• Stories from the Road

    1st Sunday of the Month, Two Wheels at the Reservoir

    My inspiration for the 1st Sunday of the Month RTE at the Reservoir was from some events I had attended in the past and something I had remembered from reading columns from one of my favorite moto journalists, Peter Egan From a very young age I had not only completely falling in love with riding my motorcycle I was also mildly obsessed with finding everything about them in print. Books and magazines could be found in every room in my house. At one time I had boxes in my garage with hundreds, maybe thousands of motorcycles magazines from the early 80s up to the early 2000s. From technical details of…

  • Stories from the Road

    Pretend you’re good at it

    I read this quote once that I find myself coming back to every once and a while. It goes like this… After all the heartache and painStill be softStill be KindStill be HopefulStill be magicalStill be wholeStill be presentStill be honestStill be lovingStill be acceptingStill be you Such a wonderful sentiment and I used to worry about the fact that sometimes I really do need to go back and read this to remind myself that those are very important ideals to have and practice. Because it’s so easy to let the harshness of the world with the pain others have caused to change the way you feel and act. So…

  • Stories from the Road

    Do you like Cheeseburgers??

    When you walk into this little restaurant and notice the murals on the walls, the old-fashioned booths and the counter stools you will be transported to your childhood. Well, that’s if you grew up back in the 70s or 80s and it seemed like every small town in America had a small little dairy bar like The Shady Glenn. Oh, and bring you wallet and leave your credit card at home because this is a Cash only establishment! Or it was the last time I was there; I hope they keep that tradition going! This one is located on a main road coming out of the town of Manchester CT…

  • Stories from the Road

    Good Spot for a Nap!

    “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” Or how about to gaze at your motorcycle while you lean up against a tree, letting the afternoon sun warm your soul? On this particular day I was reminded of the John Lubbock quote that you see at the beginning of this post. Now I don’t think Mr. Lubbock was considering laying in the town center of Shirley MA looking at a beautiful 2004 Red Ducati ST3 when he penned…

  • Stories from the Road

    Dear Fellow Traveler

    Dear Fellow Traveler. Come along with me for a little ride. This particular trip is one that was planned for a few years but just couldn’t find the exact time to go. See this one was like many trips that I have taken in the past. Many times, while reading a travel guide, or watching a show on the discovery channel I would come across a unique place that I would immediately grab my map book, or in this case laptop and open google maps and search for the location and drop a pin on it. I will say google has certainly made this process so easy, which I’m not…

  • Stories from the Road

    Lodging for the Piccadilly Pineapple Adventure Trail

    Name Section Web Address Street Address Notes Notes Phone The Jenkins Inn 1 jenkinsinn.com 7 West St, Barre, MA 01005 Small little B&B in the middle of sec 1, close to few restaurants 1- mid route 978-355-6444 1896 House 2 1896 House | 910 Cold Spring Road, Williamstown, MA 01267 Nice hotel just off the route 2- end of section 413-458-1896 Bascom Lodge 2 Bascom Lodge – Restaurant in Adams, MA 3 Summit Road Adams MA Season Lodge at the top of Mt Greylock 2- end of section 413-743-1591 Berkshire Valley Inn 2 Berkshire Valley Inn: Your Cozy Stay Minutes from Jiminy Peak Ski Resort in Williamstown, MA 2541 Hancock…

  • Stories from the Road

    The One(s) the got away

    I tend to have this ability to find a motorcycle that I’ve always wanted, purchase it and then sell it only to really regret letting it go a short while down the road. It seems to be something I’m really good at! Something completely opposite of my good riding buddy Top Gun Tommy, you see he has a completely different outlook on owning dream motorcycles. Something I am very envious of! He can look back with fondness over just being able to say he owned that special bike at one time and be totally okay with having sold it and not having it in his garage any longer. I seem…

  • Stories from the Road

    Piccadilly Pineapple Adventure Trail

    Central and Western Massachusetts Adventure Route Welcome to the Piccadilly Pineapple Adventure Trail Group! The PPAT is a collection of roads that travel through some of the most amazing scenery in Massachusetts. This is a self-guided tour of “adventure” roads that you download (GPX tracks) and you follow. This is a collection of backcountry paved roads, easy gravel roads and if you want you can add the select few “hero” or “expert” sections that are provided to challenge your riding skills. The Route, roads and what to expect. All the roads are legal MA state roads so you will need a plated vehicle to complete this route. Your friends in…

  • Stories from the Road

    How Many Days are you?

    79 years = 28835 days56 years =20440 days25 years =9525 days The average male lives to be about 79 in the state where I live. Which translates to 28,835 days. Now if you are reading this and you are in your mid 20s you are only 8500 days into your life, you may be thinking I have a long way to go, however let me tell you those next 20,000 are going to fly right on by! Me, Well I just turned 20,440 days old, and it just seemed like yesterday I was about 10,000 days old! Now I hope I get to have a healthy average age, and maybe…

  • Stories from the Road

    Mr Chrome Come Home

    It was kind of a warm day, for mid-January that is and in central Massachusetts too. I was walking my dog Bella like we had been doing all winter. Trying hard to keep off those dreaded winter lbs.! Also, I was trying to come up with reasons why I should by this bike. If you know me that isn’t usually a problem I have, why? Well I’ve purchased almost 30 motorcycles now since I fell in love with this sport 38 years ago. Mostly sport bikes or sport touring bikes have come through my life, with a few dual sports and only one v twin cruiser. So why was I…