Tanglewood by Trike – 2011

It was a special treat to be able to enjoy a nice 400 mile motorcycle trip along with a memorable concert at Tanglewood. The ride from the lakehouse in Pennsylvania to Lenox, Massachusetts took us on interstate highways initially but then mostly on state and county backroads in the state of New York and then on numerous back roads to Massachusetts, through West Stockbridge and into Berkshire County to Lenox, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The BSO weekend concert included one of the world’s foremost concert pianists, Emanuel Ax, performing one of my favorites, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat, K.482, written in Vienna in 1785 when the young composer was writing many new concertos for performances featuring himself as soloist. I have been listening to Emanuel Ax for decades but this is the first time I had seen him in a live performance. He was amazing. Performing the “too many notes” of Mozart seemed like a joy to him as it was to us.

Lionel Bringuier, assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, who made his BSO and Tanglewood debut in this program, was also amazing. It was great to see that there are young conductors coming up through the ranks. His energy was exciting for all.

The first concert at Tanglewood was in 1936 and since then a substantial organization and support structure has grown up around the beautiful facility. The capacity is 24,000. Not sure how many were there on Sunday but thousands for sure. Although the main gate was closed to cars when we arrived the police happily motioned us in. Most big events are very courteous to motorcyclists. They save some choice parking areas that are not big enough for cars but are perfect for bikes (or trikes). There were thousands of cars, but just two trikes!

Most people bring wagons with their folded chairs and tables and dinner. Some make quite an elaborate evening out of the free seats on the lawn and embellish their wines and dinners with candles and even candelabras. Nothing that fancy, but we had a great dinner at the Dakota Steak House in Pittsfield.

On the way back we headed across the Hudson River via the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and then up route 385 to Coxackie where we met with our daughter and grandchildren at the Blue Water Bistro. After a delightful lunch, we headed down route 209 along the historic Delaware and Hudson Canal and then back to the Lake. We dodged a few thunderstorms but did not get too wet. We look forward now to another trike trip to Bethel Woods. Stay tuned.

Tags: boston pops, boston symphony orchestra, bso, dakota, delaware and hudson, hudson, hudson river, james taylor, john williams, keith lockhart, kingston, lenox, motorcycle, mozart, pittsfield, route 209, smetana, stockbridge, tanglewood, tchaikovsky, trike, woodstock, yo-yo ma

patrickWeb

It was a beautiful day for riding the trike. The motorcycle log is getting close to 70,000 miles. As an added bonus to the ride, I got to see 8-day-old granddaughter, Cali.

Tags: cali, grandchilren, harley, motorcycle, motorcycling, newtown, riding, trike

Bike Week

One of the nice things about Florida–in addition to the weather–is that friends and family come to visit. This week it was my Harley-riding brother and his wife from upstate New York who visited for a few days. They trailored a new trike down and plan to take various side trips with it and then trailor it back north, and hope the snow is gone by the time they get home. My brother had been to Bike Week before, but it was a first for me. Daytona Beach is only about 30 miles away, but we took the long way, stopped near Ormond Beach for lunch at one of the many “welcome bikers” establishments, and then took a scenic ride along the Old Dixie Highway. The original Dixie Highway was part of the National Auto Trail system, first planned in 1914 to connect the US Midwest with the Southern United States. In total, it is nearly 6,000 miles of segments. The stretch from Ormond Beach to Daytona Beach is quite scenic with a cathedral of overhanging moss and live oak trees.

Daytona Bike Week is an annual motorcycle event and rally that attracts approximately 500,000 people from all over the country. The 10-day event includes motorcycle racing, concerts, parties, street festivals, and of course a huge presence of vendors selling everything imaginable — and some things unimaginable.  Biker Week is a model when it comes to diversity. You will see people old and young, tall and short, slim and obese, well-clothed and barely clothed, long hair, pony tails, short hair, flat tops, and no hair. There are many couples and this year boasted more than 100 weddings that took place on bikes during the event.  Some bikes are painted with pagan and satanic images but among the vendor booths are some that pass out “biker Bibles” and others that offer Christian counseling. Speaking of counseling, the biker attornies have a strong presence for both plaintifs and defendants.

Harley-Davidson is to the Bike Week crowd as the iPad is to the tablet computer market — dominant. Every model and color the company makes were present, but of course the hallmark of a Harley is the customization performed by or for the owners. With my normal disclosure that I am a poor photographer, there are a few pictures from Daytona here on Facebook. What makes a person a biker? There are as many reasons as there are bikes. For me, it is an enjoyable hobby wherein you see places you don’t notice when driving a car and meet some very interesting people.

