From: csl@swl.msd.ray.com (Scott Lilliott)
Subject: 1st Annual nedod FRF LP Tour report (L-O-N-G!)
Organization: Raytheon Company, Tewksbury, MA
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 22:06:10 GMT


			1st Annual DoD
		Feed-Ride-Feed Leaf-Peeping Tour
			October 10, 1992	

	Well, it was great! We second guessed the weather and won! A full 
complement of riders numbered 17, as they arrived at my house between 7:45 
and 8:30 AM.  I had prepared the bacon and pancake mix ahead of time (and of 
course had eaten first too), and began to cook pancakes at a rapid rate as 
riders walked in, shaking off the slight drizzle and road spray. It wasn't
cold out, low 60's, but that damp feeling made it feel colder.  Keith Hanlan
had ridden down from Quebec on Friday in the rain just to make this event.
His AeroStitch was a positive advertisement for rain worthiness.

	We had a nice variety of machinery; K and R BMW's, an ST, FJ, ZX, F2,
VFR, (sounds like alphabet soup). Rich had the requisite Britbike, a finely
maintained '77 Bonneville, and Paul had a well-worn but well-running KZ 650.
My '84 Sabre would make this trip; the Norton would have been more fun if 
I'd had more time to prep it - always the story.

	We all discussed the trip ahead, and Dave announced his plan for 
lunch at his place in Ludlow, VT. Sounded like a good resting point, so we 
amended our route to include the stop. 

	Attempts to leave on time we're thwarted by Jim misplacing his 
ignition key. After going through the trash and turning the kitchen upside 
down, someone found it in his wallet which he left on his seat 
(Bent Key Award).  We finally left about 9:45 and hoofed it up I495 10 miles 
to 119 west where we'd been warned of heavier than normal radar patrols 
(sometimes you have to trapsed through the slow roads to get to the good 
stuff).  We never got the chance - a white Toyota PU insisted we drive at 
35 mph, regardless of the speed limit and few chances to pass. 10 miles 
later we lost the PU and met up with our last 2 riders, Gary and Brad. 
Brad LaBroad was our guest Denizen from Oregon.  He rode Ravi Narayan's
donated GS500.  Gary said it was payback for *his* trip and ride out there.
The skies were becoming darker and a light rain was getting irritating. OK, 
don the rainsuits, and off we went in search of better weather and roads. 

	Of course Murphy's Law works in the positive; put on the rainsuit, 
and the sun will shine - 15 miles later. Passing through Townsend and up 
into the SF, bright sun broke through the clouds and began to dry the road. 
Right at the NH border, the sun was out in full stream and getting warmer. 
We stopped at the first gas in NH and shed the rainsuits and cold weather 
gear - Now we're gonna have some fun!

	We lit out with a fairly open road and little traffic. We were a little
behind schedule for a rather ambitious tour (~400 miles) and started making 
some time. Since Gary had made route sheets and maps for all of us, riding as
a group wasn't part of our plans - or our style. We splintered into various
groups according to speed and traffic. Within 20 minutes, we we're in fairly
rural territory and bending corners like we're supposed to. Thoughts of the
MSF ERC course I had taken in August came back in familiar sweeping fashion:
Slow (option), Look, Lean, Roll. It's funny how you remember certain things
when you want to ... 

	Riding distances in New England can be deceiving. I thought that we'd 
be a couple of hours to Brattleboro, but I looked up at a mileage sign in ??
and it was 8 miles!  Knowing that the best roads we're in VT., I was eager to
get through Brattleboro and onto Rt 30. Across the CT River bridge and into 
the town and BZZzzzt!  Traffic! Stopped! Brattleboro has one main road 
through the center of town consisting of 3 main routes which converge and 
join together for about 2 miles, and everyone in VT was there at the same
time! Bad Choice! Well, at least the slower group caught up with us quickly 
as we slugged through the center. The cop directing traffic was 
very nice to let us pass through as a group, and 30 minutes of that had us 
onto Rt 30 and back onto rural road playground.
	
