Club Happenings:

Comedian George Carlin said, “I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed.” Looking at the BIG PICTURE, status quo seemed to be the word of the day within the hallowed halls of COGdom. The page turned several years ago when Guy Young became the “big kahuna” of COG, and with the support and efforts of a progressive thinking board of directors a new COG storyline was beginning to form. Since then we have begun to see all kinds of changes taking place. Some good, some bad, and some feathers ruffled. Change does not come easy and we will experience "growing pains" along the way, but I believe the club is moving in the right direction. As you will read in the soon-to-be-delivered Concourier, COG Exec. Director Ken Ford recently appointed Darrell Anderson as the COG Membership Director after Carl Metler chose to resign. A couple of Asst. Membership Directors were also appointed to share the duties. The membership team will be looking for ways to improve and streamline the membership process. One of the first changes the team made was the introduction of a new membership card… one sized to fit wallets much better. More changes are in the works, so please bear with us as the new membership team gets up and running. If you have any membership related questions or concerns, please contact Darrell.

Please check this list… Expired Members:

With the switch to a new membership director, I have an unjustified fear that some renewal letters may have been missed. If you are on this list please contact me ASAP and let me know if you wish to continue your membership or not. David Dotchin, Christopher Lawrence, Bruce Brown, Steve Baron, G. Daniel Deckman, Pete Bokkers, Scott Simon, Gabe Calvo, George Griffith, Stephen Whelton, Steven Viener, Jamey Finchum, Larry Souleret, Patrick De Maqueville, James Marcum, Douglas Philips, John Paoli, John Grant, Jeff Kievit, Charles Pucata, James Geary, Michael Donohue, Larry Kimble, Scott Howard, Patrick Whitehead.

Activities:

Don’t forget the Fall Rally dates are Sept 24 – 27, 2009 at the Penn Wells Lodge, Wellsboro, PA 800.545.2446. Book your rooms. Our block goes away before end of August. Rally Registration can be done online or use the mail in form in the last newsletter. If you need a form or have questions? Contact me or Jason Kaplitz 814.535.8669 / cog62 @ kaplitz.com

Now is the time to consider possible rallies, rides and other activities for next year. We will begin soliciting them for the 2010 event calendar in January. The sooner activities are added to the calendar the more time folks have to plan to attend. You do not have to be and AAD to host an activity. Day rides and social meets are a piece of cake. Just contact me and I will help you get started. Looking Ahead:

This is a plea for help! If you want to get more involved with COG here is the opportunity. COG Northeast needs people to step in as AADs and activity organizers. Kurt & Sue Nordstrom have decided to step down next year and this will leave a significant void for VA and WV. I have also been seeking someone to take over in MD and eastern PA. There may be other regions as well that could use and AAD. These are positions are very flexible and an AAD can cover a region, state, city, etc., and you decide how much time and effort to put in. The only requirement is to host one activity per year.

Area Director Election:

It’s time for us to elect an Area Director (AD) for the 2010-2011 term. The process begins with nominations made by the membership, and submitted to the COG Secretary/Historian by mail or email. Please nominate those, including yourself, you feel are qualified and willing to serve. An AD candidate must be a COG member in good standing and a member of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). These requirements are defined in the Group’s Constitution and By-Laws. The Secretary/Historian will contact the nominees prior to the October newsletter to interview and review the position with them. If there is only one nominee after the nominee deadline has passed, no election will be necessary and that person will assume the AD position by default. If more than one candidate is vying for the Area Director position, all will be asked to submit a short bio to the Secretary/Historian. As outlined in the Constitution, all members, including Associates and Industry Members (of the NE Area) have voting rights. The bios and election ballot will be provided to members in the next newsletter with voting instructions. The Nomination Period will close October 1; any nominations received after that date will be discarded.

To make a nomination by mail you may use the form below or a slip of paper. You can also email your nomination by including the information required to Bob Dombrowe, COG Secretary/Historian.

By the way… I am willing to continue if you are willing to have me, but I do not want to chase off others that may wish to serve.

Reminder… deadline for the next Northeast Area News is September 30. Until next time, ride safe.

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

Issue 4, 2009

I would like to nominate the following person(s) for the position of COG Northeast Area Director: (please print clearly)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Print your name here: ________________________________________________________ COG#______________

Signature ____________________________________________________________________ Date ______________

Mail to: Bob Dombrowe - COG Secretary, 3280 Sandown Park Road, Keswick, VA 22947-9166 Or Email your nomination information to: dombroweRJ@aol.com

Page 2 NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

NE Area STAFF

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

Newsletter Editor Neil Baldwin, #5762 905-875-8607 hikerboy @ sympatico.ca

Web Editor David Geyer, #8542 Merrimack, NH

Assistant Area Directors: Massachusetts (VT, NH, ME) Kevin Martin, #145 Dracut, MA 978-459-6275 cog145 @ verizon.net

Connecticut (RI) Norm & Lorie Walton, #7011 Cromwell, CT 860-836-5162 ctaad @ live.com

Metro NY/NJ Terry Faherty, #792 Staten Island, NY 718-227-2099 tmcefah @ aol.com

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

Pittsburgh (Western PA) Joe Cyprych, #4665 McDonald, PA 724-796-1401 cyprych @ windstream.net

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

Maryland/Southern PA Help needed—please inquire!! Virginia/West Virginia 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 Help needed—please inquire!!

