Musings from "A Salty Piece of Land" (by Jimmy Buffet)

Betsy The Devine, a truly gifted author, quotes from the master adventure storyteller himself, Jimmy Buffet, reminding us that "...adventures don't come calling like unexpected cousins calling from out of town. You have to go looking for them."

Well said.

Montauk Rider out!

SPRING, SPRANG, SPRUNG

The arrival of Spring in New Hampshire is a marvel to behold. Like snowflakes, no two Springs are exactly alike.

One thing New Englanders count on, nonetheless, is that Spring will arrive at its own good pace. Spring will tease us mortals. The bulbs begin to sprout their stems up from the soil one day only to be fast buried in a wet heavy snow the next.

Sunny days will be followed by a week of rain. The rain is welcomed by those who desire roads to be washed clean of Winter's detritus -- mostly salt and sand.

Each sunrise awakens the following day earlier: the blues of winter's confining harshness lessen. Montauk Rider's thoughts turn to our gardens, to the birds singing in the yard, and inexorably to the open road.

I yearn to ride the Montauk once again. I must wait, however. It is still just 28 degrees (F), and the roads are still white with salt. Soon......................................

A Brief Stop on Vermont's Scenic Route 100

A Brief Stop on Vermont's Scenic Route 100
Originally uploaded by MontaukRider.

Danny Kay once said: "Vermont, it's very Vermonty this time of year." (White Christmas)

In the summertime, Vermont is very Vermonty as well. Cruise along Route 100 and you'll know what Danny Kay meant.

Respite on Vermont's Route 100

Respite on Vermont's Route 100
Originally uploaded by MontaukRider.

Vermont's scenic roads invite riders from around the world.

2006 BMW Motorcycle Owners' Association Heading to Vermont

Burlington Vermont will be the site of this Summer's BMW MOA (Motorcycle Owners' Association) Annual Rally. And I can't wait.

Being a native New Englander I've enjoyed many a fine Vermont back road in my time. A fellow rider from Maryland recently posted that he desired a recommended scenic route to Burlington. I sent him the following recommendation. It is a ride worthy of any wanderlust addict, whether one's travel of choice is by motorcar, bicycle, or (as I prefer) motorcycle.

We begin in the historic Berkshires of Massachusetts. We are now ready to head north into the Green Mountains of Vermont. The towns along the way are in themselves destinations of worth my friends: Towns like Bennington, Vermont, home to not only a fine and famous College (where my sister Betsy was the best and brightest of them all), but also the site of General John Stark's famous Battle of Bennington. It was in Bennington, in fact, that Stark hammered out the first New Hampshire license plate. It said "Live Free or Die." It still does to this day.

Here we go for an incredible cruise:

Once you get to the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, say around North Adams, MA, you have an unbelievable route up to Burlington via Scenic Route 100 to Readsboro, then Route 8 over the mountain to Searsburg (check out the huge wind turbines you ride past), then Route 9 to Wilmington, then back onto Scenic Route 100 all the way up through Killington and Stockbridge.(There are tons of great taverns for lunch near Killington).

Stay heading north on Route 100 until you reach the Town of Hancock, where you really want to turn left and enjoy the beauty of Scenic Route 125 over to Middlebury. You can then head north on Route 7 to Burlington.

And that is just one of dozens of awesome rides in Vermont. If you're coming to Vermont from New Hampshire or another eastern approach, you still want to get onto Route 100 as soon as you can. Great riding. God willin', I'll see you there.

Are, Am, Now, Alive, Smiling

Time can be a limiting concept. Sitting here tonight I think of time in the past sense. Memories flood the mind.

But when riding, time literally morphs. It releases the limitation of pastness and embraces the everything of presentness. It gourges on a presentness blending into a future that swiftly is our now.

I imagine time on a ride as a sphere compressing and expanding until past, present and future blend into a single sensuous now. Every sense is heightened. The air, the wind, the sun, everything that surrounds us becomes part of us.

We are the wind: we are the sun. We are. Are, am, now, alive, smiling.

A Bethel Night Scene

A Bethel Night Scene
Originally uploaded by MontaukRider.

Sean and Quin ready to rip

Sean and Quin ready to rip
Originally uploaded by MontaukRider.

Lunch at the Snow Cap Lodge

Lunch at Snow Cap
Originally uploaded by MontaukRider.

When winter's snows force the Montauk to hibernate, Montauk Rider and family (sons Quincy and Sean, sister Marie and brother-in-law Bill) hit the slopes for some great skiing at Sunday River.

It's a Wonderful Life

George Bailey learned a lot from Clarence the Angel. He learned that life, no matter how complex, is good. He learned that friends and family are worth more than all the gold in the world.

Watching Clarence work with George tonight, I was struck with nostalgia for the Summer of 1973 when my brother Mark and I crossed our wonderful continent. We spent a couple of weeks heading west through Quebec and Ontario, before deciding to head back south into the US via Thunder Bay.

Tonight, sitting here with a foot of snow having fallen yesterday, I'm reminiscing about Mark's enthusiasm for the unknown. "When do you think we'll get to California," I'd ask each night as we tented down. He would smile, the way older brothers with more knowledge of the world can smile, and say things like, "That all depends on what happens tomorrow and which direction we decide to ride."

So true.

There were days that we headed north because the early July days were growing hot. Then we'd be in North Dakota, and it was cold. We'd cruise south the next day. It didn't seem to matter then that we were supposed to get to San Francisco before August came around.

Looking back, I think we meandered perhaps the least direct approach to San Francisco possible. It didn't seem to matter at the time. We got up each morning, ate some pie, drank some coffee, and then looked at a map to decide the day's agenda. "Hey," I'd comment, "I always wanted to see Arizona." Mark would laugh and comment "Let's make sure that happens soon."

I guess the best recipe for motorcyle adventure is a big brother, a couple of bikes, and the opportunity to spend an entire summer just cruising to nowhere and everywhere.

Tolkien wrote that "The Road Goes Ever On." It does indeed. I wish only that its travelers did not pass so soon. I miss them.