Polar Bear Club
By
Jane Kern
Today,
October 28th was the first day of the Polar Bear Club Season
2001-2002. The weatherman promised us that we would have colder
temperatures than we were used to having for the first ride of the season.
The temperature did not get above 52 degree! Well, we should not complain
- this is a Polar Bear Club!
Walt
and I went to the Gold Wing Road Riders Association - New Jersey F-Troop
meeting in the morning for breakfast. They were having a Poker Charity
Ride to Cape May for the Rainbow Foundation. After the meeting most people
rode the back roads to Cape May. Walt and I took the Route 9, Route 195
and the Garden State Parkway. Since Walt is the Webmaster for the Polar
Bear Web site we wanted to get down early to take pictures. We had not
been there but a few minutes when Barbara Z and a former Spokes-Women
member, one of the earliest members in fact, Warren Grady, arrived. We all
greeted many old friends we had not seen since last year’s Polar Bear
season. Barbara introduced us to Spokes-Women member, Christine Stewart,
and her friend, Mitch. We went into the VFW hall to sign in, greet more
friends and then got back on the road to return home. Before we left Cape
May the four of us went to lunch.
The
ride down even in the cool weather was beautiful. The trees in southern NJ
were at their peak. Barbara and Warren rode back roads down and said the
ride was spectacular. On
our way back home we all stopped for gas but among the confusion we got
separated. Walt and I decided to get off the Parkway and come home via
route 539. Again the ride was really nice and the trees beautiful.
The
next Polar Bear Club (Nov 3-4th) ride is to Lewes, DE. This is
a fun one as we go down on Saturday and stay over in Lewes. I had really
planned to be at the next Spokes-Women meeting (Nov 11th) but
due to the change in date I will once again miss the meeting. I am sorry
we have so many new members that I have not met yet.
I
hope to be there soon.
An Addendum
by
Barbara Zimmerman
Janie
asked me to share the "Missing Riders" story with you.
So here goes - after Warren and I lost Walt and Jane at the gas
station, we tried to lose each other on the Parkway - straight road right?
Hard to do -right? Nah…
I
have EZ-Pass and Warren had tokens. At
one toll plaza a car broke down in the sole EZ-Pass lane. I eventually
slipped around him but it took a lot more time than Warren's drop in the
basket. At the next toll Warren and I each approached empty
tollbooths. That was the last
I saw Warren for about 25 minutes.
I didn't see Warren as I got into traffic leaving the toll plaza, so I putted along behind a car doing 45 mph. Then I pulled off in the shoulder and sat for a while. Two other riders we passed earlier went by, but no Warren. Now I was really worried. I pulled into the shoulder on the ramp to the next service area and waited. No Warren. I went into the service area and saw the other two riders. I parked my bike and was walking toward them to ask if they saw Warren. When what to my wondering eyes should appear but Warren! He said he must have lowered his eyes a second and didn't see me leave the tollbooth. Well, you know how cool, calm and collected I am under stress - not - so I said I was stopping for a soda. As I walked past the two riders I heard one say to the other amusedly, "Hey, did you see that Pacific Coast and Gold Wing looking for each other back there?"
Humph!