Northeast Area Director Election - The last newsletter contained the nomination information and submission form to begin the process for the Northeast Area members to elect a Northeast Area Director (AD) for the 2008-2009 term. Your nominations were collected by Bob Dombrowe, COG Secretary/Historian, and the results were reported to Guy Young, COG Executive Director. It looks like you are stuck with me for another term as Guy just submitted this for the newsletter:

This was an election year for the Northeast Area and, once again, its members have spoken. With no opposing candidates, present NEAD, Steve Smith (COG #3184), will retain this position for another two years. In a note from secretary/Historian, Bob Dombrowe, he says, “Northeast Area members have again unanimously nominated Steve Smith to continue as Northeast Area Director. There were comments about the outstanding job being done by Steve and the [Northeast] staff.” I am looking forward to working with Steve, again, as he provides the leadership for continued vitality and growth in the Northeast Area. Please join me in congratulating Steve as he begins this new term.

NE Area Staff Additions - As you may recall from prior announcements, a few AADs are stepping down this year. We’ve been trying to get the word out with the hope that some enthusiastic and motivated members who would want to get more involved with club activities. We’ve been very fortunate over the years to have some great people who have volunteered to help the club by becoming an AAD or organizing rallies and rides. After an exhaustive search, and maybe just a bit of coercion, I am happy to say that we have located the right people for these positions and that I have recently added a number of new AADs to our staff. It is with great honor and pleasure I make the following appointments:

• Kurt & Sue Nordstrom, COG 6049/6049A, have been appointed to succeed Pat as AAD in the Virginia/West Virginia region.

• Norm Walton, COG 7011, has been appointed to succeed Jon Coler as AAD in Connecticut.

• Ken Quesenberry, COG 3361, has been appointed as co-AAD for the greater Delaware region.

Please congratulate these folks and give them and all other AADs your support so that together we can make COG better for all members.

What is an AAD? - Appointed by the Area Director (AD), the Assistant Area Directors (AAD) assists the AD as described in the club Constitution and By-Laws. Any region may need an AAD: a city, state, or even just a part of a city or state may warrant its own AAD. If desired, there can be more than one AAD in a region. The AADs are the heart and soul of the organization. They are facilitators, working with the members of their region to organize and plan local rides and other activities. The AADs may host some events or even lead some rides themselves, but as a grass root organization it is the hope that AADs can count on the members to come forward to help organize, run and lead rides and other club activities. It is not, nor should not be the AADs responsibility to lead every ride. Please remember that AADs are volunteers and that being a club officer is not a full time career. Please do not expect them to be the group ride leader/organizer to, from, or at every COG event. Sometimes they may want to be the follower, or may prefer to head out solo.

2008 Rides & Activities - What about next year? With all the great rides and big events we had this year, it is easy to forget about planning for the future. The current riding season is the perfect time to get a jump on things for next year. You can try out that next great route or begin to scope out possible venues for weekend events or a rally. Remember, we need club members to help out by hosting a COG ride, meet and greet, rally, or any other event you can think of. Now is the time to submit your ideas and proposals for the 2008 Northeast Ride Schedule. You can help organizing the activity from an AAD or myself. Give it a try - it is not as daunting as it may appear to be. Besides, the Northeast Area staff is here to provide support and help get you off on the right foot. Got an idea? Please contact us.

When planning a ride of other activity nail down the basic details such as date, meeting place & time, and then submit it to me or your AAD so we can promote it within the club. The best way reach the most members is to get an activity posted on the ride schedule in the newsletter. This publication reaches ALL members about every other month, Be sure to consider the publishing schedule when sending in your ride info, and get it to us at least 3 months prior to your activity to ensure that it gets out to everyone with plenty of notice.

Over the past few newsletters I’ve been soliciting proposals for our 2008 regional spring, summer and fall rallies. My preference would be for different people to get involved, willing to host a regional rally at a new location or venue and bring a different “flavor” to the event. So far we have not had any takers. I have gotten a suggestion or two to recycle past popular rallies. I will give it a few weeks after this newsletter hits mailboxes to see if any new proposals are offered before looking to resurrect a past rally.

Northeast Area Newsletter - It is my goal to publish this newsletter six times per year and deliver it to all current Northeast Area members of the Concours Owners Group. You have a choice on delivery method - regular mail or email. If you choose regular mail the newsletter is printed black & white, and mailed as a tri-fold self-mailer. The other option is what I call eNews. If you select this option you will get an e-mail notice as soon as the newsletter is complete and ready for download - usually prior to it being submitted to the mailing service. When signing up for eNews you agree to accept the e-version instead of a mailed hardcopy. The eNews notice you receive will provide you with a web link to download the current newsletter in PDF format. It is the same newsletter that is mailed out, except all photos are full color. Since there is no extra expense, once in a while we have been known to toss in a few bonus pages with additional photos. You can sign up for eNews by going to the our Northeast Area web pages www.concours.org/ne and clicking on the Newsletters menu option on top of each page. On this page there is a link to Sign-Up for eNews. Using eNews helps to cut printing and postage costs. These savings are reinvested directly back to the