	Except for having to pass a couple of land yachts which inevitably 
create a line of vehicles traveling 30 mph in a 50 mph zone, the road was 
wonderful. Each rider was given to their own views of a blend of mountain
fall colors, non-repeating farm landscapes, and smooth, properly-banked
corners and straights. One has to wonder how VT can have roads in such great
condition year after year, without resorting to massive repaving projects,
especially considering the harsh winters, freezing and thawing, which usually
tears up roadways if the plows don't. And why is it that VT engineers chose
(and rightly so) to moderately bank their corners instead of the usual,
flat or off-camber lefthand corners? Why ask why?

	The foliage color (such as we saw it), was an intense, close-ratio
of reds and yellow-oranges, with patches of bright yellows and pine greens
for highlights. With the sun directly on some hillsides, they just lit up 
as a vivid, intense flame. I saw it as a moving still life; I was the 
motion, aware of its color and brightness but in a Monet-style of impressionism.

	We slowed for the various towns we passed through; Newfane, 
Harmonyville, Jamaica (no resemblance), Londonderry, all looking their 
most Yankee-magazine picturesque New England town. Two hundred year-old houses,
general stores, naturally-kept town commons, and then a herd like us comes 
humming in, respectfully just passing through. In these small towns, we're a 
standout, flatlanders, but we're gone as fast as we arrive. I thought of how 
nice it would be to live up here, away from the rat race we so easily fall 
into, what would I do? Think about that later - corner coming up.
	
	Some miles past Jamaica we stopped at a turnout, a chance for 
everyone to catch up and catch a breath. A short walk
down the dirt road had us on a covered bridge for pictures. Dave detailed
his plan to his house in Ludlow, stopping in town for cold cuts and bread.
It was now 1:30 and we're only 1/3 of the way through our route! Route
Change! We elected to drop the run up to Rochester and back down, and instead
go east from Ludlow on Rt 131.

	We mounted up knowing our short-term destination, Ludlow. This meant
the fabled Rt 100 right to the center.  For some unknown reason, this road
was built for motorcycling. No housing developments, strip malls, or lights,
save for the towns you encounter, and very little traffic. VT has gone to 
great pains to keep from being overrun and overgrown. The result is a 
timelessness feeling that man can share this earth, not devour it. 
I rode along really feeling the road rather than trying to tame it. I kept
a quick pace but with less effort. This was why I enjoyed VT so much; the
landscape doesn't create a "hurried" feeling. You can go fast without feeling
like your being rushed. 

	It was over too quickly. A quick bend to the right and I pulled
up to a short line of traffic at a stop sign. The crowd ahead had pulled into
the Grand Union parking lot, while Dave went in to buy lunch fixins'. Uh oh,
we're missing 2 riders. I volunteered to be Keeper of the Strays, (KotS)
found out where Dave's house was and went to the intersection to wait for 
Rich and Gal.  Gal showed up 10 minutes later, a wrong turn took him on a 
roundabout route, 10 minutes after that Rich arrived, again a wrong turn had 
him double-backing to Ludlow. We took off and headed up to Dave's house, 
a 2 mile hard-packed dirt road into the Vermont woods and a 200 year-old 
farmhouse - What a setting!

	Inside Dave's house, we walked around and ate and chatted about the
ride so far.  No complaints, everyone was getting their dose of twisties and
wfo's.  We seemed to ride together well regardless of who's riding with who,
which was a nice surprise since few of us had ridden together, much less as a
large group.  It was nearing 3:00 and we still had about a third of the trip
to go yet.  Reaffirming that the Rochester VT. loop was too far to go to get
back home at a decent hour, we elected to head east through Ludlow on 131
straight into New Hampshire.  This would hook us up with our original route,
Rte 31 South to Gary's house.  Everyone rolled out and I stayed back to ride 
with Max and Stephanie.  Stephanie's bike stalled getting on the dirt 
road, and she and the bike slowly rolled onto their sides.  No damage (maybe a 
bruised ego, well-healed by now), we started out again to catch the 'gang'.
At the end of the dirt road we turned right onto 103 and -- GONE! NO ONE!
They must've all lit out at full tilt and we couldn't have been more than
2 minutes behind them!  Oh well, we'll cruise the route and enjoy the ride.

