As Sam Gamgee said, at the end of The Trilogy of the Rings, "Well, I'm back." We rode 1,820 miles in five days. Here is a summary of what we did: Saturday: Six bikes with seven riders departed Amherst, headed for New Brunswick. Gary, John, Ken, Bill, Matt (with Kelly riding two up), and me.We ran to Maine, and had a great ride on Route 9 from Bangor to Calais. We rode through the border, where there were no lines because of the newpassport requirements. Gary, John, Ken and I went to St. Andrews, NB, where we stayed at the historic Kennedy Inn. Bill, Matt, and Kelly went on to Black's Harbor, to Bill's girlfriend's waterfront cottage. In St. Andrews,we drank beer on the front porch of the Inn, and then crossed the street to have dinner at a local pub. Sunday: Leaving from the Inn, the four of us went to Black's Harbor to visit with Bill, Matt, and Kelly. After a short stay, we proceeded north to Nova Scotia, making a long run across the province to the base of Cape Breton. We

stayed at the Cove Motel, which is a place that Gary and I have stayed at on previous trips. Jeff Savastano had originally recommended it to us. We had agreat dinner in the dining room. On Monday, we started a counter-clockwise tour of the Cape. We stopped atthe Clucking Hen, where I was able to persuade the cook to give me the recipe for her famous carrot cake, which I highly recommend. From there, we soon turned on to the world famous Cabot Trail, enjoying fantastic vistas, hair-pin turns, and great twisties. We stopped at the Anchor Restaurant, and then continued to our planned destination of the Glenora Distillery. Unfortunately, our leader missed the right turn, and we traveled forty miles down the rode away from the distillery. When we realized our error, we decided to continue five more miles and stayed in Baddeck. We went looking for the local lobster hall, but it was not yet open for the season, so we had pizza and beer. Tuesday started with serious discussions of the potential rain headed in our direction. We decided to ride down the road before making any decisions. As we rode through Antigonish, Ken Bateman's exhaust pipe became dislodged. With the intervention of a

local biker, we were able to get the pipe repaired at a local machine shop. We then continued to Moncton, where John and Ken decided to head further west, and then south trying to avoid the rain, while Gary and I decided to continue to the border crossing at Calais. As it turned out, none of us got wet because the rain held off. John and Ken stayed in Lincoln, ME while Gary and I stayed in Calais. Wednesday was wet! Although we never ran into some real rain, the weather was misty and damp, but the roads were OK. Gary and I continued through to Amherst, arriving home at 4:00 PM. Gary and I are talking about a new destination for next year. Perhaps up-state New York. Do you have any suggestions? Richard

We assembled at the usual spot just as the sun was burning off the morning cloud cover that was still around. Myself ("Jay not Jason"), Jason, Donna, Carl, and Ray took off down one of the usual departure routes through Amherst, and Milford and up and over Lyndeboro/Center Road to Route 31. Sticking with my original plan, even as the clouds thickened again, we continued on through Greenfield following Rt 31 to pick up Rt 123. Donna and Carl broke off on their own around the Rt. 9 intersection, just as light sprinkle of rain started. I hope you two made it back safe and dry :-) That very light sprinkle of rain was the worst we encountered all day. Our timing

was pretty good, as we stopped for gas 10 minutes before the road into Marlow re-opened after their Memorial Day Parade ended. We did the usual stop at the train station in Bellow's Falls. The weather to the North was not looking any better than predicted, so we decide to head South to Brattleboro for lunch, We headed down Rt 5 from Bellow's Falls to Brattleboro for lunch at the Marina Restaurant ( http://www.vermontmarina.com/Marina/Welcome.html ) The buffet was well stocked and the omelet chef was still on duty, so Jason went for the "all you can eat" deal. Ray and I opted for less glutenous suppings. ;-) The dinning tents were not up yet, but the decks became full as the sun came out while we ate.

From there we continued South down Rt 5 crossing into Mass to pick up Route 10 North to connect with Rt 119. Route 5 from Brattelboro to the MA border was a bit rough, however the MA stretch was smooth as glass and we took advantage enjoying smooth ride and the warmth of the sun. We stayed on 119 until Ray and I turned onto Rt 31 and Jason kept heading East. Route 31 took us back into Wilton and 101 brought us home (as usual). All in all, a really good ride and a great day. Thanks all, Jay

Six of us met at the Dunkin Donuts in Merrimack----Manny, Jeff, Jason, Jay, Big Rich, and me. We zoomed up Route 93 to Lincoln and took the Kancamangus Highway across to Conway. North of Plymouth, Route 93 was rough enough to make your teeth chatter. On the Kancamangus, the sport bikes took the lead and set a fast pace. We stopped in the middle of the Highway for the obligatory picture at one of the overlooks.(Manny: send everyone the picture to prove that we were really there.) The Kancamangus had many bicyclists, as there was a race going on. Shortly after leaving the overlook area, we encountered a couple of cars and bicycles pulled over to the side of the road. A bicyclist was lying in the ditch with his shirt pulled open. There were no obvious injuries, so we concluded that he was having some physical problem (i.e.) heart problem.