Pittsburgh (Western PA) Greetings by Joe Cyprych #4665 Hello fellow COGgers! Hey, a lot of riding going on so far this year with much more to come so get yourself out there and get involved. We got our Cook Forest ride (pix below) in the bag for this year and had a good turnout with folks attending from PA, NY & MD (hope I didn't leave a state out). We had pretty decent weather and everyone got out for some riding and some visiting of the attractions in the area.. Big thanks to all who attended and I hope everyone had a great time and hope to see you at next year’s Cook Forest weekend. By the time you read this we will also have the Dog Days ride in the bag and that’s always a great time. We’re looking forward to the rally in Wellsboro in Sept. and hope to see you all there. Wellsboro is a great area for riding and sightseeing, and always draws a big COG crowd so get those rooms booked and those registrations in. As always, if you have a ride idea or destination in mind feel free to contact me or Steve and we will help you make it happen. Take Care.

What’s up in Metro NY/NJ by Terry Faherty #792

Well summer is already half over and where did the time go! This full time job on top of running my son to various pre-high school practices has pretty much killed my sum-mer riding wise. As posted on the forum, I will be in Lake George Aug 13 to 16, and taking a day ride from the Quality Inn parking lot on Sat the 15th. I'm planning on leav-ing at 9am and heading north with my son, weather permitting of course. Anyone in the area is welcome to meet in the lot and join in the fun. I'll have a route sheet printed up for those who join in. Feel free to come by and look us up even if you can't make the rides, the Adirondack Brewpub is a short walk away! If the newsletter is out after that, well...let's hope we had a good ride! I will be attending the Fall Foliage Rally in Wellsboro, but I'll be heading out after work on Thurs and getting in sometime that evening. Needless to say I'll be taking the direct route. That should put me on the road by about 3:30pm, if anyone else is also short vacation days and would like to hook up for the blast out there. I will also be in Indy for the MotoGP so anyone who's attending can give me a ring and maybe we can head to Ram Brewery Sat night for some camaraderie. My cell # is 917-837-6634, anyone who's interested in contacting me about any of the above can give me a shout. Now since my other ride dates didn't work out, I'm going to make this one far enough in the future so it doesn't sneak up on me! Sat Oct 17 (rain date Sat Oct 18), lets take another jaunt through north Jersey and the Catskills. Instead of meet-ing at the Cracker Barrel lets make the rally point the IHOP off the same exit (exit 30, Howard Blvd/Mt Ar-lington)... 9AM departure. I have an idea for lunch courtesy of Backroads Magazine that should be worth the ride. Enjoy the rest of the summer folks, and I'll see ya out there!

Greetings New England Coggers! by Kevin Martin #145

What a crazy riding season, I don’t ever remember seeing so much rain on a regular basis and temperatures this cool right into late July. I think I’ve only used my home air conditioner a couple of times, once in April (go figure) and now the end of July and early August. It feels like summer is just starting temperature wise, but really its winding down. Has anybody noticed that the amount of daylight is getting shorter? Yes, before you know it Daylight Savings time will be over and summer or the lack thereof will be a not so fond memory as far as riding is concerned.

I never expected this kind of summer, especially after moving up to a 2009 Concours 14 ABS at the end of May. By now I should have several thousand miles on it but because of the weather, I haven’t even hit 2K yet……ugh ! Ok, Ok, I know you guys are saying so what if it rains, ride it anyway. Well 30+ years of riding under my belt, I’m not shy about riding in the rain, but quite frankly the newness just hasn’t worn off yet and I want to keep it looking shiny as long as possible. Like all of us, eventually I’ll be riding up in the mountains somewhere and get caught in a monsoon and that will be that, and it won’t matter any more and I’ll go back to being an “all weather” rider instead of a “fair weather” rider. But enough about that, let’s talk about what’s been happening up here in Northern New England.

(Continued on page 7)

ISSUE 4, 2009 Page 3

What’s Online now at www.cog-online.org

Photos from North & South event

Photos from Dog Days Rally Photos from Summer Rally Archived NE Area

Newsletters Discussion Forums for chat,

tech, accessories, riding gear, safety, and much more.

The Esteemed Connie Dropper s Anonymous (CDA) forum.