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Cognitions: Random thoughts from the Northeast Area Director - By Steven Smith #3184

Issue 5, 2007

Page 2 NORTHEAST ARE A NEW S

Area Director Steven Smith, #3184 203-720-7575 nead@concours.org

Newsletter Editor Louis Caplan #2894 703-978-9844 Nighthawk700@yahoo.com

Web Staff Steve Smith Kendra Weaver, #4807A Assistant Area Directors Massachusetts (VT, NH, ME) Kevin Martin, #145 Dracut, MA 978-459-6275 cog145@verizon.net

Connecticut (RI) Jonathan Coler, #5379 Rocky Hill, CT 860-257-4009 joncoler@yahoo.com Norm & Lorie Walton, #7011 Cromwell, CT 860-836-5162 norm9688@comcast.net

Metro NY/NJ Jim Clark, #2113 Valley Stream, NY 516-872-3694

NY Hudson Valley Mike Flynn, #4493 Bedford Hills, NY 914-239-3721 Keltwolf@optonline.net

Western NY J.R. Healy, #6591 Hamburg, NY 716-648-6729 Dafonman52@yahoo.com

Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh(Western PA) Joe Cyprych, #4665 McDonald, PA 724-796-1401 Cyprych@hky.com

DelMarVa & Philly burbs (PA/NJ) Bob Chappell, #1283 Claymont, DE 302-791-0582 cog1283@comcast.net

Ken Quesenberry, #3361 Hockessin, DE 302-234-0737 kqberry@comcast.net

Maryland/Southern PA Russell Fleming, #599 Hampstead, MD 410-374-9687 Fleming@qis.net

Virginia/West Virginia Patrick Sprague, #1887 Luray, VA 540-743-4874 (home) 540- 743-5132 (work) 540-743-3229 (fax) PSprague@shentel.net

Kurt & Sue Nordstrom, #6049/A Spotsylvania, VA 540-582-9414 ironhorsefun@mindspring.com

Greater Toronto, Canada Dave Clancy, #5452 Hamilton, Ontario 905-389-7681 davecla2@sympatico.ca

Eastern Ontario, Canada Ranald MacDonald, #2349 Greely, Ontario 613-821-1206 macdonrg@rogers.com

Northeast Area News Newsletter Staff: Louis Caplan, Steven Smith

The Northeast Area News is a publication for Northeast Area members of the Concours Owners Group. Submissions are welcomed and members are encouraged to share their COG experiences. The preferred method is via e-mail, so the editor doesn’t have to do a lot of typing, but any type of legible submission will be gladly accepted. Digital images are welcome, but please do not embed them in the document. Submissions may be edited to

best fit available space. If you would like to have your material returned, please include a SASE. Please send submissions to: Steven Smith 39 Alison Ave Naugatuck, CT 06770-3566 nead@concours.org

Many of the opinions stated in this publication may make no sense to those sound of mind and may just be conveniently ignored. If you use any of the information in this rag to incur damage to yourself, your motor or any innocent or not so innocent bystanders it is you own fault...you were warned! Copyright 2007 © Concours Owners Group

Northeast Area Staff northeast members and goes to provide subsidies for rallies, door prizes, and some social activities, etc. The newsletter is the single largest budgeted northeast expense. We could realize nearly a $2000 per year savings if every northeast member used eNews.

Fall Rally – Kudos to Terry & Scott for doing an excellent job!! The rally was very enjoyable and Lake George is a always a great place to set out for good riding. I had a terrific time despite the cool temperatures and slight dampness. Take a read of Terry’s rally story in this newsletter.

Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows - Over the winter many COGgers meet up at one of the International Motorcycle Shows here in the Northeast Area. Plans are made to meet up one day of the show - generally Saturday - and head out for a group lunch.

• New York, NY, Dec. 28-30, Javits Convention Center Terry Faherty is the usual suspect that organizes the group lunch in New York and this year will be no exception. The tradition plan is to gather by the Concours in the Kawasaki booth and depart the show about 3:00PM. Terry said that everyone seemed happy with Virgil's BBQ last year, so he thinks we'll give it another shot this year. He asks that you contact him if you will be going to the lunch so he can attempt to get an early headcount and make reservations ahead of time. You can reach Terry at tmcefah@aol.com or 718-227-2099.

• Washington, DC, Jan. 11-13, Washington Convention Center Kurt Nordstrom, AAD, will be the contact person for the Washington show. Contact Kurt for more info: Ironhorsefun@mindspring.com 540-582-9414

At the door ticket prices are $17 for the New York show and $13 for the Washington show. Hopefully within the next month COG should receive some $2.00 discount coupons from the show promoter used for at the door purchases. I was told that you can save $3.00 (with no service fee) if you purchase tickets online. Drop me an email or call to find out how you can get some $2.00 off coupons when I receive them.

