To be honest...I knew I was going

I told them at Dunkin this morning that I wasn't going all the way to Plymouth with them and that I didn't have my helmet with me. A.O.B. was at 9:30am sharp, OK 9:32am. After last weeks turnout for Gray Rock in Massachusetts we were prepared for a large turnout for Eastern Massachusetts, What we got were 7 bikes and nine people. This was a good thing looking back at it because parking in Plymouth is at a premium. Paul took us up 32 to 2a and 395, I rode tail-gun until I realized I wasn't transmitting so I moved left and let Natale drop back into that position. This really didn't matter much since we were the only two bikes in the group with working CB's. We cruised north then picked up route 6 east, I consider this the official road of Rhode Island, because from Scituate to Johnston is has the same contours as Rhode Islands Economy. The Young's moved left to find a smoother bit of road away from the shoulder and discovered that it didn't matter where you were in road it was all bad.  We cruised east then picked up 295 which took us down to 95, then 495 to Taunton and route 44. 44 runs almost a straight line across the State to Plymouth. To say it was warm out today was an understatement, as I type this both upper arms are burning. We arrived in Plymouth just before noon and the pay Public lots were full, but a short wait 12:02pm and the church goers pile out of church and the lots open up dramatically. Having paid for our private piece of parking pavement $1. per hour, we bought three then hoofed it over to the docks and lunch. I can say that the sun and the helmet had an adverse effect on me and I was suffering a bought of dizziness and nausea. I left the restaurant and moved out to the docks to get away from the smell of food. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, I had Fried Lobster tails. the last person to get his food was sandwich, being from the great State of Ohio, seafood is not high on his list of foods to eat, so he ordered a burger, they must have sent someone out to shoot the cow because he joined us at the tables last.

After eating the crowd headed for the boat, the rock and the shops, Sandwich and I hung out near the bikes until we noticed Natale sitting on a bench on main street. The two of them decided the bench would be better if it were in the shade, so in historical Club fashion, the public seating was moved to a more congenial spot.

At 2pm or a little after the rest of the wandering minstrels returned and we got on the bikes for the ride home. There was a little bit of surprise when Hoss realized one of his helmets was missing, his was there but Vanessa's was nowhere to be seen. A quick look around, there was a short discussion related to things gone missing in public areas. I decided to be nice and since I had a second helmet in my Tour-pack I offered it to her to use. OK, yes, I'm the Asshole who stole it and locked it in my bike, If I had had room I would have taken both of theirs.

We rolled down through Plymouth on 3A, heading for the canal, for a while were were stuck in the local tourist traffic but that cleared soon enough and we were off. I will mention here that there was a bit of traffic on the way into Plymouth, we bopped along in first gear doing the motorcycle balance act, I picked up the microphone, having switched from the headset at the helmet stop, and in standard historical tour voice announced that, "You are currently entering Plymouth, the traffic speed here is set so as to simulate the 1620 traveling speed of the Pilgrims". I thought it was funny, no one except Natale had a CB, and he pulled up and asked what I said because all he got was static. Figures.

We continued down 3A to Sagamore, where we made a stop for fuel, I wanted nothing better to do than to get rid of the helmet and get some air flow across my Mellon, The heat was cooking my brain.

After fueling, Paul headed down route 6 along the canal, his plan was to stop at the canal parking area for a few minutes and look around, I was suffering Cerebrospinal Fluid overload, it was on percolate.
So as they pulled into the left, I pulled on the throttle and shot by, I needed airflow. I hit the rotary in Bourne, grabbed 25 west which I planned on taking to 195. Traffic was light and moving at around 80-85, NICE.  As I approached the 195 split I remembered that 25 becomes 495 and that if I stayed on it to Plainville I could drop a couple hundred or pick up a couple hundred (HA HA Snicker, most know better) at the new Massachusetts Casino, ParkRidge.  So I stayed on 495 north.

When I got to I-95, (the exit off 495 before the casino exit) I decided what I really wanted to do was what I started out really wanting to do, so I hit I-95 west and in Pawtucket, removed that vile helmet and tossed it in the trunk. From there home the ride was much more pleasant.

Maybe it's because I usually don't wear one, but I just don't see how anyone gets airflow in a helmet, I want a massive breeze blowing across my scalp. I was home around 5:30.  That extra 31.7 miles north on 495 instead of west on 195 was no help in that area.