Rally Info

Event Calendar Vendors

COG Online Store

Northeast Area NEWS is a bi-monthly publication for Northeast Area members of the Concours Owners Group. Submissions are welcomed and members are encouraged to share their COG experiences. Please send submissions to: Neil Baldwin 2089 Maria St Burlington ON L7R 1K8 (Canada) hikerboy @ sympatico.ca

Submissions by email are ideal to cut down on retyping but frankly we’ll take it any way we can get it. If you snailmail something (e.g, picture) please clearly state if you want it returned. Submissions may be edited to fit space.

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!

©2009 Concours Owners Group

Hudson Valley News By Mike Flynn, #4493

Hey Hudson Valley COGgers... Long time and not much input from me. Still trying to sort out my electrical gremlins on my Triumph, so haven’t ridden much since 2007. Looks like I have to replace the wiring harness, which should prove to be loads of fun. I got bit by the lay off boom, and am currently searching for work. That or a rich couple that wants to adopt a bouncing baby 44yo!

Once I do get back on 2 wheels, I’ve been searching out some good roadside places to hit while out on rides. Hopefully next riding season will have us sampling good tasting, but bad for the waistline treats! Just watch the calendar on www.cog-online.org

Enjoy the upcoming rallies!

Connecticut Report By Norm & Lorie Walton, #7011

June 21 was the ride to Mount Greylock, MA. The day started sadly like most we’ve have lately; cloudy with some light rain. Four riders were in attendance for the ride including Gerry Barnett, Mike Rutz and Greg Mitchell, and myself. We hit some very light and spotty showers on the way up but not enough rain to need rain suits. We arrived at the

top of the mountain only to find it fogged in, but it soon cleared up and we got to enjoy the great views. Lunch at the Hot Dog Ranch in North Adams, MA was much enjoyed, and the ride back was very sunny and nice with some great roads found on the route. We hit very little traffic the whole day and the new road to the top of the mountain would give the Dragon a run for its money!! This would be an awesome ride in the Fall when the trees are in color so it might be recycled later this year. It was 254 miles door to door for me. The picture of the crew was taken at the summit in front of the War Memo-rial.

The July 18 ride to Battleship Cove was a hit. Gerry Barnet was the organizer and he reported: “The day started out REALLY iffy... The last straggler of rain showers just went by as I was eating my breakfast at 7:30AM. We met in Windham CT for a coffee and wait out the last of the crappy mist. Bob Bar-banti, Brian and Andrea Felice, Norm and Lorie Walton, Mike Cullinan, and me (Gerry Barnett), made our way across CT, RI and MA to get to Fall River to go see the Battleship USS Massachusetts and the other fine warships and air-craft. We had great time touring the WWII Submarine Lionfish and the Rus-sian Missile Corvette "Hiddensee". Along with the destroyer "Joseph P. Ken-nedy, Jr." we had a full day of exploration and climbing up and down the narrowest passageways I've ever seen. We enjoyed reading the explanations

and imagining ourselves as part of the crew. On the way out we checked out two full size PT attack boats. Wooden boats with 3 V-12 supercharged Packard engines chewing up 185 gallons of 100 octane gas each hour! Nothing but floating 3,000 gallon gas tanks with guns and torpedos! It really made you appreciate the services performed by the crewmen of all these fine ships. I personally think they used the roads leading from the Braga Bridge to the cove for practice with a 5" gun. Roads are bad in Rhode Island but they are only preparation for the roads in Fall River... A motocross bike would have had a tough time with some of the road conditions. But alas we made it safe and sound.”

Happenings from Virginia & West Virginia by Kurt & Sue Nordstrum #6049+6049A

It was a busy couple months here in the Northeast; Mother Nature gave us a very rainy month of May and the first part of June. The remainder of June and so far July has been extremely dry and hot, which has really brought out the motorcycles in our area.

What did June bring us……..

There were only a few of us from the VA & WV area that attended the COG Nationals. For those who did we had a chance to experience some of the best riding that the eastern seaboard had to offer. John and his Rally Staff did a superb job putting together the event and worked their fannies off making sure we all en-joyed our time in Fontana. As always with any big event there were some bumps in the road but they were addressed in a timely manner. Kudos to John and his staff of volunteers.

I normally don’t voice my displeasure in writing about the riding habits of others; but I feel I must:

As rally attendees, we should have known that we Coggers were not going to be the only riders in the NC & TN Mountains that week. This being said; in all or most cases with motorcycle riders, some riders are ex-perienced and some are not. I consider myself to be a motorcyclist, I have been riding for 40+ years. I really don't care what you ride as long as you enjoy your ride. I found it very distasteful and was somewhat em-barrassed with the lack of respect our fellow COG riders gave the less experienced riders on "The Dragon," along with some of the other more technical roads in the area. As motorcyclists or bikers we have a hard enough time gaining the respect from others when we abide by the laws of the land. When one of us acts like an idiot it normally makes the news, usually without a happy ending and it sterotypes all of us. So just remember folks; we were inexperienced once, so the next time you want to play "Ricky Roadracer" do it on a race track in a controlled environment and don't ruin someone else's fun by scaring them half to death.