Next Issue Deadline – Do you have a great ride destination to share? Maybe you want to write about a fun COG experience you had. This area newsletter is perfect for upcoming event announcements and short ride reports. The deadline for the next Northeast Area News is November 30. Please send newsletter submissions to me.

Until next time, ride safe. Steve

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ISSUE 5, 2007 Page 3

New AADs for VA/WV - by Kurt & Sue Nordsrom, #6049

Let us introduce ourselves; we are Kurt and Sue Nordstrom, COG 6049 & 6049A respectively. We reside in Spotsylvania, Virginia. We have been members of COG for almost five years, as a matter of fact I just received the notice to “send money” for another period of time. We both are Federal employees; Sue for Homeland Security and Kurt for the Interior Department.

Kurt is a native Virginian and Sue is a “come here” from Pennsylvania. Both grew up in Northern Virginia back when N. VA was country, and moved to Spotsylvania about 20 years ago. Kurt’s been riding before he could walk and Sue started about six years ago.

After belonging to a few MC clubs and/or groups, we settled on COG as we liked the people, the rides, the camaraderie and the usefulness of the Forum. We are bike poor at this point: three Kawasaki Concours (05, 03 & 88), a 95 BMW R1100GS, an 02 Aprilia Caponord, an 06 HD Ultra Classic and a dead 85 Goldwing (anyone need any spare parts?).

We threw around the idea of taking on the AAD duties over dinner one night when we read that Pat was stepping down at the end of this year. But we did not act on the thought at that time as our work schedules are very hectic. But with any group that relies on volunteers there was a fair bit of arm twisting, discussions and the like. I guess what really sealed the deal was the two of us going to National this year and experiencing the “event”. After talking to Guy “Dad” Young, Steve Smith, Russell Fleming and Richie “The Tech Editor” Rich, (sorry Steve and Russ, if you have a nick name I am not aware of it) they had us convinced this was the right thing to do.

Well now that we have volunteered for the 2008 season reality has set in and Sue and I have really big shoes to fill, because Pat, in my humble opinion, has set the “Gold Standard” as AADs go. With suggestions and guidance from Pat, Russ and others, Sue and I hope to put together events that the VA / WV area will enjoy and talk about for years to come….in a positive way that is.

If anyone within our region would like to sponsor an event, give us suggestions or voice your concerns please contact either one us at ironhorsefun@mindspring.com or 540.582.9414.

Ride safe, Kurt & Sue

New AAD in Delaware - by Ken Quesenberry, #3361

Hi, Just wanted to send out a short bio of myself. I joined COG in 1998 when I bought my ‘99 Purple Connie. (My first new bike.) This was quite an upgrade from the ’76 KZ900 I had been riding for the last 16 years. I now own a number of bikes, ’00 ZRX1100 (Fun), ’99 Valk Interstate (Comfortable), ’74 Norton 850 Commando (Classic), the Connie (Winter Comfort) and the KZ (Part of me).

Favorite riding areas for me are West Virginia, Western Virginia, and Western North Carolina. I have been riding since I was 17, 33 years now. I ride to work almost every day, year round.

I have led a few rides and will be helping to get more in our area. We live in a great riding area as long as you head west away from the I-95 corridor or south into New Jersey.

My wife, Laurie, is also a big part of my riding. She prefers the passenger pillion and is willing to sit there for 10 or 12 hours if necessary.

We will be trying to get to know all of the DE/PA/MD/NJ riders within the area. We are also looking for anyone interested in off-bike activities, i.e. museum tours, brewery tours, movie nights, or just a friendly get-together.

Ken

Greetings All! I hope everyone enjoyed a GREAT 2007 riding season so far. The weather this year has been awesome for riding and there were a lot of fun events to take advantage of on the COG schedule.

I’d like to start this article by announcing formally that at the end of this calendar year, I will be stepping down as CT-AAD. I’ll be returning to school to pursue a masters degree and I’m looking forward to new challenges. I’d like to say that I have enjoyed being AAD for the past few years. I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of terrific people as a direct result of the position and I’ve made great friends. I want to thank everyone for participating in the scheduled events and making the Connecticut chapter of COG one hot group. It’s all a reflection of those who participate.

GREAT NEWS: Norm Walton will be stepping up as the CT-AAD as of January 1, 2008. I ask that you join me in welcoming Norm to the role of AAD. For those who don’t know Norm, he is an avid rider with a deep passion for motorcycling. I know Norm will do a superb job and COG will benefit immensely from his contributions. Again, welcome Norm.

