Goodbye Cruiserface, Hello Happyface: The (old) Long and (new) Short Of It All

Isn't that the truth lol. To me cruisers are like ambien, a sleep aid. A good dual sport is and always be the most fun you can have on 2 wheels.


Great pics and great looking bike! The train tunnel is really cool, we have one nearby that is in the middle of nowhere but it is no longer used so it is safe to ride through.

It has been noticed that shortly after that episode the Trappists at the Abby seemingly transcended their jam and jelly business and went into brewing beer - not the "pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom" type of silly stuff but some apparently serious brew called Spencer Trappist Ale. Remembering the friendly monk on the porch who said "we don't get many bikers up here", perhaps they too saw the light.

Anybody out there tried it yet?



BTW the Abbey is at coordinates 42.298678, -72.013011 and is a lovely, tranquil (i.e. as in no loud pipes) place.

We would love to see some pictures of that train tunnel if you have any or happen by/through it in the future. There is nothing like a good train tunnel to spice up your ride.

This thread to me is the essence of what I feel is adventure riding. I went from sport bikes to the GS and it changed my whole outlook on riding. I see more od what's around me and many more things pique my curiosity when riding. These kinds of write ups are the best. A little about the ride and a little informative info on the riding area.

Top notch fellas.

Several weeks back Rider 3 (Popscycle) and I headed west to Greenfield MA. There is train turntable there we wanted to check out -- around here, turntables are a rare thing. Well, it turned out that security was surprisingly high. Not wanting to cause any trouble we opted to respect the numerous signs warning us to keep out of the rail yard. I did however manage to snap this photo of a totally roached out and abandoned grain loader, which I thought was pretty cool.

Now that I have a bike that is comfortable (for me) to ride longer distances, the idea of revisiting some places of interest past is growing. One of those places is the Air Force Museum at Wright Pat AFB in Dayton, OH. This time, we will go equipped with a better camera. Pictures from the last trip had a lot a noise, some of which I removed with post-processing. Here's one that was half-decent after the de-noise operation.



Another place we want to revisit is Strasburg PA, including the railroad and museum.



You'd never guess that we like planes and trains. Steamtown in Scranton is another destination. I am sure we will find some Gelände to go with the Straße along the way.

Adventure riders in central MA, who knew?

That tower in Grafton looks kinda familiar, think it mighta been a MA tag photo several years ago.



The town has a plaque and memorial set there also.


Lately I've been acting stupid and taking my adventure Beemer places I shouldn't, all good though.

Thank you!

Thanks, BBQer, for the additional pics of the tower. We're happy to see you're out and about with that steed and hope you will post more pics for us adventure noobs. Speaking of being out and about, look what we had staring at us at breakfast this morning.



Locals may recognize this place and the fact that PETA people generally don't come here to eat. Anyway, this is one of the places our rides can start from.

Also, if you're out and about central MA this summer and you happen across this fine machine running around, be sure to wave as the fine gentleman behind the wheel would be AMA hall-of_fame member and gifted (if not genius) wrench Joe Bolger.



Joe can scratch-build some really neat and fun stuff from things laying around the shop and house.

Snapped this photo of an abandoned mill in Hardwick, MA (route 32). The sign reminds me of something the guys from American Pickers might barter for, buy, and load-up in their van. It reads "Hardwick Knitted Fabrics". If you've been following this thread, you'll notice that the picture pre-dates the arrival of Rider 3's GS. Back then he was still cruising around on the on the road sofa, yelling at me for choosing roached out roads that would "bust his fork seal". LOL. Happily that's no longer a problem.

It is threads like this that finally got me to buy my new Tiger ( well that and getting handed divorce paperwork on the 24th ) .Now to find some roads

We are happy to hear you've got a new Tiger and hope you find (and share with us) some great roads.

When I was out rooting in the gravel railfanning (i.e., watching them replace a cylinder on a Geep) a week back, I didn't know I had inadvertently parked next to a celebrity. That would be one of the last (American Built) GM/EMD F7s still in everyday freight service.



I use the word "celebrity" because the 1952 F7-A locomotive pictured above was featured in the June 2014 issue of Trains Magazine that came today. Another (with permission) run through their freight yards and down the rail line to get more pictures is now on the docket. I am thinking it will be titled "The Anatomy Of A Growing Short Rail Line" with a look back at the history of this line as well as its current state.

Note: I am thinking that number two may have ridden the old Hondapotamus (his name for it, not mine) up onto the freight platform on the other side of this engine for reasons that only he knows. Not to be outdone, I rode his GSW up onto the same platform to pose with the Geep.



In any event, more the the Grafton and Upton RR to follow when things dry out.

I slipped out of the office for a while this afternoon to check out one of the bridges that are on my GPS "to see" list. Erected in 1889, it has been well taken care of.



Along the way though, there were a plethora of interesting structures and views. Here are a few of them, starting with an abandoned RR station.



Next was a great old mill that is closed but not in bad condition.



More of the same mill complex:



Next is a view that is a little farther downstream.



Finally, a really neat old factory that appeared to now be a residence.

Earlier, we posted pictures of a trip to Haystack Observatory without explaining much about the destination, thus this remedial post.



Haystack observatory was originally built in 1960 by MIT Lincoln Labs for the U.S. Air Force for microwave research (secret work at the time). In 1970, the Air Force transferred ownership to MIT, who then formed the Northeast Radio Observatory Corporation (NEROC) with the following schools: Boston University, Brandeis University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Massachusetts, University of New Hampshire and Wellesley College. MIT's Lincoln Labs administers the site.

The observatory is currently being used to investigate the origin and evolution of the universe, tectonic plate measurements and movements and perform atmospheric/magnetospheric studies. For more detailed information, visit the MIT Haystack Web Site.

The gates are open through the week and there are good photo opportunities for those interested in this sort of thing. You can ride to the location, which is easily found with Google, via back roads.

Food to keep the Harley image up huh?

LOL, with no Starbucks out in that neck of the woods for any sort of BMW image, any port in the storm. Recommend the raspberry danish or sticky buns!

Nice Pumpkinseed.
There is one up near Campton, NH a bit larger, and not quite as nice.
I'm under the impression that funds are available to begin the restoration, but might be waiting for all the funding before starting work.

http://scenicnh.photoshelter.com/image/I0000f5ZClp6DPm0

I'm enjoying this thread, you guys have interests similar to mine.
My dad builds miniature live steam engines as a hobby, so I grew up chasing trains, and live in Southern, NH, so mill buildings are plentiful.
The history in those buildings.......

Thank you for letting us know about the bridge. If you run across any old steam engines, please let us know (we're wishing we could be following UP's Big Boy to WY). On the subject of old mills, we are slowly losing them day by day. We ran across this one today that fell into ruin and is now being demolished.



These were once the backbone of our industrial might and it is sad to see them lost. I do understand that they can often be contaminated with asbestos and other harmful materials. The area around this one wasn't looking all that healthy. A closeup:



Here is another mill that is slowly being demolished. You gotta love its old bridge.



As I mentioned in the bridge thread, this one is located at coordinates 42.385920, -72.098210.

I have to say thanks for this thread. I am recently new to this site and am finding great info and plenty in your trip reports. Very much appreciate the Rose32 recommendation, simply delicious and well worth the time to visit. I will be back. Living in Central MA, it's nice to come across information that is so close and makes a difference in my rides and enjoyment.
Keep up the great communications.

We are always happy to hear that the thread is providing some riding value and enjoyment. That is why we started it.