(Continued on page 4)

Page 4 NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

Because my guest who had been riding just barely a year had his confidence shaken I im-provised. I broke out a bunch of maps and made my own routes for the week. I/we saw very few riders on our treks and the ones we did encounter were locals and wondered how I found their favorite out of the way places and venues. Detailed maps of NC & TN are great things to have along with a GPS; we put many miles on the roads in the area in just over a four day period.

Later in June.............

As some of you know I purchased a Moto Guzzi Stelvio. I have never owned a Guzzi before and I had heard that “Guzzi had been attempting to go out of business since 1921” but I thought I would give the brand a try any-way. I mean it can’t or couldn’t be any worse than the HD Ultra I just got rid off. Well I am happy to say that the Stelvio is a wonderful bike and it doesn’t overheat like my 06 Ultra. A former Executive Director of COG has a nice article about the Stelvio in this months Rider magazine for those who may be interested

(shameless plug). Sue and I joined the Moto Guzzi National Organization and decided to attend the VA State Guzzi Rally in Buena Vista, VA to do a little RECON on how the other brands do a “rally.” Well I am happy to report that we came away with a few ideas that we will attempt to incorporate into our calendar over the next couple years. BTW, nice group of people, like COG they are an older bunch and riding fools.

July brought us………..

Lunch at Mr. B’s BBQ. Approximately 25 Cog-gers from four states showed up to stuff their face, kick tires and swap stories. As always the BBQ was very good and the company was first rate. I have a mental note to include a few more “meet and greet” or “drive to eat” events for the future, this one was every well received.

Lastly, this is a reminder that the next four events are camping weekends. So dust your tent off, find your tent stakes and sleeping bag and tell the boss (at home and at work) “See ya later”… I’m off to Boyer, WV, or Breaks Interstate Park on the VA / WV line, or the

KOA in Harpers Ferry, WV or the KOA at Natu-ral Bridge, VA. For those of you that do not like to sleep with the rocks on the ground there is hardtop lodging available near each of these camping areas or at the KOA's there are the cabins.

In closing, there are approximately 75 - 80 COG members in the VA and WV area. We all pay our dues, which for some in this tuff economy can be a major undertaking. There has only been a handful (that’s right….five) Coggers from VA & WV region that have par-ticipated in the events in our region in the first seven months of this year. You hear me correctly, since the first of the year the COG events in the VA & WV region have been get-ting a better turn out from the Coggers in NC, MD & PA. If you want to do something differ-ent no one is asking, hinting or volunteering. What's up?

Till next time..........ride safe,

Kurt & Sue Nordstrom

(Virginia & West Virginia, from page 3)

Life Lessons from Motorcycling - Part 1 By Neil Baldwin #5762

Ed Note: On my personal blog I sometimes write pieces called Life Lessons from Motorcycling. When there is space left over in the NE Newsletter, I thought I would use it as filler, FWIW.

I have started re-reading David Hough’s Proficient Motorcycling, perhaps one of the best motorcycle skills books written. The book is packed with concrete, experience-based advice to help you both enjoy and survive your ride.

In addition to actual skills, one “overriding” theme (ha ha – couldn’t resist the pun) is to develop good habits in your riding. Based on a major analysis of motorcycle accidents (e.g., the Hurt Report), it was found that riders have on average less than 2 seconds to complete their collision avoidance manoeuvres. What’s more, many riders braked improperly and made no effort to countersteer or swerve. Sounds crazy, eh? If I were a rider faced with a vehicle turning left in front of me you’d think I would want to do everything possible to avoid that.

David Hough says it comes down to knowing the skills and practicing the skills regularly. For instance, he suggests doing controlled

emergency stops occasionally when the road is safe and clear. Hough’s point, and I have no doubt it is quite correct, is that in an emergency we will react based on our habits. We’re not likely to summon up a skill we learned months or years ago, or a skill that we read about but never actually tried, just for the occasion.

So maybe that applies to life in general. When it comes to self-management strategies, you’ve got to do it not just read about it. Self-help books are fine but sometimes it is easier to keep finding new ones than to actually apply what you read about. How you deal with the little things is quite likely how you are going to deal with the big things. If you make good habits in things like relaxation, meditation, caring for your body, not rushing, or whatever cultivates happiness and peace for you, they will be there for when you need them most.

Whether its riding the road or riding through life, learn the skills you need, develop the skills, practice the skills.

ISSUE 4, 2009 Page 5

Recurring Events

(ON) S. Central Ontario Dinner Get-Together Join us for dinner and socializing. All Welcome. Meet at 6:30pm 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) Contact: Dave Clancy, davecla2@sympatico.ca or 905.389.7681.