One thing that I’d always thought about organizing as AAD was a “Plastics Workshop” – a sort of wrench session that is focused totally on plastic repair from the most minute scrapes and scratches to actual cracked and broken panels. This past season, I had a little mishap. I was daydreaming and managed to avoid a turn and went off the road. Thankfully, the bike took the brunt of the impact. The bike was easily repaired as far as being ride worthy. However, the plastic has designer scrapes and cracks which I would like to make invisible. After the incident, I purchased the book How to Repair Plastic Bodywork: Practical, Money-Saving Techniques from Whitehorse Press. (www.whitehorsepress.com) I plan to get acquainted with the book during the winter, and perhaps as part of my winter maintenance, work on some of the plastic. I will keep you all posted if I make progress. My overall goal is to develop the skills necessary to fix broken plastic and fully restore it. (Okay, so that’s a bit ambitious... but it doesn’t hurt to try.) If anyone is interested in pursuing this project together please let me know.

The last event I’ve planned for this year is a “Grand Finale” at the U.S.S. Chowder pot in Hartford. The gathering is planned for December 1, 2007, but I have not yet posted a time. Please send me an email by November 12th if you plan to attend. When you respond please include the number in your party and a time that works best for you. Majority time frame will rule.

Once again, join me in welcoming Norm Walton to the AAD position. It’s going to be awesome. (No more U-Turns)! I wish everyone the very best for the remainder of the riding season. Stay safe and let’s ride together soon!

Connecticut Report - by Jonathan Coler, #5379

Norm and Lorelei (Lorie) Walton reside in Cromwell, CT with their two children, Joshua 18 and Erzsica 12. Norm has been an avid rider for over 10 years, and Lorie is a new rider since completing the BRC course in April of 2007. Norm owns two motorcycles, a 1984 Honda Nighthawk, and a 2003 Kawasaki Concours, which he rides with and without his wife Lorie. Lorie picked up her first bike, a 1983 Kawasaki KZ550 LTD in May, and recently rode to her first rally solo. Norm has attended 4 rallies (3 regional and 1 national) since they became COG members in 2005.

Norm and Lorie will act as Co-Assistant Area Directors and hope to continue to keep the area busy and active in the New England Region. Both of them would like to thank John Coler for his guidance as AAD, and wish him all the best.

New AADs for CT - by Norm & Lorie Walton, #7011

Page 4 NORTHEAST ARE A NEW S

MS/South Central Report- by Russ Fleming, #599

What’s been happening in MD and South Central PA...

I would like to thank all the volunteers that helped out with on site registration at the COG National in Canaan Valley. The volunteers helped to make the rally a success.

I would like to thank Tony Borum for the ride out of Cindy Dee’s at Harpers Ferry. Riding on our trusty 95 Concours. The ride took us on some of the nicest 2 lane roads in Va. And W.Va. For a more complete ride report go to the NE web page and check out Roger Somero’s more complete ride report.

I am very much looking forward to Ken Quesenberry co-hosting some rides in MD, Delaware and PA. In the VA Area Sue and Kurt Nordstorm, we already have planned to co-host some rides together.

The upcoming ride in this area is November 18 - Buttersburg Inn Desert ride. For more details check out the NE web.

Here are a few pictures from the October 14 ride to Mr. B’s for Lunch.

After the ride in Mr. B’s Parking Lot

Pat, Paul & Naz

Steve, Bobby, Greg & Martha

Pat, Roger & others

I can’t believe it, summer is over already, seems like the riding season just started a short time ago, where did the time go? Even though summer is officially over, the weather has been unusually warm and dry up here in the Northeast, so much so, that typically by now we are well past peak foliage season, but this year the leaves are only just starting to turn. I’d guess that we’re about 2 or 3 weeks late with the fall foliage peak colors.

That’s actually a good thing for us motorcyclists cause it means we haven’t had a hard frost yet so riding in the morning is still very comfortable, plus add the fact that daylight savings time has been extended to November, and our fall riding season has been nicely extended.

Well I was disappointed that I had to cancel my reservations for the COG National this year due to an injury, but all’s well now and I did attend Terry and Scott’s Lake George Fall Rally. It was kind of a damp start with drizzle and showers on Thursday on the way up and rain Friday morning. Even so, I had a great time, and although I didn’t get to do as much riding as I was hoping, the routes that I did take were great with perfectly paved roads and peak foliage up around the Lake Placid area.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve ridden “Up State” New York and I had forgotten how nice that area is for motorcycling. I’d have to say that for me the Adirondacks to the north, Catskills to the south, and the Green Mountains of Vermont to the east, makes New York State one of the best areas to ride this side of the Mississippi. Thanks to Terry Faherty and Scott Sorger for putting on another great fall event.

What’s happening in the Northern New England area? Well I still have at least one local ride remaining on the schedule which is planned for October 28th, and If the weather cooperates, I may squeeze in another weekend ride before Thanksgiving so keep checking my website for updates or watch your email in box.

Since the cold weather is quickly approaching, I’d like to remind everyone of a couple of things. First ride extra smart in cold weather and remember that when you start off on that early morning ride, cold tires and cold pavement don’t mix. Only use light throttle inputs for the first 5 or so miles till your tires heat up or you could easily loose traction, especially in the corners, or just making a turn from a stop.

