NEIL PATRICK FALLON

April 16, 1955 ~ October 22, 2015

RIP my friend. I miss you.

Update on the boots

I am sorry to say that the boots are not holding up as well a I thought they would. The soles in the left boot have started to reparate and that's only after two months or using. It's not like I do a lot of walking either. They are, after all, RIDING boots. Contacted the place where I bought them from and they want me to send them back for an "evaluation". They better replace the boots free of charge. UPDATE: I didn't feel like dealing with FEDEX and then having to break in a new pair of boots so I said FUCK IT and fixed the boots myself. I found a tube of "shoe goo" an took care of the problem.

Great Barrington, MA ~ 215 miles

Today was another fantastic day. Met up with Neil and Evan and we rode out to Great Barrington, Mass. While there isn't anything particularly great about Great Barrington, the ride out was very enjoyable. We traveled via northern Connecticut. For lunch we stopped at a place called The Log House Restaurant and I got a grilled chicken breast with mashed potatoes. The portion was generous with two pieces of chicken. Unfortunately one of the pieces was a bit undercooked and the mashed potatoes tasted like they came out of a box. Overall I give that restaurant ★★★ out of ★★★★★.

As usual we had a destination in mind once we got to Great Barrington. This time it was the Soco Creamery and I wish I could say what it was like. We drove up and down the main drag a few times but could not find it. We asked locals about the creamery and got conflicting directions. The two GPS's we had were of no use either so we ended up leaving the town and getting ice cream at some general store.

The ride back was great with the exception of a few slow drivers who thought that it was acceptable to dive below the speed limit paying zero attention to the long line of bikes and cars behind them. We rode through two areas that were absolutely beautiful. First one was Lake McDonough on the way up and the other was the Barkhamsted Reservoir. I wish we could have stopped at the reservoir to take some pictures but at that point were short on time trying to get home before dark.

Old Saybrook, CT ~ 210 miles

Another great ride. Met up with three friends and we rode down to Old Saybrook, CT but not before stopping for a bite to eat @ Sweet Evalina's. This time I had a cheeseburger but no fries due to gallstones. The weather was fantastic. It was bit chilly when we headed out around noon but warmed up nicely by the time we got to the coast. The way back wasn't planed out so we ended up riding the slab for a some time before Evan and I split off and took RT 49 North, while Neil and Jim continued on RT 95 heading East. Stopped by Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm for some ice cream. First time I had seen Black Currant ice cream since leaving Europe. It was delicious but expensive.

East Windsor, CT ~ 100 miles

Today I took a ride down to Hot Leathers in East Windsor, CT. I was hoping to buy my first leather vest and that place did not disappoint. I came home with a nice quality vest for only $69. I also got a few of patches and now have to find someone who will put them on and do a nice job.

Bennington, VT ~ 270 miles

Met up with a couple of friends and we rode from Bub's in Sunderland up to North Adams. We then went to Williamstown, MA and into New York. The stretch of RT 2 between RT 7 and RT 22 is simply amazing with long sweeping curves and beautiful views. We then took RT 22 up to RT 7/9 in Vermont and rode into Benington. I found Bennington very quaint. From there we took RT 100 down to 112 and back into Mass on RT 2. We stopped for coffee at Shelbourne Falls Coffee Roasters where I had the best cup of coffee in years.

This was by far the best ride of the season.

New Ipshwitch, NH ~ 200 miles

Took a ride down to RI but found the roads a bit boring so I jumped on the highway and took off for New Hampshire. I wanted to check out the New Ipswich/Jaffrey area as I may end up moving there in a couple of years..hopefully. I wasn't all that impressed with the roads in New Ipswich but then I might not have travel in the right areas. Road surface on RT 123/124 sucks big time. RT 202 in Jaffrey on the other hand was very nice.

Mohawk Trail ~ 230 miles

This past weekend I met up with the same group of people from the Narragansett ride and we headed out to Western Mass to a place called Bub's BBQ (www.bubsbbq.com) located in Sunderland. The food was quite good but the best part about that place is that all of their side dishes are "all you can eat" while there. I had a couple of helpings of their coleslaw and cucumber salad.

After Bub's we rode up RT 116 to 8A and then RT 2 (Mohwak Trail) into North Adams. That stretch of RT 2 is famous for many twisties and the Mokawk Trail hairpin turn. We ended up stopping there to take in some of the incredible views.

After North Adams we drove into Vermont and followed routes 100 and 112 back into Mass. Here are a few other photos taken along the way.

The riding season the North East is quickly coming to an end. I am very happy to have seen some really nice places this summer.

Upgrades...

I am getting a few upgrade parts for my Kawi. I already got Scootworks' PhatRisers II. I plan on putting them on sometime next week. These risers will pull the handle bar 3 inches closer to me and raise it 2.5 inches. This should be a great improvement in riding comfort. Hopefully there won't be any more neck and back soreness.

I have also ordered a Cobra billet oil filler cap to replace the current one which is impossible to unscrew without a large washer or some other circle-shaped tool that can be jammed into the groove on the top of the cap. I am also getting headlight visors all three of my lights.

The RDL seat is also getting sent out to be reworked. Russell Cycle Products didn't want anything to do with this seat since I am not the original owner. Way to stand behind your product Russell! Since the seat puts my feel 2-3 inches higher than the stock seat, I have to tip-toe whenever the bike comes to a stop. This was the reason I dropped it a little while ago. The seat is super comfy so I don't want to just get rid of it without at least trying to get it reworked. One of the guys on the Vulcan Bagger forum told me to get in touch with Seth from LAAM seats so I did. Seth used to work for Russell a long time ago and said he would take a look at this seat and see if he can lower it for me. The seat will be shipped out tomorrow.

Narragansett ~ 170 miles

Met up with some friends yesterday and we rode down to Narragansett, Rhode Island, for some good seafood. Stopped at a place called Iggy's (www.iggysdoughboys.com/). The food was great but the line was something totally different. I can't wait to get down there again once the tourist season is officially over...another 3 weeks or so.