(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. Rides will begin the 1st week in April until the 1st week in Nov. We’ll decide a ride or destination with whoever attends, or I will have a route ready if we need it. If you have a ride idea, or need additional info or directions contact Joe Cyprych 724.796.1401 or cyprych@windstream.net Hope to see you there.

Calendar of Events

(CT) Ride The Quabbin Reservoir 08/09/09 - Meet at Sunday 8:30AM at Bickfords, 7 Hazard Ave Enfield, CT We will depart at 9:15AM for a ride around the Quabbin Reservoir and then on to Bubs BBQ in Sunderland, MA. Contact Norm Walton ctaad@live.com or 860.836.5162

(PA) Sport Touring Camaraderie Ride 2 08/16/09 – Organized by members of COG and other sport-touring clubs (FJR, BMW). All brands motorcycles welcome. Meet for breakfast at 9:00am at the Iron Skillet restaurant at the Petro Truck Stop, 1201 Harrisburg Pike, Carlisle PA. Coordinates N 40-13.903 W 077-08.551. There will be 6 rides to choose from between 140 to 200 miles long. One ride will be a mix of paved and unpaved roads. All rides are self-guided and end at the Middlesex Diner in Carlisle PA. For lodging information please contact one of us and we’ll provide information. COG Contacts: Russell W Fleming 410.374.9687 fleming@qis.net or Greg Puterbaugh 717-632-3324 pbaugh1@comcast.net

(NH) Lakes Region Ride 08/23/09 - This is an expanded version of my Lake Sunapee ride. This year we’ll ride three of New Hampshire’s most popular lakes, starting with Sunapee, then heading north out to New Found Lake and then cut across to Lake Winnipesaukee and back. This is another fairly long ride, so meet me at Cliff’s Cafe for breakfast. Ride leaves at 7:30 am. Cliff’s Café, 268 Main St. (Rt 119, at the Rt 13 intersection) in Townsend MA. Coordinates: N42 40.027 W71 42.368 Contact: Kevin Martin cog145@verizon.net or 978.459.6275

(NH) White Mountains Day Ride 09/05/09 - This will be a full day ride, so plan accordingly. Ride through the Lakes Region and

into the White Mountains National Forest heading though Crawford Notch on Rt 302 into Twin Mountains before heading south down Rt 3 and other roads. There’s some beautiful scenery in the White Mountains National Forest and a Sunday is a good day to enjoy the view. Meet at Dunkin Donuts on Rt 110, Chelmsford (Exit 34/495), ride leaves at 7:30 am. (From 495 South, turn RIGHT for 110 West, from 495 North, turn left for Rt 110 west to Dunkins). Contact: Kevin Martin cog145@verizon.net or 978.459.6275

(ME) Acadia area Camp & Ride 09/10/09-09/13/09 - Join us for a camping & riding weekend at Lamoine State Park (GPS N44-27.24 W68-17.88), 23 State Park Rd., Lamoine, ME 04605, 207.667.4778. Take U.S. 1 approx. 2 mi. northeast of Ellsworth and proceed 7 mi. southeast on ME 184 to Lamoine State Park. There is spectacular scenery and great riding in Acadia National Park and Downeast Maine. Contact Mike Benham, 603.742.3707. Group Camping Area B has been reserved by Mike Benham for event name Concours Owners Group (COG) - Acadia Area Campout. For those allergic to camping, consider these nearby motels: Eagle's Lodge Motel, www.eagleslodge.com, 207.667.3311; Holiday Inn, www.holidayinn.com/ellsworthme, 800.401.9341; Twilite Motel, www.twilitemotel.com, 800.395.5097.

(CT) Yankee Candle Ride 09/12/09, Ride to Yankee Candle, We will meet at Bickfords 7 Hazzard ave Enfield CT at 9am for a ride to Yankee Candle in Greenfield MA Contact Norm Walton ctaad@live.com or 860.836.5162

(VA) Down in the Holler Camp and Ride 9/18/09-9/21/09 - Breaks Interstate Park is a full service state park that sits on the boundary between VA and KY. It’s in a remote area, but has excellent motorcycle roads, limited traffic, and lots of great scenery. FRI & MON are travel days and ther are no planned organized rides. Self-guided routes will be provided for SAT & SUN. There is a lodge on premises with very reasonable rates (about $70, double occupancy). The lodge has only 80 rooms in 6 buildings. I strongly recommend you make reservations early in the year. No rooms are blocked for us and it is first come, first served. I will try to get a room in the building that houses units 111-134. The view out back is spectacular. The lodge also has a restaurant with pretty good food and reasonable prices, and most meals (except when we’re on the road) will be here. The closest town is about 10 miles away and meal options are limited. There’s a very nice campground in the park. Non-electric sites are about $12/night. Ones with water and electric are between $15-20/night. Call to make reservations for the lodge or campground: 276.865.4413 or 800.982.5122 (or fax 276.865.4028). www.breakspark.com. Contact Clyde Watson Clydewatson2@comcast.net or 804.771.3876 (daytime) 804 -921-5896 (cell)