Also, keep your body temperature warm to prevent the onset of hypothermia, which reduces reaction time through loss of muscle control and brain function. Hypothermia is a cold weather effect on the human body that progresses slowly and may not be noticed until it’s too late. Use electric clothing on cold rides if you have some, if not, keep your core temperature warm by stopping more frequently to warm up and take on fluids, and wear proper protective clothing. When properly prepared riding in the cold can be enjoyable too. Have a nice Autumn.

Regards;

Kevin Martin

Northern New England- by Kevin Martin, #145

ISSUE 5, 2007 Page 5

Having retired [from the NYPD] back in January of ‘06, I realized my excuses for not hosting another rally had been seriously diminished. So it was that I stepped up to the plate and volunteered my services again to mastermind the fall rally, along with the habitual co-host Scott Sorger. Did I mention that I might have forgotten to ask him first? No matter, he came on board with little to no struggle! We had successfully run three previous fall shindigs in Lake George, so another one would pretty much run itself, right? Riiiiight!!!

As usual we used our time at Americade to nail down the arrangements. Our two previous rallies were held at O’Sullivan’s Motel. The price was right and Mr. O was very club friendly, even donating $150.00 to COG after our ‘03 rally. Unfortunately, he sold the place and the new owner was an unknown quantity. Since O’Sullivan’s was, shall we say, not the most “significant other” friendly accommodation, we decided to try our luck next door at Surfside by the Lake, a MUCH more modern facility. As it turned out, our initial contact was more than promising. The group sales agent was very helpful, promising an excellent rate, and even having banquet facilities on site that could easily handle a large turnout. The only snafu was that our original date choice was the same weekend as the dreaded Warrensburg Garage Sale; allegedly the biggest garage sale in the world. It sells out rooms in a 20-mile radius! Since Columbus Day was the next weekend, not to mention a rally in Saratoga hosted by Backroads Magazine (Hi Brian and Shira!), we settled on Oct. 11-14 and shook hands with the Surfside. Scott, as usual, would take care of the hotel and banquet, while I would do the door prizes, routes and handouts. Looked like things were falling into place!

As summer progressed things started to go sideways fairly quickly. First, Scott’s super duper, whiz-bang, water-cooled computer decided it wasn’t talking to the Internet anymore, except when it felt like it. And most of the time it didn’t! This forced all his dealings with the Surfside to be a protracted game of telephone tag. We scrambled to get the info in time for the early summer newsletter to no avail. We settled for posting it in the web forum and the NE website, and hopefully having registrations ready for the national in WV. Alas! That was not to be, either. Then what followed was a classic case of he said/she said, as allegedly promised rates were modified, and some misunderstandings while making reservations

forced us to yank the info not once, but twice! By mid to late August all these crisis had been smoothed over and the registration info had been finalized. Now it was a matter of waiting to see who would come.

August came to a close and September was chugging by, but the rally reggies weren’t exactly piling up. I figured the magic number was 40 paid attendees before I amassed a decent prize budget. Unfortunately it would be almost the end of the month before we’d even come close. Thus followed a mad scramble to order up some goodies to give away (many thanks and kudos to Mansoor Shafi of Roadgear, a true enthusiast and gentleman!). Then a trip to Kinko’s to print out the handouts for the schedule and routes, and make good use of their partnership with Fed-ex later to ship all the paraphernalia to the Surfside. It was the beginning of October. I crossed my fingers and hoped the excellent weather would hold out. The die was cast!

It was the week before that the final fire alarm went off. I got a call from Steve Smith, our illustrious area director, on Wednesday the 3rd. Seems the contract sent to the COG treasurer had us down for a $35 a head buffet. This after Scott had been quite clear that we couldn’t afford that menu, seeing as we were only charging $35 per person for members. The phone lines were burning as yet even more frantic calls were made. After all was said and done, a more agreeable price of $30 was finalized and the show could go on! Next stop, Lake George!

As the day of departure approached the weather demons had their way with us. After a 2-week stretch of dryness with summer-like temperatures, the mercury was set to plummet to the 50's with talk of a Nor’easter headed in. I packed the ole FZ-1 the night before departure, and hit the rack with my fingers crossed. Cold I can deal with, but rain just plain sucks! As I woke to the alarm, before the crack of dawn, I listened intently for the sound of rain on the roof. Not a whisper! I quickly downed some tea and cereal and got on the road while it was still dry. My first stop was the Throg’s Neck Bridge to meet Adam Reed, my roomy for the weekend. My co-host and usual riding accomplice, Scott, had gone to the Backroads Rally the previous week and stayed up north for the week. Adam Rolled up on his FJR

(Continued on page 6)

