It seems like it took forever but we finally made it to Laconia. For reasons I can’t explain it took almost six hours to travel about 100 miles. There were stops for gas, breakfast, lunch and sushi along the way.
And then there was the rain. It rained on us for most of the trip. I am becoming concerned that I have forgotten how to ride on dry pavement. We have been rained on every day of the trip.
We arrived at about 3:30 p.m. Things were is full swing by then. The streets were chaotic. They always are at these rallies. We found a parking lot on the far end of town and left our bikes there. We walked into town. There is a group of people who must ride their bikes into town and through the rally.
I don’t get it. But there are thousands of bikers here and each one has his or her own way of approaching the rally. And yes, there are plenty of women who ride their own bikes.
We wound our way to what is known as Weirs Beach. Of course along the way there are vendors for everything from patches to sow on your jackets, to T-shirts, oh there are plenty of those, sunglasses, cigars and many other items of apparel ranging from interesting underwear to leather jackets.
One of Andy’s goals was to have a lobster dinner. We did manage to accomplish that.
We bought the obligatory patches …”I rode mine to Laconia” and a few T-Shirts and then headed back to our hotel in Bow, New Hampshire. The sushi restaurant is right across the street so we went over there and finished the night off with a few beers.
Tomorrow I am headed home. I have been to the rally, bought my patch and T-shirt and had a lobster. Not much else to do. I am not going to take the same route back that brought me here. It does look as though whatever route I take I am going to get rained on. But I am going to go a little further south. The temperature will be a little warmer. If I am going to get rained on at least I can be a little warmer.
I wear my leather jacket and chaps when I ride in cold or rainy weather. I don’t know what you know about chaps but they do not cover all of one’s body. I will tell you this. When rain is falling and the temperature is 50 degrees that water is cold. And when it begins to cascade down off the fuel tank, well you can imagine where it is going. That will certainly get your attention!