COGnitions Random thoughts and ramblings from your Area Director

Hopefully you have or plan to attend one of the many COG Northeast activities – there are more than 60 to choose from this year. It is really great to see several new faces planning activities. New member William Bowen III jumped right in with two feet and is hosting a ride later this month just west of Scranton, PA and offering camping in his yard. Long Island, NY member Roger Mercier is hosting a Meet & Greet in September in eastern LI. See the Event Calendar for details.

Since last newsletter COG NE gained 35 new members, each listed on the following page. We presently have 680 members & associates. We could’ve seen more growth, but unfortunately we also lose some members along the way. One good trend we are seeing is more “significant others” joining as Associate members and attending COG events. Adding an associate at the same address only costs $5 more to your annual member fee. Your associate gets their own online account and access to the forum, and receives member pricing at fee paid club events. The presence of more associates is very noticeable at our rallies. At Spring Fling Andrea Felice got the “Ladies of COG” together for the group photo at right.

We’re still seeking an AAD for Maryland. Please contact me if you have interest. We also have a couple of new staff members to announce. Dave Perkins (#5932) of Toronto, ON, Canada, is the new AAD for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Dave has stepped in and taken over the reins from Dave Clancy. He has been one of the key figures involved with organizing and running an annual COG booth at the Toronto Motorcycle Supershow that helps to bolster membership. Also, Richard Beaudoin (#9318) from Cardinal, ON is the new co-AAD of Eastern Ontario, sharing

the task with Ken Fader. Richard has already been promoting the group in the forum - specifically the Eastern Ontario region. Welcome and thanks for joining the COG NE Leadership Team. The national rally is coming up August 26-30. During the banquet the big announcement will be made as to the location of the 2014 COG 25th

Anniversary ”Silverdammit” National Rally. The rally team has been working hard, and I think you will be as excited as they are when you learn the location.

The Fall Rally in Lake George was recently added to the schedule. Online registration is open and you can read more details in this issue.

Have fun & Ride Safe

2013 - Issue #3 - Summer

photo courtesy Bob Barbanti #7134

Ride Reports

Pages 5-7

Event Schedule

Pages 8-9

Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

2 2013 - Issue #3 – Summer

Amherst, NS Joel Macphee #10891

Worcester, MA Leo Bolduc #10892 Aurora, ON Rudy Morassutti #10893

Nashua, NH Christopher Quimby #10894 York, PA Todd Zinn #10895

New York, NY Craig Haynes #10898 Eldersburg, MD Sean Nally #10991

Downingtown, PA John McLaughlin #10992 Riverdale, MD Matthew Needham #10993

Saratoga Springs, NY Dave Reppert #10997 Ottawa, ON Steve d'Apollonia #10998

Ste-Marthe, PQ Fred Luneau #11000 Webster, MA Steve Connor #11006

Winchester, MA Verne Bradford #11013 California, MD Simon Richardson #11014

Warwick NY Kurt Schmidlin #11021 Berlin Center, OH Kenneth Larew #11024

Windsor, VT Bill Bates #11025

Braintree, MA Kevin Laitinen #11027 North Potomac, MD Gianni Zanini #11031

Shrewsbury, MA Matthew LaRiviere #11048 Tewksbury, MA Timothy Armstrong #11049

Seekonk, MA Richard Leclaire #11050 Central Square, NY Scott Leach #11056

Ewing, NJ Nicholas A. Palumbo #11073 Oceanport, NJ Jim Palumbo #11073

Cromwell, CT Lorelei Freiler #11076 Sherbrooke, PQ Robert Lambert #11079

Corinth, VT Mike Grover #11081 Herndon, VA Charlie Wheeler #11084

Oshawa, ON Denny Maddock #11087 Feeding Hills, MA Allan Taylor #11088

Honey Brook, PA Mark Brumbaugh #11091 Tunkhannock, PA William Bowen #11100

Randolph, NJ Larry Raff #11101

Editor’s Corner Tim Anderson #9470

Earlier issues this year were all about ride plan-ning and getting things on the calendar, but this issue is filled with ride reports from some of the numerous events we’ve enjoyed so far. I’ve added a couple pages to ac-commodate the pictures and reports I’ve received—thanks for all the input! I’ve made it to several of the events this year so far and had a great time. The Event Schedule has many new addi-

tions for July thru December, so check them out and get them on your calen-dars. As always, use the COG online calendar to check the full details and to see if there are any updates.

Its also great to see the big surge in Northeast COG new members—the list above is the biggest so far this year!

As usual, if you have any news, pic-tures, or entertaining items, please send them along for future issues of the newsletter. All suggestions welcome for possible future newsletter improve-ments. Ride Safe!

NORTHEAST AREA NEWS is published 5-6 times a year for Northeast Area members of the Concours Owners Group. Submissions are welcomed and members are encouraged to share their COG experiences. Email: necogeditor@gmail.com Snailmail: Tim Anderson, 1040 Ocean Avenue, New London, CT 06320.

Many of the opinions stated in this publication may make no sense to those of sound mind and may just be conveniently ignored. If you use any of the information in this rag to incur damage to yourself, your bike or any innocent or not so innocent bystanders it is you own fault...you were warned!

New Members First things first, a warm welcome to our newest NE area COG members!

AAD for MD Like to meet new people, find new roads, and have lots of fun? Have some good ideas for

riding or social events in your area? Then we have the opportunity for you! The Assistant Area Director (AAD) position for MD is open,

so we are looking for a new face for this important position. Here’s your chance to

make a difference in COG and create some good times in your own neck of the woods. Contact Steve Smith at 203-720-7575 or nead@cog-online.org if you want to learn

more about serving as an AAD in MD. Thanks!

