It’s the best time of year for riding and I’m making up for lost time from September

Post GS-Trophy remarks are unchanged. However the lingering pain I feel still in my shoulder is hard to shake. As with American Medical Care, my doctor’s exam was inconclusive so I pushed for some imaging and they sent me in for an X-Ray saying an MRI would be seen as my insurance company as irresponsible and ‘over-testing’ so I did so and paid $500 in total for the exam & X-ray which came back all fine. The post-visit notes from my doctor said that if I still have pain in 6-8 weeks, they’ll authorize an MRI. I just put in that request because I am still having shoulder pains. I look forward to another $500 bill for that and paying 100% of the physical therapy costs to hopefully mend my rotator cuff this Winter.

September, I only rode my bike a couple of times. I wasn’t against riding I just returned from the GS Trophy as a loser, hurt my shoulder then got stuck in what was a very basic mud hole and then I put the bike away and didn’t get back on it for the rest of the month.

The BMW MOV’s Green Mountain Rally took place 1 week after the GS Trophy Qualifier. 275 people showed up, no one I heard of was injured or contracted COVID-19 and everyone had a wonderful time. I drove to that rally and as rally-chair, am glad I did. There were errands to run and things to do and my should was in a lot of pain. For the first time ever at a rally, I booked a cabin instead of sleeping on the ground. The shoulder pain was very bad then and has gotten better.

Sunday after the rally, I woke up and did a ‘status run’ to Chattanooga where I had won a free 2 night hotel stay and Delta flight thanks to Chattanooga’s tourism board giving away travel to anyone who wanted it to boost spending in the area and if someone wants to give me miles & points, I take them so I worked Monday from a Marriot in Chattanooga and got an earlier flight back still getting my 2-night hotel stay and miles for zero cost. It was enough to push me over the limit for Marriot Platinum & Delta Silver for 2022.

On 9/17, I hosted the MOA’s Getaway in Warren Vermont. Checking people in, helping them with local guidance and routes and offering tips on where to go. That was a fun 2 nights and I met a lot of new people but…still no riding for me.

The week before my wedding on October 2nd, Heather went down to Boston for an overnight with friends so I took the dog and once again, drove out into the White Mountains and went camping for a couple of nights.

It wasn’t until October 8th that I finally threw a leg over and got back on the bike. I missed our peak fall foliage but it’s okay. That’s life and injury and other things like getting married were more important this month. Since then though, it’s been a really fantastic October for riding.

Heather and I returned some wedding supplies to a friend a couple of hours away which lead to some great photos of my loaded up 701 and Heather’s first full day off-pavement as we rode around back roads of New Hampshire and she gets more comfortable on looser terrain

On October 15th, I got to spend a day with Harry on some single and two-track trails in Central NH and we had a blast. This was my first extended day on the Husky 701 since it stranded me in July thanks to a failed electrical system where no fuel was going to the motor. Riding with a 690 was great…he and I have a similar style and speed although his corner speed on trails is much faster than mine thanks to his competition skills as a younger guy

On a brisk 45 degree morning, Heather and I finally got out on our bikes together again and went to breakfast

..and, I spent that entire Sunday getting the 701 ready for a longer ride. The main issues were with the Zumo XT from Garmin and the poorly made wiring harness that Garmin acknowledged is an issue and replaced for free but I had not made time to get it wired up. I also added a few other wired bits and managed some of the cables now that I had dialed in where I liked everything on the dashboard

On the 22nd, I finally got a full solo weekend of riding. This was my first solo weekend in months…I think since July have I not been able to just go out and ride and go at my own pace and not need to be somewhere…well kind of. I had to work until 1PM on Friday and I did 7 hours of riding on Friday well past dark then on Saturday I woke up at my friend’s house and it was 40 degrees out and I rode until 4PM on Saturday managing to hit 500 miles in just 15 hours of seat time on the 701. I took up the New Hampshire Flatlander and there were 3 sections I had to skip due to time but I did about 85% of the total route and I’ve done some of the sections I skipped before so I don’t feel too bad about it.

I intended to give you a monthly update and I’m sorry for the delay. The newsletter is still very important to me I just need to balance a few things at the moment and it was a busy Fall. The foliage was gorgeous up here this year and I still got to see it at my wedding and from my office window. As for the GS, the battery is dead and it’s sitting in my basement with dirt and mud still on it from the GS Trophy. I’ll roll it out in a few weeks to give it a full bath and then get it back to touring mode. Next update will likely be in 3-4 weeks as we embark on our trip down to NC/AL for a Winter break…and yes there will be riding!

I’m guessing that some people probably think I rode a LOT since GS Trophy and looking back on the last 2 months, I made up for a lack of riding in September and an injury was a perfectly fine excuse to not ride and heal up … that and getting married. The lows are finally below freezing on the 7 day forecast so 2 of the 4 bikes are inside and will stay there until we load up for our trip south in December. I’m not worried about the weather because I’m writing this from San Francisco where I’ll be for a few days with Heather. Her first trip out to the Bay Area and I of course feel like I’m back home. Should be a fun trip. Sorry for the quiet but, as you can see, I’ve been keeping busy :)