I always get the question from someone who learns I am a rider, “Do you wear a helmet?”. The answer is yes. The three states that I hang out in — Connecticut, Florida, and Pennsylvania — all have no helmet law. Pennsylvania had a helmet law and repealed it. The motorcycling lobby is a strong one. The argument is that helmets obstruct your vision and hearing. I think there is an element of truth to that but it is incontrovertible that falling off of a bike without a helmet is dangerous to your head. There have been a number of scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles that reflect considerable research on the subject. There is no doubt that lack of a helmet is tied to increased mortality. The keys from my perspective are to take it as a fact that motorcycling is dangerous and to ride defensively. Assume that a car at a cross intersection does not see you and will pull out in front of you. I believe in the slogan “Ride to live and live to ride”.

Tags: bike week, Daytona, harley, helmet, motorcycle, trike

Grand Canyon

Until this week I thought the Grand Canyon was a unique place in Arizona. The Grand Canyon there is the giant for sure — 277 miles  long, up to 18 miles wide and over a mile deep — but now I have learned about another Grand Canyon — in Pennsylvania. The motorcycle trip started out in cloudy weather but within the first hour we encountered rain — not just a few sprinkles but a steady downpour. By the time we reached downtown  historic Tunkhannock the streets were flooded. We found a place to park and went into Twigs Restaurant and Cafe.

I was anxious to check the radar at wunderground.com on the iPhone 4 to see where the storm lines were so I asked the hostess if they had WiFi. Oh, yes we do she proudly announced. Great, what is the SSID? You mean the password? No I mean the name of your wireless access point. Oh, just use “twigs”. Is that with a capital T or lower case? It doesn’t matter. Excuse me, but it does matter. No problem I will try both. Neither worked. Excuse me, is that with one g or two? Just one. Sorry but neither work. Sorry, said the hostess. The owner knows but he isn’t here. Maybe someone else knows? The hostess returned and said it was Twigs1. Nope. No, you need two T’s. I tried TTwigs and Ttwigs, and ttwigs. None worked. The bartender said it is TwigsTwigs1. I tried with and without the 1 but had no luck. The hostess said she had confirmed with the owner that it was correct so if it doesn’t work then you have to contact WiFi! If that doesn’t work try your Internet Service Provider. I explained that the name was set in a little box right there in Twigs and that it was up to them what name they gave it and seems strange that they would want to make it so hard for their customers to use. I finally gave up. At least the food was good. Looking out the window at the downpour and the four of us suited up in our rain gear and headed out into the torrents of rain.

The next hundred miles was more of the same. We could tell that the scenic U.S. Route 6 — more than 3,000 miles long extending from Provincetown, Massachusetts to Bishop, California — offered some great views of the hills and valleys. The stretch of Route 6 we were traveling along the 444 mile long Susquehanna River was beautiful but unfortunately we were not going to witness that on this day and we also needed to keep very focused on the road in front of us. The 175 mile adventure ended in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, a small town of 3,500 people but with a disproportionate number of shops and restaurants to accommodate the tourists who come there to see the Grand Canyon of PA.

First steps for my brother and I and our wives were to check in to the motel, get our motorcycles parked, get a hot shower, and get our rain gear spread out to dry. The  motel WiFi was simple and fast and the iPad was great for checking email, the day’s market activities, and the news and weather — no longer a need to travel with a heavy laptop.  We headed out with umbrellas to Timeless Destination, a fine Italian restaurant a few blocks from the motel. The food was great and just for grins, I asked if they had WiFi. Oh yes but only the manager knows the password and he isn’t in today! I still stand by my deciiion to have gotten the iPad and the new Kindle (coming in a couple of weeks) with no 3GS, just WiFi. WiFi may not be ubiquitous but it is getting there — with a few exceptions in north central Pennsylvania.

After eggs and potatoes at the Wellsboro Diner in the center of town (did not bother asking about WiFi),  it was time to head out west on Route 660 to Grand Canyon. We gambled that we would not need our rain gear and although the weather was not picture perfect we did escape all but a few sprinkles for the day. A short ten mile ride through the hills and valleys brought us to the end of 660 and to the scenic overlook on the east ridge of the canyon in the 160,000 acre park in the Tioga State Forest. I haven’t been to the Grand Canyon in Arizona since I was a child so I can’t compare accurately but the Grand Canyon PA was quite impressive. Also known as Pine Creek Gorge, the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is situated along Pine Creek. The Canyon begins near Wellsboro along Route 6 and continues for approximately 47 miles. The maximum depth of the canyon is 1,450 feet and the distance from rim to rim is approximately 4,000 feet. It is worth seeing and with more time it affords some excellent hiking.

