234 Miles today
Woke to more rain and, knowing I didn't have very many miles to do, I lounged around in no large hurry to mix it up again with Mother Nature. I pulled out of the motel about 9:30 am marching dutifully south in search of sunshine and breakfast. Found the breakfast...didn't find the sunshine.
Today was better though. The starting temperature was a warm 45 degrees instead of yesterday's slightly more chilling 40 degrees. Of course, forward speed exacerbates the problem somewhatRouting around Boston I decided a deli breakfast was in order so I set the GPS for Kelly's Diner in Somerville, MA. Pulled in about 11:00 for yet another great diner meal.
The ride into Somersville was right out of the movies: tall, narrow row houses on tree-lined streets. I expected Matt Damon or Ben Affleck to pull up any moment in a beat-up old Dodge looking for a fight or a math problem. Equally fitting would have been Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. For those of you who haven't seen Mystic River, do it. First, it's based on the book by Dennis Lehane, an excellent writer. Secondly, it's directed by Clint Eastwood. Last, but certainly not least, are the performances by Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. Throw away any problems you have with Penn's politics. The lad can act! And I mean big time Act! Tim Robbins can as well. A very underrated performer who shows his chops in this movie. It's a complicated, twisted plot and you won't believe the ending. This is special stuff.
Found Kelly's Diner almost exactly where the GPS thought it would be. Don't laugh, that's not always the case.
On entering one is met by James Dean (Never Jimmy Dean...he's the sausage guy).
The very clean and neat interior. I couldn't believe it'd cleared out so much while I was in there. When I entered the place was almost full. Hmmm. Let me think about that. Na! No connection there.
And it was good! That's homemade Corned Beef Hash there, and plenty of it. That slab of home-fried potatoes must have weighed about a pound-and-a-half, and the eggs were just right. And most importantly, the coffee was good "diner" coffee. Not "french roast," not "decaf," and especially not "Latte WTF-ever." It was C-O-F-F-E-E, and it was good.
As with my planned trip into Maine, the weather again dictates I cut it short. My plans were to ride into Newport, RI. I have been there several times in the past and have always loved the area. It was there the Vanderbilts led the swells of New York to build mansions back in the gilded age and has some of the finest examples of decadent excess in the country. There are also a lot of nice stores and shops down by the boat harbor bordering on Long Island Sound. But, the rain made this all a moot point. Even Rhode Island isn't beautiful in the rain and cold so I opted instead just to "touch" Rhode Island, gassing up in Woonsocket. (Don't they have great names for towns around here?)
I was running a little early on my plans to meet my friends Bob and Karen K. in Litchfield so I thought I'd see if I could get an oil change for Betsy. Sometime back I overtightened the oil drain plug and it leaked. I ended up having a heli-coil insert installed, but I noticed when I last changed the oil it was leaking ever so slightly again. (I probably went braindead and overtighten it again.) Anyway, near Hartford, I pulled off the road, got the number for the local Kawasaki dealer, and called hoping I could get in to get an oil change. It was around 3:00pm and the service manager essentially laughed when I explained I was riding through and would like an oil change. You run into this whenever you ride like this. But it really frosts me.
If I were a dealer and a guy passing through called me I would accommodate him. Why? To be nice? Hell no! Because I understand the concept of incremental revenue. This is money he wasn't anticipating and isn't going to get another shot at. The only reason I wouldn't force my shop to take such business is if, by doing so, I would miss a delivery of service to a regular customer. Twenty-minute oil changes don't generally fall into the root cause of customer delivery misses so you get my point. It's REVENUE you IDIOT service manager. And, in case you haven't been paying attention: THERE A RECESSION GOING ON!
Okay...spleen vented. But this, unfortunately, takes on more dire, and ridiculous, aspects later.
Got to Litchfield about 4:30pm and met up with Bob and Karen. It's been a long time and Bob has just recently recuperated from major back surgery and is doing great!!! I was tickled plump to death to find that situation.
These are two of the nicest, kindest, and smartest people I know. It was a treat spending time with them again.
Bob and Karen
(Jim W. - you will be pleased to note that Bob isn't "tacking to starboard" as he was when you last saw him.)
Their lovely home.
The paddock area. I should have gotten a shot of Gilda. Gilda is their golden retriever and she's a treat.
