Bear Mountain State Park

A while ago I met two fellow Portuguese riders at a Ducati open house in Metuchen near the place where I work.  I was ogling a beautiful red Ducati when I hear someone speaking Portuguese behind me, I turn around and introduce myself, turns out they ride Ducatis' and one of them actually owns two Ducatis.  We struck a friendship, exchange e-mails and decide we would get together for a ride at a future date.  They live in northern New Jersey while I live in the south but they tell me every Sunday a group of Portuguese and Brazilians riders gather in Newark which is about half way for all of us. It also happens that the meeting place is at a Portuguese/Brazilian bakery which is convenient since I have a very sweet tooth.  Last month I decided to take a ride to Newark and meet them at the "Cafe Cafe" Bakery, don't ask, it's not a typing mistake, that is the name of the bakery.

I arrive at the bakery around 9 am and find quite a number of bikes already there.  I go inside and proceed to have a warm cup of coffee and a "Pastel de Nata", the ones on the above picture.  After a little chit-chat we leave Newark and head north on the NJ Turnpike (I95) towards the George Washington Bridge where we pickup the Palisades Interstate Parkway and head north along the Hudson river towards the New York border.  We enter Harriman State Park and make the first stop where I spend some time admiring the beautiful lines of the Ducati 996.  Ducati does have beautiful motorcycles.

At 46,613 acres (188.64 km2), Harriman State Park is the second largest state park in New York.  The park is also known for its 31 lakes and great vistas.  I spend some time walking around taking in the beautiful fall colors.  It's the perfect time of the year to visit this area of New York state, it's not too cold, not too many people on the road and the park offers some beautiful and winding roads.  The yellows, oranges, reds and the few leftover greens of the leaves are just breathtaking.

The park has 31 lakes, I will have to go back in the summer and spend time hiking the area to really appreciate the beauty.  You find beautiful vistas no matter where you look.

Sergio and To Ze, my two Portuguese buddies had brought along a few of their friends.  I return to the group and we spend some time talking about bikes and previous bike adventures.  The group consists of two Ducatis, two Suzukis, one BMW and my Kawasaki Concours.

The Ducati Bandit

We leave the area and continue north entering Bear Mountain State Park and climbing Bear Mountain where we make our next stop.  Bear Mountain is one of the best-known peaks of New York's Hudson Highlands.  Along the way we pass various groups of riders enjoying the beautiful "7 Lakes Drive"

The climb to the summit is along a beautiful and winding paved road and at the top you find the Perkins Memorial Tower, an observatory offering a beautiful view of the Hudson River and the surrounding park.

There's literally hundreds of bikes at the top, dirt bikes, cruisers, sport bikes but only two  instantaneously catch my eye.  A beautiful deep blue Yamaha R1 with Ferrari stickers, obviously a Ferrari fan, I later find out the owner collects Ferrari toy model cars just like me, maybe I should put some Ferrari stickers on my Concours.  The other is a green Kawasaki Ninja.  I have always had a soft spot for pure sport bikes and these are two of my favorites.

We leave the mountain, cross the Hudson river and then come down on the eastern side stopping in Tarrytown for lunch.   Obviously we pick a Portuguese restaurant.

After lunch we cross the Tappan Zee bridge going west on the New York Thruway picking up the Garden State Parkway and heading south splitting up a little later, each one of us heading home in a different direction.  I did a little over 200 leisurely miles on this day.

Polar Bear Grand Tour

I had heard about the Polar Bear Grand Tour but always thought of these guys in the same way I thought about the other Polar Bear Club, you know, the crazies that jump in the ocean on New Years Day.  A few weeks ago my friend Wayne asked me if I wanted to take a ride to Cape May, the first meet of the Tour. I bit the bullet as they say and took a 100 mile ride to Cape May, a city at the southern tip of New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.  Cape May is known for its Victorian gingerbread homes and beautiful beaches.  As I approach Cape May I stopped in front of the New Jersey National Guard Armory for a few photos, I have always loved old military equipment and they have a few pieces in front of the building.

First meet up was on October 31st, it wasn't particularly cold, I took a solo ride down the New Jersey Parkway and arrived at the location around lunch time walking around admiring and photographing a few of the famous Cape May homes near the V.F.W. location.

I had no intention of signing up for the tour, I don't even own winter heated riding gear but then I saw a very old rider with a trike and on the back of his trike it says "Just a recycled teenager, 93 and still going",  I figured, if he can do it then I can do it too, why should winter stop me from enjoying riding my bike.

A little later I meet Wayne (he rides a Triumph ST) and the rest of the Triumph group.   I go inside and sign up for the tour.  The Polar Bear Grand Tour consists of over 550 motorcyclists from all over the NJ, NY, PA, DE, and CT area who each individually ride to a designated destination each Sunday. Points are awarded for each ride. When we each reach the destination, we sign-in and write down how many round-trip miles we traveled to get there, there is usually a restaurant at the site or nearby where small groups will congregate.  24 Sunday rides are scheduled to the various designated check points throughout the 4-state area.  Check the rules at the Polar Bear Grand Tour web site but basically if you accumulate 30 points by showing up, you get a badge and a free dinner at the end of the tour.  You don't have to attend all meet ups to get the 30 points but there's usually a large number of riders at each meet up.  I plan on getting my badge in April.

