night 1

Night 1

Kittery, ME  to Pittsfield, Ma

Leaving home on an 8 day long motorcycle trip is never an easy feat.  First you want to make sure you have everything and that it all works.  Since this plan was thought up, considered, decided and executed all within about 3 weeks that didn’t work out as planned.

So with one ride with the heated vest, no rides with the new gloves, heated grips, corbin seat, windscreen, saddlebags, topcase and tank bag we started off on a cold chilly afternoon.    The excitement of new equipment and the promise of a great adventure awaiting us.

I had told everyone to meet us for 5:30 but secretly hoped to be on the road no later than 5:35.  Of course in typical fashion I held us up for a few more minutes and the 6pm time originally thought up was executed.

Thankfully Chris decided to ride the first leg with us and from his ride to my house was able to instruct us to bundle up.  Chris doesn’t get cold while ridding so his warning was followed by all but Rachel whom decided her warm weather riding gloves would work just fine this evening.

Our fist 2 hours passed by fairly quickly we were able make it to almost dinner and I had to stop to help Rachel warm up.  Her hands were freezing and to her credit she pushed about 1.5 hours past her comfort point in the chilly 46 degree weather.

After we swapped the heated gloves and got her wired into the heated vest she seemed to really cheer up.  I had to layer up without the heated gear but with dinner shortly approaching her comfort was more important.  Besides my heated grips were keeping pace with keeping my hands warm enough.

Highlight from dinner was the waitress asking if we had just gotten back from a ski trip (we were rather bundled up I suppose). 

Continuing the ride we make it to my folks place for 10pm, temperature a chilly 42 degrees.  Our first few hundred miles in the book and no frost bite.  

We settled in at my parents place for 11:30pm and awaited the trip to begin.  Temperatures in western mass promising to be in the mid-thirties for our departure at 6:30am.