam chowder and other New England goodies. We were thinking of going up to Laconia for Bike Week, but instead we are just gonna hit Rhode Island. We are going to sleep over with relatives one night to save on hotel expenses; they don’t know it yet! If that fails I might have to rent some space from Joker.

To plan the ride routes for our 3 day trip we have used some maps from AAA, The Harley Owners Group Touring Handbook, Scenic Highways & Byways and a new item I ordered from the Road Captain USA Book Store. This new item is the Moto-Maps for Rhode Island & Connecticut.

Hint: AAA maps are free to AAA members. I got mine out of a self serve vending machine at AAA.

Diana and I met up with my buddy one night last week to plan the route. We laid all the maps out on a table and planned the trip. Diana researched the Internet to find us a motel for the second night of our trip

Here is the plan:

1. Haul ass up the New Jersey Turnpike early Saturday morning

2. In Fort Lee, NJ we will get off the Interstate just before the George Washington Bridge and hop onto the Palisades Parkway, Route 9W. We’ll take that up to the Tappen Zee Bridge where we will cross the Hudson River.

3. We will enter Connecticut on the Merritt Parkway, Route 15. Towards the end of the Merrit Parkway we will drop down to Route 1 which meanders along the Connecticut coastline right into Rhode Island.

4. My buddy will stay in Newport and I will head to Fall River, Massachusetts where I will stay with my cousins (I hope).

5. Sunday morning we will regroup in historic Newport, RI and check out the sights. Then we will ride the two riding loops laid out in Moto-Maps for Rhode Island.

6. Then we will head west across the northern border of Connecticut on routes that are marked “scenic” by AAA and the Harley Owners Group Touring Handbook. We will drop down to Poughkeepsie, New York where we will stay at nice little Motel.

7. Monday we will cross the Hudson and catch 9W which follows the Hudson River down to Fort Lee, New Jersey. Then it’s back onto the NJ Turnpike to Delaware.

I’m looking forward to this trip with just two or three bikes. It will be my first motorcycle trip without the pressure of being the HOG Activities Officer who planned the event. It will be different zipping along the throughway without worrying about the safety of a dozen or more bikes following behind. I won’t have to be concerned with someone getting a bad hotel room or not liking the food at the restaurant. Even though I don’t have kids, this is like a Fathers Day present to myself. I can’t wait!

Hopefully I will bump into some characters in New England like Joker, Crusty and Rippin Kitten.

Tags: Trips & Places To Go by Jay Green
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It seems like I only took my motorcycle out of winter hibernation a few weeks ago and now it’s already May 1st. That means the club trip I have been planning since November is only two weeks away!

Last year I organized my first HOG event, a 3 day trip to the Little Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. The 18 First State HOG members that trusted me and participated in the September trip had a fantastic time. While in the Mansfield Wellsboro region of Tioga County Pennsylvania we bonded with the members of the Endless Mountains HOG chapter who lead us on rides of the area and hosted us to a bar-b-que. To say the trip was memorable would be an understatement. It was beyond great! A true Harley Davidson experience!

In November I e-mailed the Director of Endless Mountains that we wanted to come back as soon as spring broke. Lance, the Director of Endless Mountains,  thought it was a great idea and the planning began for a joint club adventure! We set a date that both clubs agreed to. Lance suggested we visit a unique Harley Davidson dealership in DuBois, PA. Diana and I researched the hotels we would stay at. I contacted DuBois Harley Davidson to let them know we would be visiting their dealership. I also notified Cox’s Northern Tier Harley Davidson in Mansfield to let them know we were coming back. Lance put together a great ride route for day 2 of the trip. I met with our Head Road Captain to plan the route to Mansfield and the return trip home from DuBois. I put together a flyer with the details of the trip. We took sign ups for the trip at all of our monthly HOG meetings throughout winter.

The popularity of our first trip must have spread because we now have over 30 riders and over 40 members including passengers coming on this next trip. That’s just from our chapter! We will be meeting up with Endless Mountains on day two of the trip which should add another 10 bikes to our entourage. We booked every room at West’s Deluxe Motel and some of our members will be staying at a nearby biker friendly B&B called The Cross Roads Bed & Breakfast.

So now I’m putting together the final details like the itinerary and official trip maps to create “The Rider Packet”. I’m also contacting the two dealerships we are visiting to remind them that we are coming in full force and will buy lots of T-Shirts if they give us a special discount, hint hint. Next week I have to get on the horn and call everyone to confirm who is coming. This weekend I plan on taking a dry run of the first leg of the trip. Also gotta set up the house sitter to watch over the ranch while we are away.

Soon we will hit the road for another spectacular 3 day trip to the Pennsylvania mountains and the legendary scenery of Route 6. New memories and friendships will be made. Old friendships will be strengthened. We will experience the thrill that only motorcycle touring enthusiasts can appreciate. I can’t wait! Let the games begin!

Tags: Trips & Places To Go by Jay Green
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