(ME) Nubble Lighthouse Ride, Maine 09/19/09 - I hosted a similar ride last Spring and we had a great time. This year I’ll be riding to Nubble for an early Fall ride and have lunch at the Lighthouse Restaurant again. After lunch we’ll ride the Coast back down into MA. Meet at Dunkin Donuts, 105 Chelmsford St., Chelmsford MA, Coordinates: N42 36.187 W71 20.752. The start of the ride leaves promptly at 8:30 am. We’ll also be stopping briefly at the Rt 111 Dunkin Donuts & Sunoco Gas station at 1 Hall Farm Rd, Atkinson NH to meet up with other riders from NH. Dunkin Donuts is on right heading east on Rte 111 at the Jct of Hall Rd & 111.Quick Stop at the Jct 111 & 121 in Hampstead NH. Contact: Kevin Martin cog145@verizon.net or 978.459.6275

(PA) NE Fall Foliage Rally, Wellsboro 09/24/09-09/27/09 - Wellsboro, PA has proven to be a great location for past NE Regional rallies and we decided to try it in the fall this time. It's central location is an easy day ride for many members and offers great riding and sightseeing at an affordable price. The host town of Wellsboro is located in north central PA, along the famous RT 6 corridor, not far from New York State's Finger Lake Region, and is abundant with museums, wineries, terrific scenery, and great roads. Watch for details. Contact Jason Kaplitz: cog62@kaplitz.com or 814.535.8669

(CT) Ride to Mount Greylock 10/03/09 - The is a rerun of an earlier ride to enjoy some of the Fall colors and meet up with a group led by Kevin Martin at the summit of the mountain. (see next ride) We will meet at 9:00am at Dunkin Donuts corner of Rte 44 and 219 495 main St New Hartford CT. Contact Norm Walton ctaad@live.com or 860.836.5162

(MA) Mount Greylock Foliage Ride 10/03/09 - Mt. Greylock Reservation has been closed to auto traffic for 2 years while renovations were conducted throughout the reservation. Greylock reopened in 2009 so I thought this would make a great destination. Meet at Dunkin Donuts on RT 110, Chelmsford (Exit 35 / 495) for a ride out the Mohawk Trail into North Adams MA to climb to the summit of Mt. Greylock. Ride leaves at 8:00 am. Mt Greylock is the highest point in the State of Massachusetts (3,491 ft), so bring your cameras to capture the Fall colors of a 3 State view. We’ll stop for lunch in the Berkshires, or maybe have lunch at the Summit Lodge if it’s open. Contact: Kevin Martin cog145@verizon.net or 978.459.6275

(ME) Mid Coast Ride 10/10/09 - Come and enjoy the mid coast scenery & foliage on the Boothbay & Pemaquid Peninsulas. These two are perhaps my favorites of the nine rocky mid coast Maine peninsulas that jut into the Gulf of Maine. Meet at 8:30 AM at I-295, Ex. 17, Visitor Info. Center in Yarmouth, ME. Contact Mike Benham, 603.742.3707.

(Continued on page 6)

Northeast Activity Schedule - View the most up to date info on the online Event Calendar at: www.cog-online.org

Page 6 NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

(WV) Fall Foliage Ride 10/16/09-10/18/09 – This year join us in wild and wonderful WV, as we will be based out of KOA in Harpers Ferry, WV (www.koa.com/where/wv/48107) . For those that do not want to do the camping/cabin thing; there are hotels and motels close by, as well as a huge amount of eating establishments within a 10 minute drive. Saturday breakfast will be at Mountain View Diner in Charles Town (www.mountainviewdiner.com). After breakfast we'll have approximately 225-250 mile ride on some roads in the area, covering 4 states and every possible type of road, except dirt, although those will be available at extra charge. From river bottom roads to the tallest peaks in the east, a good time will be had by all. For those that don't want to ride the route, there are enough historic spots to keep you busy for the entire week, let alone a weekend. From John Brown's last stand to some of the bloodiest battlefields of the Civil War are within a few minutes drive. Saturday evening chow at a place TBD since none of my past places are still open. On Saturday, Charles Town Races and Slots offers a all you can eat Seafood and Prime Rib Buffet (www.ctownraces.com). At $21.99 it is a great deal (but expensive) and open for debate. We'll decide at that time. Questions, comments or suggestions, give Jimmy Miller a yell at millerized@comcast.net or Contact: Kurt & Sue Nordstrom: ironhorsefun@mindspring.com or 540.582.9414