Fall Rally Follies - by Terry Faherty, COG #792

Page 6 NORTHEAST ARE A NEW S

fashionably late, but the Yammie boys were rolling! After a leisurely breakfast, we decide to take the NY Thruway upstate as it looked like rain was imminent, and I needed to get to the HQ fairly early to get things set up. We had a slight hiccup when Adam had a minor tip over in the gas station after breakfast, but damage was confined to some scratches on a saddlebag. Good thing you just installed those frame sliders, eh Adam?!? The ride up was uneventful from there on and no rain was encountered. I was on my own from Albany to Lake George, since Adam took advantage of his proximity to Autocomm HQ in Albany to have it serviced. I arrived in time for lunch and then set up a registration area with Scott. First day turnout was actually not bad, and the pre-reg total was 53. We grabbed some chow at Duffy’s Pub in town and after some subdued hijinks that night (the rain had finally arrived), we bedded down and hoped Friday wouldn’t be a complete washout.

Unfortunately, the weather was nasty the next morning. The day was spent wandering through the village, with an enjoyable stop at the Adirondack Pub and Brewery for some excellent microbrews. Hell! It was Oktoberfest. Hmmmm... Why not COGtoberfest?!? The rain let up by afternoon and some hardy souls did actually get in some riding that day. Unfortunately the hosts had to do the check in thing in thing in the lobby and hoped for better luck on Saturday. After a delicious dinner at George’s Steakhouse, we sequestered to the parking lot for some tire kicking and brew swilling. But man… was it getting COLD!

We awoke the next morning to find clear blue skies and frost on the bikes! We breakfasted at the hotel buffet to let things warm up and hoped the frost would burn off. We pulled out a bit after 9 with the temps in the low 40's. As we headed north on 9N we took it easy on the twisty bits over Tongue Mountain, as some of the higher elevations still had some frost on the road. But even though it was cold, at least it was dry! My FZ-1 and I were in harmony and the ride was pure joy! I had planned to modify my Saranac Lake Loop slightly to ensure an early return for the banquet. We stuck to 9N north until turning onto 73 towards Lake Placid; all beautiful roads with scenery and some nice twisty bits thrown in. As we headed up RT 73 the clouds started closing in. By the time we stopped in Lake Placid for a warm up break the sprinkles had found us. The group stopped for lunch at the Tail of the Pup BBQ, and see how the weather progressed. The BBQ was

delicious, but the rains came on harder. We mounted up and headed back the way we had come trying to find the sun again. It eventually stopped but the sun was just always out of reach to the sooth and east. After a short blast down the Northway, Adam and I decided to take route 8, another nice mix of sweepers and tighter sections, back east to 9N and head back over Tongue Mountain (it’s one of my favorite roads, can ya tell?!?). We had one of those Nirvana runs over the mountain, not one car! The bike and I just flowed! THIS is why we ride! We arrived back at 3:30pm with just about 220 miles under our wheels. After another stint in the lobby for last minute check-ins, it was time to get purtied up and ready for the banquet. I was a bit nervous to say the least, after all our problems with the hotel. But, thankfully, all went smoothly. In fact, the food and service was excellent! All was forgiven and bellies were filled! The final count was 60 attendees, not too shabby considering the weather. After the raffling of the goodies, the usual tomfoolery again ensued in the parking lot until the management tactfully brought things to a close at the witching hour.

Sunday mornings are always low key, as goodbyes are said and hangovers are nursed. I set out for home in a six bike group, taking the back roads down to I-684. There I struck west over the Tappan Zee Bridge while my compatriots continued south toward Long Island. A quick run down the Palisades Parkway brought me to the NJ Turnpike, which greeted me with a nice stretch of traffic for the last 5 miles before my exit. OH JOY! BTW little kids still wave at bikers and it’s still fun to wave back! I eventually arrived at Chateau Faherty at 6:45pm, tired, but feeling good!

Another rally had come and gone, and in the end it went off fairly smoothly. The weather kept us guessing, but that’s how it goes. Everyone was happy and we got our share of attaboys! Many thanks to Steve, our AD, and Guy Young, our high exalted grand poobah, for their help and support. Now we get to sit back for another couple of years and let the next victim take the reins!

(Fall Rally Follies - Continued from page 5)

Repeating Events (ON) S. Central Ontario Get-Together Monthly Dinner Gathering: Meet at 6 pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the Mohawk Inn, located on the northwest corner of Hwy. 401 at Guelph Line, Exit 312, next to the Mohawk Raceway & Slots Entertainment Facility. 9230 Guelph Line, Campbellville, Ontario. 905.854.2277 www.mohawkinn.com Join us for dinner and socializing. All Welcome. Dave Clancy, 905-389-7681 or clanfam@hwcn.org

(PA) Meet Greet and Ride Sundays Meet Sundays at 10:00 am at Kings Restaurant located in Imperial, PA, located right off the Imperial exit of routes 22 & 30. We will decide a ride or destination with whoever attends, or I will have a route ready if we need it. Rides will begin the 1st week in April until the 1st week in Nov. If you have a ride idea, or need any additional info or directions contact Joe Cyprych 724.796.1401 or cyprych@hky.com Hope to see you there.