Windsor Locks, CT David Joseph #10867

Williamsburg, VA James Talley #10871 Prattsville, NY Rich Towne #10872

Hampton, NH Michael Zuba #10879 Berlin, MA Alan Kuttner #10881

July Newburgh, NY Meet & Greet (L-R) Greg Mitchell, Tom Taylor, Wayne Jenkins, Mike Landau, Bill Billig, Cindy Barbanti, Carly Barbanti (Jim Garrity & Bob Barbanti not pictured).

Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

2013 - Issue #3 – Summer 3

Around the NORTHEAST

News from your Assistant Area Directors (complete list of AADs on back page)

Metro NY/NJ Terry Faherty #792 Greetings all! I guess by now we've all forgotten our complaints from Spring about cold weather, eh? The Independence Day Ride is in the books for another year, and it was another scorcher! The BBQ at Big W's was delish as always though. Wayne Sikorsky (aka Cigarsky) and I met up at the Dunkin Donuts in White Plains and enjoyed a nice ride up to Wingdale. We had a total turnout of 19 die hard BBQ fans come out and en-joy some good grub and COG camara-derie. The Fall Rally scheduled for Sept. 26-29 has begun to take shape and hotel info is finalized. We'll be staying at the Motel Montreal, 3 Lake Avenue, Lake George, NY, 12845. Tel 518-668-5439. $47.50 per night for 3 night mini-mum stay with one night deposit on reservation. Wifi has been upgraded and is now included. Rooms will be held until Sept. 7 and make sure you let them know you're with COG. The reg-istration flyer is provided on page 7, and full details are on page 10. We're still trying to get the banquet settled as of this writing. Till then keep cool and keep the shiny side up! MA/ME/NH/VT Greg & Tracey Habel #7010/7010A What a great start to the riding season! Be-tween rides, meet ‘n greets, and new experiences with COG members, we really couldn’t be happier. In June Greg had the pleasure of helping out fellow CT COG member Chris Leoni perform his first C10 valve adjustment. A few days later we had the privilege of host-ing Phil, a COG member from Wiscon-sin, for 1 night at our home while he made his journey out to the East Coast and back by staying at campgrounds,

homes of friends, and COG member’s homes using the COG membership di-rectory. His goal is to hit all 48 states on his C10. Phil was a barrel of laughs and Greg accompanied him through RI and CT on his way to NY state. Early in July Greg enjoyed an overnight at the home of COG members Bob and Kathy Dallon in Lee, NH, followed by a spirited ride around Lake Winnipesauke and a brisk hike up Mount Major with Bob. It’s no wonder why we love this club so much; the people really are some of the most wonderful we have met.

This summer has been full of new ex-periences for us and we look forward to all that is yet to come. Earlier this year I purchased “Boris” my 2012 Can Am Spyder RS with manual transmission and have been having tons of fun with it. Over 4th of July weekend Greg & I went camping with the bikes for the first time, in Clarksburg MA, and then rode into VT on Saturday. All told, we put on over 400 miles and smiles, and have possibly found a great location for next year’s camping weekend.

The annual Tech Session in April was again a big hit with beautiful weather, COG camaraderie, food and lots of work done to many of the bikes. This has become one of our most popular and favorite events, because it really shows the best of what COG has to offer its members. One of the main reasons this event has become so successful is due to the several members who volun-teer their time and expertise to make this a fantastic day. You guys are the BEST!!

In May we enjoyed a great camping weekend at the home of Tom & Anne Kerrigan and were led on a great day ride on Saturday by Tom and one of his friends. Thank you Tom & Anne for hosting us at your home, it was a great time.

We have also met some new faces at some of the recent events. At the Wolfie’s meet & greet we met Chris Smith who came all the way from Long Island! We also met new members Tim & Gina Armstrong who were attending their first event. We hope to see you again real soon!

We have several more meet & greets

and day rides planned. One of them is a Rolling Un-rally scheduled for Sept. 13-15 and I have spoken to both hotels and was able to extend the discounted room rates at the Lodge at Mt. Snow in W. Dover VT until 9/6/13 and for the Yankee Clipper in N. Conway, NH until 8/23/13. So if you are interested in this event there is still time to book your rooms at the discounted rates.

There are still lots of fun things to do left in the season and we’re looking for-ward to the next few months of activi-ties and meeting some new faces.

See you on the roads!

Reminder: Please be sure to register on-line at on the N.E. events calendar at www.cog-online.org if you plan to at-tend an event. This helps us to plan accordingly to keep the ride group size at a safe number.

If you have an idea for a ride or are in-terested in hosting an event, please con-tact us and we will be glad to help you put it all together! Tracey & Greg

Pittsburgh/Western PA Joe Cyprych, #4665 Hello fellow COGgers, we’re into July and the weather has been either really hot or full of heavy thunderstorms or both in the same day. I gave up trying to keep my bike clean and just go out riding regardless of what it’s doing outside. We have quite a few rides coming up this summer (Laurel Highlands weekend will be in the bag by the time you read this) and we are looking forward to attending the summer event at Snowshoe in August and our annual COG in Canaan on Sept. 27-29. Both are in good ole West Vir-ginia which has to have some of the best roads and riding in the Northeast area. I usually ride every weekend when I am home so if you want to hook up and go riding shoot me an email and we can find somewhere to ride. I am looking forward to getting out and meeting up with everyone soon. If you need more info or have any questions feel free to hit me up. Thanks, Joe & Michele.

Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

4 2013 - Issue #3 - Summer

Around the NORTHEAST (continued from page 3)

NY (Hudson Valley NW) Bob Barbanti #7134

It’s been a very strange spring & summer. First they say we’re going into a drought, then we get record setting rain for June and we’re on our way to a July record. Temperatures bounced from fifty to ninety plus degrees, with very little comfortable temps in between. This has affected most every event I’ve had or been to this year. The May Meet & Greet was killed by heavy rain - three of us showed up, but no one on a mo-torcycle. Next up was the Spring Fling in Bedford, PA. It was pretty warm for May, but we were lucky to get through the rally without rain. The ride home was mostly rain, but hey, you take what you can get.

I’m happy that the June M&G was the exception. We had eight people despite the rain we had the night before. But it turned out to be a dry and partly cloudy day for the event. We had folks from four states and New Brunswick, CA, which was very cool indeed. Three of us even went for a 75 mile ride after lunch, and with the weather of late, this was a big deal!

July 6th was the Independence Ride to Big W for BBQ. This ride went pretty well from my leg of the tripod. Five of us met in Newburgh for the beginning of the ride, but only four were riding to Wingdale for BBQ. It was a nice ride, although after lunch it was in the 90s with a chance of thunderstorms. But we made it through without rain, maybe things are looking up! Around 20 folks came for BBQ, not as good as past years, but not bad considering the heat.

And of course what would the July M&G be without some sort of precipi-tation. Yes, it rained on and off for the second Saturday of the month. Nine of us still came for lunch at the Neptune Diner. And the best part is it wasn’t

raining while we were inside eat-ing. LOL (Event photo on page 2)

We have the next monthly M&G on August 10th. I’m not sure whether there will be a September M&G or not; there are other events going on. Check out the calendar of events or contact me if you have questions.

We have the Dog Days in West Virginia at the end of August and the NE Fall Rally in Lake George, NY at the end of September. I will probably attend one or both of these events myself. There is plenty to do if you have the time, money and ambition. Hope to see y’all at some of these events. ON (Eastern) Richard Beaudoin #9318 As the new co-AAD for this area, here is brief in-troduction. I’m from Car-dinal, ON and have worked for the Coast Guard on a Motor Life Boat in Rescue for over 30 years. I’ve had five bikes from sport to touring, then in 2007 the new C14 caught my eye and well, enough said, its the best of both worlds. I have accepted an offer to as-sist in the Eastern Ontario area with AAD Ken Fader. Ken and I ride to-gether several times a year and are hop-ing together we can bring some new members into COG and show them why it is we all are enjoying this great club. I still remember my first rally at Natural Bridge, VA, what a great time and friendly people. I was hooked!

How about this hot weather? Schools out and holidays are upon us and the traffic has increased along with the heat. Is it me or do people seem to be in more of a rush? What do you do to enjoy safe riding on the hot summer days? Just a reminder that the fatigue factor is higher, we don’t respond as quickly as we think we do. Hydration needs to be more often so take breaks often and for those longer runs save them for cooler days. Pick the time you go riding, get an early start and beat the heat. Air mesh gear is a plus. I keep lots of water with me and wet my shirt. It’s amazing the cooling effect. The biggest one for me is feeling I need to take a break, which means I should

have taken one 15 minutes ago, and I’m not on my ‘A game’ and likely won’t respond to an emergency as well as after taking a break. I hope everyone has a safe and fun summer and I’m looking forward to Lake George this Fall. See you there. NJ/PA AAD Chris Franceschini #9283 Greetings folks. It sure has been a hot one this summer! I'm getting more iterations of the famous Covered Bridge ride sched-uled, hopefully with more time avail-able for folks to set the dates aside. We had one go of this so far and due to an intensely hot Father's Day weekend, turnout was less than expected. But there will be new rides up on the calen-dar soon, with at least one in early Au-gust and then two more in September. Please feel free to contact me with ride/route suggestions or if you have a par-ticular event or place you'd like to sug-gest for a ride. We also have a possible group ride coming up later on in July in the Scranton area so keep an eye on the calendar. Cheers! ON - Greater Toronto Area Dave Perkins #5932 As the recently appointed/volunteered/short-strawed AAD for the GTA it was heart-ening to have such a great turnout at our July monthly get-together. Despite threatening weather (you may have heard about the flooding in Toronto the previous night!) the rain held off and 13 brave souls showed up, mostly on bikes. In addition to our regular atten-dees, three first-timers were there to get more info on COG. With the good con-versation around the table, be it about rides, restaurants or tech issues, I'm sure they were not disappointed. Some suggestions came up regarding local rides and getting together with the co-hort in the eastern part of Ontario. I'll put these out to the group at the next meeting. Thanks for coming out, eve-rybody. Tell your friends! Join COG!

Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

2013 - Issue #3 – Summer 5

Northeast Region ERC course By Mark Williams - Member #8318 On Saturday, June 8th, six hearty souls converged on the Nashua, NH DMV lot for our first COG Experienced Rider Course (ERC). After torrential rains through the early morning hours (till 7:30 AM) we gathered for a day of training and tutorial to improve our bike handling skills. Though 12 riders signed up, paying $60 each (not bad for a day of training and a certificate that gets an insurance discount) only six braved the elements for what turned out to be a beautiful day by 9 AM. For six hours the two instructors (Bob and Rodney) grilled the participants, focus-ing on 9 essential skills including slow speed maneuvers, braking, cornering and hazard avoidance. By the end of the day all participants completed the training, discussion sessions and passed the skills tests. During the wrap up session, and our chance to grill the instructors, everyone acknowledged their skill improvement, the value of the classroom card discussions, the cali-ber of the instruction and instructors, and lastly the camaraderie and new friendships made, all while improving our riding skills and love of motorcy-cling. For those of you who missed the class due to the weather and those of you who wished you could have at-tended let’s do it all again next year. Maybe this time I’ll be able to keep that big C14 in the tight U-Turn box.

COG Generosity at Spring Fling By Steve Smith, AD, #3184 At the Spring Fling Rally, Martha & Russell Fleming organized the Bug Splat game: Riders purchased stick on “targets” for $5 which were placed on their headlights before heading out.

Upon return from the day’s ride, the Flemings measured the Splats and whoever got the closest hit to a bulls eye won half the proceeds and the re-mainder was donated to the Bedford Ambulance. At the Banquet, the win-ners, Rachel (& Jim) Robinson gener-ously donated back her full share of the proceeds to the Ambulance, see photo. Then Rich-ard Beaudoin stood up and spoke in support of the emer-gency re-sponders and their importance, put up $20 and challenged the group to match his do-nation. Immediately there were dozens of bills put forward and when counted, COG members had donated $986 to the Bedford Ambulance Service! A great ending to a great event and a demon-stration of COG member generosity. RI Meet & Greet By Brian Felice #9125 We had 19 people turn out for the lunch and 13 bikes go along for the ride. We broke the ride into two groups, one led by Tim Anderson and the other led by me and Andrea (and Mr. Elkhoof of course). As we were leaving the parking lot I could not find the route in my primary GPS. I did have it in the secondary GPS but it was difficult to see in the sun, so the folks who were following me got an extra treat - we rode a couple legs of the route twice 'cause I missed the turns. No one complained through, at least no one that I heard through my helmet and earplugs, so I think everyone still had a pretty good time. The weather forecast was poor all the way to Saturday- at least 50% and as high as 90% chance of precipitation

predicted. It ended up raining for per-haps 5 minutes while we were eating lunch, stopped raining and the roads dried before we left the restaurant, and the sun was shining for the rest of the afternoon. Amazing the collective power of so many KiPass units in one spot! The long distance attendee was Chris Franceschini all the way from Neu Joisey, at least a three hour ride. Next was some the Mercers, some really new COG folks from Long Island - again, near to three hours each way. All in all, I think everyone had a great time; good food (and very reasonable prices, read: cheap) nice roads and a big

finish with ice cream. A few of us took a ride by Twisted Throttle on the way home, and Bruce even managed to buy a new MRA visor and have it installed while we all heckled the installation technician (OK, it was mostly me heck-ling him). There was a lingering strangeness to the day though that seemed to in-volve.... swapping. People swapping bikes, people trying each other's seats and so forth. I think I heard "This one is too soft..... this one is too hard..... this one is JUST right!" from someone along the way. Brian, Andrea & Mr. Elkhoof

Brian & Andrea’s first RI Meet & Greet covered all the bases—pizza, great riding, and ice cream at the finish!

Event Reports

The Spring Fling 2013 crowd in Bedford, PA.

Event Reports (continued from page 5)

2013 North & South Get Together By Bob Barbanti #7134 Every year Russell & Martha Fleming open up their house to us for a weekend get together. This year the “North & South Get Together” was from June 21-23. This event adds to a long list of things that Russell & Martha have done for COG, the motorcycling community and just folks in general. This event has just concluded its 16th consecutive run-ning, but this was my first year. So some of my observations may not be as typi-cal…

The North & South Get Together is basi-cally a very cost effective weekend event for motorcyclists. It’s simple design is to ride to the Fleming’s home in Hamp-stead, MD. Most folks pitch a tent in the back yard for the weekend so they can spend more time together, but motels are available in nearby towns. Of course the folks who arrive the earliest get first choice of tent locations. And I hear that the section closer to the road has a visit-ing bear. LOL The Fleming’s have basically done all the shopping, food preparation and most of the cooking for these events, based on the expected headcount. Folks also bring any special extra beverages to suit their fancy. So basically, it’s a lot like a COG rally without the motel. What makes this year’s event more amazing to me is the fact that the Flem-ing’s have been dealing with some health issues recently, but true to their charac-ter, they work through the tougher is-sues together with amazing results. So it’s miraculous that the Fleming’s do not let any inconveniences stop them from doing what they love, and they just keep

hosting this amazing weekend for us. My wife and I arrived at the Fleming’s late Friday afternoon. The plan was to get to know folks that I might not know well, or may not have met at all, and that’s what we did. Most folks attending are old friends, but true to the COG spirit, the regulars made us newbies feel welcome. The weekend also included great riding

events. Russell provided a selection of routes to follow and we were pleased with the route we chose for Saturday. It made for a nice day out in the MD and PA countryside. Plenty of twisty roads, some nice views, and places to stop and check things out. Then it’s back to the Get Together for evening festivities. The food was excellent, pure and simple. I could write a whole section on that, but I’m already getting long winded. The icing on the cake was Saturday night’s desert - a picture cake with a photo of Russell and Martha on their C10. May not sound like much, but just knowing that Martha was able to climb up on the bike to pose for the photo left a warm place in my heart. Most folks ride on Sunday as well before

heading home, but we decided instead to enjoy some nice back roads heading home since the afternoon temperatures were going to be in the 90s. I’m sure the Sunday morning Bacon and Eggs in the driveway were once again awesome. 28 folks signed in on the attendance sheet, but I’m sure there were more than that there. I want to thank Martha & Russell for continuing to host this long running event. We had a good time and it was worth the trip. I also would like to thank all the other folks who participate in this event and others like it. Without y’all, there wouldn’t be any of these events. So if you want a good low cost weekend to enjoy, keep an eye on the COG calen-dar. I have a feeling that you could see a future listing for a North & South Get Together 17 for 2014! 2013 North & South Get Together By Russell Fleming #599

North South 16 was another successful get together. I would like to thank all the people that help Martha and I make this a successful event. The ones that came by Thursday to mow grass and set up canopies: Dwight Hoyle, Greg Puter-baugh, John Lippy, Mike Schmidt and Wayne Tenney. Friday’s help was Bobby Winters and Cycle Watson for setting up the garage for cooking and eating. Saturday’s help was donut man and egg cookers John Lippy and Martha Fleming, bacon fryer Dwight Hoyle, toast makers Danny and Chris Cook, and grille master Bob Barbanti for cooking 15 lbs of chicken, dishwasher Greg Puter-baugh and Bowie Pearre for laying out the Dual Sport Ride and leading the ride. Thanks for everyone who stayed around Sunday morning and helped cleanup and put everything away so that I could go for a ride.

There were 12 new COG members and it was their 1st COG event. New members Simon and Michelle Richardson from southern MD really like their time here and are will to step up and host the Crab Cake Ride for 2014 in their neck of the woods. The highlight of the weekend was to see Martha cooking eggs. Martha and I might have to change the date of North South 17 so that there is not a con-flict with the COG 2014 National for next year.

Martha & Russell Fleming hosted the 16th annual North & South Get Together.

A large crowd enjoyed camping, riding and great food at the Fleming’s North & South Get Together.

6 2013 - Issue #3 - Summer

Event Reports (continued from page 6)

Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and Blizzard Ride Report By Pat Sprague, #1887 A major derecho storm with high winds, heavy rains, and some torna-does thrown in, tried to keep the hard core of COGdom from getting to Bu-channon, WV, but failed. Some four-teen riders on as many bikes gathered at The Centennial Motel on 13 June 2013. Riders came in from Ontario, VA, NJ, and MD, while Andy Martin mo-tored in three miles from his home in Buckhannon.

Present and accounted for were Brian Jordan on his Ducati ST3, Roger Somero and Tom Hofsiss, both on Wee Stroms, ‘Dusty’ Schilling on a Vee Strom, Paul Anderson on an ST1300, Wayne Tenney, Paul Gould, and Glen Harriman, all on C14s, Bobby Winters on his C10, John Lippy on his R1200RT, Mike Aldea on his FJR1300, Andy Mar-tin on his KLR650, Clyde Watson on his F800GS, and Yer Obed’ent Servent on his Tiger 800XC.

Many roads were a mess on Friday so

we opted for a short ride in the AM, then visited TALA for the tour after noon. Very interesting place and history! Bliz-zards and other goodies were enjoyed before re-turning to home base.

Saturday provided us with superb weather, most excellent roads, and twelve super riders for the 325 mile loop over through Ohio. This was an awesome day with weather and traffic condi-tions about as good as they can get. The Centennial Motel was great and we ate too much excellent food at CJ Maggies. The town of Buckhannon is a very nice base for any riding one might want to do. We’ll be back! Thanks to all who attended for this nice weekend of riding and COG fellowship.

(Cut & return this section) 2013 Fall Rally Registration Form (Please PRINT Clearly) If registering by mail: complete & mail this form with rally fee payable in $US to “Concours Owners Group” to:

Steven Smith – Fall Rally 2013, 39 Alison Ave, Naugatuck, CT 06770-3566

Name: (One form per person) ____________________________________________ AMA # _____________ COG #____________

Street: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

City: ________________________________________________ State/Province: ________________ Zip Code: _______________

Phone: __________________________ E-Mail: __________________________________________________ Country: _________

I will be a: rider / passenger / guest Motorcycle model: _________________________ License tag # ______________________

Emergency Contact Information: Name: ____________________________________________________________________

Phone No.: _________________________Relationship: ________________________________

Please read and sign the following Concours Owners Group Release: I understand that the Concours Owners Group (COG) cannot assume responsibility for my personal safety in this event. I choose to participate in this event voluntarily, based on my own assessment of my abilities, the routes conditions and facilities, and therefore assume all risks. I release and hold harmless COG, its officers, agents and members from any and all injury and/or loss to my person or property that may result from my participation in this event. I further certify that my vehicle and I are in compliance with all applicable license, insurance and financial responsibil-ity laws applicable to my participation in this event. All participants under 18 years of age must have their parent or guardian sign the following additional release. As the parent or guardian of the above participant, and being informed or familiar with the risks normally associated with motorcycle events, I hereby consent to his or her partici-pation in this event, and accept and adopt all the representations and assumptions of risk set forth in the foregoing release. Participant Signature: ___________________________________Parent or Guardian (if applicable): __________________________________

Above: “Inmates” for an afternoon — Modern sport touring machines grace the grounds of the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, which opened in 1864. Below: Three Marylanders in a familiar pose.

7 2013 - Issue #3 - Summer

Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

8 2013 - Issue #3 - Summer

RIDE & EVENT SCHEDULE Time listed is START time. Visit www.cog-online.org for updates.

(PA) Fri-Sun 19-21 July 12 Noon Laurel Highlands Weekender We will be holding a weekend camp and ride right in the middle of some of the best roads for riding in PA. We will be staying at the Pioneer Park Campground 273 Trent Road, Somerset, PA, which is a first rate campground that has great access to the many attractions in the area and great riding in any direction. It is located just west of Somerset, PA in the Laurel Mountains. Come on out and meet up with the gang for some riding or just kick back and relax around the campfire. They will be holding an area for us, so when calling for a reservation book it under the Concours Owners Group so we will all be together. Sharing of sites will be allowed and makes it even more affordable. They will only hold our area for 1 week prior to this event so please book your site early. Campground contact number is 814-445-6348. If you need more info, please contact me with email or give me a ring. Hope to see you all there. JOE CYPRYCH, 724-796-1401H, cyprych@windstream.net

(MA) Sun 21 July 12 Noon Bag Lunch Meet & Greet - Quabbin Reservoir Meet us at the Quabbin Hill Tower, 485 Ware Road, at the Quabbin Reservoir. Bring a bag lunch as we enjoy the view. Ride to follow. Bring a friend! Detailed directions on COG online calendar. GREG HABEL, 508.444.2235H, COG7010@verizon.net

(PA) Saturday 27 July 11 AM Endless Mountain Ride 2013 Nice ride through Wyoming and Sullivan counties of PA and back. Total distance of 110 miles or so more if the group is up for it. Camping available at my house before or after the ride. Call or email for additional information. Meet at the Post Office, 26 Woodside Drive , Falls, PA 18615. William Bowen, 570-333-5150H

(CT) Saturday 27 July 11:30 AM Meet & Greet in Clinton Join us for lunch at The Log Cabin restaurant in Clinton, CT. Do NOT use your GPS to find the restaurant as it is INCORRECT! Go to 232 E. Main St., Clinton, CT. The website for the restaurant lists their address as 232 Boston Post Rd., which is about 7 miles from the restaurant. The restaurant is across the street from Stop & Shop in Clinton, CT. 41.27196, -72.55057 Long/Lat. BRIAN FELICE, 401-828-3354H, bdfelice@cox.net

(NH) Sun 4 Aug 12:30 PM Meet and Greet at Famous Legends Join us for a Meet and Greet at Famous Legends Restaurant, 4 Essex Drive, Raymond, NH. Bring a friend to introduce them to COG! GREG HABEL, 508.444.2235H, COG7010@verizon.net

(VA) Wed 7 Aug 6 PM Meet and Greet and Eat We'll meet at Clementine at 153 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA, 540-801-8881. Contact person is TIM STEELE at 540-649-7007 or svo68@hotmail.com

(NH) Sat 10 August 8:30 AM Newport, NH Day Ride Let’s go back to the Car Hop Drive-In again this year. Fabulous 50’s Car Hop is an old fashioned drive-in restaurant located in Newport, NH. A fun place for lunch, the food & ice cream is very good and the riding up to Newport is great. Meet at Cliff’s Café in Townsend, MA for breakfast then head to Newport. Ride leaves Cliff’s at 8:30 AM. Fabulous 50's Car Hop Drive In, 308 Sunapee St., Newport, NH. KEVIN MARTIN, 978.459.6275H, cog145@verizon.net

(NY) Sat 10 August 11 AM Newburgh Meet & Greet Join us for lunch at our monthly meet and greet at the Neptune Diner, 82 Rte. 17K, Newburgh, NY. Meet some of the COG family and have a great time. Chance of a short ride afterwards. All are welcome to attend. BOB BARBANTI, 845.895.1130H, 845.206.7406M, ny.neaad@yahoo.com

(ON) Tue 13 August 6:30 PM South Central Ontario Meet 2nd Tuesday each month at Mohawk Inn, 9230 Guelph Lane, Campbellville, ON, just North of 401. All welcome, friends, wives, girl/boy friends. Many hungry people arrive earlier to get their dinner - road house food, salad, wings, burgers, fish & chips, etc. A mainly social function to meet other riders, shoot the breeze, plan rides. DAVE CLANCY 905.389.7681H dnclancy747@gmail.com

(VA) Sun 18 August 9 AM Sport Touring Camaraderie Ride 2 Meet for Breakfast at 9 AM at the Iron Skillet, at the Petro truck stop in Carlisle, 1201 Harrisburg Pike, Carlisle, PA, All makes and brands of motorcycles welcome. There will be 9 self-guided rides to choose from 150 to 240 miles long. All rides end back at the Middlesex Diner in Carlisle, PA. See the COG online calendar for full ride details. RUSSEL FLEMING, 410.374.9687H, fleming@qis.net

(WV) Thurs-Sun 22-25 August Dog Days Ride Weekend Another great escape to the cool Mountain State for the Dog Days Ride weekend. No fee, no banquet, no door prizes; this is an un-rally event for riding, relaxing, and COG camaraderie. Inn at Snowshoe in Snowshoe, WV. PATRICK SPRAGUE, 540.743.4874H, 540.743.5132W, pesprague@comcast.net

(ID) Mon-Fri 26-30 August COG NATIONAL RALLY 2013 Rocky Mountain Rendezvous, Idaho Falls, ID Details at www.cog-online.org

(VA) Wed 4 Sep 6 PM Meet and Greet and Eat We'll meet at Okra's at 9110 Center Street, Manassas, VA 703-330-2729 at 6 PM. Contact person is TIM STEELE at 540-649-7007 or svo68@hotmail.com

(MA/VT) Sat 7 September 7 AM Ludlow Vermont Day Ride Join us for a post-Labor Day ride into Vermont. Meet at Bickfords, 20 Nagog Park, Acton MA @ 7 AM, after breakfast we’ll take a scenic ride up NH RT-123 & 124, crossing the Connecticut River at Bellows Falls, picking up RT-5 & 103 stopping for lunch at the Ludlow Village Pizza on Main St. in Ludlow VT. After lunch we’ll tour more of Vermont’s best roads on our way back. Host: KEVIN MARTIN, 978.459.6275H, cog145@verizon.net

(VT) Sat 7 September 12:30 PM Meet and Greet at Ludlow Village Pizza Join us for a Meet and Greet. Ludlow Village Pizza, 26 Main Street, Ludlow, VT. Bring a friend to introduce them to COG! GREG HABEL, 508.444.2235H, COG7010@verizon.net

(ON) Tue 10 September 6:30 PM South Central Ont. Meet (see 13 Aug. info)

(VT/NH) Fri-Sun 13-15 September Roaming Un-Rally Join us at any point along trip. First night (9/13) we will stay at The Lodge at Mount Snow in West Dover, VT. Prices are $85 for 2 double beds and includes a breakfast buffet. There's a restaurant on site for dinner or other local area restaurants. www.lodgeatmtsnow.com Call 800-451-4289 to make your reservations. Saturday (9/14) we'll leave at 10 AM and stop along the way for lunch as we make our way to North Conway, NH for a stop at White Horse Gear where you can shop till you drop for motorcycle related gear. Next we’ll check into our hotel in North Conway, The Yankee Clipper Inn, www.theyankeeclipperinn.com for details.

(continued on page 9)

Concours Owners Group NORTHEAST AREA NEWS

2013 - Issue #3 – Summer 9

(continued from page 8) Call 800-343-5900 for reservations. Sunday morning (9/15) we'll have breakfast and say our good byes. GREG HABEL, 508.444.2235H, COG7010@verizon.net

(NY) Sat 14 September 11 AM Newburgh Meet & Greet (see 10 Aug. info)

(NY) 14 September 11:30 AM Long Island Meet and Greet Join us for a lunch time meet and greet. Legends Restaurant, 835 First Street, New Suffolk, NY. See the map on their web site,www.legends-restaurant.com. ROGER MERCER, 631-226-2853H, mercercarpentry@live.com

(MA/NY) Sat-Sun 21-22 September Cooperstown NY Ride (Overnight) Kevin Martin & Doug Gray are teaming up to host an overnight ride to Cooperstown, NY and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Meet at either of the locations below for a Group Ride out to Cooperstown. Group Ride #1: Meet Kevin at 7 AM for breakfast at Churchill’s Diner on Rte. 20, Sturbridge, MA area (450 Main Street Fiskdale, MA 01518). Leave for the Westfield Dunkin Donuts, NLT 8 AM. Group Ride #2: Meet Doug at 8:30 AM at the Westfield Dunkin’ Donuts (127 N Elm St, Westfield, MA 01085) for a group ride out to Cooperstown. Can be an overnight event or just a day ride – rider’s choice. The ride is 200 miles of great back roads and scenery, stopping overnight in Cooperstown at the Lake Front Hotel, 10 Fair St. Cooperstown, NY 13326 (607) 547-9511, walking distance from town and the Hall of Fame. Please sign up on COGMOS so we’ll have a headcount for the ride out to Cooperstown. Online calendar has hotel rate details. The return trip on Sunday will be 230 miles through rolling farmlands and the Catskills, with a stop at "Sweet Sue's" restaurant for lunch. Bailout spots available for a quicker ride home. The Lakefront Hotel: www.cooperstownlakefronthotel.com KEVIN MARTIN, 978.459.6275H, cog145@verizon.net

(VA) Sun 22 September 8 AM Breakfast and Ride, Marshall, VA We'll meet at the Marshall, VA VFD, 4160 Rectortown Road, at 8 AM for breakfast, then, weather permitting, ride ~ 200 mile ride to visit the Muntzing Equinox Arch (www.rogerberry.info/Sculpture/maysville/Maysville_01.html) in Maysville, WV, have lunch in Franklin, and end at US 33/ I-81 in Harrisonburg, VA. PATRICK SPRAGUE, 540.743.4874H, 540.743.5132W, pesprague@comcast.net

(NY) Thu-Sun 26-29 September 5 PM NE Fall Rally 2013

Another Terry & Scott fantastic journey. Join us in Lake George for a weekend of COG shenanigans. Motel Montreal, 3 Lake Ave, Lake George NY. Lake Ave. is located just south of the RT. 9 and 9N split at the north end of Lake George Village. See details on page 10 and registration form on page 7. TERRY FAHERTY, 718-227-2099H, 917-837-6634M, tmcefah@aol.com

(WV) Fri-Mon 27-29 September COG in Canaan We are holding our annual COG in Canaan weekend again this year, Canaan Valley Resort, 230 Main Lodge Rd., Davis, WV. They gave us a great rate like last year at $59.00, and we may be in their new building if completed. If you have been to Canaan you know it is one of the best areas on the east coast for riding. If not you need to experience it. We have a block of rooms under Concours Owners Group - when calling mention it to get our rate and be in the same area as our group. If you have any questions feel free to contact me. Full details online. JOE CYPRYCH, 724-796-1401, cyprych@windstream.net

(VA) 2 October 6 PM Meet and Greet and Eat We'll meet at Quaker Steak and Lube, 800 W. Broad Street, Henrico, VA (Richmond) 804-217-9464 at 6 PM. Contact person is TIM STEELE at 540-649-7007 or svo68@hotmail.com

(ON) Tue 8 October 6:30 PM South Central Ont. Meet (see 13 Aug. info)

(NY) Sat 12 October 11 AM Newburgh Meet & Greet (see 10 Aug. info)

(MD) Sun 13 October 9 AM C14 Riders & Friends Ride Meet for breakfast at 9 AM at the Union Bridge Fire Hall, 18 West Locust Street, Union Bridge MD, GPS N39-34.056 W77-10.799. Route sheets will be handed out for a 150 mile self guided ride that will end at Hanover, PA. The ride will take you on some of the FINEST motorcycle riding roads in the area. Come out and show your support for Sport Touring at it’s finest. You will ride in MD and PA. If you would like a copy of the ride in GPS format ahead of time, contact me. RUSSEL FLEMING, 410.374.9687H, fleming@qis.net (ON) Tue 15 October 6:30 PM South Central Ont. Meet (see 13 Aug. info)

(VA) Fri-Sun 25-27 October 2 PM "No Frills" Camp and Ride Gather with COG friends at One Wheel Only, 421 Beylor's Ferry Road, Rileyville, VA (540-743-4874) for a weekend of riding and camping. For those seeking hard roof

lodging there are motels and B&Bs in nearby Luray, VA. Bring any food and libations you wish to have. We will provide the campground, campfire, bathhouse, propane grill & propane, plates, cups, utensils, condiments, water, coffee, tea, coolers, & ice. Several restaurants are in nearby Luray, some offering take-out or delivery. Suggested ride routes, on and off pavement, are available for your riding fun and exploration. Attendance limited to the first 50 COG members and their guests. Donations will be collected at OWO to go toward the OtP fund to help the next Yank heading east. PATRICK SPRAGUE, 540.743.4874H, 540.743.5132W, pesprague@comcast.net

