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| Monday, 15 June, 2015. See you on the road! Ride to Work |
Ride to Work
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Evening Ride to Exton
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| Parked next to a Toaster |
After we ate we noticed a TJ Maxx in the strip mall behind the Fridays and I wanted to stop and buy some disposable baseball caps. I am finding it next to impossible to keep a hat on my head when driving the MG because of the wind, it just tears hat right. We've had to stop and turn around to pick up a hat more than once and have been lucky up until now with being able to retrieve them all but one never knows when Fortuna will stop smiling. So the idea is to buy some baseball caps that are inexpensive and that we don't care about so if we lose them, no big. deal. We found some Adidas caps designed for runners at $9.99 a piece. These fit tight to the shape of the head, are very light way, and are really adjustable so they can be cinched against the wind. More importantly, if they fly off, no one cares. We tried them on the ride back and they worked really well.
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| Disposable Adidas runner's caps |
For the way back we took Old Lincoln Hwy from 30 to Warren and followed Warren to Providence and Goshen. By this time we were well into the blue hour. It was a little cooler but it sure was a very enjoyable ride. We saw some deer on the side of the road on Goshen, luckily they did not bound onto the road.
The ride out wasn't much but the ride back was definitely enjoyable and now that the headlights are working probably will turn into our favorite time to cruise.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
The Dragon on the Bullet
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| 3708.9 on departure |
I took the regular run up Goshen to Garrett Mills and across the West Chester Pike to 926. On the way out, because it was Friday after lunch time, the traffic was fairly light and I had big stretches of the road to myself. I hit the red at 926 and 322/202, there I noticed a sign on my side of the road that said "The English Car" with an Union Jack for a background but no other information. I scanned the area as best I could but could not find any other clue as to what that was about.
I hit the turn at Creek Road and decided to stop at the Sunoco on Route 1 because, once again, I could not remember when I had fueled up last. I was pretty sure that I could make the run all the way without a refuel and I was really enjoying the twists on Creek before Rt 1 but there's no profit in the risk of running out of gas, specially on a loop like this where there is no other fuel until you reach Kennett Square.
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| 3728.9 at refuel |
From there I continued the loop. The twists are still as much fun as I remember and with the added boost from the Power Commander the Bullet handled them even better than I remember. I don't push them or go kamikaze crazy like the youngsters on the sports bikes but I still enjoying pushing then envelop a little.
The run out to Kennett Square was mostly solitary with very light traffic, if any, on most of the road. I don't believe I saw another bike going in the opposite direction on this portion of the run. Once in Kennett Square I accomplished the impossible, I was able to get across State Street without having to stop for the light.
The traffic from there began to pick up and got to the heaviest in 926 right before 322/202 and out to 352. From there it lightened up again all the way home.
A fantabulous (you can tell I'm listening to Van Morrison radio on Pandora) way to spend a Friday afternoon when one doesn't have to go work. When my friend Phillip comes to visit in July, we are doing this run.
I got back home almost two and a half hours after departure with 3771.1 miles on the odo for 62.2 miles on this run. That's a smidgen over a gallon of gas but well worth it at $3.09 for Ultra. Much more enjoyable than the Century I pulled the Friday before. Next Friday, if the Parcae allow, I plan on running out to Kennett Square and turning around there to reverse the route and catch both sides of the twists. May it be their will.
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| Refueling at the Sunoco on Route 1 |
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| 3771 at return for 62.2 miles on the run |
Polyphemus
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| On departure 3676.5 |
But plans are just that. As I headed out on Bishop Hollow I remarked to myself how much improvement had been done on the roads since our last trip there. A lot of the preliminary work had been completed and big portions of the road had been completely resurfaced. However, soon after passing Chapel Hill Rd, the road was mostly in a state of preparation with no repairs completed. Large portions of the road had been torn up leaving large rectangular open pits with at least a four inch drop from the primary road surface. I hit the first one pretty fast, to the point that I worried I might blow a tire. From there I slowed down to me the transitions in and out of the pits but by pit number five or six the rattling must have been too much for the Bullet.