	I was now going into unfamiliar territory on 131, so I did a lot
of head-turning at new sights.  We kept a brisk pace, there were far fewer
cars to deal with now than earlier in the day.  We rode through Cavendish
(why does that sound like a famous name?) and Downers VT. on into Ascutney.
We crossed the CT. River (again) and slid into NH and civilization (Claremont).
Rte 131 becomes 103/12/11 - You can get lost just driving straight! We didn't,
and slugging through the traffic didn't last long. The traffic thinned out to 
Newport, where we right-turned onto Rt 10 South.  We breezed down to Goshen
Four Corners (don't blink) and we turned left onto Rte 31 - Yea! This was the
long and winding road to Gary's house - t'hell with everyone else!

	Long, winding, and one of the worst frost-heaved, broken pavement
roads I'd ever been on!  You could go slow and feel every bump, or fast
and feel like a jackhammer. There wasn't another way out -- 12 miles of this
and Stephanie was ready to walk!  Fortunately, when we got to Washington,
the bad road ended and we could travel at speed.  Someday, it might be a great
stretch of road if ...

	So at Washington we boogied south, passing through Hillsboro Lower 
Village, arriving in Antrim.  A moderate-sized town for NH, it was eat-and-
get-gas time, as we sat on the side of the road watching the traffic.
Five minutes after we arrived, Dave and Gal came riding in from Rte 202!
They had taken a wrong turn and done a large loop further central! We had 
beaten them! (but they had a better ride!). As we exchanged stories and lies,
the whole rest of the crowd showed up! *They* had taken Rt 12 South at
Claremont and had to cut over to Antrim.  We had to tell them we couldn't
ride with such slowpokes as they dismounted, complaining of saddle weariness!

	Gal and Dave announced they'd hit DoD minimum which made Gal feel
good since the R65LS was pushing at that.  They also said that Paul on the
KZ and Rich on the Bonneville had parted company to return home sooner.  Rich
probably felt like he was pushing his luck ...!  

	It was now edging toward 4 PM and with 50 or so miles to Gary's house
we reaffirmed our route and rolled out of Antrim and really blasted down Rt 31,
slowing only for the occaisional town/intersection, there was little or no
traffic on this route at this time of day.  Forty-five minutes of fairly hard 
riding had started to wear us out by the end of the day.  At Wilton,
we hooked onto Rt 101E which spurs around Milford, exiting at Rt 122S to
Hollis.  The sun was just about disappearing as we cruised down to Gary's
street and up the driveway. For him, the ride was over - most of us had another
20 to 50 miles to go to return to our own domiciles.

	Our reward was pizza, pizza, beer, pizza, and already the benchracing
was starting!  We all congratulated one another on a fine day of riding, with
a large group which hadn't ridden together, covering territory unknown by 
most riders, and NO mishaps or breakdowns!  Perfect weather and good 'tudes
prevailed throughout and we vowed to make this an annual event, maybe even
a camp/overnighter.  Gary brought out the remaining, and illegitimate (i.e. 
poorly made) DoD license plate frames which he passed out to those wanting. 

	We thanked him and his wife Debbie, (the pizza picker-upper) for their
hospitality, and 1 by 2, rolled down his driveway into the night. John Dennis
and I rode out together, retracing the path back to I495, hitting DoD 
minimum on our run south. I exited at Rt 117 and strolled into my driveway
about 7:30 with approx. 300 miles on the clock. I was tired, buzzed, but with
an enormous grin on my face from such a great day of riding. 

Those of whom I can remember that made the ride:

John S. Morris  K100
Keith Hanlan    K75S
Scott Lilliott  Honda Sabre
Gary Wasserman  R100GS
Max Buxton      K100
Stephanie Berger  Radian - her second time riding!
John Dennis     VFR750F - it's RED!
Rich Bemben     Triumph - the man has brass!
Jim Toga        Goof2 - poser award; Bent Key award
Craig Dodson    FJ??
Dave Dorfman    ST1100 - smooooooth
Paul Cantrell   ZX-10 
Keith Gregory   R100 
Paul Bicknell   KZ650 
Tod Johnson     oblig. Harley flame bait because he didn't ride !

There were others I think and don't have their names, but if they went,
they had a good time!


submitted (finally) 12/31/92

S.
-- 
#   Scott Lilliott -- csl@swl.msd.ray.com  (KotS)
 #  AMA #600897   "Countersteering is like benchracing. A bunch of posers   
#   DoD #0227      standing around the parts counter lying about all the
 #  INOA #8563     great twisties they've steered through."- Bill Ranck DoD 496
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