We continued down the Highway for about fifteen miles before encountering the Conway ambulance apparently responding to the injured bicyclist. When we arrived at the White Horse Press, there were a couple of hundred bikes there already. Our first act was to join the looooong line for the free lunch. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausage with onions. A free lunch will always turn out a crowd! The sales in the warehouse were not very spectacular. I do not think anyone bought anything. We left the White Horse and turned West on Route 302, which took us through the mountains, past the Mt. Washington Hotel. The clouds had really closed in, so everyone put on their rain gear in anticipation of wet weather. I had no rain gear, as I had not put the bags on my bike. I want to thank the other five riders for putting on their gear, because it made the rain go away!

From that point, we never got wet. Going down Route 3 to 93, we encountered VERY strong winds. On the Franconia Notch Parkway, we kept the speed way down because wind gusts were buffeting us and bouncing the bikes around. As soon as we got out of the Franconia Notch, the speed picked up and we ran to Tilton, where we stopped at the Dunkin Donuts. Jeff and I needed to be home, so we continued on 93, while the other riders took old Route 3. Jeff and I were in Amherst by about 5:30 PM. Mileage for the day was almost 320 miles.

We met at Noon at the Meeting Place restaurant, Vic's Place, site of the old bagel shop. When we arrive, we pulled in right behind Vader. Already on site were Mad Matt, Jason, Cabin Boy and Box. Soon behind us, Big Rich arrived on his lovely, black FJR 1300 (I pause to wipe off the drool). Box proposed that we ride to Lilly's in Rindge, Team Rocket proposed a route South on 13, West on 119 to 202. At the intersection of 119 and 202, Chad (my TomTom GPS unit) let me

down. It thought Lilly's was further West. Wrong Chad! Vader blazed past and got us all turned around. At Lilly's, following a pit stop, Jay, Steph and I headed over to Peterborough, in search of the chocolate shop. Unfortunately, it was closed on Sunday and we detoured to the P'boro Diner, which was packed. We ambled over to Twin Pine, Jay in search of a higher quality caffeine buzz. Twin Pine was also jammed

on a Sunday midday. After our caffeine fix, we buzzed across 101, a boring ride to home. All told, only about 70 miles today but we had lots of time to sit around today. The weather was good but it sure felt a lot warmer when we weren't moving!

Simone and I got out for quick scoot today for a grand total of about 25 miles. We took a short trip down Rt 122 to Merrimack Rd. Stayed on Merrimack Rd and turned onto River Road in Milford. We then wound our way to Route 31 in Wilton and headed North. The temperature dropped very noticeably and we made a quick U turn and headed back to civilization. We made our way to the Milford oval where we took a couple of pictures to commemorate the ride and headed home.

Crumpet and Jay in Milford

From Beaner's on 101 Jerry, Matt, Phil, Jay, and I inched with traffic along Nashua St to Milford Sq, crossed the bridge and continued on River Rd. We stayed on River Road and up the hill toward Lyndeborough, then turned left onto Whiting Hill Rd, on top of the world, past Curtis Dogwood State Park, and steeply down into Wilton center. From Wilton, we took Rt. 31, slow but in good surface condition, into the Greenfield boundary, past the Trebuchet, and into the village. Briefly on Rt. 136, we kept toward Hancock on Forest Rd, across Rt. 202, and into chilly Hancock. From Hancock, we cruised north on Rt. 123 to Rt. 9, where the leader of the pack pulled on his long johns and turned, slathering drywall on his mind, for home. The other four screamed down Rt. 9, past the vacant but snow-covered Granite Tubing and Sled park, and in Keene turned onto Rt. 12 North toward Walpole. We had a fun quick ride on Rt. 12 with long open curves and Okemo Mountain ski trails in the distant view. We crossed the Connecticut River from Walpole, then slowly twisted up Rt. 5 into Bellows Falls, past the block of Painted Ladies victorian mansions, and into the parking lot of the train museum.

After remarking the chill and taking care of businnes in the W.C., we strode gallantly into Miss Bellows Falls and had lunch inside the circa 1921 Worcester-made car. Noting the lateness of the hour, and having satisfied all earthly desire for adventure with three quarters of an hour inside Miss Bellows, we rebuffed the Brattleboro plan, opting instead for the short return back down Rt. 12 to Rt. 101. Ken and Phil after a Pit Stop Mt. Monad was resplendent in clear air, brilliantly showing the rugged knuckle on top. Blue sky was bright and full of afternoon as we cruised toward Dublin,

then down to Peterborough where a couple endeared themselves to me by noting while stopped for the light, Keene but we could harldly keep up. You guys ride fast, you must be young!" Crimson with undeserved compliments (or young cheeks pinked by cool wind), we scrambled up North Pack and sailed down again into the homelands. Having departed the Bean at 10:30, we arrived home by 3:30 or quarter to 4, and all glad with what we'd had of the day. But Jay has a photo, I do not. -Ken