After negotiating the jump out of that pit, somewhere past Featherling Lane but not quite to Steeplechase, the headlight jump out of the bucket. Luckily the wires held and the headlight remained attached to the bike and light but dangling like a large cyclopean eye from its optic nerve stalk.
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| Polyphemus after meeting Odysseus |
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| The jumper cable is the short group of wires between the two read connectors on the lower starboard side of the headlight nacelle. |
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| Here's the jumper cable after I pulled it away from the nacelle. From here it's just a matter of disconnecting the two white couplers from each other, removing the cable and connecting the red couplers together. |
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| Red couplers with the jumper removed before being attached to each other. |
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| Jumper cable |
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| All back together with the top screw nice and tight now. |
At Providence I took a left and headed towards the Pike. I crossed the Pike with the intention on staying on Providence to its end at Sugartown. At the intersection with Goshen I saw a dark blue Maserati making a left in front of me onto Goshen. This was not the same Maserati we saw on Sunday afternoon on Goshen because although they both appeared to be the same model this one was a much darker blue than the one on Sunday.
I continued on to Sugartown took the left there and another left at Goshen for the trip back home. Despite the hassle with the headlight and the fact that I cut the ride short after that it was a good ride with not too much traffic and with good roads in the portions that have been repaired. I will wait at least a week before I venture out on Bishop Hollow again.
On the way out the odo had 3676.5 miles and on return 3698.2 miles for about 22 miles on this run.
The exotic tally stands at 15 Ferraris, 13 Teslas, 11 Maseratis, 4 Bentleys, 3 Cobras, 2 McLarens, 2 Austin-Healeys, 2 Lambos, 2 Unknowns,1 Rolls Royce, and 1 DeLorean.
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| 3698.2 on return |
Friday, May 29, 2015
Memorial Day Ride
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| Fellini Café, Chadds Ford |
We headed out to an estate sale in Ardmore at around 10:00. We had to take a run around the West Chester Pike because Ardmore was having its Memorial Day Parade that morning. The sale was supposed to have some motorcycle things but other than some Harley memorabilia there was not really very much motorcycle stuff there.
From the estate sale we got back on the Pike and headed out to 926. Charlene wanted to go to the other antique mall on Route 1 that we had missed on our previous ride on Saturday. So we took 926 and headed towards Chadds Ford. When we got to Creek Rd we were so busy chatting and enjoying the ride that I just blew by the intersection and kept going. I realized once I crossed over the Brandywine in Pocopson that I had overshot so I turned around at the old train station turned into a veterinarian's and headed back to Creek Road.
We followed Creek to Route 1 and then took the right towards Chadds Ford Winery where the antique mall is located. That portion of one is a divided highway so I had to overshoot and turn around to get to the parking lot. Once there we milled about, we were in luck because the downstairs portion was open which has been very rare in our previous visits. There are a couple of dealers in the downstairs that specialize in militaria and in one of those stalls I found an Armed Forces Germany plate that I wanted to buy to put on Montse. Of course, that particular dealer was not there so I had the desk lady call him and ask a price because, as is usual with anything I want in these places, this was the only thing that was not marked. He had a range of plates from $8.00 to $12.00 dollars and I would have paid the $12.00 without blinking an eye. When the lady got the dealer on the phone he asked me to make an offer and I said $10.00, shooting for the middle and knowing he would probably counter with $12.00. Well he countered with $15.00 which annoyed me enough not to play the game. Sometimes these antique dealers can really annoy the living dog out of me.
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| Charlene in the Café |
After dinner we just headed back home via Creek, 926, and Garretts Mill to Goshen. It was another fabulous day with great weather and a fun ride. There was no issues with the brakes but then again I did not set the parking brake at any time.