234 Miles today
Woke to more rain and, knowing I didn't have very many miles to do, I lounged around in no large hurry to mix it up again with Mother Nature. I pulled out of the motel about 9:30 am marching dutifully south in search of sunshine and breakfast. Found the breakfast...didn't find the sunshine.
Today was better though. The starting temperature was a warm 45 degrees instead of yesterday's slightly more chilling 40 degrees. Of course, forward speed exacerbates the problem somewhatRouting around Boston I decided a deli breakfast was in order so I set the GPS for Kelly's Diner in Somerville, MA. Pulled in about 11:00 for yet another great diner meal.
The ride into Somersville was right out of the movies: tall, narrow row houses on tree-lined streets. I expected Matt Damon or Ben Affleck to pull up any moment in a beat-up old Dodge looking for a fight or a math problem. Equally fitting would have been Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. For those of you who haven't seen Mystic River, do it. First, it's based on the book by Dennis Lehane, an excellent writer. Secondly, it's directed by Clint Eastwood. Last, but certainly not least, are the performances by Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. Throw away any problems you have with Penn's politics. The lad can act! And I mean big time Act! Tim Robbins can as well. A very underrated performer who shows his chops in this movie. It's a complicated, twisted plot and you won't believe the ending. This is special stuff.
Found Kelly's Diner almost exactly where the GPS thought it would be. Don't laugh, that's not always the case.
On entering one is met by James Dean (Never Jimmy Dean...he's the sausage guy).
The very clean and neat interior. I couldn't believe it'd cleared out so much while I was in there. When I entered the place was almost full. Hmmm. Let me think about that. Na! No connection there.
And it was good! That's homemade Corned Beef Hash there, and plenty of it. That slab of home-fried potatoes must have weighed about a pound-and-a-half, and the eggs were just right. And most importantly, the coffee was good "diner" coffee. Not "french roast," not "decaf," and especially not "Latte WTF-ever." It was C-O-F-F-E-E, and it was good.
As with my planned trip into Maine, the weather again dictates I cut it short. My plans were to ride into Newport, RI. I have been there several times in the past and have always loved the area. It was there the Vanderbilts led the swells of New York to build mansions back in the gilded age and has some of the finest examples of decadent excess in the country. There are also a lot of nice stores and shops down by the boat harbor bordering on Long Island Sound. But, the rain made this all a moot point. Even Rhode Island isn't beautiful in the rain and cold so I opted instead just to "touch" Rhode Island, gassing up in Woonsocket. (Don't they have great names for towns around here?)
I was running a little early on my plans to meet my friends Bob and Karen K. in Litchfield so I thought I'd see if I could get an oil change for Betsy. Sometime back I overtightened the oil drain plug and it leaked. I ended up having a heli-coil insert installed, but I noticed when I last changed the oil it was leaking ever so slightly again. (I probably went braindead and overtighten it again.) Anyway, near Hartford, I pulled off the road, got the number for the local Kawasaki dealer, and called hoping I could get in to get an oil change. It was around 3:00pm and the service manager essentially laughed when I explained I was riding through and would like an oil change. You run into this whenever you ride like this. But it really frosts me.
If I were a dealer and a guy passing through called me I would accommodate him. Why? To be nice? Hell no! Because I understand the concept of incremental revenue. This is money he wasn't anticipating and isn't going to get another shot at. The only reason I wouldn't force my shop to take such business is if, by doing so, I would miss a delivery of service to a regular customer. Twenty-minute oil changes don't generally fall into the root cause of customer delivery misses so you get my point. It's REVENUE you IDIOT service manager. And, in case you haven't been paying attention: THERE A RECESSION GOING ON!
Okay...spleen vented. But this, unfortunately, takes on more dire, and ridiculous, aspects later.
Got to Litchfield about 4:30pm and met up with Bob and Karen. It's been a long time and Bob has just recently recuperated from major back surgery and is doing great!!! I was tickled plump to death to find that situation.
These are two of the nicest, kindest, and smartest people I know. It was a treat spending time with them again.
Bob and Karen
(Jim W. - you will be pleased to note that Bob isn't "tacking to starboard" as he was when you last saw him.)
Their lovely home.
The paddock area. I should have gotten a shot of Gilda. Gilda is their golden retriever and she's a treat.
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