(MA) COG Fall Pizza Social 10/24/09 - My Fall Social will be at a different venue and at an earlier time so that weather permitting, members can ride to this event. It will be a lunch time event at Romano’s Pizza, 1794 Bridge Street (Rte 38, Bridgewood Plaza), Dracut

MA 01826, www.mypizzamenu.com. They have great food and a large seating area where we can hang out and enjoy the afternoon. There is plenty of parking within view of the dining area. This will be an “All Weather” event, so come on 2 wheels or four. Arrive at Romano’s at 12:30 pm and relax. COG New England will be contributing to the appetizers to celebrate another great year of riding with friends. If out of towners need direction, contact me. From 495 North or South, take Exit 38 which is also Rte 38 and follow through Lowell and stay on 38 North. At intersection of Rte 38 & 113 (Wendy’s on right), go straight through lights, Romano’s is 1 mile up on the Left in Bridgewood Plaza. From 93 North or South, take Exit 46 to the Methuen Rotary and bear right onto Rte 113 toward Dracut. Follow Rte 113 West for 6 miles to the Rte 38 intersection (Wendy’s on Left). Take Right onto 38 North and go 1 mile, Romano’s on Left in Bridgewood Plaza. Contact: Kevin Martin cog145@verizon.net or 978.459.6275

(MA) Big Chill Ride 11/07/09 - Join me for my last scheduled ride of the season. This will be a late seaon Fall ride around the Merrimack Valley area starting in Acton MA and riding through Clinton, Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, and stopping for lunch at Joey’s Diner in Hollis NH, returning back in Acton at MotoMarket before they close. Meet at the Acton Bickfords, Nagog Park, Rt 2A/119. Ride leaves at 9:00 am. Contact: Kevin Martin cog145@verizon.net or 978.459.6275

(VA) Brrrr Ride 11/13/09-11/15/09 - Started by Guy Young several years ago, this one has become a perennial favorite. We’ll gather at the Natural Bridge KOA just off I-81 and RT 11 to camp on Friday and Saturday nights. For those not wanting to camp the KOA has cabins available with heaters (sort of) that will keep the chill off. To make reservations with the KOA please call

540.291.2770. There are hotels and motels in the area for those that require hard top shelter Budget Inn: 540.291.2896, Relax Inn: 540.291.2143. Saturday morning we’ll meet for breakfast at 8:00 AM at the Pink Cadillac Restaurant (RT 11), just a mile north of the entrance of the KOA. The route will take us over some awesome roads with lunch, then back to the camp for dinner and COG camaraderie. Hopefully there will not be a fire ban and will have a nice campfire this year. Contact Kurt or Sue Nordstrom: ironhorsefun@mindspring.com or 540.582.9414.

Please check the www.cog-online.org Event Calendar for the most complete and up to date activities listing.

(Norttheast Activity Schedule, continued from page 5)

Guy Young poses at the North & South Event

Kawasaki Connie Travel Bug By Neil Baldwin #5762

If you’re into Geocaching, you know what a travel bug is. If you’re not, you can find out by going to www.geocaching.com to learn out about this GPS-based treasure hunt game.

Several years ago, I launched a travel bug called Kawasaki Connie. So far it has travelled 5885 miles/9471km. The journey is chronicled on the geocaching web site (lookup travel bug ID #TBGTZ6).

Having travelled across the Atlantic and all over Holland and Germany, it is currently located in Wolfsburg, Germany.

ISSUE 4, 2009 Page 7

by hosting day rides, weekend camping events, and support tech session events. Your participation means a lot to me and to our Club. Our 4-State regional area is far too large for me to do it alone so I need continued sup-port and participation from the membership to keep this area successful. Hosting an event is a great way to show your support to COG and to me, but there are other ways to show your support if hosting an event is not for you. You’d be surprised at how much even the little things you guys volunteer to do help me out. For example, a few of the regular riders like Chris Batista, Bill Hamilton, Bob Watkins, and Greg Habel, have FRS/GMRS ra-dio capability and offer to ride sweep on nu-merous rides to make sure that riders don’t get separated. You can’t imagine what a relief it is for me as the leader to know eve-rything that’s happening behind me through something as simple as 2-way communica-tion. Thanks very much guys. Other mem-bers like Dave Fazzuoli, Doug Gray, Mark Jenson, Greg Habel, and a few others have led rides on their favorite roads giving me an opportunity to relax or to learn about unfa-miliar areas for future events. Other mem-bers routinely assist Greg and Pat with bike maintenance and member training during the Spring Tech Sessions – Big help here guys, and lets not forget about the ladies who assist with keeping the men happy with meals duty. Hats off to Sherry and Tracey for that.

Members can also help by offering sugges-tions on ride routes in areas familiar to them or suggest places to stop for lunch or attrac-tions to visit which will help me plan new events for the next riding season. That’s how I got the idea of hosting a ride out to the NY Aerodrome last year which was a blast. I only wish Mark Jenson got a chance to ride one of those Bi-planes, I would have liked to snap a picture of his face going down the runway… J.

