Lady Luck
This past weekend we participated in an informal ride called "Ride the Circuit".
The owner of our H.O.G. sponsoring dealership, Mike Davis, also owns two other dealerships in Ohio, one in Sandusky, and one about an hour South of us in Dover Ohio.
"Ride the Circuit" was a contest for people to visit (ideally via riding) all three dealerships between when they opened (9:00 AM) and when they closed (5:00 PM). I told Julie I wanted to do this, since it seemed like fun - AND they were going to have three drawings for $500 Harley Davidson gift cards (one from each visited dealership) PLUS one lucky person was going to win a $1,000 gift card.
I kept an eye on the weather forecast for Saturday all week, and it was looking pretty grim: cold and wet. I routinely ride when it is cold, and I will also ride when it is raining if needed, but I really dislike being cold AND wet at the same time.
Friday night it rained a lot - on waking up early Saturday morning at 6:00 - the rains had gone and weather RADAR was clear. It was ON! Our plan was to leave the house at 7:30 for our first dealership visit - which was the furthest one away in Sandusky. The plan was to arrive just about the time the dealership was opening - so we would have the maximum amount of time available for us to hit the other stops.
The temperature was barely in the 50s - Julie deferred wearing her heated clothing since the forecast was in the 60s by early morning. This is a decision she would come to regret...
A half mile from the house - we ran into some sprinkles - so we decided to break out our new HD rain suits and continued on our way. As luck would have it - that was the only rain we would see the entire trip. Even after riding out of the rain - we kept the rain suits on for their added insulation from the cold.
I had skipped breakfast, since the flyer advertising the ride mentioned the dealerships would be serving breakfast. With my stomach growling the entire way, I was anticipating some pan cakes and sausage like we were served during the lead up to the 'Bikers for Boobs' event a week earlier.
We rolled into the first dealership a bit behind schedule at 9:15 - and actually met some other folks who were also riding the circuit. Due to the weather, there was not a great turnout. That was a shame, since other than the temp - it was a nice ride.
Other than a few fellow bikers - Mad River HD appeared deserted. This was not good - I had double checked my email that morning to verify that they had not canceled the ride due to weather.
Peering through the front window - we saw some folks inside - so figured they had opened early just for the riders. Walking around the building rewarded us with finding a side door that wasn't locked.
This was the service department entrance - which was deserted inside. Making our way to the front of the building that we had viewed through the window - we saw the other "bikers" were actually store employees holding their morning pre-opening meeting - which we stumbled into the middle of. Whoops :-)
Luckily the service manager saw us and she asked if we were riding the circuit - and lead us back to the service department where she gave us the paperwork for the contest. Just as importantly - she informed us that breakfast was in the nearby break room - a box of donuts. Not the pancake breakfast I was hoping for - but any port in a storm...
One nice thing about not having a large turnout and having to wait in line for pancakes - we were out of there fairly quickly, before 10:00. Since we had afternoon plans - I was hoping to wrap up the ride around 2:00 - and so far, that deadline looked to be very possible.
Normally, I'd opt for a nice ride down state routes - but since we were on a schedule and it behooved me to get Julie home and warm early as possible - it was time to head back onto the turnpike...
Speaking of warm - a quick detour to a rest area allowed us to nab a mug of hot chocolate - which while incredibly weak - was resplendent with one vital ingredient - HEAT!
We made it to our second dealership around 11:30 - got our papers stamped and wandered over to where they WERE serving a nice pancake breakfast. I managed to save two pancakes from being pitched while they were cleaning up - but never did get the sausage links I was craving...
If nothing else - the food was definitely starting to look up - Box of Donuts at Mad River, and some cold pancakes at Rubber City :-) As in most endeavors - timing is everything...
After our requisite warmup period elapsed - it was back onto the highway for our last stop of the day - Adventure HD in Dover Ohio... If you have ever been down I-77 South of Akron, you'll eventually pass alongside Adventure HD. It is in a really nice location - kinda out in the middle of nowhere - which is a nice break from the insane traffic around Rubber City in the Chapel Hill area.
As part of the relaxing atmosphere at Adventure, along one side of the dealership are a row of nice rocking chairs where weary riders can sit down and take a load off - and shoot the breeze with fellow enthusiasts... Mike Davis - the owner of the three dealerships in the circuit - really knows how to cater to his clientele.
Purchases paid for - bladders drained - and it was time for the last leg of our journey - the trek home.
According to the GPS - we were scheduled to be home around 2:15 - giving us plenty of time to get ready to head out again for a cookout at 5:00 later that afternoon. True to the GPS's word - we arrived home right around 2:15, including a quick dash into a gas station to top off the tank.
The ride was fun - as fun as a cold ride can be - but I felt that doing the ride using a car would have defeated the spirit of the contest - although how you travelled was never specified in the rules.
The ride was now over - and would be forgotten about until the gift card recipients were drawn the following Monday...
***
Fast forward to Monday, I am at work pondering how the organizers were planning on announcing the winners. I assumed they would be mentioned on Facebook - but I have been avoiding FB as a test of my willpower - and succeeding. Out of the blue, I get a text from Julie letting me know that she has just been informed that she was selected as the grand prize winner of the $1,000 gift certificate!
Woohoo! Lady Luck was smiling - and Julie was also :-)
The owner of our H.O.G. sponsoring dealership, Mike Davis, also owns two other dealerships in Ohio, one in Sandusky, and one about an hour South of us in Dover Ohio.
"Ride the Circuit" was a contest for people to visit (ideally via riding) all three dealerships between when they opened (9:00 AM) and when they closed (5:00 PM). I told Julie I wanted to do this, since it seemed like fun - AND they were going to have three drawings for $500 Harley Davidson gift cards (one from each visited dealership) PLUS one lucky person was going to win a $1,000 gift card.
I kept an eye on the weather forecast for Saturday all week, and it was looking pretty grim: cold and wet. I routinely ride when it is cold, and I will also ride when it is raining if needed, but I really dislike being cold AND wet at the same time.
Friday night it rained a lot - on waking up early Saturday morning at 6:00 - the rains had gone and weather RADAR was clear. It was ON! Our plan was to leave the house at 7:30 for our first dealership visit - which was the furthest one away in Sandusky. The plan was to arrive just about the time the dealership was opening - so we would have the maximum amount of time available for us to hit the other stops.
The temperature was barely in the 50s - Julie deferred wearing her heated clothing since the forecast was in the 60s by early morning. This is a decision she would come to regret...
A half mile from the house - we ran into some sprinkles - so we decided to break out our new HD rain suits and continued on our way. As luck would have it - that was the only rain we would see the entire trip. Even after riding out of the rain - we kept the rain suits on for their added insulation from the cold.
I had skipped breakfast, since the flyer advertising the ride mentioned the dealerships would be serving breakfast. With my stomach growling the entire way, I was anticipating some pan cakes and sausage like we were served during the lead up to the 'Bikers for Boobs' event a week earlier.
We rolled into the first dealership a bit behind schedule at 9:15 - and actually met some other folks who were also riding the circuit. Due to the weather, there was not a great turnout. That was a shame, since other than the temp - it was a nice ride.
Other than a few fellow bikers - Mad River HD appeared deserted. This was not good - I had double checked my email that morning to verify that they had not canceled the ride due to weather.
Peering through the front window - we saw some folks inside - so figured they had opened early just for the riders. Walking around the building rewarded us with finding a side door that wasn't locked.
This was the service department entrance - which was deserted inside. Making our way to the front of the building that we had viewed through the window - we saw the other "bikers" were actually store employees holding their morning pre-opening meeting - which we stumbled into the middle of. Whoops :-)
Luckily the service manager saw us and she asked if we were riding the circuit - and lead us back to the service department where she gave us the paperwork for the contest. Just as importantly - she informed us that breakfast was in the nearby break room - a box of donuts. Not the pancake breakfast I was hoping for - but any port in a storm...
One nice thing about not having a large turnout and having to wait in line for pancakes - we were out of there fairly quickly, before 10:00. Since we had afternoon plans - I was hoping to wrap up the ride around 2:00 - and so far, that deadline looked to be very possible.
Normally, I'd opt for a nice ride down state routes - but since we were on a schedule and it behooved me to get Julie home and warm early as possible - it was time to head back onto the turnpike...
Speaking of warm - a quick detour to a rest area allowed us to nab a mug of hot chocolate - which while incredibly weak - was resplendent with one vital ingredient - HEAT!
We made it to our second dealership around 11:30 - got our papers stamped and wandered over to where they WERE serving a nice pancake breakfast. I managed to save two pancakes from being pitched while they were cleaning up - but never did get the sausage links I was craving...
If nothing else - the food was definitely starting to look up - Box of Donuts at Mad River, and some cold pancakes at Rubber City :-) As in most endeavors - timing is everything...
After our requisite warmup period elapsed - it was back onto the highway for our last stop of the day - Adventure HD in Dover Ohio... If you have ever been down I-77 South of Akron, you'll eventually pass alongside Adventure HD. It is in a really nice location - kinda out in the middle of nowhere - which is a nice break from the insane traffic around Rubber City in the Chapel Hill area.
As part of the relaxing atmosphere at Adventure, along one side of the dealership are a row of nice rocking chairs where weary riders can sit down and take a load off - and shoot the breeze with fellow enthusiasts... Mike Davis - the owner of the three dealerships in the circuit - really knows how to cater to his clientele.
Speaking of catering - after hopping off the bike and tromping inside to get our papers stamped and turned for the drawing on Monday, we were directed to food table where they had a bunch of hotdogs already prepared and waiting to be gobbled. Food was definitely looking up - warm hotdogs vs cold pancakes (our fault for arriving late) vs a box of donuts. (Disclaimer: being on a diet, donuts just are not my thing)
As a thank-you to Julie for accompanying me on this ride - amid temps that never seemed to get past the low 50s, I shooed her towards the apparel section with the instructions 'buy something nice' - while I turned my attention to more mundane tasks in the parts area. I'm always needing this part or that one for seemingly never ending customizations to our two Harley's.
According to the GPS - we were scheduled to be home around 2:15 - giving us plenty of time to get ready to head out again for a cookout at 5:00 later that afternoon. True to the GPS's word - we arrived home right around 2:15, including a quick dash into a gas station to top off the tank.
The ride was fun - as fun as a cold ride can be - but I felt that doing the ride using a car would have defeated the spirit of the contest - although how you travelled was never specified in the rules.
The ride was now over - and would be forgotten about until the gift card recipients were drawn the following Monday...
***
Fast forward to Monday, I am at work pondering how the organizers were planning on announcing the winners. I assumed they would be mentioned on Facebook - but I have been avoiding FB as a test of my willpower - and succeeding. Out of the blue, I get a text from Julie letting me know that she has just been informed that she was selected as the grand prize winner of the $1,000 gift certificate!
Woohoo! Lady Luck was smiling - and Julie was also :-)
Labels: cold ride winter sucks contest
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