I took this photo 2 years ago today, I like to call it the dancing girl tree. It’s one of my favorites photos from my motorcycle rides I’ve taken. If you look closely, or better yet let your focus go, use some of your imagination and you might see Jennifer Grey being lifted by Patrick Swayze in the movie Dirty Dancing . You’ll find this tree along the Trans Mass Trail, a fantastic route put together by Keith (Hulked up) a motorcyclist from Greeenfield Mass. It’s a collection of dirt roads strung together starting in Greenfield ending just over the CT line in the town of Norfolk. You can google…

Taking no risk is the biggest risk! Riding down this lonely back road in Western MA, a road I’ve been on a thousand times but in some way for the very 1st time on this day.  I came across this little pond with a small bench, just inviting strangers to sit for a minute and enjoy the view. There were no houses around, no small summer camps that seem to belong to this one small spot.  However, someone placed this bench here and I’m pleased they did.  See it was early spring of 2021.  I was riding down this road heading for a quick little get away by myself.  Just…

One of my favorite authors is Peter Egan, His style of writing invites you to join him in his journeys. He writes in a column style, or short story style. In one he wrote..” there is real romance in motorcycling, and its always recognized by a certain type of individual who values adventure above security and comfort. Luckily, every generation seems to produce a surprising number of these people “ Its in the spirit of that romance that I usually find myself flipping thru the pages of one of my paper maps wondering what is out there. Or reading a story of an adventure someone did and finding a map…

I’ve always been a lover of performance motorcycles. It was hard for me to understand the whole beauty before function idea. However I never judged or had issue with what other people got out of their two wheeled passions, just wasn’t my thing.   I saw beauty in gold Ohlins suspension. Or carbon fiber bodywork. When Yamaha came out with the 5 valve genesis motor, or Honda with the trick oval piston NR750 things like that is what stirred my passion with motorcycles. When café racers started to replace the choppers i was so excited. Let’s reduce weight , increase performance make them handle well and yes, they can make…

The many lives of a cup of coffee Why does coffee taste different in different environments, Or does it? To me there are many ways to enjoy the 2nd most popular beverage in the world. It fits nicely between tea and beer. How many times have you said “ let’s stop for a cup of coffee” or made plans to meet someone “ for a cup of Joe?” Let’s face it we Americans drink more Java then any other country in the world, and you know why? It taste damn good! Even better when your one two wheels ! Trust me it does. There is something special about stopping for…

The idea is to die young as late as possible. Several years ago I was taking pictures of my yellow duck in a field near the center of Lincoln MA. The bike was way up on a small hill and I was 200 yds away near the road snapping photos. I heard a car stop behind me, and when I turned around and looked this older gentleman was snapping photos of me. I thought maybe he was a town official, or retired Police officer and he was going to inform me I shouldn’t be parked there. But to my surprise when I waved to him He commented what a great…

Before I die A few years back someone painted the side of an Abandoned building in New Orleans with those three simple words leaving a space for people who happen to wander by to fill in the blank. Since then, other Installations of this art project sprung up all over the world.    Some of the most common things people have put on the wall deal with love, with travel and peace for the world.  Some people have put very personal messages up like…” before I die, I want to right all my wrongs” or “before I die, I want to come out of the closet to my family” or “before I die, I want to heal from my…

We’ve all been here haven’t we? Maybe not this exact spot (this is just outside of Reading PA) but you’ve been here, I know you have! Couple hundred miles into a couple hundred mile ride, late in the day, on a country back road. A road you’ve never been on, or maybe a road you know like the back of your hand. Either way you approach a corner and what you see is more then just a curve with yellow flowers, but you experience it. Something that doesn’t happen in a car, only on two wheels. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a Ducati or any other brand or style.…

How the king broke my heart! And why I became such a huge Freddie Spencer fan. So it was 1984, I was just a young kid riding my very 1st motorcycle around the back roads of Massachusetts. I would go into my local moto dealer and drool over the new bikes, this was the dawn of the true sport bike age. Sky cycle was my heaven back then. Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha is how they got the name SKY cycle. I would go in and collect all the brochures of GPZ’s, FJ’s and GS’s sit on them when I had the chance and read the local road racing newspapers they…

I want to get lost in the middle! “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” B. Franklin That’s a pretty powerful quote isn’t it? Especially in times like these, our elected officials (they work for us you know, don’t forget that!) are increasingly taking away the very thing our Fore fathers fought so hard for, our liberties! I’m sure like most everything else that is said on the interwebs these days you can find many different interpretations of a quote like what Mr., Franklin said about essential liberty. Well, I’m here to share one more less common quote from…