The ride back to the Lake gave us the chance to see the scenic overlooks that we had missed during the prior rainy day. Near Towanda in Asylum Township along the banks of the Susquehanna we saw an historical marking that states, “Marie Antoinette Scenic View, 2000 feet”.  Turns out that in 1793, during the French Revolution several French loyalists fled France and the French island of Santo Domingo (present-day Haiti) to escape persecution and death for their loyalty to King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. They landed on the shores of Philadelphia where some prominent Philadelphians agreed to finance their stay in Pennsylvania. 1,600 acres in Northeastern Pennsylvania were purchased and given to the refugees.  The loyalists traveled up the Susquehanna River to a pristine area in the valley. They had found their safe harbor and named it Asylum. (During the Reign of Terror, at the height of the French Revolution, Louis XVI was deposed and the royal family was imprisoned. Nine months after her husband’s execution, Marie Antoinette was tried, convicted of treason, and executed by guillotine in October 1793.

We stopped in Towanda for lunch. The main street was similar to many towns along Route 6 including it’s own Opera House dated 1886 which is now a hardware store. Unfortunately, the business landscape of rural Pennsylvania and New York reveals many closed retailers and manufacturers. The primary place you see thriving buildings with full parking lots are at schools, hospitals, medical labs and clinics, senior citizen living centers, and various government buildings. I have been fortunate to have traveled to many countries around the world but there is much more to see within a day’s motorcycle ride in the northeast part of America.

Tags: french revolution, grand canyon, grand canyon pa, marie antoinette, motorcycle, rain, route 6, towanda, trike, tunkhannock, wellsboro, WiFi

Tanglewood by Trike

It was a special treat to be able to enjoy a nice 375 mile motorcycle trip along with a memorable concert at Tanglewood. The ride from the lakehouse in Pennsylvania to Lenox, Massachusetts took us on mostly state and county roads in the state of New York. We took Route 6 through Milford, PA to Port Jervis, NY and then up route 209 along the historic Delaware and Hudson Canal to Kingston, across the Hudson and then on numerous back roads to Massachusetts, through West Stockbridge and into Berkshire County to Lenox, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. After checking in at the Inn we headed for Tanglewood.

The first concert at Tanglewood was in 1936 and since then a substantial organization and support structure has grown up around the beautiful facility. The capacity is 24,000. Not sure how many were there last night but probably close to the limit. Although the main gate was closed to cars when we arrived the police happily motioned us in. Most big events are very courteous to motorcyclists. They save some choice parking areas that are not big enough for cars but perfect for bikes (or trikes). Most people bring wagons with their folded chairs and tables and dinner. Some make quite an elaborate evening out of the free seats on the lawn and embellish their wines and dinners with candles and even candelabras.

The theme of the concert was to honor the 30th anniversary at Tanglewood of composer John Williams. Williams is more famous than most of us probably realize. He has composed many of the most recognizable film scores in history, including Jaws, the Star Wars films, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Home Alone, and three Harry Potter films.

The star studded evening included the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. Keith Lockhart, Stefan Asbury, and John Williams all conducted (see stories about my own conducting experiences). The program included selections from Superman, JFK, Seven for Luck, and Harry Potter. As a bonus there was music from the film score of Memoirs of a Geisha conducted by Williams and with an incredible solo performance by Yo-Yo Ma. Ma never ceases to delight and amaze audiences. His first performance was at age five and at age seven he performed for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower. As if the program was not already over the top, nearby resident James Taylor appeared to sing and honor Williams. The evening concluded with Williams conducting Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. There was a fireworks display while the thousands of attendees filed out. For us it was a short three mile ride on the trike back to the Inn.

Today’s ride was mostly backtracking from yesterday but with a few detours to take a slow ride through the main streets of Stockbridge and Woodstock.

Tags: boston pops, boston symphony orchestra, bso, delaware and hudson, hudson, hudson river, james taylor, john williams, keith lockhart, kingston, lenox, motorcycle, route 209, stockbridge, tanglewood, trike, woodstock, yo-yo ma

Fatboy – A Quick GPS Upgrade

The motorcycle trip to Florida in April was one of the biggest adventures of all time for me (see the full story). We decided to take a week from our time at the Lake to go down to Florida to check on some things. Normally it would be considered unbearably hot in Florida in July but this year it was cooler than up north. At least on the day we departed for Flagler County Airport. Turned out to get even hotter than the north but we have still been having a good time. While here I decided to upgrade the GPS on the Fatboy. It was a simple plan but took two days! Riding the Harley-Davidson 2003 (Anniversary Year) Fatboy for 1,194 miles from Connecticut to Palm Coast, Florida back in April turned out to be the easy part.

