March 6, 2011

It's raining in Southeastern PA today. The temperature is mild compared to what we have been having (low to mid 50's), but it really is not a good day for comfortable riding. So what to do? Four wheel over to Giegertown for a fire house breakfast and a couple hours of stories, lies, and plans for the coming year's rides.

You don't really have to have a destination in mind in order to go for a great ride, but it makes it easier to describe to others if you can say, "We went to X", so we decided to start keeping a bucket list of potential destination on the blog, just a place to capture ideas about where to ride to, from the close and mundane to the distant and whimsical. For a start, we've added a few state high points that we haven't touched yet and the four corners of the country (not necessarily in one continuous ride, just something to get to before the second coming). This list got me thinking about places we have already been, so I added another page to capture those, with a couple of starting entries. Blog pages are listed at the top of the blog below the main picture. Have a look.

On another note, young Will, at just over 2 1/2 years old, traded up to his first two wheeler yesterday, black like Granddad's new bike. This new bike thing must run in the family, though apparently with a generation skip. Along those lines, here is a picture of Will's great-great-Granddad (Granddad's Granddad) relaxing on the back of a Harley Davidson outside of Catskill, NY, in 1912.


Near as I can tell that's a very early J model Harley, complete with pedals. The family stories do not relate why G-G-Granddad was there, but history tells us that the first motorcycle race in America was run between Catskill, NY and NYC in 1912, so it is possible that he and his friend had traveled north to watch.









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Here on the left is another picture of great-great-granddad and his friend at the corner on Spring Street in Catskill (G-G-G on the right) and a photo of Granddad with his old motorcycle (the Suzuki) at the same spot quite a few years later. I'm thinking maybe we should get Will back east next summer so he and Granddad can take a road trip up to Catskill for a 100 year family photo!