What a day! Not a cloud in the sky and the temperature in the upper 70's for the entire ride. Folks, in NH it don't get no better than this... As you folks in the club know we changed the ride from to Sunday to Saturday earlier this week because Sunday's weather report was not looking too good. There were 12 riders that heard the call to ride and showed up at the appointed time and place. John Oliver showed up late but was able to hook up with the group just as we left Beaners bringing the group up to 13 riders. But where was Jeff 'The Rocket' Savastano?. If you follow Jeff's blog you know that he's been itching (or was it bitching?) for good weather to go riding. Well, here it was in all its glory, but where was 'The Rocket'? I figured he must have fallen down a well or something, so I lead the group over to his house to investigate. I expeced to see ambulences when we got there. Instead I saw Jeff, Steph and Grant out front doing yard work! Jeeze, the Scooter Gods will not forget nor forgive a transgression such as this. It's just bad wajuju. Well, we stayed at Jeff's just long enough to change his nickname from 'Rocket' to 'Rake', take a couple of pictures of the infraction

and figure that we'd take the group over to Lilly's restaurant in Rindge for lunch via NH and MA back roads. Stephanie and Jeff 'The Rake' Savastano Gary took over the ride from me at this point and we left the Rake at 11:30 heading back toward RT 122 south to Hollis. From there we continued south toward Pepperell, MA. Since I was now riding at the tail of the pack and knew that Gary could get us to Rindge, I kind of lost track of the roads and just let them unwind under me. I know we were on RT 119 west for a good

bit and went through Townsend, MA and then on through Ashburnham State Forest before crossing back over the NH state line and Lilly's for lunch. After lunch we headed north to Jaffery and then turned east on RT 124 and headed for home. Rindge Lunch Stop Here's hoping that the Scooter Gods will smile on us and give us more weather like to day during the ride season. Bosco - out

Well, the weather has been consistant so far; consistantly bad. For the second straight week the temperature has hovered in the low to mid 40's keeping most of the crew in doors. It started out looking like the day would be pretty good, but the sun went in just as I was getting on my riding gear. I kicked over the motor at 10:30 and headed out to Beaners to see if anyone was stupid enough to get their scooter out on a day like this.

Halfway to beaners the ride went from bad to worse when a light rain was added to the mix. I was tempted to turn around and head back to the Clocktower and another cup of hot bosco, but decided against it. Arrived at Beaners at 11:00 and saw a wet silver BMW scooter belonging to Jay R. sitting there. (I think that Jay is working on his perfect attendance merit badge since he hasn't missed a ride date so far this year.) Gary was also there, but wasn't riding. (Smart move)

It was raining steady when Jay and I left Beaners at 11:30 so Jay and I decided to limit the ride to the "Francestown Loop". Jay took the lead and I followed with the cold rain stinging my face. After 30 minutes of this my face was numb and my will to continue riding hit zero. I signaled to Jay that the ride was over for me and we turned back toward Amherst arriving at Molten's at 12:30 Better luck next week...Bosco out

I met Jay at Mobil only to find that the air pump was letting air out of his tires. We headed towards Cumby's in Milford. We met up with Manny, Jay almost got crushed by a spoiled young woman who had no idea how to drive her BMW 3-series. We ran north on Rt. 13 through Mont Vernon and stopped in New Boston when Manny was flagged down by some friends. We stopped to say hello and admire all of the bikes. We continued north

on 13 through Goffstown, along the swollen river on 114. We popped out back by 101, crossed over and headed into Manchester at a high rate of speed. Manny was pushing the very loud-piped VRod and it was fun to blast along. A bit cold too. By the time we reached Billy's Sports Bar, we were all in need of hot coffee. We added some chili to our fare and enjoyed a

quick lunch before heading back towards Bedford to meet Whizzer. We bid adieu to Jay and stopped for a smoke. Afterwards, we gassed up and headed our separate ways towards home.

Simone and her daughter's boyfriend Mike, Jeff and Steph, Ken B. and I (your Fuhrer) represented the Amherst Motorcycle Club at the smallish bike show held at the Boston Bayside Expo center. We arrived there at about 11:30am and it took about 2 1/2 hours to see everything there - twice. This show is mostly a custom bike and bike accessory show. There were some used Harleys with low mileage (<10,000) that had what Ken and I considered great price tags. I was looking at a late model 103 CI Electraglide sporting a low ticket price when another guy that was checking it out said that it was his old bike and that it had a bad transmission. That's why you don't buy a used scooter off the show floor in the dead of winter. None of us made any big purchases. Ken got a pair of fingerless gloves, I got a pair of yellow tinted eyeglasses for those cloudy days, and Rocket got a leather tool rap and a bitchin yellow leather beanie from a $5.00 table. (Nothing like a yellow leather beanie with a black leather and velcro strap running along the entire right side of the lid to say to the world, "Knock me down and steal my lunch money." The black one I bought was much cooler.) As stated earlier, the group left the show at 2:30 heading north. Jeff and Steph headed home while the rest of us headed to Nashua to have a bite and a beer at Peddler's Daughter before disbanding.   Rocket's bitchin lid Jeff, Mike, Simone, Steph and Ken B. Of note, we bumped into past AMC members Joe R and Tim B and swapped a few stories with them. They did give us a lead on a September rally in the Catskills that sounds like fun. I plan to check into it later this summer. I'll keep you posted on what I find out.