Parking Brake Issues
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| Random shot of Montse on Coldstream Rd earlier on Sunday |
Once on Ridley Creek we continued all the way out to Rose Tree Rd where we made a left. The Chrysler is gone from the corner, good thing I got the shot of it when I did.
We followed Rose Tree out to 352. The hills on Rose Tree were a little strenuous on the MG. She had to struggle to get up but she handled the twists like a champ. We stayed on 352 out to 926 where we made the right turn. At the West Chester Pike we took a right instead of cutting across to Garret Mill because we wanted to go to the Acme on the Pike and 252.
We stopped at the Acme and I set the emergency brake. When we came out, the brake would not disengage. I fiddled with it and eventually it let loose but not all the way. I drove the car the short distance home but I wasn't happy about it. Once in the garage, I started to look in the manuals to see what I need to do and decided to wait for the morning. The brake was still engaged, if not all the way, and the brakes were so hot they were smoking.
On Monday morning the brakes had disengaged for themselves. I am not going to fool around with them, I just won't set the parking brake again. When I bring the car in for inspection in September I will have Harold take a look at them and figure out the fix.
Part of the road in Bishop Hollow has been fixed and they were getting ready to continue the work. The sections that were fixed were in really good condition. When the road gets completely done it will be a great ride.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Chester County Antique Car Show
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| Chester County Antique Car Show |
We headed up 252 to Darby Rd and followed that to 30 West. From there we took the right at 29 to Charlestown Rd and followed that to Coldstream Rd. There we made a left and continued on to Hare Hill Rd for a right. The turn at Hare Hill Rd is pretty tight and steep and I was glad to have my newly deflated tires to take that that turn on the hill. Hare Hill runs to Kimberton Rd, where we made another right, and that runs to the downtown area of Kimberton to the Fair Grounds back entrance. I should have taken 113 and come in that way because we found that entry to the grounds was limited but we were able to pull into the overflow area and park under a tree.
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| Jim Mooney's F100 |
The show was not organized like the HCCP shows, cars were parked as they arrived with what appeared to be minor exceptions. The older cars, early 1900s were all clustered together by the food trucks and, of course, the Mustangs had their own area. The show was in an open field with not much shade so we didn't stick around long. We took some pictures, did a once around the showfield, check out the flea market and got out of Dodge.
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| Pennsylvania Barn on Coldstream Road |
When we reached 252 on Goshen there was a dark metallic blue Maserati that led us all the way home. That sure is one nice looking car.
The rest of the show pictures are in my Cars Flickr set.
The exotic tally stands at 15 Ferraris, 13 Teslas, 10 Maseratis, 4 Bentleys, 3 Cobras, 2 McLarens, 2 Austin-Healeys, 2 Lambos, 2 Unknowns,1 Rolls Royce, and 1 DeLorean.
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| Flamin' Anglia |
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| Spirit of Ecstasy |
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| Nash Metropolitan No. 1 |
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| Nash Metropolitan No. 2 |
Monday, May 25, 2015
Short Sunday Morning Ride
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| 3599.2 on departure |
I just intended to go straight up Goshen to the Wawa and I figured since I left the house fairly early I would have the road mostly to myself. Well it turns out that Sunday morning must have been National Drive Your Pick-up Slow Day. Soon after crossing 252 I fell in behind a pick-up truck that was hell bent on driving 10 miles under the limit and ride the brakes on every curb. I couldn't pass him on the left because of the twists and when I had a clear shot there was always someone on the on-coming lane. So this continued until I got to Grubbs Mill where I made the right to get away. At that point a Power Ranger in a sports bike blew by me probably as full of impatience as I was. He should have come my way.
The loop on Grubbs Mill to Warren and the to Providence and Sugartown was mostly deserted. A great time to enjoy the twists and turns without virtually any traffic to worry about. Probably the best part of the ride. Once back on Goshen things had cleared out a little so I was able to enjoy that part out to 352 and then to the Wawa without any more delays.
