Time for a new tire before the ride north to the rally in New Hampshire.

My dad and I make an early morning trip to see Dave Breslau, a long time family friend who owns and runs a great motorcycle shop. He makes quick work of swapping my tire, while he and his dad Harvey (who are both very well traveled motorcyclists) share awesome stories of riding on some of the road behind and ahead of me. It’s really great to catch up with both of them.

With my new tire mounted, I begin the ride north with my dad and his friend Steve.

[me and my pops]

[pops at 80mph]

About 50 miles into our trip, we pull off the highway to get gas. I notice oil pouring out of the bottom of Steve’s engine and quickly forming a big puddle on the concrete. Apparently a rock bounced off the highway and punched a hole in his oil pan. Had we not stopped when we did, his motor would have seized and disaster would have ensued.

We call a local bike shop and they miraculously have a spare oil pan that will fit his bike. Howard (the shop owner) picks up the bike on a trailer, brings it to his shop and has the oil pan swapped out in about an hour. After a relatively short delay, compared to what would be expected with a bike devoid of motor oil, we are back on the road.

[leaking Harley]

[Howard changing the oil pan]

Our ride brings us through Troy, NY where I went to college at RPI. It’s a very nostalgic trip over the Collar City Bridge.

[view of Troy, my college town]

Most of the 200 mile trip was spent in the verdant state of Vermont. The green hillsides, quaint towns and winding roads make for really great riding.

My dad had planned for us to stay for the evening in the small town of West Lebanon, NH, enroute to the rally in Laconia. We find a great place called 7 Barrel Brewery for dinner. They make some really tasty beers, so naturally I need to try them all.