Calendar of Events (VA) Ride to Mr. B’s for Lunch 10/14/07 - There will be 2 groups starting at different location and riding to meet at 1:00PM at Mr. B’s Barbecue at Route 340, White Post, VA for some wonderful BBQ. Group 1: MD/PA riders meet at 9:00AM at Sheetz Store in Manchester, MD. Sheetz is at the intersection of MD route 30 and 27. If meeting with Group 1, please contact Russell Fleming at fleming@qis.net or 410.374.9687. Group 2 of DC/MD/Baltimore Area riders will meet at Rockville, MD. If meeting with Group 2, please contact Bobby Winters at Eagle1rw@verizon.net or call 301.990.0234. The two groups will meet at Sheetz in Brunswick, MD, at route 340 and 17, 11:00-11:30AM if you would like to meet there to ride to Mr.‘s B as one group.

(VA) Fall Foliage Ride 10/19-10/22/07 - We will meet at Willville Motorcycle Camp just off milepost 178, Meadows of Dan, VA on Friday night. (www.willvillebikecamp.com) Saturday we’ll have breakfast at Meadows of Dan (a couple good restaurants there) at 8 AM and head out to ride through the pretty area. Hard roof lodging is available at the Blue Ridge Motel on Rt. 58 at Meadows of Dan at 540.952.2244. Have a safe ride to Willville! Contact Pat Sprague psprague@shentel.net or pesprague@earthlink.net or 540.743.4874

(CT) Chasin’ the Bud: Brewery Tour 10/27/07 - NOTE THE DATE CHANGE Meet and Greet at Bickford’s Restaurant in Enfield, CT at 8:30 AM. Ride departs at 9:15 AM. We’ll ride spectacular roads as we make our way to the Anheuser-Bush Brewery in Merrimack, NH located at 221 Daniel Webster Highway. (Their Phone # is 603.595.1202) The tour offers a glance into the history of the Brewery as well as the modern day processing. Periodically the stables are open to the public for viewing the majestic Clydesdales. There is a gift shop on the well manicured grounds. Bring your camera – photo-ops

galore! All bikes and riders welcome. For more information contact Jonathan Coler @ 860.221.5194 or joncoler@yahoo.com.

(MA) Merrimack Valley Ride 10/28/07 - Join me for my last scheduled ride of the season. This will be a late seaon Fall ride around the Merrimack Valley area. The route will be an expanded version of the ride I took last Fall, only with a few extra twists. Meet at the Acton Bickfords, Nagog Park, Rt 2A/119. Ride leaves at 9:30 am. Host: Kevin Martin 978.459.6275 or cog145@verizon.net

(CT) Tuesday Night Meet & Greet 11/06/07 - It was so memorable last month, we’re back!!! Join us at 6:00 PM at the Cromwell Diner for good food and good conversation. The diner is located at 135 Berlin Road (route 372), Cromwell, CT. The diner’s phone # is 860.635.7112. Directions: from I-91 take exit 21, turn west off the exit and the diner is about 3/4’s mile down on the left hand side. All bikes (cars too) and riders welcome. For more information contact Jonathan Coler @ 860.221.5194 or joncoler@yahoo.com

(VA) Brrrrrrrrr Ride Natural Bridge, VA 11/09-11/11/07 - We'll gather once again at the Natural Bridge KOA just off I-81 and route 11 on to camp on Friday and Saturday nights. For those not wanting to camp, cabins are available at the KOA. Call 540.291.2770 to reserve one. Motels in the area are: Natural Bridge Inn & Conference Center, Route 11 and route 130, Natural Bridge, VA 540.291.2121 Red Mill Inn, 50 South Red mill Road, Natural Bridge, VA 540.291.1704 Budget Inn, I-81 Ext 180 US route 11, Natural Bridge, VA 540.291.2896 We will meet for breakfast 8:00 AM Saturday at the Pink Cadillac Restaurant just a mile north of the KOA on Route 11. An all new route will take us over some awesome roads with lunch at the Swinging Bridge restaurant at Paint Bank, VA. (www.theswingingbridge.com) KOA info: (www.koakampgrounds.com/where/va/46144.htm) This ride and camp, started several years ago by Guy Young, has become a perennial favourite. Contact: Pat Sprague at 540.743.4874 or psprague@shentel.net. or pesprague@earthlink.net

(MA) COG Pizza Party & Fall Social 11/10/07 - Come join us again at the Lowell Brewery Exchange (www.thebreweryexchange.com) for our annual Fall Social. We’ll meet on the 2nd floor of the Brewery in the Kegs Sports Pub for some good old socializing and snacking. Kegs Sport Bar also offers a limited bar menu, if your looking for something more than appetizers. The Brewhouse Café & Grill on the first floor offers a full service restaurant with a dinner menu as well. Directions are available on the Brewery Exchange website located and on our Mass Cog website. COG New England website: www.masscog.org Host: Kevin Martin 978.459.6275 or cog145@verizon.net

(MD) Buttersburg Inn Dessert Ride 11/18/07 - Meet at 10:00AM for brunch at Baugher’s Family Restaurant in Westminster MD, 289 West Main Street. Restaurant is located at the

intersection of main West Street and Route 31 on the west side of town. GPS N 39-35.091 W077-00.655. I will have a ride about 85 miles long that will end at The Buttersburg Inn in Union Bridge MD for dessert. Contact: Russell Fleming fleming@qis.net or 410-374-9687.