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| 3613.5 at refuel |
I took the reverse route back home without the loop out of Goshen only to fall in behind another pick-up truck driving below the speed limit. When I was making the right onto Goshen, I noticed a red 1960s convertible 'Vette proceeding on 352 past me. I was just after I made that turn that I got behind the yellow pick-up with the tree trimmings. I followed this miserable guy all the way out to Old Covered Bridge Rd and then I had that little bit of Goshen free.
Not the greatest ride, except for the loop on Grubbs Mill, but it was just a fuel-up expedition in any case because we wanted to be on the road to the car show by 10:00. When I got home, the odo read 3623.4 for about 22 miles on this run.
It did add another 'Vette to the count in what is turning out to be the Weekend of the 1960s 'Vette. The classic car tally is now three Nash Metropolitans, three 1950s Jags, three 1960's 'Vettes, one MGA, one Hot Rod, one 1950s Chrysler, one 1950s Oldsmobile, one 1950's Plymouth, one Karmann Ghia, one 1950s grocery-getter, and one Ford Model A.
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| 3623.4 on return |
Sunday, May 24, 2015
1920s Hottie
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| Found in a Chadds Ford antique shop |
We headed up Goshen to Garret Mills and across the Pike for 926 with the intent of doing the Dragon. As noted before, the road surfaces have been greatly improved so the ride is a lot smoother. Also, I took the advice of one of my friends from the TDr Forum and lowered the air pressure on the tires from 32 psi all around to 18 psi in front and 24 psi in back. It is amazing how much just such a simple change has improved the handling and cornering of the little beastie.
On the way out 926 we saw a sign for Thornbury Farms off New Street so on the spur of the moment we took the left onto New St and followed the signs. It's just a short jaunt to a right fork on to Thornbury Rd and soon after that the farm stand is on the right at the top of a steep dirt driveway. They have the usual farm stand fare and in addition the have some really good chocolate chip cookies so it is definitely a place to visit from time to time. They also have an old truck tricked out like Tow Mater and a pretty cool old red tractor. I also noticed a sign that said the farm was established in 1709 so if that is true, it's pretty impressive. We got some cookies and sourdough bread and headed back to 926.
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| Tow Mater |
Once on 926 we saw an older red Ferrari and shortly after that a gold 1950s grocery-getter with huge fins. I did not have time to identify the make of the grocery-getteras I just caught off the corner of my eye because he honked at us. They were both headed in the opposite direction and soon after that we made the turn onto Creek Rd. We thought we would stop at Hank's Place and get some lunch but when we pulled in the parking lot the line was out the door so we went with plan B.
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| Tower and reflections - will try again soon. |
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| Multiple sightings Ferrari |
After lunch we took a little walk in the downtown area and tried La Michoacana Mexican ice cream place. Not so much. The chocolate ice cream wasn't very chocolaty at all, it was mostly vanilla and if I wanted vanilla I would have ordered that. Live and learn.
Once back on the road we took Route 1 north rather than continue to 926 because we want to stop at one of the antique places along the road. We stopped at Brandywine Rive Antiques, the first place we came upon, we have been there before and they always have some interesting things besides it is in an old barn and I love old barns. It was there that we found the photo of the flapper, or as I like to call her the 1920s hottie. We both thought she was too cute to pass up so we bought the photo and brought it home with us. We are framing it and putting it up on our wall somewhere.
After that we continued on 1 north until we hit Creek Rd. and took that to 926. At the turn onto Creek Road we were passed by a metallic light blue and white stripped 1960s 'Vette. On 926 I saw a dark grey Bentley just before getting to 352. We took 352 to the Wawa on the West Chester Pike for a refuel and frozen coffee. By the time we got to the Wawa we had run 142.7 miles since the last refuel and the odo read 3693. The tank took 5.532 gallons (taking care not to over-fill) at $3.319 a gallon for a total of $18.36. Mileage on this tank was 25.79 mpg.