I guess what I want to say is keep up the great work gang and thanks for all of the support you’ve been providing over the years, its very much appreciated. So to end this little report, please enjoy these snapshots as a collage of some of the events we’ve completed so far this year.

Ride safe and have a lot of fun!

Best Regards;

Kevin

Since my last newsletter, I’ve hosted several rides and member attendance has been great and even though the groups appear to be somewhat large at times, we’ve no problem keeping the group together through the vil-lages and byways of the New England area or locating lunch spots that can accommodate a large group of hungry riders. Given the weather conditions, I’ve been fortunate this season that I haven’t had to reschedule or cancel many rides, especially since I really loaded up the schedule this year with two ride per month on average, and some months have three events planned. I did this in anticipa-tion of not being able to attend any of the regional or nation rallies this year, at least so far. I’m hoping to make the Wellsboro Fall Rally.

So in my last newsletter I ended talking about some fun events like the Spring Tech Session hosted by Greg Habel and Pat Mulloy, the Whitehorse Gear annual open house and BBQ hosted by Dan Kennedy for all bikers, (what a great turn out for that event), then Greg and Pat stepped up to the plate again and hosted a camping weekend and ride out in Connecticut. Since that time, I’ve hosted four more area rides throughout the New England area, the most recent was a trip to the Yankee Candle Factory in South Deerfield Mass. The ladies seemed like they enjoyed that ride, or should I say shopping. We had surprise guests for my Yankee Candle ride too. John and Laurel McClean from Ontario Canada rode down to Massachusetts to join our ride. John got a real work out with all of the twisty back roads I took the group on, seems the roads up in On-tario are relatively straight so this was a real treat for him. Glad you enjoyed yourself John.

While at the Yankee Candle, we were met with COG members Clay Morrison and Linda Grandville from New York. Clay and Linda are good friends of mine and they took the oppor-tunity to ride over to meet me and the rest of the gang and join us for lunch. There are still several more rides to come, the next one in just a few days of this writing, which will be a 250 mile loop through the Tri-State area of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and the extended forecast is that Saturday is expected to be the pick of the summer. Just the way I like it !

In my 2009 event schedule I planned 17 indi-vidual events, and recently the schedule was enhanced with the addition of 2 more events hosted by Mike Benham up in Maine. These events have been posted to the online data-base with full details but in summary, Mike will be hosting a camping weekend and ride in Acadia National Park on September 9 – 13, then a second event on October 10th for a Maine mid-coast ride. Thanks Mike for volun-teering your time to make the Northern New England Region one of the best groups in COG Northeast. Just my unbiased opinion folks.

So for 2009, we had 19 events scheduled across an 8 month period and the best of all a third of those events were hosted by area members. That’s what its all about gang, member participation…….you folks rock !!

My sincere thanks to everyone who has at-tended one of our events and especially to those of you who offer to volunteer your time

(New England report, from page 2)

Francestown NH - Barry Brendle #8788 Emmaus PA - Gary Cramer #8797 West Wyoming PA - Tim Lybolt #8798 Pembroke NH - William Sullivan #8799 Boiling Springs PA - David Reese #8804 Middletown PA - Robert Hahn #8805 Georgetown DE - Charlie Whitmore #8814 Oswego NY - Paul Politzi #8815 Baltimore MD - Arthur Boyd #8817

Portage PA - Kenneth Wagner #8822 Salem NH - Brian Kellett #8823 East Hartland CT - Robert Allevo #8824 Lebanon PA - Kevin Lutz #8830 Bethlehem PA - Gary Daunton #8831 Kensington CT - Adam Nowojczyk #8832 Greencastle PA - Terry Place #8834 Chenango Forks NY - Daniel Timmons #8836

Welcome to Our Newest Northeast Area Members! (since the last newsletter)

Page 8 NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

You are Invited… Greetings COG Members! We are planning a “End of the Season Bash” to be catered and held in Cromwell at the Fox Meadows Clubhouse on November 7th beginning at 6:00 pm. Tickets are $20 per person and includes Starters, Dinner, Dessert and Coffee.

Dinner will include the following:

Vegetable and Cheese assortment for starters

Manicotti

Stuffed Breast of Chicken with Orange and Honey Glaze

Caesar Salad

Grilled Vegetable Medley

Red Potatoes and Carrots Roasted with Olive Oil and Garlic

Assorted Desserts

Water, Soda and Coffee provided

BYOB, alcoholic beverages

Tickets may be ordered and purchased from Norm and Lorie Walton (860) 635-0803 and will need to be purchased no later than October 3rd. We would love to see everyone attend, unfortunately if there is not sufficient interest in the event, we will have to cancel.

Hope to see you! It will be a great way to end the riding season! Thanks!