I had purchased a cover for the Fatboy to protect it from salty air in the garage. When I got here Wednesday there was no salt on the bike but it was covered with mold and a frog was happily living under the engine. The cover was supposed to be “breathable” but seems instead it created an inviting environment for things to grow. I rode the bike down to Ormond Beach to Dino’s Detailing and they did an incredible job making the Fatboy look like new. While they had the bike I rented a 2008 Harley-Davidson Street Glide. The six speed 105 cubic inch touring bike was a joy to ride but it was great to get the Fatboy back again the next morning and then ride the long straight and flat back roads of Florida to Crescent Beach for lunch at Three Bananas. The total ride for the day was a very hot 150 miles.

The Garmin StreetPilot GPS was a great aid for the Fatboy for some years but it had outlived it’s usefulness. The $1,000 device was advanced five years ago but is a dinosaur now. BestBuy had an Insignia brand GPS for $69 that has more than sufficient functionality for motorcycling and I was able to get a nice handlebar mounting bracket that — with some Velcro in the right place — will be just fine. The only problem was that the electrical cable that I had installed for the Garmin is incompatible with the USB cable used by the Insignia. I could make the changes myself but figured that the Harley dealer in Daytona could do it much more quickly. They said “come on down” and they would do it right away. I rode down to Daytona Destination — the world’s largest Harley dealer — and right into the service entrance. (See photo gallery).

What I thought would be a 15 minute job turned out to be an hour and a half and in trying it out before paying the bill I noticed immediately that the GPS unit was very hot. To make a long story short the technician had not included the Insignia’s power adapter in the wiring. In other words he wired it so that the 12 volts from the bike battery was connected to the 5 volt USB cable to the GPS. Fried. It was now past 5 pm and the dealer closes at 6 PM. On the Fatboy, down I95 to International Speedway Blvd to Best Buy. To my amazement they took the fried unit back even though I had no receipt or packaging. Then on to Radio Shack to get a cigarette lighter adapter to connect the power adapter to the bike. Back to Daytona Destination at 5:45. The technician stayed and got the wiring finished by 6:30. Nice ride back up to Palm Coast in the balmy weather but with a nice breeze along A1A by the ocean and home just in time to join up with friends for dinner. See the gallery links below for pictures related to this story.

Destination Daytona (largest motorcycle dealer in the world)
Gallery of Fatboy pictures (and Garmin StreetPilot)
Rental bike from Ormond Beach

Tags: A1A, Best Buy, Daytona, detailing, Fatboy, Garmin, gps, harley, harley-davidson, I-95, I95, Insignia, motorcycle, motorcycling, Ormond Beach, Palm Coast, Street Glide

American Glory

The destination was unknown but the weather outside was so perfect that a motorcycle ride was an easy decision. The trike was full of gas and mp3 music and ready to go in any direction. Heading west on Route 35 and then north on I-684 and west on I-84 got me to the Taconic Parkway in just under forty miles. The scenic 105 mile Taconic has quite a history dating back to the 1920′s. The ride was enjoyable until the TomTom Rider GPS somehow came loose and flew off the trike. Pulling off the road and going back to get the TomTom without getting run over was a challenge and after retrieval it was clear that this TomTom would be no more — it had served me well since 2005.

Heading northwest on route 82 from the Taconic brought me to historic Hudson, New York, a city named after the adjacent Hudson River (315 miles long) and ultimately after the English sea explorer and navigator Henry Hudson. Hudson is only about 2.5 square miles with a population of about 7,500 but it has a very interesting main street with shops, restaurants, and even an Opera House which is in the 1855 former Hudson City Hall. I chose the American Glory for lunch and it was a real treat. A cup of chilli with a piece of cornbread, a small salad, and a WiFi connection to use the iPad. What more could anyone ask?

The second hundred miles of the ride was across the backroads of New York to Great Barrington, Massachusetts and then south through Sheffield and into Connecticut. Turns out the the Iron Bridge crossing the 149 mile long Housatonic River is closed for repairs and there was a twenty mile detour. No problem — some more nice roads to ride! It was a great day to enjoy the scenic views of rivers, mountains, farms, and an infinite number of antique shops. The total trip in the motorcycle log is 222 miles. It will soon be time for 15,000 mile service on the trike.

Other patrickWeb motorcycle related stories

Tags: gps, housatonic, hudson, motorcycle, opera house, taconic, tomtom, trike, WiFi

Chilling Effects

Geocaching in Florida last week was an exciting experience and it was chilling to come home and find the temperature more than 75 degrees colder. There is a lot I want to write about Linux, WiFi, blogging, digital identity and other aspects of Internet technology, but I know there are patrickWeb readers who are fellow motorcyclists and geocachers who may be interested in this update. The sky was blue, the roads were clear, and I could not resist a motorcycle ride. It was one of the shortest on record for me. An even chillier experience is what happened to my hard drive. (read more)

Tags: backup, geocache, motorcycle, wind chill