We leave the location and ride a few blocks to the Captains Cove Restaurant for a warm meal.   The restaurant is located right across from a marina. There's always lots of fishing boats in Cape May.

After a nice meal we leave and start heading north but first is a stop for gas where I snap a picture of Wayne and his daughter turning into the gas station on the beautiful red Triumph ST.  I have always loved the sound of the Speed Triple engine and his bike is my favorite color too.

My next stop is at the famous beginning of route 666 where I take a picture of the sign while the rest of the group waits for me.  The sign gets stolen a lot, Wayne tells me, I wonder why?

Wayne knows the area well and we spend the rest of the day riding home through the back roads of southern NJ as he takes us through some amazing roads with the fall colors as a backdrop.

Gary France

On Tuesday night I met Gary France, the man behind "USA Tour on a Harley-Davidson".  He completed 146 days on the road, 27 states, 21,475 miles and most of the time alone, he's my hero.  I recently did 8900 miles in 22 days with my brother, I know how it feels to be on the road for such a long time specially when your loved ones are far away, but at the same time, if I could, I would embark on a similar trip tomorrow.

As I mentioned before we had a wonderful dinner and chat at the Havana Central and since "Lady Ridesalot" and "SonjaM" were so quick to guess I had met with him, I thought I would post a few pictures.

At the Havana Central

I was thrilled to meet the man I had been following through his blog and pictures for such a long time.  You can start reading his trip blog from the first day here: "I took my bike to the Airport today...."
We said our goodbyes in one of the most iconic places in the USA, the glamorous and very vibrant "Times Square" with the famous New Year's ball right behind us, on the building in the middle of the road and just above the Toshiba sign.

Times Square

Meeting a Blog Legend

I have been following a number of blogs for a while and there's one that has become a legend in the motorcycle blog world.  This particular blogger has completed a dream trip which came to an end within the last few days.

I find out he's passing through New York on his way home so I shoot him an e-mail and invite him for a drink and dinner and soon had a reply in my inbox.  We agree to meet in NY in Times Square.

I leave work and head into NY catching a train into Penn Station and then walking the rest of the way to Times Square.  I'm standing in front of the hotel waiting for him to arrive and as soon as he gets out of the cab I'm greeted with a big smile and a firm handshake. He goes up to his room, dropping his bags and then meets me downstairs again.  We walk out into Times Square and quickly pick Havana Central for dinner off one of the side streets. Neither of us had ever had Cuban food.  Funny thing, we both pick the same special, a medium rare steak piled with Shrimp and Calamari on top, the nice waitress informing us it's a Cuban specialty. It was pretty unusual but also very tasty.  We have a few Mojitos and spend time chatting about our trips for a while.  We share a lot in common, our age, only two years apart, the love for motorcycles and long distance touring and to my surprise he is a diver too.  He is a truly nice guy and a legend.  I hope he continues blogging on his new adventures.  We walk out of the restaurant and head towards the center of Times Square, the lights and TV screens shinning ever brighter.

We take a few shots but I will leave you only with this one for your imagination.  We are standing in the middle of Times Square and our image is up on the Forever 21 screen with the young lady looking down on us, I'm the one taking the picture with him standing next to me.  I will not mention who he is for now but anyone want to take a guess?

VETERAN'S DAY 2010

Today is Veteran's day and I think too many people know nothing about what this day means.  I think a little history lesson is good to explain why we should honor all the veterans that have sacrificed for this country.

History of Veterans Day
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
Read more on the US Department of Veterans Affairs site

I arrived in the United States 25 years ago and became a US Citizen as soon as I could.  I am a proud US Citizen and want to thank all who have served and fought to maintain the freedom that we all take for granted.

We must continue to uphold that freedom and for that we need our service man and woman in our armed forces. While wars eventually end, many combatants carry their wounds for life.  We all need to be proud of them and do everything to make their lives better.  

Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré

It's always nice when you read a good review of your future motorcycle and I think Motorcyclist Magazine Tim Carrithers did a good job reviewing the bike and explaining its advanced technology.  It's one thing to read reviews and see pictures but until you are next to one, it's difficult to judge how the bike will fit you.  I am comforted by his up close view of the bike:


They look much better in person: chunky, muscular and big.

I also need a bike that is fast, even when loaded, comfortable and to be capable of both on- and off-road. I think the Super Ténéré has all the right stuff that will put a big grin on my face.


Big, sneaky-fast, comfortable and surprisingly capable on- and off-road, Yamaha's transcontinental über-tourer has the right stuff to give its most obvious competition something new to worry about.

There are too many places out there to be explored and I'm always ready for adventure both on- and off-road, I think the Ténéré will suit me well.

I also tend to agree with Tim about the hardest part about the new Yamaha:

The hardest part of laying down a $500 deposit on one of these things will be waiting all winter for the bike to show up in May. But when it does, you won't be disappointed. 

I can't wait for May to get here, in the mean time I will be making my Christmas list, hopefully I have been a good boy and Santa will be nice to me.
Read the rest of the article here: First Ride: 2012 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré