The Perfect Storm

by Rob Zuraski, Director New Product Development

The planets seemed to align this past weekend to create the perfect storm this past Friday and ideal conditions to snowmobile up in northern NH. I was also surprised to come home after riding 90 miles Sunday morning to find perfect weather for an evening ride on the motorcycle.

Driving conditions were a bit rough on our trip up north and I had a first experience as a passenger in a powerslide in a truck towing a 4 place trailer after going through the Notch in northern NH. Luckily my friend Brad was able to recover after seeing the trailer on both sides of the truck. Whew!

If you are into snowmobiling or snow sports and need to get your last run in for the season there still appears to be plenty of snow up in NH but check the forecast before heading up. Here are some pictures from our trip!

Trail on way up to Stub Hill Pond

Stub Hill Pond

Perfectly groomed trails!

Unmanned gas pumps in the middle of no where just for us!

Perfect day for dog sledding too!

Devin, Brad and Tony

Kryptonite in Canada

by Eric Anastasia, Eastern Regional Manager

Here are some pictures that someone sent to me to show what happens to a bike locked up with a Kryptonite Ulock that gets plowed over with the side walk plows in Canada….

The sidewalk gets plowed the bike gets destroyed and the lock is unscathed. Impressive isn’t it.

30 Years Later.....

The Blizzard of '78 is still something that people talk about here in the Boston area. If you were alive then, you have a story for it. If you weren't, you've heard your parents and grandparents talk about it - where they were, what they did during those days, how they survived. It was crazy. I was young, but we have a picture of our 110-pound German Shepherd sitting in front of the pile of snow the plows pushed to the corner of our street. He looks like a peanut! I also remember lots of shoveling during the storm when the dog had to go outside. A little challenging for my parents to say the least!

Nothing like that here today, although Mother Nature is throwing some driving rain at us with the possibility of 'some snow' tonight, but nothing major. This is the scene on 128 (read: major highway) 30 years ago. People weren't making it home and abandoned their cars!

(Boston Globe photo)

The Boston Globe has a great piece by Rich Fahey about his experience being stranded at the Boston Garden during the storm. It's a fun read.

The Globe also has a video with photos of the storm and destruction that are unbelievable. They interview people who were there about the storm and how they got through it. It's an interesting piece to watch! It will give you a little taste of just why people remember it so vividly, even now 30 years later.

Thank goodness it's only rain today!

Fickle New England Weather

I was in New Hampshire on Saturday babysitting for my Godchild. She's 18 months old and a hoot! She's got some words now and just thinks she's hot stuff for it. At one point, when her mother came home and was calling her to come join us in the living room she called her name and the little one simply replied, "what?" from the other room. That was a new one and one I'm sure she learned from her 5 year old sister. We couldn't help but giggle because it sounds so cute coming from a toddler.

As I was driving home, I saw a sight that you don't normally see in January in New Hampshire - a guy riding his motorcycle on the highway. Yes, it was sunny and in the 50s on Saturday. Nice!


Yesterday, I went out to do some errands in the morning and chose not to wear my winter coat! It was in the upper 40s and sunny. At the stop light at the end of my street a guy in a Harley pulled up next to me. On the highway I saw another motorcycle - in January here in Massachusetts. That's just fantastic!


Today, however...well...see for yourself.

The state is telling everyone who does not have to go anywhere to stay off the roads...and we are. I'm working from home today. Because the weather folks did their usual "drama" around impending storms, we were all well aware of the storm. I went to the office yesterday and got some stuff that needs working on so I'll be getting stuff done - maybe even more things than if I was in the office with phones ringing and other interruptions...then again, there will be the time needed for shoveling...

SNOW!

I knew it was coming....the weather folks have been predicting snow for days...but I wasn't prepared to look out my window last night and see the white stuff on the ground. I woke up with trepidation this morning - were the weather people right and it would be raining or would they be wrong (which is so often the case) and we have a blizzard outside?

They were right. Everything was covered in snow, but it was warm out and it was raining a little bit. We only had a couple of inches of snow, but it was all heavy and not something you'd want to shovel; that's back breaking, heavy snow.

I didn't see any bikes going by my house, but the yard and streets reminded me of this picture that I received recently.

That's our friend Jim Haraughty (left) out for a ride on Thanksgiving in Wisconsin. Looks cold, but they seem to be having a great time.

Be careful riding in the snow and bundle up!