From the Wawa we just headed back down Strasburg/Goshen for the ride home. No problems, no issues, except that the gas gauge has gone out again. Maybe this has to do with the same circuit that the horn is on but it doesn't matter, I got the trip odometer and I can figure refuels on that. Despite the earlier chill, the weather was great and since we were mostly on shady country lanes the sun did not create a big problem. Much fun was had by all.
The exotic tally stands at 15 Ferraris, 13 Teslas, 9 Maseratis, 4 Bentleys, 3 Cobras, 2 McLarens, 2 Austin-Healeys, 2 Lambos, 2 Unknowns,1 Rolls Royce, and 1 DeLorean.
The classic car tally is now three Nash Metropolitans, three 1950s Jags, two 1960's 'Vettes, one MGA, one Hot Rod, one 1950s Chrysler, one 1950s Oldsmobile, one 1950's Plymouth, one Karmann Ghia, one 1950s grocery-getter, and one Ford Model A.
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| Tractor at Thronbury Farms |
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| Half Moon Restaraurant |
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| Wild game sampler |
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| Sauteed mushroom plate |
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| Random motorcycle store window display |
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| Downtown Kennett Square |
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| Downtown Kennett Square |
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| 3693 at refuel |
Friday, May 22, 2015
Dixie
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| "I wish I was in Dixie..." |
I left work at noon with 3496.0 miles on the odo. My plan was to head out Ithan to Sproul and out to Goshen to follow that to 926. However, I ended up making a detour by home to drink a shake before heading out because I was getting hungry. On my way home I saw a silver convertible Ferrari by the Agnes Irwin School. The first of many sightings on this ride. I did not stay home long, just grabbed a shake and was out on the road by 12:15.
I followed Goshen out to 926 and the ride was pretty easy on they way out. Most of the holes on 926 have been fixed and in some areas there has been complete repaving so the road surface is miles ahead of were it was a couple of weeks back. The temps were in the low to mid 60s with blue skies and some wind so almost perfect riding weather. Somewhere pass 202/322 I saw a red Ferrari 308 GTS headed in the opposite direction on 926. I don't recognize very many Ferraris by model but the 308 GTS is hard to miss.
Shortly after crossing 52 I fell in behind a line trailing a big piece of farm equipment. This was the first "hazard" I encountered. It plugged along all the way just before 82 where it turned off to the right and I was able to take the road. That piece of 926 pass 82 and all the way out to 41 is a really great ride. Some good twists and turns with hilly terrain that has good wooded cover on both sides of the road. That probably was the most enjoyable part of the ride.
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| Maryland State Line |
As always happens, the way back was "shorter" than the way out. The wind was still a factor and I pushed me pretty badly on 1 but I got on 926 without any problems. However soon after crossing 41 I fell in behind a gravel truck that I was not going to shake. I followed it out to 82 and there I pulled in to check out a place to eat that I had seen. I figure I could get a little rest and let the gravel truck get the hell out of my way. Somewhere before that I saw a white Tesla going in the opposite direction on 926.
The place I wanted to check out was Savona Bistro. I pulled up to the parking lot and got off the Bullet but I didn't go in. It looked a little too snooty for what I was looking for which was a bowl of chili and a sandwich. I checked their menu on my iPhone and decided to move along. After getting back on 926 I saw another Tesla, this time dark grey, running in the opposite direction. The truck was long gone so I had a nice run down to 52 there I got caught at the light and the red New Beetle (with a "Red Bean" sticker on the back) in front of snoozed through the change making me miss that light as well. When the next light came I fell in right behind a metallic light blue mid 60s 'Vette with historic Maryland plates that had just turn right onto 926 from 52. I followed him all the way down to 202/322 where he made the left.
I thought for about too seconds about turning in the strip mall there to get some food but it was starting to get really tired with well over 80 miles run and was wanting to get home. I continued on 926 and at the intersection of 352 saw a blue Bentley (which reminds me of the light gray Bentley I saw on Sproul just past Godfrey on the commute home on the Bullet on Wednesday).