(CT) Tuesday Meet & Greet season finale 12/01/07 - Come and join us for good food and conversation at the U.S.S. Chowder Pot IV, Hartford, CT. As the name suggests – EVERYTHING SEAFOOD is on the menu and food is prepared to perfection. For those not inclined to partake of the sea, beef and poultry dishes are available as well. It would benefit the group if we make reservations so we can arrange seating for enough people. I ask that you RSVP to my email, joncoler@yahoo.com or call me at 860.221.5194 is you plan on attending. Include the time of day you prefer the event to occur. (Majority Rules)! When I make reservations with the restaurant I’ll post the meeting time. The restaurant is located at 165 Brainard Road, Hartford, CT and their phone # is 860.244.3311. Directions: I-91 to exit 27, turn east off the exit ramp, turn right onto Brainard Road. Restaurant is on right hand side – parking is in the rear (which is really the front). For more information contact Jonathan Coler @ 860.221.5194 or joncoler@yahoo.com.

(VA) Breakfast and ride 12/16/07 - Williamsburg, VA. We’ll meet at The Capitol Pancake and Waffle House, 800 Capitol Landing Road, Williamsburg, VA 757.564.1238 at 8 AM. After a great breakfast at the Capitol we’ll go for a ride at 9 AM, weather permitting. Contact: Pat Sprague at 540.743.4874 or psprague@shentel.net or pesprague@earthlink.net

(MD) December 2007 ride will be put together depending on the weather

2008 Ride Schedule Submissions accepted now. Please submit your ride or other activity information to be scheduled to your AAD or directly to Steve Smith.

Northeast Ride Schedule - view the most current event info at: www.concours.org/ne/schedules.htm

ISSUE 5, 2007 Page 7

There are some terrific pancake houses here in the northeast. Unfortunately most make flapjacks and call them pancakes. If you happen to find yourself out riding in the Catskill Mountains along Route 28, you need to make a pit stop in the small, bustling town of Phonecia, NY. Here you will find a small, but wondrous place called Sweet Sue's Restaurant.

Inside the small dining area there are a dozen or so tables and booths, plus a few stools at the counter. The coffee comes served up in oversized ceramic mugs. You can order up breakfast just about any time of day. This is a good thing, because it seems that this is their niche. Sweet Sue’s is known for their pancakes. Each one is plate size around and at least a half in thick. You can order up one, two or three in a stack. Three takes a huge appetite to finish. On my latest visit I had a stack of two Blue Monkey pancakes (blueberries and bananas) and was not able to eat it all.

Don’t be in hurry when you visit Sweet Sue’s. It is very true that good food takes time to prepare. I suspect part of the wait was the time needed for the pancakes to rise… but oh boy, were they worth the wait.

John Raszcewski & Michaela Love, #7954 Meriden, CT

Peter Baldes, #7955 Richmond, VA

Sandro Sacco & Sarah Mottershead, #7959 Pitman, NJ

R & S Sport Vehicles C/O Ben Foley, #7961 Mechanicsville, VA

Douglas Philips, #7965 Pittsburgh, PA

Alfred General, #7973 Essex, MD

David Lampila, #7976 Hornell, NY

Keith Gard, #7977 Ridge, MD

Greg Colman, #7979 Toronto, ON, Canada

Matt Neff, #7980 Ashburn, VA

Kenneth Wagner, #7986 Portage, PA

John Wackerman, #7989 Altoona, PA

Daniel Combs, #7990 Williamstown, NJ

Michael & Kathryn Nichols, #7993 Roanoke, VA

Ulric Dahlgren, #7996 Annapolis, MD

Michael Cullinan, #7998 Middletown, CT

R Tom Thomas, #8001 Midlothian, VA

David Fleck, #8012 Lewiston, NY

Mark Stutzbach, #8014 Pitman, NJ

Martin Schultz, #8018 Oakville, ON, Canada

Gerald Gillespie, #8021 Manchester, CT

Jeffery Bennett, #8023 Centreville, VA

Walter & Pamela Paczkowski, #8029 Barrie, ON, Canada

Robert & Laura Noeding, #8030 Charlestown, NH

Our Newest Northeast Area Members (since the last newsletter)

Page 8 NORTHEAST ARE A NEW S

Breakfast in the Catskills…