(VA) Fri-Sun 8-10 November 5 PM Brrrrrrr Ride, Natural Bridge KOA This ride and camp was started by Guy Young several years ago and is a perennial favorite. We will gather at the Natural Bridge KOA just off I-81 and Rte. 11 to camp on Friday and Saturday nights. For those not wanting to camp, the KOA has cabins available with heaters (sort of) that will keep the chill off. For reservations, call KOA at 540-291-2770. New KOA owners Ken and Carrie Conger are looking forward to being our hosts. Local hotels for those that require them: Budget Inn: 540-291-2896, Relax Inn: 540-291-2143. Saturday morning breakfast: meet at 8 AM at the Pink Cadillac Restaurant, located on Rte. 11 a mile north of the KOA entrance. The ride will take us on some awesome roads with a lunch stop, then back to the camp for dinner and COG camaraderie. Hopefully there will not be a fire ban in VA and we will be able to have a campfire this year. If you made reservations last year for the KOA this year, please call to confirm your reservation. Any questions or comments please contact me. PATRICK SPRAGUE, 540.743.4874H, 540.743.5132W, pesprague@comcast.net

(NY) Sat 9 November 11 AM Newburgh Meet & Greet (see 10 Aug. info)

(ON) Tue 12 November 6:30 PM South Central Ont. Meet (see 13 Aug. info)

(ON) Tue 10 December 6:30 PM South Central Ont. Meet (see 14 May info)

(NY) Sat 14 December 11 AM Newburgh Meet & Greet (see 11 May info)

(VA) Sunday 15 December 9 AM Williamsburg Ride for Pancakes We'll meet at the Capitol Pancake House at 802 Capitol Landing Road, Williamsburg, VA and go for a ride. More details on the online Calendar. PATRICK SPRAGUE, 540.743.4874H, 540.743.5132W, pesprague@comcast.net

photo courtesy Kevin Martin #145

NE AREA STAFFNE AREA STAFF

Area Director (AD) Steve Smith #3184 203-720-7575 nead@cog-online.org

Web Editor Wayne Geiser #4627 978-851-2710 wayne@mypowercouple.com

Newsletter Editor Tim Anderson #9470 860-444-7544 NECOGEditor@gmail.com

Assistant Area Directors: (AADs)

VT, NH, ME, MA Greg & Tracey Habel #7010 508-444-2235 COG7010@verizon.net

CT, RI Brian & Andrea Felice #9125, 401-828-3354 bdfelice@cox.net

Metro NY/NJ Terry Faherty #792 718-227-2099 tmcefah@aol.com

NY (Hudson Valley NW) Bob Barbanti #7134 845-895-1130

ny.neaad@yahoo.com

PA (Western) Joe Cyprych #4665 724-796-1401 cyprych@windstream.net

PA (North Central) Duane Shaffer #9189 570-726-4676 dkshaff@kcnet.org

PA (South East) & NJ South Jim Ansbro #8443 215-805-0909 bluecon06@gmail.com

NY (Central) Rob Romano #10584 607-227-3899 ensoniqdude@yahoo.com

New Jersey Chris Franceschini #9283 856-366-9430 sowieso@comcast.net

DE, East MD Bob Chappell #1283 302-791-0582 cog1283@comcast.net

Maryland TBD

VA/WV Pat Sprague #1887 540-743-5132 psprague@shentel.net

ON (Greater Toronto Area) Dave Perkins #5932 416-691-2191 cog5932@rogers.com

ON (Eastern) Ken Fader #8534 613-865-7995 kensc14@gmail.com

ON (Eastern) Richard Beaudoin #9318 613-657-3294 sailor_rich@sympatico.ca

QC (Montréal) Christian Dupuis #10098 450-427-0182 d1user@mac.com

COG NE Fall Foliage Rally — September 26-29 in Lake George, NY! It’s time for another of Scott & Terry’s Excellent Adventures!! The boys are bringing us back to Lake George, in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. Pack your electrics as mountain temperatures can be very cool in the Fall. Lodging: Rally Headquarters: Motel Montreal, 3 Lake Ave, Lake George, NY, 518.668.5439 www.lakegeorgemotelmontreal.com. Room block cut-off is 9/7/13; Room rate $47.50/night+tax+fees and requires a 3-night minimum stay. Call ASAP as a limited block of rooms will be held. Mention Concours Owners Group to get rooms held in our block. Back-up Lodging: Lake Haven Motel, 442 Canada St, 800.347.0543 or 518.668.2260. www.lakehavenmotel.com. This motel is next door to Motel Montreal. Registration: $45 per person. COG Member discounted fee: $35 per person for COG members, their immediate family or significant other. Register online through the COG Calendar or mail in form on page 7. Online/Mail-in registration ends 9/15/13 and walk-in fees apply, which are $5 additional to standard fees. Register early - Banquet dinner seating limited to first 100 registrations received. Rally fee covers Saturday dinner, door prizes, and other rally expenses. Wristbands may be used to identify registered attendees. Refund Policy: Rally fee paid less $5.00 before 9/15/13; no refund after 9/15/13. Events: There will be a Saturday evening banquet. Riding: Sample self-guided ride routes download available from online member library or from link at event listing in the COG calendar of events. General Questions: Scott Sorger: 518-223-0544 (516-509-8392) or Terry Faherty: 718-227-2099 (917-837-6634). Registration Questions: Steven Smith 203.720.7575 or nead@cog-online.org. Rally web page: NE Area online Calendar of Events at: www.cog-online.org

2013 - Issue #3 – Summer 10

July 6 Independence Ride for Big W BBQ