From there I just ran my regular loop down 926 to Garrets Mill and Goshen. When I got to Goshen and 252 I had 3594.5 miles on the odo and to make sure I would make a century on this ride I took the left to the traffic circle at St Davids and that to Chruch getting me home with 3599.2 miles on the odo at 15:10. That guaranteed the century which is the longest the Bullet has ever run. I now has three states on its tires, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland and we have crossed into Dixie.
It was a tiring ride with some really good parts and some aggravating parts due to traffic on the road. I did not enjoy the wind, especially on the highway, and I don't know that I will try this ride again. At one point I had wanted to make a run to the Susquehanna but I don't know that I will now. I might just stick to my shorter rides, they are more enjoyable.
The exotic tally stands at 13 Ferraris, 13 Teslas, 9 Maseratis, 3 Cobras, 3 Bentleys, 2 McLarens, 2 Austin-Healeys, 2 Lambos, 2 Unknowns,1 Rolls Royce, and 1 DeLorean.
The classic car tally is now three Nash Metropolitans, three 1950s Jags, one MGA, one Hot Rod, one 1960's 'Vette, one 1950s Chrysler, one 1950s Oldsmobile, one 1950's Plymouth, one Karmann Ghia, and one Ford Model A.
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| At the gas station |
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| On departure from work |
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| Maryland State Line |
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| The Mason-Dixon Line |
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| At the Mason Dixon Line |
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| On return at home |
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Maseratis, Oldsmobiles, and Teslas.
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| On departure 3442.3 at 18:22 |
I had to go to the pharmacy in Newtown Square and after that I went by AC Moore to get some more paint for the MG TC model I've been building. I'm getting close to finishing it. At the parking lot of AC Moore I pulled up to a guy in a pick-up truck who thought the Bullet was an original. I gave him the elevator speech about Royal Enfield and he was just dumbfounded that they still made the things. It's always nice to talk to people that are interested in the old bikes.
When I left AC Moore, as I turned left onto the West Chester Pike from Springfield Rd, there was a 1950s convertible red and white Oldsmobile waiting to make a left from the Pike onto Ann St. I thought I might have seen it at the show on Sunday but on looking back at the photos that I took I did not see anything like it. It might have been there but I doubt that I didn't take a picture of it if it was.
I headed out the Pike to 252 and took that to Goshen. I followed Goshen/Strasburg to the Citadel bank at the end of the road, used that as a turn around point, and headed back home on a reverse route. When I reached Providence Rd, there was a purple exotic headed in the opposite direction on Goshen. The emblem looked like the Bentley spread wings emblem but it certainly did not look like a Bentley. It was a low slung, two seater, sportster more in the look of an Italian exotic. It'll go in the tally as an unknown.
This was just a short ride so as not to waste the day. The road conditions have been improved dramatically over the last three or four weeks. There are very few pot holes left and that made the ride much more enjoyable. Because of the lateness of the hour there was not much traffic either so it allowed my to have the road mostly to myself. I had no issues on the ride but on the way out to the pharmacy on 252 I lost power and I had a similar issue on the way home on county line road. I've scheduled the 3K mile maintenance for June 4th and I will definitely have that kickstand switch disconnected then.
On the way home for lunch this afternoon, I saw a white Tesla on Darby-Paoli just after the Godfrey turn. When I left the house yesterday afternoon the odo read 3442.3 and on return 3468.6 for 26.3 miles on this ride.
The exotic tally stands at 11 Ferraris, 11 Teslas, 9 Maseratis, 3 Cobras, 2 Bentleys, 2 McLarens, 2 Austin-Healeys, 2 Lambos, 2 Unknowns,1 Rolls Royce, and 1 DeLorean.
The classic car tally is now three Nash Metropolitans, three 1950s Jags, one MGA, one Hot Rod, one 1950s Chrysler, one 1950s Oldsmobile, one 1950's Plymouth, one Karmann Ghia, and one Ford Model A.
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| On return 3468.6 at 19:34 |
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